(Thanks for asking questions, keep them coming!)
Q: Is the start of the jam simply when projects can first be submitted, or must the game be made only during the timespan of the jam (12 April - 31 May)?
A: There is no restriction on the start date. You can start now. The opening date is the earliest date for submissions, but no one is likely to be submitting anything that early.
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Q: How do I get notified about new topics in the Community forum?
A: Select the Community tab. Click Subscribe to new topics adjacent to the Community title. You will then receive an email when someone creates a new topic. However, this only sends you a notification when there's a new topic, not when there's an update to a topic. If you want to additionally be notified about updates to topics, view the topic and click Subscribe near the top of the topic.
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Q: Is this a solo event?
A: No, it is not. The vast majority of developers prefer to work solo on a project like this, but you can work as a team if you prefer. For example, you may have a designer and a programmer. If you are using graphics or sound, then these may be developed by another team member. Just make sure that you give credit appropriately and everything in the game abides by rules 14 and 15.
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Q: The rules state that the game "must have at least five puzzles". This might be a bit philosophical, but what actually is a puzzle?
A: If you asked this question to 100 different people, you'd probably get 100 different answers. For the sake of this competition, let's say that a puzzle is an obstacle that you must overcome or something that makes you think. If you were faced by a closed door and you merely had to open it, then the door is not really a puzzle as you didn't have to think about it. If it was a locked door and the key was found hanging on a hook next to the door, then that is not really a puzzle either, as everything you need is presented to you and you don't have to think about it. However, if the key to the door is hanging around the neck of an ogre and you have to do something to get the key from the ogre, by fair means or foul, then that would be a puzzle. Don't get too hung up by the number of puzzles. If your game only has four puzzles, but you have made an obvious effort to satisfy all the other rules, then we're certainly not going to disqualify you.
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Q: Can I change my game after it has been submitted?
A: You can change anything you like until submissions close. After that, you are free to fix any game-breaking bugs, but we'd prefer that you don't make any major changes that would change the story or the solution. Once the competition is over, you can do whatever you like. It is common to do a post-comp release based on all the feedback and reviews that you receive. Keep in mind that if you do make a bug-fix release, then some people may play and rate your earlier buggy game and some may play and rate your later bug-fixed version. When you upload a bug-fixed version, also do a brief blog entry to notify people about the changes. Also, make sure that the bug-fixed version has a different version number or release number so that you don't cause confusion where two people have different versions of the same game, but it has the same version number.