Quick tips on getting short-listed and entering final judging in no particular order.
- Acknowledge the jam in your submission by adding its logo to your title or splash screens. A tip of the hat to the judges and host is a sign of respect for the event and helps our audiences find the rest of the jam submissions. The logo is available on the jam page!
- A short but comprehensive entry is often the best suited entry for placing in the jam.
- Complete entries are viewed more favorably than incomplete ones. You are more likely to finish an entry if it is only as long as it needs to be.
- Consider the following for reference Concise & Complete > Short & Complete > Long & Complete > Incomplete & Long > Incomplete & Short > On-Screen Errors / Game Crashes during Auto Play > Disqualified Submission > No Submission At All > Offensive Submissions
- Consider watching Shino’s talk about their experience in jams, and check out Vimi’s guidance for surviving NaNoRenO. All of the advice applies to Spooktober as well!
Shino's Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMonrId8J28
Vimi's Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU7VYaKKWDc
- We love spectacle! These are visual novels, so leverage it!
- Lead with your best visuals in your submission and on your page.
- Don’t be afraid of showcasing mild spoilers if they’re visually impressive. Visually interesting spoilers often turn the audience’s ‘Whats’ into ‘Hows’ and catch otherwise uninterested onlookers.
- Consider leveraging VFX, background layering, movement and animations to make your scenes & CGs shine.
- Pay attention to sprite composition. If your characters and camera perspective are always in the same places, it can become stale fast. Check out Spooktober 2021 Prize Winner Vimi’s video at Visual;Conference on Visual Novel Cinematography.
- Refine your opening to be attention grabbing and to the point.
- Consider establishing the stakes for the characters early. This means introducing the characters, setting the scene and tone, and why it matters.
- Consider the En Media Res technique to help your team visuals and audio start strong.
- During shortlisting, judges read submissions up to the point where they suspect an entry could be in the top 10 submissions. Try to catch our attention in the first 15 minutes.
- Audio is important!
- Consider recruiting voice actors for key characters and lines. Voice acting lends a lot of quality to your submission and is easier than you think to implement. Check out MAHO Cody’s talks on working with voice actors as an indie.
Video 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKlBMofvOq0
Video 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0Uf9-uLhAI
Video3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqjdIp0uAK8 - Pair sound effects to both on and off screen action to help create a full experience. - Music sets the mood, and sudden silence can be a striking or dramatic choice.
- Consider a LUFS of -23. Try Youlean Loudness Meter 2 and check out Tim’s Visual;Conference video about loudness. The judge’s ears will thank you!
Tim's talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6mcdRp0OdM
- Consider recruiting voice actors for key characters and lines. Voice acting lends a lot of quality to your submission and is easier than you think to implement. Check out MAHO Cody’s talks on working with voice actors as an indie.
- Put effort into your submission page! It is your first impression to the judges.
- Loglines, Animated Itch.io cover images and screenshots are a nice touch.
- Consider making a video promo if you have time. Don’t have video editing tricks? Try recording the first 3 to 5 minutes of your visual novel using a tool like OBS.
- Utilize the themes in clever or unique ways. The jam is very permissive in the content types you can make. You’re not limited to just horror and holiday submissions!
- Pay attention to prohibited themes! Submissions containing depictions or threats of suicide or sexually explicit content will get you disqualified from the competition!
- Winners have bags of both tricks and treats. If there’s something ambitious you’d like to try or you have an idea you’ve never seen executed before, this is a great time to give it a shot!
- Learning from previous years winners is a smart move, but nobody likes a copy-cat. If you learn something from a previous year’s winner, be sure to own it and make it your own!
Feel free to post and share your own advice or resources here too!