Sim Jam!

Make a simulation, any way you like!

Make a simulation that follows the theme announced at the start of the jam. 

Your jam theme is: A Matter of Degree. 

Good luck!

Livestream videos here!

WINNERS:

• Game of Jam: Bunny Eats 
• Best Sim: NovaForge 
• Best Gameplay: Stellary 
• Best Use of Theme: Every Degree Matters 
• Best Audio: Invisible World 
• Best Art & Community Choice: Herbal Harmony

A simulation is a process that imitates the natural operation of something over time. This jam is for simulations presented via software or text*. Most games contain lots of simulations of different things, but the idea is that submissions to this jam will have simulation as a primary focus. Some examples of software with simulation as a primary focus include games like Sim Earth and Stardew Valley as well as applications for professional use like Chemical Workbench. Pretty much any genre of game can be simulation-focused, so let your imagination run wild!

Jam dates:  Jam theme will be announced in the evening on April 26. The jam begins May 1st at midnight and ends at 11:59 PM  on May 17th. All times CST (GMT - 6)

Jam format: This jam is in the style of the old Something Awful Game Developers Challenges of yore and has a planning period and development period. The theme will be announced at the start of the planning period. You may form teams, create plans, set up repos, etc, at this time but may not begin development (ie, creating code, assets, etc) until the beginning of the development period. You may submit your game at any point during the development period, but no submissions will be accepted after the deadline.

Medium: valid submissions to this jam will either be software applications (something that can be run on a computer) or *tabletop format. Tabletop game submissions are subject to additional restrictions, detailed in rules section.

Joining a team Participants are strongly encouraged to team up with other entrants! Find people who complement your strengths! Looking for teammates? Come say hi in the Dogpit Discord! We also encourage you to say hi in the discord regardless and meet other chill gamedevs, artists, game audio people, voice actors, and other neat folks!

Contact @TeamDogpit or info@teamdogpit.com. Tweet your game WIPs with the hastag #dogpitjam so we can find and retweet them!

Categories and Judging

• Best of Jam
• Best use of Theme
• Best Gameplay
• Best Art
• Best Audio
• Community Choice

Until the start of the jam, these categories may be subject to change.

Judges are Xibanya, SnowSchu, and Mihai Zetta, Sandra Molina Juan, pixelsandpins, TerminationShock, and Matt Curtis.

Prizes TBA!

Jam Stream: All entries will be played live on stream with commentary by judges. Livestream dates will be announced after the close of submissions.

JAM RULES

Failure to follow these rules will result in your removal from the jam.

• Make a simulation that follows the theme and submit it by the deadline!
• Don't work on your submission before the start of the jam. This is enforced solely by the honor system, so please respect your fellow jammers!
•  Absolutely no hate speech or harassment of any kind will be permitted in entries, the Dogpit Discord server, or twitch chat.
• The game you submit to the jam must be free for a minimum of four weeks after submissions are closed.
• Software applications submitted must be playable on Windows 10 or in browser. Tabletop games submitted must be in PDF format.

If you are submitting a tabletop game, you are subject to the following additional rules:

• If physical game pieces are used, it must be acceptable to use any small object a judge would reasonably have at hand (coins, caps, etc). 
• No more than two pages must be required to be physically printed out.
• It is strongly encouraged to make a game that can be experienced single player. 
• If only multiplayer, the game must be possible to play with no more than 3 people, and must be playable over VOIP.  Because it is not possible for all the judges to meet in the same physical space for the forseeable future, if the game is multiplayer-only, there may not be any mechanics that involve a player physically handling game pieces that must also be physically handled by another player.

Jam Suggestions

You don't have to do these but jam organizers would be ever so grateful if you did:

• If not a TTRPG or browser game, your game should display resolution config before launch or launch windowed (NOT fullscreen) by default.
• Have a control scheme that works if the user mouses left-handed or allow rebinding controls. This is most relevant to games that use WASD-style first person movement -- if that's the case, it's suggested you allow movement with arrow keys as well.
• If there's content you really really want to have showcased on the livestream and your game is skill-based, also include a means of jumping directly to it, because Xibanya is very bad at video games.

FAQ

Q: How simulation-y is sufficient to not be disqualified?  A: No submission made in good faith that follows the rules will be disqualified. If you're really worried about it, reach out to the organizers to ask, but if you're thoughtful enough to be concerned, it's probably fine.

Q: I've never made a game before, can I enter?  A: Yes

Q: I'm not very good at making games, should I enter? A: Yes

Q: Can I use Gamemaker, Unity, Unreal, my own boilerplate, and/or my own engine?  A: Yes

Q: Can I reuse my own code from prior projects? A: Yes, though if you do so it would be sporting to open source that code and link it in the community Discord server so that anyone could use it if they wanted to.

Q: Can I take a game I have already made and modify it to fit the theme?  A: No

Q: What time zone determines the start and end dates?  A: Central Standard Time (CST, GMT - 6) 

Q: Can I join the jam after it has already started?  A: Yes, you can join at any time. You just have to submit a game before the deadline. 

Q: Can I work with a team?  A: Yes

Q: Can I be a member of more than one team?  A: Yes

Q: Is there a limit to the number of people that can be on the same team?  A: No

Q: Can I submit more than one game? A: Yes

Q: Can I use open source assets, unity store assets, or other assets that are available to the general public?  A: Yes

Q: What happens if I don't submit my game in time?  A: Your game won't be judged and won't be played on the livestream. I still encourage you to keep working on the game on your own time though.

Q: Can I update my game after the end of the jam?  A: Yes but judging will be based on the copy that was submitted by the deadline.