What is MAY WOLF?

Last year, me (Unagi) and an artist named Cody teamed up with other people to organize a Furry Visual Novel Game Jam in order to “see what the community can do, under a time limit with a hot wolf”.  18 Visual Novels were submitted and qualified—totaling to 137,896 words across all of them. https://itch.io/jam/may-wolf-codys-my-wolf-furry-visual-novel-jam

We (as in me, a committee and new artists) are continuing this basic format but making some changes based on feedback from 2023. 

Changes include measurements taken to ensure that Jammers do not misinterpret the intention of the Jam.  Misinterpretations such as making the solo Main Character into both the Love Interest (not a requirement for 2024) and the titular MY WOLF of the story; rendering it on the I WOLF side of the spectrum rather than the MY WOLF side of the spectrum. (The categorization and definition of this trope is not unanimous and is continuously debated.)

What's the purpose of this?

More chaos!  At this point, making your own MY WOLF Furry Visual Novel is almost like a rite of passage.  If you don’t make one, there’s always going to be an itch in the back of your mind.  Let us satisfy those itches and purge with MY WOLF!

THE THEME IS: E X P A N D I N G

RULES: (Subject to clarifications and additions)

The itch.io page must clearly show at least one wolf character in a screenshot, the submission will be presumed to be in line with the rules upon being submitted, until proven otherwise via a reading by an administrator.

1. You must be 18 years or older to participate regardless of if the VN is adult or not.
2. Submissions will be taken during the month of May.
   1. The only late submissions that will be accepted will be those that can prove that they uploaded before the deadline.
3. Brainstorming, Plot Outlining, Sketching and Team Building before the jam starts is allowed, but we encourage you to work on the game during the one month span.
   1. If you need to work on the VN in April instead of May you can explain why in said Topic in the COMMUNITY Tab.  Those registered to the Jam will be able to vote “yes” or “no” to granting you a Variance.
      1. You must ask for a Variance at least one week before April.
      2. Voting on whether to grant someone a Variance will last a week.
      3. You must submit the VN on the first of May if you are granted a Variance.
   2. You are allowed to select free public licensed assets before May as long as you do not modify them until May.
4. You must use one of the following at minimum (You can use free public assets, as long as you have the permission to do so.  Custom assets must be made during the Jam):
   1. One of the premade wolf assets that are provided.
   2. Make your own wolf OC assets.
   3. Have explicit permission to draw & use someone else’s wolf OC assets.
5. The only restriction on the story is that it has to be between 2,000–25,000 words, have (a) wolf/wolves be (a) prominent character(s) to the overall narrative, not including (a) protagonist(s) for the majority of the story, and fall into one of these three categories:
   1. An original Intellectual Property (IP).
   2. An official side-story, sequel, prequel, midquel, etc., to an established IP you own.
      1. If said IP involved the MAY WOLF 2023 wolf and friends then those designs are allowed if the assets are made during the Jam.
   3. A fanfiction that you have explicit permission to make.
      1. This will be pre-disqualified and then requalified after the voting period.
6. The Jam story must be made free to download.  Donations via itch.io are allowed along with monetization/commercialization on websites such as Patreon and SubscriberStar when eligible.
   1. Unless you are using any of the MAY WOLF 2023 designs for 5.2.1.
7. While other game elements may be present, the final product should be largely identified as a "visual novel."
8. Any engine is allowed.
9. No AI generated or AI assisted assets.
10. The title can not share its title with another Furry Visual Novel on itch.io.
    1. If two people submit something with the same title to this Jam at the same time, we will figure out a way for them to duel for their right to keep their title.
11. Submissions don’t have to be in English but it is strongly encouraged to have an English translation/patch before the voting phase ends.
    1. For example, if you release a VN in German, you can work on and release an English translation/patch during the voting phase.  If you add such versions after May, make sure those do not have any additional content or fixes.
12. Submissions need at least a Windows Version but releasing an Android, iOS and/or WEB version before the voting phase ends is strongly recommended.  
    1. If you add such versions after May, make sure those do not have any additional content or fixes.
13. Do not violate any of itch.io’s TOS while making the Visual Novel. Addionaly, avoid  any glorification of sexual violence in the Visual Novel.  Consent is hot.
14. A link to the Jam and artist(s) from the Jam utilized must be provided on the itch.io page and in the VN.
15. The theme will be randomly generated by an Administrative Assistant via https://letsmakeagame.net/game-jam-theme-generator/ (if someone knows of a better website then please let us know) and announced here two weeks before the start of the Jam.
    1. If you and/or your team were approved for a Variance, then the  Administrative Assistant will contact you to inform you about the theme two weeks before April.  Anyone that leaks the theme to those that shouldn’t have such information will be removed from the Jam immediately.
16. You can submit multiple entries to the Jam as long as each entry qualifies on its own.  You can be part of multiple teams with multiple entries as long as each contributor is marked as a Co-Creator on the itch.io page so that contributors can not vote for their own entries during the voting phase.  
    1. If someone does something more significant than translating a few lines, voice acting a few lines, providing quick advice, etc. then they must be listed a contributor.  Please have contributors Join the Jam along with their team; it gives us better data that we can use for future Jams within the Furry Community and increases our Visibility on itch.io.  You can mark people as a Co-Creator on the itch.io page after May if you forget.

ASSETS PROVIDED: 

 We are providing .PSD files each containing a different character you can use.  The .PSD's have all the clothes, poses, expressions and lewdness on separate layers.  In regards to the licensing of the sprites: you are allowed to use, monetize and commercialize the designs and sprites only if your entry becomes successfully submitted to the Jam.

At the beginning of 2024, three artists (possibly plus an understudy) will be chosen to pre-make three sprites sets by March 17’th. 

The artists are:
Ron (Who during the Jam will be taking commissions for custom outfits for the sprites.)
Choky (Can be contacted for additional outfits.)
Sikyu

The understudy artist is:
PaperCreases

Each artist will make a different wolf while the other two characters’ species will be completely up to each artist.

We don’t want to trouble too many artists for art so we will have questions in the Form to see who is the best fit for this year. The basic designs of the characters will be uploaded here as they are finished by the Administrative Assistants but the .PSD files will be uploaded when the Jam starts in May.  When the Theme is announced, two weeks before the start of the Jam, is when we will reveal the remaining characters' species to the public along with providing whatever W.I.P.'s of the remaining characters there are at the time.  There is a chance that some artists' sprites will be finished during the Jam since we would rather them take their time than haphazardly rush to meet a deadline.

• If you and/or your team were approved for a Variance, then an Administrative Assistant will contact you to provide you with the .PSD’s at the start of April.  Anyone that leaks the .PSD’s to those that shouldn’t have such files will be removed from the Jam immediately.
  

Administrators, Assistants and Artists may refer to these characters by specific pronouns but you are free to give whatever characteristics and personalities you want.

From Ron:

• The Alpha Wolf:
  • 
• The Moo:
  • 
• The Bunny (WIP):
  • 

From Sikyu:

• The Beta Wolf:
  • 
• The Dragon:
  • 
• The Fox:
  • 

From Choky:

• The Omega Wolf:
  • 
• The Giant Otter:
  • 
    • Rudderbutts’s logo and patterns courtesy of Rudderbutts.
• The Tasmanian Devil (WIP):
  • 

The Administrative Assistants will be in charge of providing any detailed clarifications and feedback to the selected artists, so that aspects can be kept more secretive.

If you are selected to be one of the artists to make the Pre-Made sprites, you will not be allowed to enter MAY WOLF 2024 due to conflicts-of-interest.  Anyone that is not selected to be one of the artists from the Google Form is still welcome to make their own sprites during May (or April for those with a Variance) to be given out to other participants if they so wish.



BUT I NEVER MADE A VISUAL NOVEL BEFORE. (Yes, I did take most of these from NaNoRenO)


📝 How to Start Making Visual Novels


📚 VNDev Wiki


📒 A beginner's guide to using Ren'py


📑 Want some free Creative Commons assets?


📑 Looking for an engine to use?



BUT WHAT DO I DO WITH A .PSD?

A Photoshop Document, is the standard file format that is used across all art programs that retains layering information.  If you have no budget or skills then I would recommend GIMP.  Gimp.org has tutorials and it will process .PSD's.

https://www.gimp.org/downloads/

Do I have to sign up anywhere to participate?

Besides joining the Jam on this page, nope.  This Game Jam was discussed and organized on the Furry Visual Novels Discord but you are under absolutely no obligation to join it for this jam. The COMMUNITY ab will have links to other resources for those that want to join other communities on their MY WOLF journey.

Is there a prize or any judging?

There is no prize besides the clichéd bragging rights.  We will be doing a public judging here on itch.io for at least one month after the deadline to crown the winners. 

• The criteria for Judging will be:
  • Presentation
  • Story
  • Creativity
  • Implementation of Theme
• The judging will only be between those in the 5.1 and 5.2 categories.  
• Anyone can request that their project be pre-disqualified and then re-qualified after the voting to circumvent judging.

Superlatives?!?
This year, in order to give everyone an opportunity to shine in the spotlight, we are going to be having Superlatives for the following categories via a public Google Forum that will be commented on each of the itch.io pages for the entries:

• Best Newcomer Developers
• Best Solo Developers
• Best Duo Developers
• Best Trio Developers
• Best Pre-Made/CC Only Entries
• Best Audio Direction

The following Superlatives will be awarded:

• Unagi's Favorite
• Administrative Assistant(')s(') Favorite
  
• Choky's Favorite
• Ron's Horror Pick
• Various other awards that will be randomly chosen by Administration like the Bonus Stars from Mario Party 7+.