TASK

• Make a platformer which contains some motion-inducing platforms

INSPIRATION

Try to think of different ways a stationary platform can affect the motion of the player. For example, are there springs that bounce the player up into the air, is the surface of the platforms slippery ice or perhaps something stickier or with more resistance like tall grass that slows the player when they walk through it. There could be sinking sand that pulls the player downwards, or rivers that slowly push the player in a particular direction. Wind currents could affect the player’s motion when on land or in the air. There could be speed boost platforms to give a quick burst of speed. You could even use the slopes of the terrain to affect the speed of the player. You could have conveyor belts, one way platforms and there’s also things like jumping inside a barrel and then having it shoot you in a direction like in Donkey Kong.

Try to think about what could make the motion-inducing platforms more interesting. For example, do springs only go straight up or are some set at an angle, are springs activated when landing on top of it or will any side bounce the player, can slippery ice melt away, does a sticky platform prevent a player from jumping but has no effect on running speed or is jumping the only way to get out of the sticky platform, does sinking sand lead to another area to explore, are there blocks on the sinking sand which can also sink when standing on them, does sinking sand flow downwards from the sky so that the player can jump up it, do fast flowing rivers have floating spikes or enemies within it to dodge, does a pool of water rise and fall causing floating objects to move with it, do wind currents change direction, are there fans blowing air underneath the player to provide some uplift, do speed boost platforms provide extra speed for a set amount of time or is it until the player crashes into a wall, do slopes loop around like in Sonic, do conveyor belts have boxes dropping on them or switches to turn them off, do barrels shoot the player in one set direction or is it rotating so you have to time the angle you want.

If you aren't sure if something is allowed as a motion-inducing platform, I would say yes it is allowed. For example, a rising bubble or an enemy when jumped on could explode and cause the player to jump. An enemy could turn into a lump of sticky toffee when it is killed and then you could even combine it with a conveyor belt to stick upside down to reach a new place or to stay still in a windy environment. Instead of affecting the player’s motion there could be platforms that affect the motion of bullets by making them bounce off it. The player could walk into a massive snowball and then it rolls the player with it as it’s getting bigger and bigger until it crashes into a wall. The player could be a rolling ball that can morph into a cube to stop motion or a spiky cube to stick on a wall. There could be ziplines. Maybe there’s a sticky blob platform floating in the air that can only be passed through if the player dashes. There could be an enemy that is flying with a giant magnet which lifts the player off the ground with an invisible magnetic force. I'm sure there will be other examples like this but if in doubt, they will all be allowed.

You may also want to ask yourself what sort of character do you want to have in your game? Does this character of yours have a special ability? (A weapon, magic, dash, roll, glide, swim, no ability but looks cute etc) Does this special ability affect how your player interacts with the platforms?

USEFUL INFO

• This jam is open to everyone of all skill levels
• You will have 1 month to make your game. You don't have to use all of that time to make your game. So you can relax, take time off and come back to it, plan it out a little bit, try to learn something new for your game, have time to redo it over, have the time to join other jams that have overlapping deadlines etc
• Your game doesn't have to be finished, a demo of what you have got so far is perfectly fine
• If you miss the deadline, don't worry, you just won't be entered
• Your game can even be an updated version of a previously made game
• Your game can be 2D or 3D
• All of the different types of platformer games are allowed in this jam (side scrollers, endless runner, puzzle based, metroidvania style, single screen room escapes, or anything else with platforms in it)
• Exporting your game as a HTML5 file is the most accessible way for people to play your game but downloadable games are fine too, but please be aware that I am only on windows and that if others are too, it can result in less people rating your game if exporting for only apple or linux
• If your game is not free, it won't get played by me and possibly others so you may want to consider making it free for just the jam period

RULES

• You must use assets that you created or have the legal right to use. Crediting the creators is encouraged
• You can work alone or in a team. If in a team, crediting all of the team members is encouraged
• You can submit more than one game if you want to
• No offensive content please
• If your game contains a lot of blood, scares or anything like that, please put a warning in the description

VOTING

• Voting will be open to submitters only (Plus a rating and comment for each game from me)
• Voting will last for 2 weeks at the end of the submission deadline
• Try to vote and leave feedback on other peoples games (They might do the same for you)
• The winner will be decided by the community
• I shall announce the winner and feature video footage on my YouTube channel (GAME FAVORITES) so be sure to subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFwnfSxVGlnf6qa6LpVsc7w 

GAME ENGINES

You can use any game engine that you want to make your games. Here are just are a few examples:

• YAHAHA Studio
• Unity
• Construct
• GameMaker
• Gadot
• Unreal Engine
• G Develop

CASH PRIZES

The cash prizes in the Platformer Challenge #4 game jam is sponsored by YAHAHA Studio

There are three prizes:

1. The participation prize - for participants who use YAHAHA platform and successfully submit their games to this jam - $100

Only games that meet YAHAHA's evaluation criteria will be eligible for the participation prize. For example, submitting a simple template-based game may not count.

2. The best game of this game jam. This is totally obey the rules and YAHAHA also provide the prize for it - $200

3. The best game created with YAHAHA Studio in this jam - This is decided by YAHAHA - $300

(For the participation prize, YAHAHA also have some requirements - the game must meet the jam theme and it must be playable)

Contact YAHAHA Studio directly to claim if you are a winner: https://discord.gg/yahaha-766277288902918144

All cash prizes are sponsored by YAHAHA and will be paid via PayPal under normal condition. 

JUDGING CRITERIA

The judging question will be: HOW GOOD ARE THE MOTION-INDUCING PLATFORMS?

Please rate the games higher if the platforms affect the motion of either a player, enemy or projectile in an interesting way. If the platforms are in well thought out positions, or anything else you feel makes the motion-inducing platforms more enjoyable such as artwork, audio etc

The winner of every Platformer Challenge that I host will get to have their game featured on my homepage - https://gamefavorites.itch.io/

If you have any questions, my email is robclarke86@hotmail.co.uk