This is a casual game jam intended to inspire working within extreme limitations. In the original 16 bit x86 architecture, memory was effectively divided into 64k chunks of memory. This was because though the original 8086 processor could address a full megabyte (20 address pins), the internal registers were only 16 bits wide. Thus segment registers were used to combine with an offset register to create a full 20 bit address.

The formula used by the processor for any address was (Segment * 16) + Offset, and used the syntax Segment:Offset.

Although a .COM file can theoretically access the full megabyte of memory available to the computer, in the spirit of having compact game files this Jam is requiring that all content (game logic and assets) be contained in a single .COM file. There are no rules about how much or little memory can be accessed by the game during run time, only that the .COM file contain all code and data the game needs to load from disk.

Rules:

• Must be a DOS compatible .COM file that can run on actual hardware. Owing to the limited availability of this hardware in the wild today, submissions can be submitted with any emulator environment designed around the IBM PC and it's compatibles.
• Can NOT load any asset or game specific code from an external file. All logic and data used must be contained within the .COM being submitted. (Yes, this includes save data)
• Games submitted can be in any language.
• Games submitted can be in any stage of development.
• Games submitted can be listed at any price point.
• Games submitted can be designed to use any hardware, retro or modern.
• Optional: Games may use a generic TSR (Terminate Stay Resident) driver, but these should be generic and usable by any project without recompiling / reassembling.
• Include content warnings on the game's page if your game includes any material that could be considered adult or sensitive.
• Bigoted content of any kind is not allowed and will be removed from the jam.