- Participants may choose any 24hour period during the two day time frame as their 1 day of programming. This will hopefully minimize the effects of differing time zones and work schedules.
- Entries must be made during the time frame. Libraries and other "modules" may be used. Evidence that a project was started or made beforehand may result in disqualification.
- To prevent cheating, entries must be based around a theme which will be revealed as the event starts.
- Anyone who cannot participate on either of the set days can request an alternate date via email (iainperegrine, gmail.com) with the date you can participate (cannot be more than seven days removed from main event). I will email you a theme on that day. Requests for alternate dates must be received before the main theme is announced.
- Entries must be emailed to me (iainperegrine, gmail.com) before the deadline. Please attach all files needed to compile and run your project.
- Participants may request (in their submission email) that their projects' source files not be made available to others; in that case only the files needed to host the project will be made available. Participants retain all rights to their own original content.
- All work must be either original or used with permission, this includes: programming, graphics, sounds, and other resources. Works used without permission will be removed before the entry is evaluated. Extensive use of 'ripped' material will result in disqualification.
Each entry will be ranked both individually (complete, playable, etc.) and competitively (1st Place, honorable mention, etc.). Entries will be judged by several factors: Level of Completion (including "Polish"), Gameplay, and Use of Theme. Each entry will receive one of several ranks:
- Disqualified - Entry failed to adhere to one or more rules of the event, or was not a game.
- Unplayable - Entry could not be evaluated for gameplay, because features were missing, broken, too cryptic for me to figure out, or otherwise rendered not worth the effort to try and play.
- Playable - Core aspects of the entry are present and usable without major headaches during gameplay. However, entry may be missing other features, such as ending conditions.
- Complete - Entry is not only playable, but can be considered a Game, playable from start to finish. Minor code problems may be fixed so as to evaluate intended gameplay, but missing features will not be added. This is a passing mark.
- Polished - All aspects of gameplay are present and working, bugs and runtimes are (almost) absent, help file (etc.) is present. Game must be of 'qualifying scope', a term I will redefine at will (a polished version of Tic Tac Toe is of insufficient scope). This last rule is only to prevent participants from making overly simplistic (and uninteresting) games so as to achieve a 'polished' mark.
Unlike previous years, games will not be disqualified for poor use of theme, but good use of theme will result in a better score. If you have any questions you can comment here or send me an email. The event will start at 12:01 am Saturday (US Eastern Time, 9:01 pm Friday BYOND standard time) when the themes will be announced. The rules are subject to change up until that time. In the meantime, go read last year's results for some inspiration.
