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Sticky Post: Clarifications and More! Sticky

A topic by StudioBlue created Jun 21, 2021 Views: 4,720 Replies: 180
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The ESRB has only ever given 2 games the AO rating solely for violence. One being a distasteful mass shooting simulator (Hatred), the other being an unreleased fighting game focusing on Fatalitites during the ESRB's infancy 20+ years ago (Thrill Kill).

So would I be safe in assuming that I can cram as many red pixels as I can into a 48x48 grid, so long as the violence isn't sexual in nature, and so long as it is not an attempt to inspire controversy?

I only ask because I'm a graphics artist and the idea of trying to gross people out in a pixelated horror game sounds like a fun challenge.

Jam Host(+1)

Hey there and thanks for asking! When looking at Rule #14's mention of extreme violence, I would draw comparisons better with movies. You'd want to steer clear of graphical stuff like in the Saw/Hostel franchise, while completely over-the-top violence (like in Peter Jackson's Braindead/Dead Alive) maybe given more leeway.

Ultimately, though, you need to remember Rule #19. The judges have sole discretion to disqualify based on their interpretation of the rules. Therefore, if any of the four judges decide that your game breaks the extreme violence rule, then your will be disqualified. You wont be able to argue the semantics of Rule #14, even with what I've told you in the paragraph above.

In short: I recommend you steer clear of your gross-out idea, but if you feel that you can do it without crossing the line, go for it!

(+1)

Alright, I think I got a better handle on the intent of the rule now. Thinking about it again I also realize it might be difficult to host a game with disturbing imagery, even at very low resolution. Thanks for the speedy response!

Hi; I downloaded the contest version of RMMZ, however when I try to open it, it tells me that my Key has expired and I have to purchase it. Does the contest version link to the Free Trial version in some way? And is there a way that I can get the contest version so that I can still participate in this contest?

Jam Host(+1)

Hey there and thanks for asking! If you can, please message Nick (from Komodo) on the RPGMakerWeb forums (Touchfuzzy) or DM him on Twitter (@RPGMakerWeb). He can send you the direct link privately. :-)

(+1)

Will do, thank you so much!

Submitted(+1)

Is the game required to be complete or can it be a demo as long as it fits within the 20 minutes to 1 hour rule? Since the goal is to create a game that "looks, sounds and plays as good as the best of the best", I want to create polished graphics and systems but I'm not sure if I'd be able to make a complete game within the one month timeframe.

Jam Host(+2)

Hey there! Your game can be a demo of something larger, or it can be a small game that fits those perimeters. As you retain full rights to that IP,  you can always expand it into a longer game and sell that at your leisure.

RpgmakerWeb stated that the winners will become sample games. Will those sample games have their source files accessible to the people  who download them?

A lot of assets/plugins/sounds/music allow commercial use, but do not allow redistribution. I believe there is a legal issue in these cases if said assets aren't packaged as encrypted files.

Jam Host

Hey there! The winning games will be distributed for free on RPGMakerWeb, as well as Steam. Because of that, you need to make sure that the assets you use can be utilized in that way. Having said that, please package them as encrypted files, as Komodo is looking to share the game, not the source files. (I know that was a very round-a-bout way to answer your question, but I wanted you to fully understand the logic behind it.) :-)

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Jam Host

Hey there and thanks for asking. If you've published your game, you should be able to update it as much as you want until the deadline. So, by all means, test it as many times as you can, then test it again. Just update your uploaded version, but make sure that the version you upload is the one you want the judges to play.

Unfortunately, I cannot be a tester, as I am helping run this game jam. You're going to want to test this game as much as possible, but no one associated with Komodo,  or someone who is a judge, can be a part of that. :-)

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Hey, I was just wondering. I wanted to use this generator for the game, but is it legal for the contest?

I know it's old, but I like its style.

http://lovelymoro.web.fc2.com/moromagalabo.html

Jam Host

Hey there and thank you for asking!

So long as the terms of service for the generator is that it can be used for a commercial game, then you're fine. Just be sure to credit it in your project! :D

(+1)

What if for some reason I can't find the terms of service, or contact the creator?

Jam Host

I would say that it's best to err on the side of caution.

First, I'd translate the page (since I can't read any laungage other than English). 

Then, if possible, I'd find what I needed or a way to contact the creator.

If that didn't work, if there was absolutely no way no matter my efforts, I would err on the side of caution and not use it.

Hello! Thank you for hosting this wonderful contest; I'm so excited to see the new entries this year! 

I had a few questions regarding the contest rules! 

  • If we had a project that we had started beforehand, never finished, and would like to use the same ideas for this contest, would we be able to if we re-made everything from scratch? (Ex. - Have a few sprites that were made before the jam, but we make new sprites + don't use the old ones?) (Or would this fall under acceptable use as 'custom made assets'?)
  • For the "Entrants are discouraged from sharing their final game until the rating/judging period begins", is that moreso the final game (with the download)? But screenshots and such are acceptable to show/post on social media?

Thank you!

Jam Host

Hey there and thank you for joining!

1. Rule #1 states "Development on contest entries MUST be started after the beginning of the contest (June 21st, 2021)." That means that you cannot have worked on it at all. So no, you cannot remake a game you've already started, because something that was already made (story, character information, even formulas or hand-drawn maps...) would already exist.

2. Dev streams and Dev blogs are fine, no worries. We only mean the actual, playable game.

Hello! Thank you so much for clarifying! I understand better now!

Submitted
Development on contest entries MUST be started after the beginning of the contest (June 21st, 2021). Pre-existing assets (like DLC or custom created) can be used.

It says pre-existing assets can be used, so how does that work? 

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Jam Host

If your game is already created, or was in development before the contest started, then you cannot enter it into the Game Jam.

If you submit your game to the contest, there cannot be a cost to it at all. The contest version of your game, no matter what, must be free for everyone. You can rebuild a full version later and charge for it if you want.

I'm not sure what "Should i include my game in the press system?" means. Can you (or someone more familiar with itch.io) elaborate?

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Jam Host

Ah, OK. Thanks for sharing that. :-)

So long as the version you have submitted to the contest is free to play, you're good.

Submitted

Just to be absolutely sure since I haven't joined a jam for a long time, we are allowed to use the assent included in the free version right?

And concerning plugins, are they fine as long as the plugin creator allows for commercial use?

Jam Host(+1)

Hey and thanks for asking. :-) Yes to both questions. Just make sure that it's RMMZ that you use to create your game.

Submitted(+1)

Thanks!

Hello. I would like to ask for a clarification: "All three placed winners will have their game hosted on both the RPGMakerWeb website, as well as Steam, for the world to see".  Is this account a pre-existing one, or would it be a account specifically for this jam? Thank you for your time.

Jam Host(+1)(-1)

Hey there, and thank you for asking.

This will be on the official Degica/Komodo Account: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/Degica

As for the RPGMakerWeb website, the games will be published using their account as well.

Deleted post
Jam Host

Thanks for asking that. If a project violates the rule, it will only be discovered after submissions are over (when judging starts). Because of that, the project cannot be resubmitted, and the game is disqualified from the contest.

Deleted post
Jam Host

That's very understandable. We hope that you enjoy playing the various entries in this contest, and good luck with all of your future projects. Stay awesome!

Submitted

And if my game is disqualified, will I be informed of the reason?

Jam Host (1 edit)

Hey there and thanks for asking! Yes, you'll be informed of the reason should your game be disqualified. 

I have a very specific odd question. The game I'm making right now has been entirely concepted and created since the Game Jam started, I even decided I wouldn't use any of my past assets and go for a very stylized look for this project in specific, and doing some of the development on a dev stream. However, there is one thing I want to use from my past that I'm a bit worried about, so I wanted to ask about. Years ago, there was a made-up word I really liked I wanted to use for a project, but I never ended up making that project. The game I'm making now does not resemble that project even a little bit, but I want to use the made-up word I made years ago as the title for this game, because I really like the made-up word.

Is it an issue if the project was entirely concepted and made since the Game Jam started, but I'm using a scrapped name for the game I came up with years ago? I'm a little worried since I had at one point publicly talked about the name of the project in question, but it never ended up going anywhere, and the project I'm currently working on doesn't pull anything from that past project outside of the name. Would that be okay?

Jam Host(+1)

Hey there and thanks for asking.

Let's assume that your made up word is "Dobbidots". That word is known to be tied to a game that you made long ago. 

If you use the word "Dobbidots" in your game jam entry, you aren't violating any rule. You're just using a word. That's an asset. 

You can use your own assets in this contest. 

(+1)

Hello. Does the in-game character dialogues count as the gameplay time, or are they did not count? My game's currently pretty dialogue-heavy so I wasn't really sure about it.

Submitted(+1)

I'm not a  host, but I believe that everything included in the games counts for time, dialogue included. So the answer is probably yes, dialogues count for gameplay time.

Jam Host(+1)

Hey there and thanks for asking. Yes, dialogs absolutely do count towards runtime. 🙂

Submitted (1 edit)

One last question for me, since I don't know if it is allowed at all, but can we use tilesets from other RPGMakers? I'm seeing if it's possible to use the SF_Inside from RPGMaker MZ since I like the tileset provided there, especially the green cyber/hexagon tiles.

Thanks.

Jam Host(+1)

Thanks for checking in with that. Yes you can use other resources, including tilesets, from other engines. You just have to create the game itself in RMMZ.

Submitted(+1)

Thanks!

Submitted

Really weird question, is someone able to win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd and fan favorite, or are all the placed winners excluded from winning fan favorite?

Jam Host (1 edit)

Hey there! Not a weird question at all. Yes, if both of your two entries place, then you win twice, and both of your games will be published. :-) (Fan Favorite excluded from publication, of course....)

Submitted

Well, I guess I more so meant 1 entry, if its 2 games well then yeah that makes sense, but could 1 game on its own win both 1st, 2nd, or 3rd as well as fan favorite?

Jam Host

Ah, OK, I think that I understand your question. Let me know if this helps:

1. One contestant can create two games. Both of those games can place separately.

2. Any single game cannot win both 1st and 2nd, 1st and 3rd, or 2nd and 3rd.

3. A game can win 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, as well as Fan Favorite.

(+1)

1- I would like to know if I can use images created by me? It's not absolutely 100% clear when the rules say that you can only use the rpg maker mz to program - what I want is to insert images made by me to use in my project, after all, it's my own resource and not another tool construction. Please, the sooner they get back to me, the sooner I can complete my project. Thanks! 2- Can I use a Sample Game Project such as Visustella's as the basis for building my game? As it is available for free to use, I think it wouldn't be unfair as it is free to access for everyone!

This is the Sample Game: https://visustella.itch.io/visumz-sample

In this project there are images that are copyrighted but I'll swap them for the basic images - my interest is only in the plugins and the improvements they cause! Thanks: D

Submitted

Yes, you can use your own resources.

As for the sample project, I'll leave that question to the hosts. Do be aware the Visu tiles are non-commercial usage only, so you won't be able to use those. 

Yes, certainly! What will make it easier for me to use the visu project is the language - it's already all in English, I just need to keep writing in English without having to change the entire language at all. If I had to translate every detail from Portuguese, it would take a long time. I will delete all tilesets and apply the patterns myself.

Jam Host (1 edit)

1. Yes, you can use your own images. The rules state that you can use your own assets. You just have to use the RPG Maker MZ engine.

2. Yes, you can use stuff from the Sample Game, but not the stuff that is non-commercial (as slimmmeiske2 pointed out.)

(+1)

Thank you very much! Unfortunately I only saw this contest two days ago... I will do the best I can for the remaining 13 days!!

I've replaced all visu graphics with normal graphics.

I will translate most of the texts using the google translator, as I understand very basic English only. I don't know if any writing or translation errors could compromise the game's judgment but I'll do the best I can!!

Submitted

Am I safe to post screenshots of the development in my website or twitter as in teaser screenshots?

Jam Host

Hey there and thanks for asking. :-)

Yes, please feel free to post development screenshots of your game for this contest. Be sure to tag @RPGMakerWeb and spread the word!

(1 edit)

Can I use songs (musics) in midi format that were created by me over a year ago?

Jam Host

Hey there! Yes, you can definitely do that so long as they can be played by RPG Maker MZ, and so long you have the rights to use them (obviously you do if they are yours).

(+1)

thnaks :D

Submitted

I have a third question, are references to alcohol allowed?

Jam Host

Hey there! Yes, references to alcohol are allowed. Like anything "adult", I would express caution on going way, way, way overboard. However, that is only my opinion. Alcohol references are quite fine.

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