Post by Erronwolf in Plugin and commitment of judges.

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For the time being I can only fully answer one of these questions, that being the first one:

1. Plugins are permitted, but only when they are clearly disclosed in the credits. Usage of plugins will also be considered during rating, and non-disclosure of used plugins can and WILL be held against people.

I will discuss the remaining questions with the other current judges, as they are valid concerns due to the small number of judges. I cannot assure that all judges will do their duty as I cannot see the future, but we will discuss these issues further before the jam begins.

Necessary/Vulgarity290 days ago

So if I create a custom plugin before the jam that allows me to create the programming part of my game in 15 seconds, is it still good if I credit myself ?

Erronwolf290 days ago

If you release it for general use before the jam starts, then we technically cannot count it as being jam-specific work, so in that case it would be permitted. Would it be cheating? Sure, but we wouldn't be able to do anything about it without doing a general ban on usage of any outside code or asset, meaning that we'd probably have to do a flat ban on RPG maker games, RenPy and much more.

So again, if you make a plugin before the jam that gives you an advantage: That won't fly, because only you can access it. If you make a plugin ahead of time and release it to others: That's fine, because you're not gaining an advantage to others in regard to programming.

Necessary/Vulgarity289 days ago

Thank you for your clear answer. I understand the idea, but there are limits to this logic.

Let's imagine I create this plugin and make it available ( of course I wouldn't.)

-I purposely offer it just before the start of the Jam so as not to give others a chance to learn how to use it.
-I purposely offer an incomplete plugin or one with insufficient documentation to prevent its use. I would, of course, have a working plugin.

I would still be in compliance, and without realizing it, I would have sabotaged my opponents' work.
I'm not totally against plugins. I use one (Skip title). However, it would be wise to set limits on their use.

For example:
- 5 plugins maximum
- Provide the creator's name, pluggin name and a direct link to their work ( Just the name is not enough.)
- The plugin may not implement full gameplay, such as how to transform RPG Maker into an FPS (don't laugh, I'm working on it).
- Plugins released less than 1 month before the Jam are prohibited.

There might be other ideas, but I suggest we talk about them first. Far be it from me to come and lecture anyone. I am nobody.

(Of course, I am also waiting for the judges' response, but I understand that it may take longer.)

Erronwolf289 days ago

Hmm, those are all logical arguments - I'll show these to the other judges and we'll see about maybe updating the rules with a few of these. I'll reply again once that is done, so just sit tight.

itch.io

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