The theme for the jam is UNDERGROUND.

8 Bits to Infinity presents PALETTE JAM, a 70-hour game jamming challenge to create a prototype with one of two limited color palettes. No restriction on resolution, genre, or anything else! Just keep to the given colors, and you're set to go.

What is 8 Bits to Infinity? We are a community of game developers, creatives, streamers, and gamers whose shared mission is to hone creative skills through honest criticism and rapid iteration. We host a game jam on itch every month! Check out past jams here.

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.

Theme suggestions will be open January 7 - January 18. Elimination  will run January 18 - 25 followed by voting January 25 until the theme announcement. The theme announcement will be one hour before the jam begins (February 1 at 1pm ET).

Judging will run for one week after the jam ends, with streams TBA by respective streamers.

Rules

1. You may enter one game which must be original work created for this jam. You cannot work on the game before the jam starts.
2. For judging, the game must work on a normal monitor in Windows (no VR or unusual peripherals). Web builds are fine. Remember to create additional builds (Mac, Linux) if you can, so more people can enjoy your game.
3. All non-code assets (game design, art, fonts, audio, narrative, etc.) must be made during the jam, or freely available and credited in-game.
4. Code from before the jam made be used if it's (a) from any freely available source (similar to rule #3) or (b) from your own stash of code, provided it's general purpose and not made specifically for the jam.
5. You may work solo or in a team, but the maximum team size is 4.
6. You must answer all submission questions completely.
7. No NSFW content. This includes sexual content (including language), nudity, or excessive realistic gore/violence.

Requirements

Choose either the Earthy Palette Set or Colorful Palette Set below.

From your chosen set, use the BG palette for backgrounds in your game and the SPRITE palette for the sprites (game objects) including HUD information, text, etc.

If you're making a 3D game, you can use the BG palette for the environment and the SPRITE palette for game objects.

Download the palette files here. This zip file includes all four palettes as png (image), gpl (GIMP palette), and hex (hexadecimal color codes). You can open the .gpl file in a text editor like Notepad to see the RGB values, or the .hex file to see hexadecimal (HTML) color codes.

You cannot use lighting that modifies colors on-screen to any color other than the given palettes.

FAQ

I'm awful at music. How can I still have cool background audio in my game?
Get some free royalty-free tunes from Joshua here or from various other websites such as OpenGameArt. Simply google "free to use music" or "free royalty-free music" to find good stuff!

What about other assets, tools, and engines?
See this list of game dev / audio / art tools for things you can use.

Should I build a Windows/Mac/Linux/web/[insert system here] version?
The more builds you have, the more people will be able to access your game. Some people also prefer web versions (because running software can be spoopy) while others prefer a download (such as Joshua, who likes to keep the games archived and often struggles with web versions).

If you're using something like Unity, export versions for all systems! Most of the time, they'll work fine without any testing.

How can I get more people to play my game?
Play the other submitted games and leave quality feedback. Be sure to politely ask the dev to play your game, so they know you want feedback.

Do I need to use the theme?
No, but it's a good chunk of your overall score, so it's a good idea.

Can I make a 2.5D or 3D game or an [insert genre here] game? Can I use [insert engine/tool here]?
Yes!

Can I enter other jams with the same game?
Absolutely, as long as you follow all of the rules and time limitations for each jam. Note that we lock submissions, so you won't be able to upload new files after you submit to this jam.

Where can I ask more questions?
Ask away in the community or on Discord.

Judging

Joshua, TwinGhosts, and Xeinix will be judging the games for this event. They may also enter, but won't qualify for ranking/prizes, of course. Judging has five  criteria:

• Graphics: Visual presentation. How clean/consistent does it look? How fluid are the animations? How well are the chosen palettes utilized? Maximum 4 stars if external assets are used.
•  Audio: Auditory presentation. How well does the music/sound fit the game? Is it produced/mixed well? Maximum 4 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?" Does it have special tech that makes it stand out?
• Theme: Implementation of the jam theme. How much does the game utilize the theme? How unusual is the interpretation?

Prizes

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, Microsoft (Xbox) Store, PlayStation Store, or Nintendo eShop.

• 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.