Congratulations to the Mega Stack 'O' Jam Finalists:

Student 3rd Place

Game Name: The Robot's Journey
Team Name: justAgame
Gameplay Video: https://youtu.be/Sef-RnF8VfA
Submission URL: https://itch.io/jam/mega-stack-o-jam/rate/3829371

Student 2nd Place

Game Name: Olympus Reforged
Team Name: Silent Howl Studios
Gameplay Video: https://youtu.be/GuClLLa8aC4
Submission URL: https://itch.io/jam/mega-stack-o-jam/rate/3828584

Student 1st Place

Game Name: Cosmo Bot
Team Name: Team RedesConecta
Gameplay Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIjMzsHj-_8
Submission URL: https://itch.io/jam/mega-stack-o-jam/rate/3829315

3rd Place

Game Name: Stack-o-Ball
Team Name: Bent Vector Studios, Inc.
Gameplay Video: https://youtu.be/jDtuhQwzPRQ
Submission URL: https://itch.io/jam/mega-stack-o-jam/rate/3829017

2nd Place

Game Name: Recharge
Team Name: Hiraeth Digital
Gameplay Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BwzUqirbFw
Submission URL: https://itch.io/jam/mega-stack-o-jam/rate/3829323

1st Place

Game Name: Reme-Bot
Team Name: Jammin' Games
Gameplay Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3grIn7bu7w
Submission URL: https://itch.io/jam/mega-stack-o-jam/rate/3828686

Honorable Mentions

Sky Time by Bell Studio - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teDXXhTmJzs

Temple of Inti by Alianza Games - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vK-WA_D4iE

Pasta Panic by Sodacan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwLS6CEriG4

ScrapOBot by NoDNA - www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lq56BMpV02Q&feature=youtu.be

Clean'O'Bot by Fun Cleaner - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uM-VmkBVVf4

Reach For The Stars by Perpetual Divison - https://youtu.be/b4aEGHSP2hs

LimboT by GameJamGames - https://youtu.be/dNZ0FYai7dg?si=XW3Iblpp8ELJQXSr

Death Of A Droid by Evan Legrand - https://youtu.be/t_u06hMYK5M

Refuse by METAPHOR - https://youtu.be/F2UzKi1kLGI

Edge Of Nest Or Battleground by BP_Nest0R - https://youtu.be/HgMseTE3-Ak

Robot Golf by JK5000 - https://youtu.be/evycAd490Oo

Electr 'O' Bot by VictorLima - https://youtu.be/LTP1wY-zSKs

What is the Mega Stack 'O' Jam? 

Work alone as an individual to make the most incredible project in Unreal Engine using the new and improved Stack-o-Bot Sample and submit it before the deadline!

Stack O Bot has been fully rebuilt from the ground up for Unreal Engine 5.6. Designed to be a great learning resource and a perfect starting point for new developers exploring modern game creation.

Built with flexibility in mind, Stack O Bot runs across a wide range of devices—from mobile phones to high-end PCs. It features input support for touchscreen, gamepad, and keyboard/mouse.

Official Rules

Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, Spanish (Latin America), and Turkish.

Project Requirements

• All submissions must utilize the Stack-o-Bot 2.0 Sample
• The game must include custom gameplay that exceeds the gameplay found in Epic Games’ starter templates.
• All art assets in the game must have a material other than "DefaultMaterial" applied to it. 
• Submissions must be packaged for Windows, MAC OS X, Android, or iOS (development build)—no full, unpackaged projects. VR and AR projects are accepted, though we will recommend that you build and package for the above as there are no VR / AR criteria. Android games can be distributed via the Play Store as well.

Additional Note: Entrants must be 18 years old to participate in the contest.

How to submit

We'll be kicking this one off during the livestream on both Twitch and YouTube on Thursday, August 14, at 2 PM ET. The Mega Stack 'O' Jam ends on Thursday, August 21, at 11:59 PM ET. You will need the following information at the time of submission:

• Team name (while all submissions are individual only, we recommend creating a name for your solo studio during this event)
• Your name and contact email address, as well as your Epic Games Account related email address if different from contact email
• Game name
• Naming
• Make sure to format the name of your .zip file with your solo studio name attached as well as game name, ex. TeamName_GameName
• List any content that was created before the jam that was included in the final submission
• Submissions MUST include a link to gameplay footage (between 30-60seconds) demonstrating recorded gameplay
• The footage will be included in our highlight reel during the Mega Stack 'O' Jam results livestream
• Finalists may be asked to produce a cleaner version/trailer for the game for use in the finalist's sizzle reel

>> You need to upload your game to your Itch.io account page before you can submit it to the Mega Stack 'O' Jam page.<<

NOTE: In order to submit your game to Itch.io, your .zip file must be UNDER 1GB. This won't affect most projects, but please be mindful of the size of your game once compressed. If your file is more than 1GB, you may utilize the Butler tool to upload your files to Itch.io. More info on that is here. Also, check out Blendo Itch Uploader, a GUI for uploading projects to Itch.io.

GETTING STARTED   

Here are some resources that will help you get prepared for the Mega Stack 'O' Jam!

The in-depth Stack-O-Bot Documentation is at your fingertips and covers: 

• StateTree for NPC Behavior
• Modular Level Instances
• PCG (Procedural Content Generation)
• HLOD Generation
• Physics-based Interactions
• Dynamic Camera
• Gameplay Interactions
• and so much more!

The Epic Developer Community platform is a fantastic place, whether you’re just getting started or are experienced in development with Unreal Editor for Fortnite, Unreal Engine, or any other Epic Games tools and software. The EDC features hundreds of free tutorials on various topics, contributed by both Epic Games and the community. It is also the place for code snippets. If you have any questions or want to spin up conversations with fellow developers and creators, we have a bustling forum just for you! 

If you're looking for Unreal Engine Documentation, you can find it here.

Don't forget to share your progress as well as a link to your entry on the forums for increased discoverability and recognition within the industry, and the chance to be showcased on the EDC!

Got questions that relate to the Mega Stack 'O' Jam? Reach out to us on the dedicated announcement forum thread.

Chat with other jammers and find further insights over at the Forum announcement thread, or head over to #challenges on Unreal Source, the community-run Discord for all things Unreal.

The Unreal Directive is dedicated to providing well-researched, easy-to-understand Unreal Engine resources that adhere to best development practices. Check out their resources here!

Judging

Qualified Submissions will be reviewed and scored (1-5 point scale) by a panel of qualified judges, according to the following criteria:

• Level Design
  • Up to 10 points, split between level/environment and creative/technical approaches to world creation
• Fun Factor
• Visuals
• Audio
• Gameplay

Award Categories and Prizes

The Mega Stack 'O' Jam will feature 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place Unreal Engine finalists, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place student (UE) finalists. Submissions cannot win both the non-student finalist placements and student finalist placements. 

1st Place Prizes

• One (1) Cash Prize $1000 from Epic Games
• One (1) $200 Fab Credits from Epic Games
• One (1) Epic Games / Unreal Engine merchandise from Epic Games
• One (1) featured highlight on the official Unreal Engine blog
• One (1) feature in the form of the Mega Stack 'O' Jam Sizzle

2nd Place Prizes

• One (1) Cash Prize $500 from Epic Games
• One (1) $200 Fab Credits from Epic Games
• One (1) Epic Games / Unreal Engine merchandise from Epic Games
• One (1) featured highlight on the official Unreal Engine blog
• One (1) feature in the form of the Mega Stack 'O' Jam Sizzle

3rd Place Prizes

• One (1) Cash Prize $250 from Epic Games
  
• One (1) $200 Fab Credits from Epic Games
• One (1) Epic Games / Unreal Engine merchandise from Epic Games
• One (1) featured highlight on the official Unreal Engine blog
• One (1) feature in the form of the Mega Stack 'O' Jam Sizzle

1st Place Prizes - Student

• One (1) Cash Prize $1000 from Epic Games
• One (1) $200 Fab Credits from Epic Games
• One (1) Epic Games / Unreal Engine merchandise from Epic Games
• One (1) featured highlight on the official Unreal Engine blog
• One (1) feature in the form of the Mega Stack 'O' Jam Sizzle

2nd Place Prizes - Student

• One (1) Cash Prize $500 from Epic Games
• One (1) $200 Fab Credits from Epic Games
• One (1) Epic Games / Unreal Engine merchandise from Epic Games
• One (1) featured highlight on the official Unreal Engine blog
• One (1) feature in the form of the Mega Stack 'O' Jam Sizzle

3rd Place Prizes - Student

• One (1) Cash Prize $250 from Epic Games
• One (1) $200 Fab Credits from Epic Games
• One (1) Epic Games / Unreal Engine merchandise from Epic Games
• One (1) featured highlight on the official Unreal Engine blog
• One (1) feature in the form of the Mega Stack 'O' Jam Sizzle

Don't forget to share your progress as well as a link to your entry on the forums for increased discoverability and recognition within the industry, and the chance to be showcased on the EDC!

Plan on streaming your development? Want to show off your WIP? Share your progress with us on socials, and use #UnrealJam.

Helpful Links for Jamming 

• The Unreal Engine Game Jam Toolkit
• The Epic Developer Community - Getting Started
• The Epic Developer Community Learning Library
• Unreal Engine 5.6 Documentation
• Packaging Projects - Unreal Engine Documentation
• Reduce Your Package Size
• Getting Started: Blueprint References
• Getting Started: C++ Gameplay Programming References
• Unreal Engine Community Wiki
• Blockout And Asset Production In Unreal Engine 5
• Optimizing The Medieval Game Environment

YouTube 
Unreal Engine's Official YouTube Channel, DevSquad's Youtube Channel, Lusiogenic's Youtube Channel, DevAddict's Youtube Channel, Mathew Wadstein's YouTube Channel, Peter L Newton's YouTube Channel, TeslaDev's YouTube Channel, Luos' YouTube Channel, GameDevMan's Youtube Channel, and William Faucher’s Youtube Channel.

Tutorials and Guides Tutorials by Tom Looman, Blueprint Guides by Romero