O2A2 VN Jam 2023 ~ Queer Edition ~

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFé · 2023-03-04T18:50:22Z

Welcome to the jam! Once you've read the rules on the main page, here are some more specific cases to give you an idea of what you can work with. If you can't find your specific case or situation, feel free to ask below! ------------------------------------------------------------------- GENERAL CLARIFICATIONS You can: have more than a single choice or fork in your VN/story use your existing universe so long as the player does not need prior context to understand your entry have unlimited solid color backgrounds in menus and in-game generated by the engine, alongside your illustrated BG use Text-To-Speech without impact on any audio limits use any freely available asset (paid, Creative Commons, and others) generate images from AI prompts to adapt into assets if others can reasonably achieve the same output as you using the same settings - AI-generated assets are only allowed if you own the training data. (e.g. Photoshop's content-aware fill, training an entirely separate instance of AI on exclusively your work, using ML to remix art with permission from the artist, etc.) Systems in which the training data is not owned by the dev (ChatGPT, Midjourney, Stable Diffusion, and similar) are not allowed . provide additional information on the VN's website including separate character drawings, backstory info, banners and cover images, provided they don't make diminish the VN-only experience use your own existing assets not specifically made for a VN/game (e.g. vacation photos, childhood drawings, old poem) use previously created custom menu styles/GUI, even if they appeared in other games before submit NSFW/R18 work, provided it's tagged/flagged appropriately create additional simple shapes by code (e.g. squares, circles, etc.) draw an image by code, but only when the results are equivalent to having a single sprite and single BG prepare code for basic VN functions (e.g, skip, auto-forward, text history, save/load, etc.) in your engine of choice use any engine to create a game that is considered a VN first and foremost (e.g. due to the required assets needed, an engine such as any version of RPGMaker would not be allowed) update your game after the jam is complete (we highly recommend making it available as a separate download for posterity's sake, but this is not necessary) You cannot: use sprites, backgrounds, scripts or other assets made or commissioned for a different VN/game project before (even if it's unfinished or unreleased) ------------------------------------------------------------------- ONE SPRITE It is within the rules to: have many facial expressions for the sprite by changing eyes, nose, eyebrows and mouth have many off-screen actors / characters, so long as only one is visually represented by a sprite have a character sprite that includes a separate auxiliary character that does not feature in interactions (e.g, a woman holding a baby, a pirate with a parrot, blind person with dog) have multiple "characters" associated with one sprite, as long as those are all a part of that singular entity (e.g, a medusa with talking snake hairs, a person playing with sock puppets on their hands, etc.) have a "suggestion" of another character represented by a shadow or a reflection with very vague detail (see Illustration/CG rules) have an "extra item" which is a single non-central element that will be hidden (man loses a hat, child's balloon flies away) or appears. use the single sprite for twins, clones, ghosts, swarms, etc. mirror and otherwise transform the sprite in game show only a portion of a sprite, including cut-outs or zooms. have an inanimate object as the sprite (e.g. UFO, a portal, a robot) having multiple small ambient objects as the sprite (e.g. adding traffic to the city, searchlights to prison) fully or partially assemble a sliced up sprite in game, and apply effects to individual elements (e.g. a snowman's head) animate parts of the sprite to achieve effects of breathing, bobbing their head, or other idle animation (this includes the usage of programs such as EmoFuri, Live2D, or Spline which do not require drawing new frames) create minor frame-by-frame animations involving features of the face, such as blinking or mouth movement have a single alternate movement of a single body part that is drawn differently (head, single arm) so long as it doesn't change the pose, and so long as the VN does not also use the allowed "extra item" You may not do the following: have multiple changes of clothes for the sprite, or any other separate layers that overlap with their non-transparent parts use a sprite overlay to vastly transform the background (e.g. pre- and post-war city) create extensive frame-by-frame animations of the sprite outside of parts of the face (e.g. snapping fingers, turning a hand around, etc.) change the sprite's pose significantly (e.g. move the torso) drawing alternate forms of hair or shaded clothes for any movement Illustrations (CGs) can: be used instead of a separate sprite and background feature a character with expression changes and other alterations analog to sprites feature simple crowd silhouettes, or suggestions of people without identifying details Illustrations (CGs) cannot: show multiple people in high detail show a silhouette next to a fully shown character ------------------------------------------------------------------- ONE BACKGROUND It is within the rules to: use the engine's built-in functions, code, or scripting to alter the background (e.g. blur, night filter, mirroring) have a small looping animation (e.g. inside of train with passing scenery, waterfall) use zooming, panning and cutting around a larger image reveal previously obscured information or areas through pans, zooms and cuts use layers to show a sliced up an image as a single background (no opaque parts of layers can overlap) use custom particle effects, so long as there is only one type of particle being used (e.g, cherry blossom petals, fire, etc.) You may not do the following: create secondary versions (via multiple separate files) of the background image (e.g. blur, night version) use masks (via multiple separate files) to create secondary versions of the background image on screen use an image which is created in such a way that focusing on segments effectively changes scenes remove parts of a background to create a new scene, even if parts of it were seen in the original (e.g. there is a wall a window with a view outside, and then that wall is removed so the scene is now outside completely) ------------------------------------------------------------------- ONE THOUSAND WORDS When in doubt, pure words counted by Google Documents are to be taken as standard. Counts against the 1.000 word limit: foreword / afterword / author's notes text of all the VN's branches combined text of choices images of letters or longer-form text any additional parallel language / translation custom menu items like "Start your adventure" instead of "Start" emoji-only statements (count as a single word) emoji made of words (count as the amount of words in the emoji) ellipses (a freestanding ... is considered a word by most word processors) Does not count against the 1.000 word limit: minigame using words if it's purely a game mechanic (does not advance story) chapter names, even if displayed on screen signs, posters, even if they relate to the story short factual glossary, if explanation cannot be reasonably provided in game in-game content warnings credits, help / controls emoji used to only accompany and reiterate a word or statement repeats of blocks of text achieved by scripting (e.g. common route, recurring dream) surplus text generated from a base text that is within the word count limit (e.g. chat bot, AI generator) name tags, so long as they are not directly conveying narrative image captions intended to describe visuals to players with low vision conditions for accessibility Concerning the last point, please utilize an engine's accessibility features and do not abuse image captions to add to the narration in a way that moves it forward. We trust that participants will consider making their games more accessible to low vision readers in good faith. If you are using Ren'Py, we suggest npckc's Caption Tool in order to add image captions to your game. ------------------------------------------------------------------- ONE MUSIC TRACK OR ONE AMBIENT BACKGROUND NOISE It is within the rules to: use a looped sound effect acting as ambient background noise (e.g. rain) use a track with multiple melodies / styles, if it existed prior to the jam, and only a single segment is looped, with another segment looped only for a special short segment / occasion. alter the pitch or speed of audio via code If an ambient audio file you create or find has multiple sources of different audio (e.g. a storm may have wind, rain, and thunder) and you do not control the timing of the other recorded audio, this all counts as one ambient track . If you do control the timing of other sounds, this counts as your sound effect . You may not do the following: create or use a track by combining composed music and ambient sounds use a mash-up or mix of multiple songs with timed transitions (megamix, medley) have additional menu music that loops (if the VN also has in-game music/ambient noise) ------------------------------------------------------------------- ONE SOUND EFFECT The single sound effect... can be used multiple times cannot be looped continuously (if yes, it counts as background noise per the last section) can be made by a person different from the voice actor (we consider this to be a foley sound) can bed altered via code This limit does not apply to interface sounds, which are considered part of the GUI. Having different sounds assigned to button hover, activation, etc. could be an accessibility feature for low-vision players, as that's audio feedback for different actions. ------------------------------------------------------------------- ONE VOICE ACTOR Your entry's single voice actor... can use use variations of voices can have their voice modulated and processed to create completely different sounding voices can be replaced by sound effects / beeps processed to act as voices (this does not count as the sound effect) can speak lines not part of the VN's text, provided they don't go over 1.000 words combined Regarding usage of voice beeps in lieu of voice acting: you may create different beeps per character as long as it remains consistent to that character. ------------------------------------------------------------------- SPLASH SCREEN / MAIN MENU / GAME MENU ART / GUI The main menu / title screen background is now considered part of the GUI and thus is not beholden to many of the previous year's restrictions. It is within the rules to: display multiple splashscreens before the start (e.g, for the jam, engine used, studio logo) have multiple variations of the title screen / game menu background show as many characters / objects as you'd like show a different location from the one in the game use a combination of the sprite and background or the one CG as the main menu have multiple typefaces You may not do the following: show any part of the main menu in the flow of your script if it is different from the assets in the game Regarding image buttons that appear to be objects: these buttons should only appear as a choice, and the images should not appear again in other parts of the game due to the fact that this can be abused to bypass the item/arm/head change limit. ------------------------------------------------------------------- ONE THUMBNAIL ART The restrictions for the itch thumbnail for your game's preview have now been relaxed, as we recognize that it is an important aspect of marketing your game to potential players. It is within the rules to: show as many characters as you'd like show a different location from the one in the game create any animation for it, even one with multiple frames of animation ------------------------------------------------------------------- ONE PROJECT One person in the O2A2 jam... can only be the primary creative lead for a single project (e.g. producer, director, author) can additionally be a secondary creative contributor for someone else's project (e.g. draw a sprite) can further collaborate on other projects in a non-creative role (e.g. coordination, marketing) ------------------------------------------------------------------- OFFERING WEB BUILDS OF YOUR ENTRY If you offer both a web and downloadable version of your game, you may optimize effects (e.g. video backgrounds) for the web build as long as the downloadable version follows the rules. You may want to note differences between versions if applicable. Please follow this rule in good faith. ------------------------------------------------------------------- OMAKES AND FANDISC RULES An omake means "extra," as in extra/bonus content for source material that you own or have permission to develop for. Fandisc is another term for the same concept. It is within the rules to: reference assets from your main game to create new assets (e.g. redrawing a sprite or BG, making a remix of a song, etc.) reuse code from your main project to expedite development (e.g. recycling animations, code for setting up images, etc.) use the same GUI from your main project You may not do the following: directly reuse any non-GUI assets you have created for your main game We highly suggest writing your omake in a way that those unfamiliar with the source material are able to enjoy it, but this is not a requirement. ------------------------------------------------------------------- FANGAME AND DERIVATIVE WORK RULES Fangames or derivative works are generally unofficial works based on source material that you do not own or have express permission to develop for. The O2A2 Jam Hosts are not responsible for any cease and desist notices for individual entries should they occur. It is within the rules to: adapt an existing fanfic or other work you created or have permission to use into a visual novel format You may not do the following: directly reuse any assets from the official source material (this is piracy!) We highly suggest writing your fangame in a way that those unfamiliar with the source material are able to enjoy it, but this is not a requirement. For your protection in the majority of cases, we also suggest turning donations and PWYW off for fangame entries.

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O2A2 VN Jam 2023 ~ Queer Edition ~ community

!READ THIS! Rules, Interpretations, & FAQ Sticky

A topic by PRINCESS INTERNET CAFé created Mar 04, 2023 Views: 2,638 Replies: 104

Viewing posts 21 to 35 of 35 · Previous page · First page

piinkpuddiinSubmitted1 year ago

Hi, I had a question about the splash screens. Would it be okay to have a short (2 to 3 seconds) animation of the sprite as one of the splash screens?

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago

Hi!

As long as it’d still be a splash screen (and not considered a scene of the game) and function as such that should be okay.

What were you thinking of?

piinkpuddiinSubmitted1 year ago

I was thinking of my main character sitting at a table in the main menu and leaving the table and the screen once the player clicks on start. Then the game would begin.The main menu and the game scene would be different! I hope this made sense!

And if this isn’t possible I was also planning on animating the title of the game a bit.

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago

Hey,

This is not what we would consider a splash screen. A splash screen generally comes before the main menu (showing a logo for the creator/jam/engine), and as this animation plays only after clicking the start button, so what you are proposing would be considered to be part of the game itself. Therefore, this would not be allowed.

piinkpuddiinSubmitted1 year ago(+1)

Aww alright, thanks for the clarification!

Bardic BlazeSubmitted1 year ago

On the rule about how an illustration cannot feature a silhouette of another person right next to a fully shown character, does that mean an illustration of someone holding hands with someone offscreen (just showing the arm) is not allowed?

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago

Hi! That’d be correct!

However, use this limitation as inspiration: you could frame the scene differently. Alternatively (if you’re using sprite + BG), you can technically use the same sprite twice, so if you get creative you could do something with that!

Bardic BlazeSubmitted1 year ago(+1)

Thank you so much for the hint!

LyrdinnSubmitted1 year ago

I wanted to write the game in english and then translate it in french, do I have to make sure it's 1000 words in french too and in other languages ? I can't really predict it unfortunately and was wondering if it was okay.

Also, can we modify the game after the deadline ? Add more languages, fix misspellings, polish the itch.io page and UI ? As long as the one asset rule is applied of course.

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago

Hey!

From the jam front page:

you're free to write your game in a language other than English as long as it's equivalent to one thousand words

You can do whatever you want to your game after the deadline. It's yours! (And we can't stop you even if we wanted to LOL) However, it's always nice practice to leave the original jam version as a download option to leave it as a "record" of sorts.

Taking that into account, I'd suggest you focus on the English version and once the jam is over you add French and whatever other languages you want :)

GluebladeSubmitted1 year ago

So for clarification, if we offer the game in two languages and each version is 1000 words each, that wouldn't be allowed because it's 2000 words total? Or are multiple languages allowed as long as each translation is under 1000 words?

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago

The ruling about the 1k words is about crafting a "short but whole" story. So in that vein it does make sense that if a game is translated into several languages, each of those are 1k words (or less) each.

GluebladeSubmitted1 year ago

I'd like some clarification on panning across backgrounds/CGs:

- I'm assuming panning/zooming across a CG is allowed to the same extent as with a background. Is that correct?

- If my CG features e.g. a character sitting on a picnic blanket in a forest clearing and I start out focusing only on the clearing first and then pan to the character, is that allowed or would that effectively be considered changing scenes since it's making a character "appear"?

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago

Hey,

Both things would be fine :)

Gubbles1 year ago

Question... given the strict limitations set on assets here, would 3D be viable under any circumstances?

To give an example, even a simple background rendered from a single static camera angle is going to incur a number of runtime-loaded assets: separate objects/props, multiple textures and different materials, etc., all things that could be drawn reasonably into a single background image if it were instead 2D. If a reasonable attempt was made to emulate what is presently allowed with drawn 2D assets--single camera angle limited to zooming/panning, mostly static background elements or a simple looped animation (nothing dramatic like time-of-day relighting, etc), and a sole character comprised of a single mesh with a looping idle animation and one gesture-- would this be acceptable?

I ask because 3D modeling and texturing is within my present range of abilities, but not drawing, and I would be working solo for this.

Additionally there is the smaller matter of simple sound effects associated with on screen text being rendered to the screen, aka "babbling", and whether or not these would count as GUI sounds or take up the single SFX slot. Thanks!

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago

Hi!

I'll start with the simplest question: the babbling would count as the 1 voice actor.

Regarding whether 3D would be viable: yes, but using the 3D modeling as a tool to achieve a "flat" result.

For the background, what you'd have to do is build your models and set up the scene in whatever software you'd use (Blender, etc.), and then export it as a single 2D render. Many VN devs actually use this process as part of their workflow (here's an example) so as long as the 3D scene is actually not in the game, that'd be okay!

Same thing with the character sprite: model them and then export as a .png or whatever.

Hope that helps!

More Teeth, PleaseSubmitted1 year ago

Hi, I have a question! I plan to have a single sprite facing backwards, where you'll never see their face and they'll never move their body parts. I was wondering if I could draw frame-by-frame animations of the back of their coat billowing or waving. I hope to find a way to do this without animating, but if that's not possible, would animating it be acceptable? No other element of the sprite would be animated or would change at all, and the coat's movement doesn't serve any narrative purpose.

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago

Hi!

This is a really cool idea, but I need to discuss with BaiYu before we make a ruling. We may need to discuss it for a bit, so please continue as if we had said no. We'll get back to you with a more definitive answer later.

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago

Hey! This might not be exactly what you were hoping to hear, but we’re going to rule that the coat movement could be classified as a moving body part. So you could have metaphorically speaking “2 frames” of the coat billowing - if you wish to do so, of course.

Hope that sounds reasonable!

More Teeth, PleaseSubmitted1 year ago

That sounds perfectly reasonable! Thanks!

Guorinrin1 year ago

Hi! My story is set in a crowded festival alley, and I was planning on zooming to different parts of the BG to simulate as if the character is moving. It would focus onto parts of the crowd and the different stands of that same alley. Is that okay or would that count as changing scenes?

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago

Hey,

No, this would be fine. Same alley, same scene. Just focused on different things :)

mlkrnSubmitted1 year ago

Hi! Can I add the “Director’s cut” separately? (I plan to release some “extra content” for a donation, kind of a small “art book” accompanying the game, so can I add to the same archive a version of the game with the uncut-more-than-1000-words-script? the free to play “main” version will of course comply with the rules)

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago

Hey! I started writing back to you yesterday but apparently never sent the message, sorry!!!

I love the idea of the extra content version with an art book. I’m not 100% sure about the “uncut” version though. If you can let us discuss for a bit and get back to you, that’d be great!

mlkrnSubmitted1 year ago

Sure, take your time, and thanks for the reply!
(if it helps you contextualize, the "additional" words don't really matter much to the story, there are just a few metaphors I had to get rid of but they really don't alter neither the events nor the message of the game, they just... sound nice :D)

SaeLin StudiosSubmitted1 year ago

Hello, was wondering about how we should change expressions? The rules says that we're allowed to have many facial expressions by eyes/nose/eyebrows/mouth but also states that we can't have separate layers that overlap with non-transparent parts. Are the face features exempted from the 2nd rule?

We have a sprite that has a hair accessory going through one of the eyebrows and eyes, how would we go about with changing expressions because of the 2nd mentioned rule? Thank you!

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago

Hi!

That rule was in place to circumvent people trying to remove layers to show significant changes, if that makes sense! Like, reveals.

So you should be fine! Apologies for the confusion!

mangostickyrice1 year ago

Hi! Sorry if this is a stupid question but are we allowed to alternate between nvl and adv mode in the game? Thank you!

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago

Hi! I think that's a fair question!

I'm assuming this is for Ren'Py and you want to use the NVL mode for internal dialogue and ADV for the actual spoken out loud one, right? I can't see why not!

mangostickyrice1 year ago

Yep for Ren'Py! Basically the main story would use ADV but I am thinking of showing letters via NVL mode so I don't have to have the main character read out each line. I was worried it might count as non-gui asset for this reason. Is that still alright?

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago

That’d count as a GUI asset so you’re good!

Deleted post1 year ago

Deleted 1 year ago

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago

Hey! You'll be doing two different jobs, so that's okay! However, please don't overwork yourself!

SeaLiteralSubmitted1 year ago

Sorry for asking kinda late, but what if the narrator sings a song? I could leave out other music so there’s just that song and no instruments or ambient sounds, and I would count the sung words as words too, but if the song is longer than one “line of dialogue”, it would probably have to pause after each line until the player clicks or presses a key to play the next line. Would that still count as one piece of music? (And if not, can I leave the text as poetry so I don’t have to rewrite it in prose?)

tofurocksHost1 year ago

Unless I'm misinterpreting the context, I believe this will count as your voice acting.

SeaLiteralSubmitted1 year ago

Thanks!

Wenderly GamesSubmitted1 year ago

Hi! Quick question. Hopefully there's still time to get an answer.

If the characters in the story talk about a person who recently passed away (a fictional person), would that require a content warning?

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago(+1)

Hey! Content warnings are totally up to you and your best judgement.

I personally add my CW in the projects page if they are “advisory” (certain topics that can be sensitive to some people) and in the game in they are more serious (flashing lights, jumpscares).

Hope that helps!

Wenderly GamesSubmitted1 year ago

Thanks!

CatralitosSubmitted1 year ago

So in our game about self-discovery, we have an MC talk to an alternate version of themselves in their mind. We did this by having the same sprite for both but making one red using Unity's option to tint.

I also made an object that shakes with a Trail Renderer to put over the alt MC's face, so instead of seeing her face, we just see scratches happening in real-time. This is also done fully with code/Unity's capabilities. But we are unsure if it is completely legal...

PRINCESS INTERNET CAFéJam HostSubmitted1 year ago(+1)

I think this is a really good use of the limitation of the only one sprite :)

If the object with the Trail Renderer doesn't use a texture (so it's fully code) OR uses a texture that comes bundled with Unity by default this is fully legal.

CatralitosSubmitted1 year ago

It uses Unity default materials only. So we're good.

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