Sega Saturn 30th Anniversary Tribute Jam
This year begins the Sega Saturn 30 Year Anniversary festivities. It didn't launch everywhere at the same time but once it was out it was out.

While you could imagine a "haunted demo disc" on any console, the Sega Saturn was Inherently Haunted.

//// Rules:
- Original Games or Sample Disc Demo shorts only. No Fangames.

- Use only assets you made yourself or have the right to use. 

- 3D strongly encouraged but not mandatory  

- In the style of or even with hardware limitations of the Sega Saturn
https://segaretro.org/Sega_Saturn/Technical_specifications
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/sega-saturn/ 





//// Why: 
I did not grow up with a Saturn or a PlayStation but was old enough to witness their era as a child and especially the mystique of the Sega Saturn. 

I was familiar with the Genesis and had one around with tons of secondhand games found cheap. I saw the N64 and PlayStation at other kids' houses, then got to play some PSX titles on my brother's PS2, which was bought a couple years into that console's life. 

The Sega Saturn was never around me physically. I've experience many Saturn games now that I'm older, thanks to the world of Games Preservation, but not growing up and not controller in hand. Only blurry photos in magazines or low resolution .jpgs on html sites probably now lost to time. Only out of reach and in story. Almost a myth. Everything I ever caught a glimpse of or read on a weird little fansite made it seem so strange. The color palette, the game variety, the immensity of foreign releases compared to english language titles and the almost investigative air that a language barrier produces.

The Panzer Dragoon series, especially Azel / Panzer Dragoon Saga, I think only boosted the feelings that there was an alternate reality out there, a different world of media invisibly layered on top of what we already know.

//// The Jam: 
In the Saturn, I almost see a different timeline that could have existed for videogames. And somehow the Dreamcast didn't seem to continue that same atmosphere or alternate timeline, almost more like it was a reconvergence back to the PSX/N64 feelings most are familiar with. Compared to the insane popularity of the Sega Genesis and sales of Sonic The Hedgehog toppling Nintendo in that era, the followup that was Saturn is still in its own little realm. Hardly explored or discussed, a realm plenty full of games that didn't eke out franchise continuity from previous consoles or focus as much on regurgitating conventions. 

It lived, it died. What's there is there. What it was is what it was.

The spirit of the jam is about celebrating the Sega Saturn's console lifespan but more about celebrating what could have been. Either if the Saturn kept going and the kinds of games that could have eventually been realized on it, or a different continuity where these studies of atmosphere and experimentation became more radical without Sales or Marketability being set as Absolutes.

More mood, muddier colors, more handcrafted FM synthesized than used samples loaded from a cd. Maybe even more focus on Vision as a whole and player impression than following trends or "hour count". 

The Sega Saturn was launched in Japan on November 22, 1994, May 11 '95 in the USA, and July 8 '95 in Europe but if we started the party any later there won't be much more time to celebrate. By the time the Saturn was out in America there were plenty of games. Originally the Saturn was to be launched in the USA on September 2 '95 (announced as Saturnday) and I think actually starting it on a Saturday close to the 2nd of September is a little more fun.

Since 3D games take a bit more to make than 2D, I thought it would also be good to get the jam going early so that there are some "launch titles" in time for the celebration as well as try to get plenty of cool things out by the time the USA launch date rolls around.





//// Getting Started: 
I'll leave y'all with some tips, resources, guides, and videos to help you along if making 3D games is new to you. Console limitations and resource aims are a great way to get into new kinds of game development and test out new techniques.

A lot of "professional game development" before the 2000s was still one person or a handful of friends, not unlike how many games in the '80s were made as well as many Independent Games today. 

And with software like Godot, things that were less likely to be made solo or would at least take exponentially more time, you can now build quick and even build without coding. Not a lot of folks even think about how games are made, where large amounts of even successes like Hollow Knight are made without direct coding. Unity has Playmaker and Godot has so much more. 

An easy way to maintain low polygon visual consistency and have standard numbers to keep in mind is:
- 128 triangles 128x128 pixel textures
- 256tris 256x256px 
- 512tris 512x512px 

Why Triangles? Graphic processors break down quad polygons and larger into triangles before rendering. In the Saturn and PlayStation era it was especially easier to think about models and their shapes in terms of triangles instead of just "polygons" specifically "Quads" (which will get reduced down as two Tris) because that was the hardware limitation to look at.

Games often mix different polygon counts and textures for different purposes and keeping types of assets grouped together can keep things more identifiable and cohesive. 

Examples: 
- 128tri models for very small props and types of foliage

- 256tris for either standard character models or just medium sized props and standard set pieces like things a character might hold or the player character might interact with closer in the environment

-512tris for the main character, or even most npcs if you wanted that level of detail, or save it for larger character models and building more detailed set pieces

512tris is about when Sega Saturn and PSX models start topping out when not discussing specifically high polygon count models used for special things like cutscenes. MM from Mega Man Legends 2 and the infamous Pepsiman are very articulate models in that area of triangle count with almost equal division between extremities with head usually having the most details. 

It's often easier to point at PSX examples than Saturn because more models have been ripped partly due to market success and partly the hardware architecture itself. But I'd wager the dragon models from Panzer Dragoon 2 or even Edge from Panzer Dragoon Saga are around the 512 triangle count and not a higher number for texture pixels. 





//// Resource Links: 
https://godotengine.org/ (get it built painlessly) 

https://nomadsculpt.com/ (you can easily tune settings to lowpolygon and model quickly using your stylus)

https://www.wings3d.com/ (lightweight basic 3D without extreme ui or learning curve) 

https://www.blender.org/ (the open source industry standard, I prefer to Only use it for bones/rigging etc.)

Model + texture rips to examine 

https://www.models-resource.com/ 
https://www.textures-resource.com/ 

Blender basic low polygon sculpting 

Sculpting from an image by outline with textures in blender

 
iPad Nomad sculpt low polygon modeling 

Blender bones for rigging quick guide
https://all3dp.com/2/blender-add-bones-simply-explained/ 

Blender bones documentation 
https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/addons/rigging/rigify/bone_positioning... 

Blender animation keyframes for beginners 

 
Godot development resources:
Finite State Machines 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finite-state_machine

Orchestrator fsm "visual coding" (recent updates)
https://godotengine.org/asset-library/asset/3209

Saturn simple cascade fsm (alternate recent fsm manager)
https://godotengine.org/asset-library/asset/2814 

FSMs coding breakdown 
https://www.gdquest.com/tutorial/godot/design-patterns/finite-state-machine/

FSMs coding quick guide

FSMs in depth
https://www.sandromaglione.com/articles/how-to-implement-state-machine-pattern-i... 


//// Last notes:
Here we are, this is it.

Either revisiting a rare gem you saw 30 years later or examining a slice of history that is Familiar but differently new and unseen.

Feel something different!

To contact me about the jam, email lichenritual@gmail.com
I may participate in the jam too. I have my own game projects you can find at https://lichenritual.itch.io and I co-run the Gravity Loop comics anthology and game development house at https://gravityloop.org with Ocean ET https://hr-freud.itch.io/