Controls on keyboard + browser seem broken? For example, pressing RIGHT ARROW moved the mouse down.

Also, the "PLAY" button is hidden for me when not running in fullscreen.

Really fun!

Really clever! I've never played anything like it, and I really enjoyed how much you were able to do with the concept.

I think we have different definitions of what a 1:1 scale means 😁

I'm not sure what I am missing but I can't get passed the first level (I don't jump high enough to reach the blue block)

10/10

You can find the end date on the home page of the Jam (NESDev Compo '24 - itch.io).

Nice work! The game is looking great!

Not sure if you're looking for feedback but.. I played through the first battle so far, and I have a few suggestions/feedback on the UI/UX:

• The HUD should show MP/HP of SELECTED unit (I would suggest not changing the bottom left HUD when selecting a unit, and instead change the color of the stat that is being affected (eg. turn movement stat yellow as you select a position to show that it is changing).
• It is difficult to understand which units have used up all their actions. It would be nice if this was more clear (color change or animation change) when viewing the battle field (not requiring to highlight each unit).
• It would be nice if the MP was shown on the HUD since it is such a key piece of information.
• It would be nice if things like barrels got destroyed once empty.
• Feels awkward that I can still select units with no actions left. Is there a point to this?
• It would be nice if the game automatically selected the next unit (with remaining actions) after using up actions for the current unit. 
• I know I mentioned it before, but I still think one of the biggest improvements you could make is showing the movement range of the selected unit so that players don't need to "poke around" to figure out what is possible for a given turn. I know it's tough on the NES.

No, its a pc game

Thanks so much!

If you have any general questions about the competition, feel free to ask below and I will add them to a list here!

Is there an official Discord Server for the compo?

There is not, but I recommend where most of the NES development community seems to reside and is often happy to help people out:

Videogame Sage Discord

NESDev Discord

And of course, there is always the traditional NESDev Forums.

How do I learn to make NES games?

I wrote this article on the topic: How to Create NES Games

Here's a few resources to check out:

• Nerdy Nights: Probably the most popular tutorial series on learning to code for the NES in assembly.  This will take you from "no programming experience" to "making a basic Pong game".
• Famicom Party: Another NES programming tutorial, this time using the more modern CA65 assembler. It is still a WIP, so you will need to go beyond the tutorial a bit to have a full game experience.
• NESDoug: Probably the most popular tutorial series on learning to code for the NES in C. The Minimal Mapper 28 project is an extension of the nesdoug tutorials.
• NESFab: A new programming language specifically targeting the NES. It lives somewhere between C and Assembly, and has specific support for this nesdev competition!

Can I submitted a game that is not free?

Yes, but your game must have a free demo or similar, and that is what will be judged. 

We also ask that you don't submit a demo for games that are already commercially available. This is a "game jam" not a chance to get advertising for your game.

Can I submit a game made with NESMaker?

Out of the box, probably not. NESMaker uses more than the 64KB PRG ROM limits imposed by the competition. However, it might be possible to hack things up to the point of meeting the requirements!

tepples has put together a guide to how this might be done here. If you end up doing this, please let us know how it goes!

Are you working on an NES project that doesn't fit the requirements of this game jam? Then you've come to the right thread

For this year's nesdev competition, the "tools and toys" category will not be submitted through the jam submission. Instead, please reply to this thread with a link to the itch.io page of your project, and tell us a bit about it!

The reason for this change is that itch.io game jams do not allow us to have separate categories within a single game jam.

Here are the details on what can be submitted:

Category 2 (the non-contest): Tools and Toys

IMPORTANT: A big change from previous years is that the Tools/Toys category will not be submitted via the jam submission form. Instead they will be submitted here.

• Anything Goes - old unreleased stuff, modified existing stuff, whatever. If it runs on the NES/FC feel free to submit it.
• There will be no cash prizes awarded for this category.
• Multicarts and possible physical prizes for all entries included on the multicart (at judges discretion)
• Depending on the configuration of the entry, it may not be possible to include it on the multicart, however, at the judges discretion multicarts and physical prizes will be awarded. For exceptional submissions, extra effort may be done to adapt the game/cartridge hardware to support being included in the multicart.
• Entrants are not required to consent to multicart inclusion upon submission.
• Since this category will not be ranked or judged, it will also not be under the strict submission dates and times. If it is submitted before the multicart is released, then it is fair game. Keep in mind, the sooner it is submitted the better chance it will have at making it onto the multicart.
• Entries in this category will also not be under the restriction of the General Guidelines above, but material you do not have rights to will not be considered for the multicart.

Technical Details:

The competition is broken up into 2 categories: Games and Tools/Toys/Unfinished Works.

IMPORTANT: A big change from previous years is that the Tools/Toys category will not be submitted via the jam submission form. Instead they will be submitted here.

Category 1: Game

• This category is reserved for games. Any tools or toys should be submitted as category 2.
• All games must be Mapper 28 compatible entry up to 64KB ROM with up to 32KB CHR-RAM and NO PRG-RAM
  • Failure to follow these restrictions will get you disqualified.
• Prizes as follows:
  • 1st Place - $512
  • 2nd Place - $256
  • 3rd Place - $128
  • 4th Place - $64
  • 5th Place - $32
  • Stretch Goal: Limited Edition multicarts for all meritorious entries (at judges discretion)
    • Please note: We are still backlogged with the previous year's carts, so this is not a guarantee this year.

Mapper-specific advice:

• NROM-128: Be careful not to write to $8000-$FFFF. Test with a breakpoint on writes to ROM.
• NROM, CNROM: Be careful not to overwrite CHR ROM. Test with a breakpoint on writes to PPU $0000-$1FFF.
• NROM, CNROM, ANROM, BNROM: $FFD0-$FFF9 of each 32K PRG ROM bank must be unused.
• UNROM (2): $FFD0-$FFF9 must be unused.
• UNROM (180): $BFD0-$BFF9 must be unused.
• A53: Write to register $81 only once, at the beginning of the program, usually with value $FF. (Mapper 180-style fixed $8000 mapping needs longer initialization; contact us.) Match the values written to $80 to the size of the entry: $00-$0F for 32K entries and $10-$1F for 64K entries, depending on desired PRG mapping and nametable mirroring scheme. Specify whether $FFD0-$FFF9 or $BFD0-$BFF9 is unused.

Excessive padding is discouraged. For example, an entry's 10 KiB of PRG data shouldn't be strewn across a 32 KiB PRG ROM; it should instead be packed into 16 KiB. Nor should a CNROM have two CHR ROM banks that are less than half full; NROM with $2000 switching is usually better for that situation. This helps ensure more entries can fit on the multicart.

• Commercially released entries, and previously submitted entries with no changes are discouraged.
• Multiple entries are allowed and encouraged.
• Only one cash/cartridge/other physical prize will be awarded per entrant across all categories. If multiple submissions place in a cash winning position, the greatest prize will be awarded, and the runner up will receive the lesser prize. 
  • You can only win one cash prize.
    • In the event that a single entrant wins multiple cash prizes, regardless of who collaborated on the projects, the person who submits the project represents the whole. i.e., Project A and Project B won 1st and 2nd respectively. They were submitted by Bob. Larry was a collaborator on Project B. There will still only be one cash prize for the two projects.
  • You can only win one cartridge.
    • If the entry is a collaboration, additional cartridges may be purchased at cost for fellow collaborators (or deducted from a cash prize if applicable). 
  • You can only win one other physical prize.
• Entries must be original. Plagiarism and copyright infringement will result in disqualification.
• Use of existing tools/libraries/code qualify as long as permission has been granted by the author.
• Collaborations are allowed, prize distribution will be decided by those who collaborated on the project. This decision should be known by the person who submitted the entry as they will be our primary contact. Please make these decisions beforehand.
• There are no restrictions on submissions including explicit content.
• Publishers and organizers reserve the right to request changes to your entry for content exceeding E10+ ESRB rating prior to inclusion on published cartridges.

Category 2 (the non-contest): Tools and Toys

IMPORTANT: A big change from previous years is that the Tools/Toys category will not be submitted via the jam submission form. Instead they will be submitted here.

• Anything Goes - old unreleased stuff, modified existing stuff, whatever. If it runs on the NES/FC feel free to submit it.
• There will be no cash prizes awarded for this category.
• Multicarts and possible physical prizes for all entries included on the multicart (at judges discretion)
• Depending on the configuration of the entry, it may not be possible to include it on the multicart, however, at the judges discretion multicarts and physical prizes will be awarded. For exceptional submissions, extra effort may be done to adapt the game/cartridge hardware to support being included in the multicart.
• Entrants are not required to consent to multicart inclusion upon submission.
• Since this category will not be ranked or judged, it will also not be under the strict submission dates and times. If it is submitted before the multicart is released, then it is fair game. Keep in mind, the sooner it is submitted the better chance it will have at making it onto the multicart.
• Entries in this category will also not be under the restriction of the General Guidelines above, but material you do not have rights to will not be considered for the multicart.

Please post any questions or ask for clarification here. Thanks and GOOD LUCK to all entrants!

Turned out great! Nice work!

Thanks for playing!

Awesome, thanks1

Thank you!

Thanks! The soundtrack comes with the Game Boy version of the game if you'd like to get the soundtrack and help support the game.

From Below Pocket by Matt Hughson (NES Dev) (itch.io)

Thanks for sharing!

Can I ask what engine/plugin you are using for UE? Or is this written from scratch?

This work?

https://www.lexaloffle.com/bbs/?tid=27836

This is the trade off to get a full 10x20 play area.

There is no demo coming, but as I said, there is a free version for the NES if you want to see if you like the game.

It sounds like you already know this, but: the blocks are 8x7 so that I can fit in the full, traditional 10x20 game board. Whether or not that is worth having "squished" visuals will depend on the viewer.

I am trying to e-mail the people who submitted games to the Game Jam I am organizing, but I keep getting this error:

"We seem to be having server problems right now! Please try again later."

I was able to send an email earlier today, but not after that. I've been trying on and off for about 6 hours.

This is the Game Jam in question: NESDev Compo '23 - itch.io

Submissions Closed!

Submission have officially closed, and wow! Another great turnout this year! There are 24 brand new games for the NES thanks to all of you. Congratulations to everyone who managed to submit something; you are one of a handful of people with the skill to make an NES game in 2023.

If you were not able to complete your project this year, the competition runs every year, and there is no limit on how much time you spend on your project, so think about starting today!

Judging Begins Today!

With the submission deadline closed, the judging can now begin, and lasts 2 weeks, until December 4th, 2023. 

All submissions can be found here:

Submissions to NESDev Compo '23 - itch.io

Please keep a few things in mind:

• Only people who submitted entries may vote.
• Try to play and vote on every game if possible (as is the tradition for nesdev compo).
• If given a choice, please judge the downloadable ROM from itch. Uploads are locked to keep things fair, but there is nothing stopping someone from updating an embedded emulator, or offsite downloads
• Don't rush, take your time, and leave feedback/compliments for the devs. Although this is a competition, it's also a celebration of our community, and what each other have created.

With the competition being on itch, we don't have a good way to enforce a lot of these rules, so honor system is in effect.

Awesome, thank you for noticing. All of that was very intentional!

Wow thats so kind of you to say! Thank you so much, and welcome tl the world of NES homebrew!

If you're interested, I've listed some of my favorites here: 

https://www.matthughson.com/2022/01/06/nes-homebrew-seal-of-quality/

Thanks for taking the time to let me know!

You rock! Thanks for understanding!!

Check out the FAQ for a list of resources! FAQ - NESDev Compo '23 community - itch.io

Hi "A Novel Approach"! Thanks for your submissions to the compo. Its great to have you joining us.

We (the organizers of the competition) noticed that you submitted quite a few, early, unfinished Puzzle Maker prototypes. How would you feel about picking your best one and submitting just that one? The other projects could always go into Category 2 if that interests you. 

Again, we're excited to have you here, and I don't want to come across as anything other than that!

The games share the same codebase so they play essentially identical. The big addition to the GB version is the addition of multiplayer. There's some other minor upgrades like battery save.

The game jam is for games that run on  the NES, so no you cant use unity.

There isn't one, but the NES version is free if you want to try it out. 

That's for checking it out!

Yes, as long as it meets the technical requirements. 

I got some photos already so you can ignore this request.

Thanks

That's awesome. I've added a patched version of the game to the official downloads here on itch!

Any chance one of you could take a photo of the game running on an Analogue Pocket that I could use to post on Social Media etc?