Welcome to the Ranged Combat Jam!

Jam Theme: Time

About this jam:

Ranged Combat is a huge part of many games. Ranged is considered one of the three huge weapon classes in games, right next to Melee and Magic. The truth about many of those games is that ranged combat falls flat, being a niche rather than a viable option. (Think of games like the Legend of Zelda series, how often do you use the bow?) The goal for this jam is to make a game primarily based on Ranged Combat.

Requirements:

1. Ranged Combat has to be the primary way to deal with obstacles (enemies, puzzles, etc).  Other weapon archetypes are allowed, like swords, but keep the focus on ranged! Any ranged weapon type is allowed, be it bows, guns, lasers, throwing knives, or anything you can think of!

- 1a. Game genres like Turn-Based RPGs and Idle Games don't really work for things like this.

2. The game must be fully completable. If it's level based, have a final level. If it's non-linear, be sure to have a definitive end. Please don't make your game endless, as people want to complete games.

3. Must be playable on Windows, whether through a download or web-based. This way, the most amount of people can enjoy your game!

4. You can work in teams or by yourself.

5. While creating your own assets is preferred, you can use other assets made by people. You must have permission, though. Avoiding copyrighted material is also preferred.

Recommendations:

1. Balancing enemies to your ranged combat is highly important. If enemies use melee weapons, then they should be able to approach.

2. Think of a different way to handle ammo. Having limited arrows or bullets might seem like a good idea, but consider this: how often do you hoard all the best ammo and items for the entire game just in case of a 'hard fight'?

3. A simple tutorial or control explanation goes a long way to making your games playable!

- 3a. Using a limited amount of keys or buttons helps with accessibility and learning (especially think of using the mouse with other keys, is it comfortable?) 

4. Following the jam theme is always fun and helps you come up with new ideas! You're not required to, but it's highly recommended!

5. 2d games usually are easier to understand and to develop from my personal experience, but you can make it however you want.

6. Make a simple plan for your game and follow it! You have 8 days, so I recommend saving the last day or two for hardcore testing.

Voting Criteria:

1. Ranged Viability: Is ranged combat actually useful? Is the game balanced around it? Is ranged combat overshadowed?

2. Enjoyability: How fun is your game to play? How much feedback is there?

3. Polish: How polished is your game? Are there many bugs or is it smooth?

4. Visuals and Sound: How nice does your game look and sound? Does the graphics and sound design fit well?

5. Jam Theme: How close did you follow the theme and how unique is your interpretation?

Cover image credits:

Little dude in the red shirt is by me.

The bow is from Kyrise's Free 16x16 RPG Icon Pack by (you guessed it,) Kyrise.