1st place: Candle Stick

2nd place: Knighty Night

See the full results here!

The theme was DARKNESS.

8 Bits to Infinity presents PLATFORMER WEEK, a week-long game jamming challenge (March 1 - 7, 2019) to create a prototype featuring platforming. Platformers are action-packed, thrilling games that merge well with other genres, including RPG, puzzle, and shooting. The jam is open to all kinds of platformers - 2D, 2.5D, or even 3D.

We're collaborating with Weekly Game Jam (Week 86) for this jam! The jam times are lined up so you can enter both to get double the exposure. ^_^

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 (coming soon).

Theme suggestions will be open February 7 - 18. Elimination  will run February 18 - 25, followed by voting February 25 until the theme announcement. The theme announcement will be one hour before the jam begins (March 1 at 11am ET).

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

Rules

1. You may enter one game (or unfinished prototype!) which must be original work created for this jam. You shouldn't work on the game before the jam starts, except for general-purpose code.
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

Make a 2D, 2.5D, or 3D platformer. A platformer has three key elements:

1. Real-time movement.
2. Gravity - but not necessarily downward gravity.
3. A goal such as get to the end of the stage, collect X things, or find the one thing.
4. For 2D/2.5D, platformers are traditionally shown in a side-scrolling view. For 3D, you can make the game in first-person or third-person.

Gamepad (controller) support is strongly encouraged. Platforming on keyboard should be left for Mega Man 11 speedrunners. :)

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.

I didn't finish. Should I still submit?
Yes! A solid prototype could still win the jam, and it's worth showcasing your work to get feedback.

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 under jam constraints?" 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?

Streams

We have several cool people streaming games from the jam to provide feedback. Give them a follow on Twitch so you can be alerted when they go live, and be sure to check out the VOD (recording) from their channel if you miss the streams!

• Joshua: Friday, March 8 at noon ET 
• YourBr0ther: Wednesday, March 13 at 7pm ET 

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.