WELCOME

Mini jam is a 72-hour-long video game development jam that occurs every two weeks on Itch.io.

A required limitation is announced as soon as the jam starts to spice things up. Remember, limitation breeds creativity. You get the theme early, so you can plan ahead, Just keep in mind that you may have to change your idea when the limitation is revealed. This jam's theme is Pocket Sized. Remember, theme is purely inspirational and not required. Feel free to interpret it however you want.

No worries if you can't finish your game on time, you can submit late at anytime during the jam's voting period.

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LIMITATION

The limitation is a special condition that your game must follow, but is open to interpretation. If you are unsure if your idea doesn't fit the limitation,  just remember that everyone will interpret it differently.

Limitation: All Movement is Tile Based

Your game must define what a tile is, and all movement in the game must adhere to said tile grid. What defines *all* movement is up to you. The tile based movement could refer only to the gameplay, or every single object in your game could be physically locked to the tile grid (particle effects included) it's up to you! This limitation is very straight-forward and easily interpretable, so just follow the instructions on the back of the box! 

Q: I've never played a tile based game, what are they like? 
A: Roguelikes and Puzzle games are often tile based. Think Tetris, Sokoban, Nethack, or Rogue

RATING

At the end of the Jam, there will be a rating period that lasts 5 days. Your game will be rated on:

Enjoyment - How much you enjoyed your time with the game.        
Concept - How interesting or unique the main focus of the game was.           
Presentation - How well executed the main focus of the game was.           
Use of limitation - How well the game incorporated the given limitation.

Keep in mind that the theme is purely for inspiration, and you should not rate a game differently based on how well the theme was followed. 

RULES/FAQ

Rules:

Read the rules. Not reading the rules is not an excuse for breaking them.

Keep game content clean. Any and all NSFW content, potentially offensive content, graphic content etc. must be clearly telegraphed with a content warning at the start of the game as well as in it's description or cover.

Answer submission questions honestly. You will be prompted to answer a few questions when submitting your game. Please answer them to the best of your ability. Giving vague answers is a great way to set off red flags.

Any games that do not follow the rules will be removed from the jam without warning.

FAQ:

Can I submit more than one game?  Yes, but I would advise against it.

Can I submit a game I already made?  No. You may only submit projects made within the time frame. We do check.

Can I make changes during the rating period? Yes, just make sure that the original version of the jam can still be downloaded.

What engine can I use? You can use any engine or framework you like. You can even make your own if you want.

Is there a prize for the winners?  The prize is the friends we've made along the way.

Do I have to follow the theme? No, but well… When in Rome~

I have code and assets from other Jams I wish to use, are these allowed? Yes! If you have the rights to use it, anything that wasn't made specifically for this particular jam is allowed. Mini Jam isn't strict on the "build it from scratch" ruling, but it is encouraged.

How can you tell if I used premade assets or made the game at an earlier stage? Outside obvious red flags, we don't really check. Jams are for fun. Bend the rules if you want, just don't cheat yourself and be a jerk to mess with genuine folk.

Help! I couldn't submit on time, what do I do? There will be an announcement on the discord server, as well as a community post about how to submit late if you missed the deadline.

When does the next Mini Jam start, and when will the limitation be announced? Mini Jam takes place every 2 weeks on a Thursday/Friday, depending on your time zone. Mini-Jams last 72 hours (3 days). Limitations are announced at the start of the Jam.

PARTNERS

Participating in Ludum Dare? Be sure to join the official unofficial Discord server.

Want a fun and easy way to make games? Try out Ct.Js! It's a free 2D game editor that aims to make programming fun and game development easy by its visual editors and well-documented code library. Available for Windows, Mac and Linux.