So you made a jam game.

What about making it deserve the title of game?

Welcome to Luli's Post-Jam Operation! If you ever joined a short jam, you certainly know the rush of trying to produce something playable (preferably bug-free) and finally ending up cutting corners from lack of time - for an end result that isn't always what we expected it to be.

Well, in this jam you'll take your buggy prototypes and turn them into something more exciting!

What's the Post-Jam Operation exactly?

This is not a regular game jam. Yes, you work on a game for a limited period of time - but in this Operation, you don't create it from scratch, but you enhance an existing game instead!

Specifically, we're improving a jam game. So if you have any abandoned prototype you made one week and then just forgot about, now's the perfect time to make it shine like never before!

In this Operation, we're focusing on quality and improvement. One single, polished level is better than one hundred clunky and buggy stages. However, that doesn't mean we're seeing only that - not at all! The ranking is based on the level of enhancement and improvement, so even if you don't manage to get something great at the end, what really matters is how much your game have improved!

The Operation Plan

The whole Operation will take a little more than two months - that's why the next Post-Jam will start in April (more on that below).

The timezone for all schedules is GMT+1.

Step 1 - Before February : Participate in a short jam and make a game! Why not try the Weekly Game Jams? Or maybe a shorter one? The goal here is to have an idea or concept, and a prototype that you can expand upon in this Operation!
Step 2 - February 1st at 00:00 ~ March 1st at 23:59 : Post-Jam time! You have one month plus an extra day to enhance your jam game. Please refer to the Rules section for more info!
Step 3 - March 2nd at 00:00 ~ March 30th at 23:59 : Voting time! Play both jam and post-jam versions of a game and give a rating according to criterias. Refer to the Voting & Ranking section for more info! You should also join a short jam if you consider participating in April's Post-Jam Operation.
Step 4 - March 31th at 00:00 : Results announcement! This also marks the end of February's Post-Jam Operation.
Step 5 - April 1st at 00:00 : Start of the next Post-Jam o^o

The voting period takes one whole month to allow people to play and rate the most possible games, considering the fact that it's required to play both jam and Post-Jam versions in order to give a rating. This can also help keeping the Post-Jam motion until April!
Please note that uploads aren't locked during voting period, because of it's length. That however doesn't mean you can update your Post-Jam version as you please. If you want to upload an update, be sure to clearly differentiate the Post-Jam version from your updated version, so people can download the right build for rating.

Note : Because this is the first Post-Jam Operation (and because it's published fairly late), jam games made before january are accepted. In the next Operations though, they must be made during the month preceding the Post-Jam's start (for example, if the Post-Jam starts in April, jam games must have been made during March).

The Rules

There's some special rules to follow - don't worry, they're very simple and they will help everyone who might play and vote your game.

Mandatory

• Take a jam game and enhance/expand upon it (or even rewrite it from scratch!) during the Post-Jam's timeframe
• The jam game must have been made in under 2 weeks - under 1 week is better, so your jam game is short and easy to play quickly (remember, rating is based on enhancement, so people should play both versions of your game easily)
• Put a link to the jam during which you initially created your game (not necessary if it already appears in your game's itch page)
• Submit your Post-Jam game before the deadline (March 1st at 23:59)
• You must provide downloads for both the jam and Post-Jam versions of your game

Recommended

• Provide a zip file with both of your game's versions for single download, so people are more likely to download them, and thus give a rating
• You can write a changelog of changes and enhancements you made, to help people who will play your games better see the differences
• Provide an estimated gameplay time for finishing your jam and Post-Jam games

Additional Details

• Your game should be able to run on main platforms (Windows, Mac and Linux) to ensure that everyone can play it
• You can obviously use any engine or tools you'd like, as long as you have the rights to use them
• Pre-made assets are allowed as long as you have the rights to use them - don't forget to give credits if necessary!
• If you plan on making your own assets, be sure to not produce them before the Post-Jam's start
• Pre-production like brainstorming, Game Design Document, or even concept art can be done before the Post-Jam's start - but it shouldn't be anything that you actually use in your game, like actual art asset

Pretty simple, right? Keep in mind that these rules are here to ensure usability and fairness!

Voting & Ranking

Firstly, let's make one thing clear : ranking is purely for fun. There's no rewards (other than personal satisfaction) so just do your best and have fun :3

With that out of the way, let's focus on the Voting process. In order to rate a game, you should first download both the jam and Post-Jam versions of it. Yes, that's mandatory, because the rating criterias are based on the enhancement (which is the whole purpose of this Operation) and not the final game in itself.
So, please, if you play only one version of a game, don't rate it. And if you played both, don't forget you should rate the quality of improvements, not the improved version!

Let's quickly go over the criterias :

Overal Enhancement : How did the game improved in general?
Graphical Enhancement : Did the graphic part of the game was enhanced? How much?
Sound Enhancement : Did the sound part of the game improved? Does it fit more? Is it better integrated?
Gameplay Enhancement : Are the game's mechanics enhanced? Are there more features? Did the game's general concept improved?

Note the "enhancement" word in each of the criterias. That's really to emphasize the fact that it's really the most important part. The focus is how much our game have improved, so no matter what the end result is, as long as there's progress, it's good!

FAQ

1. What does the "02" in the title means?
It just indicate the month's number - in this case, february.

2. Can I remove my game's jam version of my game page after this Post-Jam's end?
Of course! You can do whatever you want with your game and game page, just be sure to remove the jam version only after the voting period ends.

3. Can I further enhance my Post-Jam game in the next Operation?
Well, no. You can of course work on it outside of the Post-Jam, but you can't submit a Post-Jam game to the next Operation, because 1) it would be unfair in regards to other Post-Jammers, and 2) this would probably mean your game will be a bit longer than a regular jam game, which is not recommended since people need to download and play two versions of the same game.

4. Are teams allowed?
Sure! If you made your jam game with a team, you can totally participate in this Operation with the same team - or even form a new one!

Also if you have any question, feel free to post it on the jam's community section!