When is the project deadline?
All projects must be published into the itch.io jam group by January 28th 2018 at 11:59 PM
Where do I get access to the code repository for the project?
Instructions to access the repository are included in the project brief that was emailed to you. If you haven't received the brief (or don't want to admit you accidentally deleted the email), let me know & I'll send out a new one : dan@gradsingames.com
Do I have to use the starter project? Can I create my own or start with a different code base?
Yep. Nope. This challenge is designed to mimic actual studio processes. For this reason, it is important that you work from the provided project and do not start again from scratch. You will be assessed on your understanding and use of the existing code.
How much of the starter project can I modify?
A key assessment criterion is your ability to work from existing code. While you can modify the starting code as much as you feel is necessary, it must be clear to the assessors that there is purpose behind these changes and that you fully understand the original source. If in doubt, always comment the changes you make for clarity and/or note your reasoning in more detail in your documentation.
Can I use third-party assets in my project?
You're fine to use third-party assets in your project, though they will need to be licensed/attributed appropriately, either in-game or in documentation as required. You must make it clear what is your own work & what has been externally produced.
Is it ok to create development blogs & talk about my project with others?
You're welcome to maintain dev blogs & share progress updates if you wish. They are non-collaborative, individual projects, so actively sharing your project or encouraging plagiarism is obviously a bad idea.
You are also welcome to share ideas, talk about your approach to the project and discuss your work with others on the discussion board. Alternatively, if you want to keep your whole project private and work on it in secret until a spectacular reveal, that's fine too.
Does my game need to be made publicly available on itch?
To be assessed, you need to set ‘Visibility & Access Settings’ to ‘Public’.
To hide the game from the rest of the itch community then you are welcome to also tick the box for ‘Unlisted in search & browse’.
Please note that this doesn't hide your game entirely, and it will still be visible to other members of the game jam and also accessible through direct links. We will also be listing all the completed projects on Grads In Games.
It's not a requirement, but obviously we strongly encourage you to make your game publicly accessible. You've put a lot of work in and self-published a game project, so even if you don't think it's turned out great it's still worth showing what you've achieved.
Who owns the rights to the finished game?
You retain all rights to your game. If you use any third-party assets beyond what is provided in the starter project, you will be required to ensure they are used and licensed appropriately.
Can you help me out with something else?
Sure. There's a few ways you can go about it; you can either pop a new topic into the support forum, join an existing discussion there if someone else has a similar issue, or if you'd prefer you can email dan@gradsingames.com
I've broken everything, have no idea what I'm doing, it's all gone wrong, I haven't got time and I'm giving up!
Talk to me about it. Don't panic, there's always something that can be done & we'll do what we can to help get you back on track.