This jam is now over. It ran from 2019-01-04 18:00:00 to 2019-01-07 18:00:00. View results

The theme for the jam is EXPLORATION.

Mechanics, controls, and ideas are the core to any good game. Fancy visuals can add extra flair, but these basics are much more important. And also, the power of audio is often overlooked.

Can you make a game with only two solid-color shape types?

Join us on Discord to form teams, discuss the jam, and generally have a good time. :)

Looking for a team? That's another thing you can do on Discord, or see the Crowdforge page.

Rules

You may enter one game which must be original work created for this jam. You cannot work on the game before the jam starts.
The game must work on a normal monitor in Windows (no VR or unusual peripherals). Web builds are fine.
All assets (game design, art, sound, code, text) must be made during the jam, or freely available and credited in-game.
You may work solo or in a team, but the maximum team size is 4.
You must answer all submission questions completely.
No NSFW content. This includes sexual content (including language), nudity, or excessive realistic gore/violence.

The theme will be announced one hour before the jam begins. The theme is only one voting category, but that still accounts for 20% of your total score, so it's a good idea to use it.

There are no limitations on engine, framework, or game genre.

You are free to enter other jams with the game, but make sure you're following everyone's rules.

Questions? Ask in the community or on Discord.

Requirements

The basic idea: Select two shapes from this image. You can only use these two shapes for game objects, in as many colors as you like. The background can include collection of polygonal and curved shapes that don't move. See below for more details.

What you CAN do:

Use a maximum of two unique shapes in the game. Each game objects can be one of these shapes. A game object is anything in the world that has its own behavior.
- Available shapes: square, circle, equilateral triangle, diamond (height = 2 x width), isosceles trapezoid (symmetrical - try to match angles in the image), star.
Rotate a shape along the forward axis (i.e. in 2D) or flip it horizontally/vertically.
Resize a shape (maintaining the same proportions).
Use one solid color per shape, but as many colors as you like overall.
Create any number of polygons or curves for the background. The fewer, the better. "Background" has no behavior of its own, although collision is allowed. Background pieces cannot move, rotate, scale, etc. The entire background must stay static.
Move the camera. This isn't the same as moving the background.
Change colors (as long as you still follow the other color-related rules).
Use single letters, single digits, and symbols to display information (like a HUD, not as game objects or background). For instance, H 3/5 would be fine to show a current Health of 3 out of a maximum 5.
Include information on your game page, a readme/manual, or voice recordings.
Anything you like with audio. Zero limits there.

What you CANNOT do:

Stretch/skew a shape.
Combine/layer multiple shapes into a single game object.
Draw a shape with multiple colors (including an outline - "transparent" is still a color).
Create a fully-detailed pixelated background.
Move, rotate, or otherwise transform game objects in 3D. This is a strictly 2D jam.
Combine multiple letters on the HUD to make words or multiple numbers to make multi-digit values.

Suggestions

A web build can get more people to play your game. Running software from an unknown source can be spoopy.
Commenting on other games also encourage more feedback on yours. Be sure to ask for it!

Prizes!

Joshua, TwinGhosts, and Xeinix will be judging the games for this event with five criteria:

Graphics: Visual presentation. How clean/consistent does it look? How fluid are the animations? Maximum 3 stars if external assets are used.
Audio: Auditory presentation. How well does the music/sound fit the game? Is it produced/mixed well? Maximum 3 stars if external assets are used.
Fun: Enjoyment of the game. Are the mechanics interesting? Do I want to play more?
Innovation: How original is the game, particularly in working with the limitations of the jam?
Technical: Complexity of implementation. Does the game push technical boundaries? Does it scream "wow, this was done in under 72 hours?"
Theme: Implementation of the jam theme. How much does the game utilize the theme? How unusual is the interpretation?

If there are at least 10 entries (entered games, not participants), gift card prizes will be awarded based on the number of entries. Winners may choose to receive a gift card for Steam, Xbox, or PlayStation.

10+ entries: $5 1st place
30+ entries: $10 1st place, $5 2nd place
70+ entries: $20 1st place, $10 2nd place, $5 3rd place

Only one gift card will be granted per winning entry, regardless of team size.