Introduction

This is a jam where you write a text adventure using PunyInform.

Theme

At the start of the game, or within the first five moves, the player gets an indication that something isn't quite right, or even that something is terribly wrong.

Schedule

Results

How do I use PunyInform?

You write your game in an object oriented programming language on a modern PC (typically running Windows, MacOS or Linux). The programming language is called Inform 6, and the library used is called PunyInform. This library contains (among other things) an advanced parser, a world model and definitions for common verbs. 

You load up a template for an empty game, and start adding your own locations, objects, new verbs, replies and behaviours. You compile your game to a Z-code file, which can then be made playable both online and on pretty much any computer from the eighties and on, right up to modern PCs. There is no support for graphics: only text.

Learn more at the PunyInform site . There's also a Discord server where you can get support.

Voting

Anyone can be a judge. Authors are not allowed to vote on their own games, or try to influence the voting of others. Voting is done using Google Forms . A judge has to vote on at least three different games.

Voting link (Google Forms): https://forms.gle/u5yyUTKNwCrjiMRf9

Rules

1. The game must be written with PunyInform.
2. The game must be free to play.
3. The game must be new.
4. The game must be in English.
5. The game content must adhere to the rules added by the theme announcement.
6. The game must not contain any copyrighted material that the entrant does not have the rights to use.
7. Entrants may share their source code or compiled versions of their game with other people during the entire jam. They may not publish compiled versions of the game publicly before voting starts.
8. Entrants may modify their games during the voting period, but must not add new locations to these modified versions. If players see a new location (such as a new room, or enterable object), the game can be disqualified.
9. Entrants must be respectful to the jam organizers, other participants, people voting and discussing the games etc.
10. Entrants may not in any way try to make other people vote on their game specifically, or to give any game a higher or lower rating than it deserves.
11. The game must not contain any hateful, racist, misogynist or homophobic content, or any content that’s intended to make any group of people feel bad about themselves. 
12. The jam organizers reserve the right to remove a game from the jam, or to require the entrant to remove certain content.
13. Judges will be asked to rate the overall enjoyment they got out of the game. This determines the final ranking.
14. Entrants may be judges, but must not vote on their own game.
15. An entrant may choose to submit a game to the jam but outside the competition, meaning it won’t be possible to vote on that entry.  See "Participating outside competition" below.
16. The jam organizers may enter their own games in the jam and the competition.

Participating outside competition

We also welcome participants who want to join the jam and develop a game, but not have it ranked for competition.

Judges are asked to rank these games as N/A, but to use the opportunity to write a few lines on what they thought about the game.  Judges should consider how to help the author improve their entry, or learn something before writing their next game. Feedback given through the voting form is sent privately to the author.

Recommendations

We strongly encourage entrants to:

• aim to make a game that's small, complete and well tested
• think carefully if they want to have their game judged: if getting a low score would ruin all the fun for them, they would probably enjoy joining outside the competition, instead. 
• cooperate, share code, help each other out with design, programming, testing etc
• publish their source code so others can see how everything is done
• use the time before the jam starts to learn PunyInform. The system is powerful, but comes with a learning curve!
• Publish a way that they can be contacted for feedback for their game

Again, we can't stress this enough: You need to have your game thoroughly tested by others who have previous experience of text adventures. Listen to their feedback and use it to make the game better. If the testers can't figure out how to solve a puzzle, maybe you need to make it easier. If the testers think it makes sense to use a certain verb in a situation, consider adding it, either as a new way to solve a puzzle, or to get a clue how to solve the puzzle, or just get a tailor-made response to show that you've thought of it and recognize it's a sensible thing to try.

We strongly encourage judges to:

• Play as many of the games as they can (if they rate less than three games, their votes won't be counted)
• Play all the games they intend to play, before submitting their votes
• Keep a score card with rating and opinions for each game, so they won't accidentally mix up the games when casting their votes (We've seen it happen!)
•  Write down some comments about each game they play - something they liked, something they think can be improved etc - and send it to the author.  There is an option to include feedback in the voting form, or you can contact the author directly.

Platforms

As a bare minimum, the games have to be supplied in Z-code format, e.g. mygame.z3 or mygame.z5.

We recommend entrants make the game playable online.  Everyone can do this at https://borogove.io/ .

Entrants may also supply the game in a format playable on retro platforms, perhaps by using https://microheaven.com/ozmooonline/ to build disk images for Commodore computers.  Some judges find the opportunity to play new games on vintage hardware exciting, but you should make sure your game runs well on these old machines.

Resources

There's a series of tutorials for PunyInform under "Articles" on the PunyInform home page.

Intfiction.org has a lively forum with lots of skilled and helpful people. This is a good place to get advice on text adventure authoring, on development systems, and a place to get beta-testers. Questions that relate to PunyInform development are typically posted in Authoring | Inform 6, with a PunyInform tag.

There is a PunyInform Discord server, where you can get technical support, talk about plot and story, or just hang out and chat.

Prizes

Organizers

The organizers of this jam are Fredrik Ramsberg, Johan Berntsson, and Nick Moffitt. You can reach us at punyjam4@zork.net