Hello, and welcome! I am AmalgamAsh and it is time to unveil a new special game jam!

ANNOUNCING...

The MEGA MINUTIAE 2023 Game Jam

It's the second-ever Mega Minutiae, a game jam hosted by me (AmalgamAsh) that allows games to be submitted if they are made using one of the listed engines!

Don't see an engine you want to use?  Create a topic in the community tab and request it!

(currently not considering: Unity, Unreal, Godot, RPG Maker (except as described above), Construct, Gdevelop)

INTRODUCTION

The first MEGA MINUTIAE jam was around three years ago, a special jam with a shortlist of engines that were allowed.  This time, the list has changed.  Welcome to the Mega Minutiae ("min-oo-sha"), a jam that allows participants to use an engine they are comfortable with (while also being an engine Ash likes showcasing on the channel), to make a game. 

GOAL

To continue fostering interest in the various "themed" engines available today and from yesteryear, while showcasing what they can do when combined with a creative mindset.

THEME AND CHALLENGES

Some jams require a theme, some jams reveal surprise twists.  For this jam, there is NOT a theme, but a CHALLENGE.
You may pick ANY of the below challenges for your submission.  You can pick ONE, or MULTIPLE, or ALL if you want.

• CHARACTER CHALLENGE: Game features Aqua the Gelcat (A Patchwork character) as an important character.
• CHARACTER CHALLENGE: Game features Nil Bogg the Goblin (An AmalgamAsh character) as an important character.
• CHARACTER CHALLENGE: Game features Cornelius the Red Dragon (An AmalgamAsh character) as an important character.
  
• GENERATOR CHALLENGE: The game uses Darkand Art's 3D Pixel Character Creator for its characters.
• GENERATOR CHALLENGE: The game uses Cub3 and Low's 8D Character Creator for its characters.
  
• GENERATOR CHALLENGE: The game uses Grindalf Games' Pixel Character Maker for its characters.
• MUSIC CHALLENGE: The game features music from Azakaela.
• MUSIC CHALLENGE: The game features music from HZSmith.
• PLOT CHALLENGE: The game must include a murder mystery.
• PLOT CHALLENGE: The game must explore a romantic relationship.
• PLOT CHALLENGE: The game must include a tavern where a plot-related rumor is heard.
• THEME CHALLENGE: The game must include a gothic theme.
• THEME CHALLENGE: The game must include a 90's era theme.
• THEME CHALLENGE: The game must include a noir theme.

Choose any of the challenges above, any number and any combination.  Use your imagination to figure out how to incorporate the challenge(s) you pick into your game, but most importantly, have fun with it!

Links to challenge resources here!

Darkand Arts 3D Pixel Character Creator https://darkandarts.itch.io/3d-pixel-charater-generator

8D Character Creator https://robertpinero.itch.io/8dchars

Pixel Character Maker https://grindalf.itch.io/pixel-character-maker

Azakaela's Music https://azakaela.itch.io/

HZSmith's Music https://hzsmith.itch.io/

RULES

There are five rules your submission must follow to participate.  Please read thoroughly!

1.  It must be made in only the above engines specified!  The game submitted can only have been made using any of the above engines.  This can be confirmed by the very nature of the submission in nearly every case.
What will be disqualified?:  Games not made in any of the above engines.

2.  It must be made for the Jam!  The submission must not have been published elsewhere before.
(However, after you submit your work, you may distribute it anywhere you want, even at the same time, or to other jams)
What will be disqualified?:  Entries that have been published elsewhere before the jam, including updates of these projects.

3.  It must be free!  The submission must remain free to anyone who wants to play it.  This is an itch.io rule by default.
What will be disqualified?:  Entries that attempt to circumvent this rule in any way; also, participants who remove their entry after the jam may be unable to join future jams hosted by AmalgamAsh! (just don't charge money for it, not now, not ever!  Please!)

4.  You Must Own / Have Permissions to Use the Assets!  Free and paid default or DLC assets for the engine you are using are fine, as is anything you make yourself.
What will be disqualified?:  Projects that use trademarked or copyrighted sound, imagery or other assets which are not licensed for third party use.  All entries will be vetted during the judgement phase, and they MUST be disqualified if they use assets that you do not own.

5.  Agree to allow the game to be played on video platforms!  AmalgamAsh (and possibly other judges!) will play your game for a video platform such as YouTube, Twitch, etc... by submitting, you agree to allow the gameplay footage to be published!  It is especially important that your music and sound assets are completely usable - YouTube's content ID system will immediately tell if music or other sound is licensed by a third party! (Please look forward to my playing of your submission on the AmalgamAsh channel!)

PARTICIPATION

You can JOIN now simply by clicking the big button at the top of this page!  You will only be able to submit projects during the SUBMISSION period!

Anyone can join, and solo devs as well as teams are encouraged.

SUBMISSIONS 

The SUBMISSION PERIOD is listed at the top of the jam page and are based in my local time zone of CST.
During the submission period, participants are allowed to submit their project, and can even submit updated versions of projects if desired.

JUDGEMENT

The JUDGEMENT PERIOD begins after the submission phase is over, and ends when the last of the entries have been judged by all applicable judges.

For community-voted jams, all participants who submitted an entry will be able to judge the work of their peers (and receive judgement as well).  I will manually rank the entries where the completed challenges are concerned. 

Please note, that if the jam gets a very large amount of submissions, more time may be granted for the judgement phase. This decision will be at the host's discretion and will be announced if applicable!

If you want to JOIN and SUBMIT on the same day, it's OK!

Criteria on which the game is judged include Game Fun Factor, Game Design, Game Narrative, and Challenge Presence.

THE PRIZES

The MEGA MINUTIAE is a non-prize jam.  However, all qualifying submissions will get a video playthrough on AmalgamAsh's YouTube channel, and the participant with the submission that scores the highest across the four judged criteria will be listed in the Winners section on AmalgamAsh's itch.io page, as well as receive additional fanfare in an end-of-jam announcement video.  This participant can add challenges to the next Mega Minutiae jam, which will be held on a regular basis!

Now get to making!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~  ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q.  Can I start working on my game now? 

A. Yes! 

Q.  Are Non-English Games OK to submit? 

A. Please submit games in English. (DeepL, machine or other translation method is fine!)

Q. I bought (or got for free) third-party assets, such as plugins, characters, tools, animations, models, or music.  Can I use them in my game? 

A.  Please be sure that the seller has authorized the use of their assets in your project.  There should be explicit permission from them to use it, on the page where you buy the assets, or it will be included with them.  Works with a CC0, CC-BY or MIT license are best.  If you are not certain, you can ask AmalgamAsh!

An AmalgamAsh Jam.

PREVIOUS AMALGAMASH JAM WINNERS

The RPG Developer BAKIN Summer 2023 Game Jam - Endless Grind (FightingShroom)
The Smile Game Builder Summer 2023 Game Jam - In the End (Kumachan Multimedia Studios)
The Smile Game Builder Returners 2022 Jam - Penitence: New Blood (Oktobrlove)
The Smile Game Builder Summer 2021 Jam - Liam Davies PI: The Miserable Clown (Tyymo)
The Smile Game Builder Summer 2020 Jam - (unranked)