Technologies Allowed

For this TOJam, you are allowed to use whatever technology you want. We have no restrictions. i.e. C++, Flash, Torque 2D, PyGame, etc. You are also allowed to use whatever helper libraries you can find. Whether they be home grown or freely available, you're allowed to use them. To make a game in 3 days, you're going to need all the help you can get. You do not want to be learning a lot of new technologies the day of the event. There simply won't be enough time.

What's the catch?

Catch 1	You have to report what technologies were used in the creation of your 3-day game - including what libraries you used (home grown or otherwise). This information will be posted on the web site along with your game. It's only fair. People downloading the games deserve to know how you were able to create your masterpiece in only 3-days. Vice versa, people need to understand why you only able to build a bad space invaders clone (a shout out to all my Assembly language peeps).
Catch 2	You can't bring a pre-existing game. While we are allowing all technology and helper libraries, the game itself must be started from scratch. So... bring a new idea to work on.
Catch 3	No mods. Perhaps in a future TOJam.

Anything else I need to know?

• Your completed game MUST run on Windows (game cannot be MAC / Linux only). The public wants... NAY!... NEEDS to be able to download and play your game. Since most people have Windows, we need Windows supported. It's worth noting the game can be developed using any platform you wish (as long as the final product supports Windows :). In the future, if there is enough demand, we will allow MAC / Linux only games.
• Your completed game (and everything it needs to run) should be under 10MB (after zipping). This is not a strict requirement, but if your file is over this limit, we may not be able to host it on the tojam.ca website Our web site only supports 15GB of transfer a month. 10MB games means only 1,500 game downloads a month. Larger games would cripple us.

Advice

There are a number of technologies you are no doubt thinking of making use of at the Jam. Be sure you know what you're getting into!

Some things you do NOT want to do:

• Do not be ambitious. Choose a SMALL game. Don't think WarioWare - think 1 game in WarioWare.
• Do not choose a library which is lacking a key component for your game (i.e. graphics). Don't use just OpenGL as that will only give you graphics. What about sound, physics, image loading, etc. You must consider all these things.
• Do not write a large game component at the Jam. i.e. menuing system, image/texture loading library. There simply won't be enough time.

Some things you DO want to do:

• Make sure the library you choose can do everything you need it to complete your game idea.
• Look at what people from other Jams or programming competitions have used.

Recommendations

Not sure what to use? Dare we suggest...

Flash	Trial version expires in 30 days. Then it's big bucks. If you've never used Flash before, it will take time to learn the design environment and actionscript nuances. Once you're passed that hurdle, it's a great environment for creating games. Plus, you'll have few distribution issues, and get the MAC version for FREE. Last year, 8 (of 28) games were created using XNA: Urban Tactics, Super Defender Robo, Tinkers, Killer Coding Ninja Monkey, Space Goat, Two By Two, Dance and Crack, Trishade:Aduro
Torque Game Builder	An amazing scriptable hardware accelerated 2D game builder. I would say that even if GarageGames didn't sponsor us. Last year, 4 (of 28) games used TGB - including 2 People's Choice: Benny Hinn's Bible Blast For Cash, Quiver, Monkey Banana Blitz, Promotion
XNA	XNA 1.0 was released early 2007 and was very, very good. Scarily, XNA 2.0 is even better (features networking and easy voice support). Throw in the VStudio IDE, C#, and XBOX 360 compatibility, and you have a killer game programming package. Added bonus, all of that is FREE. Last year, 5 (of 28) games were created using XNA: Mohawk Warrior, Super Market Madness, Emergency Response Team, Tomorrah's Grub, TOBam
Game Maker	Apparently, one of the easiest ways to create a game. Slightly limited version is free. Full version is $20 US.
PyGame	Free and produced results during our feasibliity study. What's not to like? Learn some Python and have at it. As a bonus, Nelson, Rob and Paul will be able to help you. As another bonus, they've created a framework for you.
SDL	Simple Directmedia layer. It's an industry standard that goes way beyond graphics. It's also cross platform.
HGE	Haaf's Game Engine. Want to use C++ and want 2D graphics accelerated by a 3D card? Here's a free engine that makes it easy. Before you get too excited you should know it's Windows DirectX only.
VB 6.0	Join Jim McGinley in a world where everything is far from basic. VB6.0 has all of the drawbacks, and none of the advantages. VB.Net is the dimwitted brother of C#. Needless to say, Jim's not upgrading anytime soon.