does the patching actually work with UE4 paks?
#game-jam-chat
small fern
like if you don't encrypt the pak, can it diff it?
in which case, you'd just assemble all assets you plan to use in single scene without any proper placement, then leave it uploading it to itch and then you could do whatever you want later on with those assets?
only to find out on the last day that diff didn't work and you ran out of time
sounds like a solid plan
civic dock
It works fine with paks in my experience. I've used it before and see a significantly faster upload time after making a single small change then pushing a new build.
still osprey
anyone got email back from assembla? I wanted to do source control before game jam starts but still haven't heard from them...
somber hazel
I did
still osprey
All I got was mail titled Thanks for signing up to use Assembla! with info that they'll send me more info soon and it was 9.11
2 days before jam and I'm kinda stressed.
still osprey
lol
tranquil matrix
@still osprey If you've received your confirmation, the space will be set up no later than today
floral zenith
Hey guys, looking for an artist and a level designer for the upcoming epic mega jam. Anyone interested do let me know. Thank you.
autumn abyss
Still looking for composer and a 3d generalist for a horror game DM me if you are interested
nova oxide
anyone looking for a developer for jam? i have a perforce repo setup that Jenkins pulls from and does automatic packaging. pretty awesome tool to have for these jams!
tranquil matrix
Join us for the theme announcement: https://forums.unrealengine.com/unreal-engine/events/1686255
elfin hound
Somehow, I was thinking that the theme was space cats. Is that just an optional side quest for the modifier prize? This is my first game jam, so I'm still learning the ropes.
still osprey
They are always announcing theme during stream at the start of the jam so I don't really think so it'll be 'space cats', it's just sub-category where you can win additional prize.
small fern
I still find it weird that the subcategory was announced before hand
could have just been "yet unannounced sub-category"
vapid thistle
Yeah, announcing something that specific doesn't really seem like a good idea to me, but you never know they might have had a good reason
gritty beacon
clearly they need to put more cats on megascans
dry kindle
yes but does megascan have animals?
gritty beacon
doesn't matter, they should have cats!
crystal geyser
Hi all. Am a blueprint developer looking to join a team for the game jam. I've participated in the epic game jam the previous 2 years and submitted both years but dropped the ball in forming a team early enough this year. Happy to share my previous submissions if you'd like to see some past work. Those were done with my wife doing 3d modelling/animation, but this year we're busy with a newborn so she won't have time to join. Please message me directly (or just ping me here) if you're looking for an extra person.
wet rivet
Itβs pretty cool how the marketplace prizes are tailored to the special categories - liked for example the VR ones having VR content
hybrid copper
https://crowdforge.io/jams/ue4jam/teams/5021
We are a student team with some Game Jam experience looking for 1 more programmer to fill out our roster.
@crystal geyser If you would like the spot we can fit you in. You were asking for a team so I might as well reach out.
Also, if anyone has any questions about how our team works, or just questions about me in general feel free to ask.
edgy fulcrum
What are the rules for using free Plugins for the Jam? Is that the same as all marketplace assets that they need to be declared and won't count towards the score?
maiden loom
depends on what they are, but yes, you should probably declare them
hearty ferry
I've got a plan ready, cannot wait for the theme announcement to start! Gonna be using this jam to try out some new things I've been wanting to learn about, so I've set myself up with some extra requirements on top of the jam theme and category requirements
I'm also gonna try get as many of the special categories as well, though I'm not 100% sure yet I'll manage to combine XR with the others...
wind aspen
I wonder how much of game design decisions from jammers are being made before the theme announcement. π€
hearty ferry
I'm trying not to really do anything before theme announcement, as it could be seen as cheating, I do however have a list of things I've wanted to do in Unreal anyways (like learning about splitscreen, learning about ar) so I've chosen some things from my list to try incorporate into the jam project
carmine kindle
I generally try to think of a couple of things I want to try out or what kind of genre would be fun to try to make before a jam, but not really any more than that.
zenith gust
I'd say going into any specifics beforehand is a weakness anyway, then you won't be thinking about the theme from a fresh perspective
wind aspen
That makes sense. For myself, being a one man team, i have been reviewing my strengths and how get a game playable as quickly as possible.
zenith gust
Reviewing knowledge is probably always a good thing, I ought to do that too π
wind aspen
Its very easy to start developing a game and not be "finished"
small fern
should probably start preparing for this
like, I dunno if I even have any stable ue4 installed
wind aspen
Hey @small fern, good to see you doing another Jam
small fern
ah, I always "do" megajam π
I do wonder if I should actually try to finish this time
I usually just use these jams as excuse to try new things out
I've not really been that focused on actually going through it all that many times
altho for the first two or so megajams the themes were totally weird
I remember one where I just didn't get any decent idea throughout the jam period
wind aspen
So true.. themes are often weird
small fern
they've been better now
different people, different methods finding the themes I guess
like, I loved the last jam's theme
but I got to the tech stage again π
hearty ferry
I'm also mainly using it as an excuse to try new things, just gonna try and make it fit the theme and gonna try finish it in time
small fern
I guess it could be nice to finish π
hearty ferry
Like, I believe the last time I finished a megajam on time was... 3 or 4 years back? How long have they been doing these?
small fern
but especially on megajam, many people are taking this super seriously
probably like 4 years yeah
I always go solo, that kinda reduces the odds of yourself willing to crunch too as there's no team on the line :p couldn't do it this laid back if others depended on it
hearty ferry
2017 was the last I "finished" on time!
small fern
I think I've only ever submitted once, and totally ran out of time then, couldn't get much done as I spent most of the time fighting with some ragdoll reset issue
I don't usually have this mindset of accepting dirty workarounds as I'm more interested on finding out why some thing is broken and how to fix it properly
that's like super bad mindset to have in a game jam
you should just do the dirty workaround asap and never look back
there was one jam I really wanted to finish but got stubborn on fixing the physics issue properly
I actually worked around it on the first day but couldn't leave it to it π
hearty ferry
Yeah even my finished megajam project only had like the tutorial level, I didn't have time to make any actual levels, it was a fun concept though as buggy as it was π
small fern
in the end, I had perfectly functional pinball table but no final artwork for it π
couldn't submit bunch of cubes and cylinders
it would also help if you actually did things on the jam you've done before
would leave out many surprises on some systems that suddenly don't work your way
but yeah, it's most important that you have fun trip
whatever the end result is
maiden loom
I've had successful jam games and less than successful jam games
they always get submitted though
zenith gust
I'm going to try my very best to submit something and NOT worry about how badly it's implemented this time
maiden loom
it's something of a journey, hehe
zenith gust
like many of you've I've not properly submitted for a long time, always end up with less time than planned due to IRL etc, and then get bogged down in the details
maiden loom
the trick is being able to say "this is what I accomplished", and to be able to constructively deconstruct what you ended up with, how you got there, and what to improve on in future
I find that helps a lot with the actual day job in the end
small fern
I'd want to finish at least once to do game with moving platforms in case Allar would be doing a playthrough
maiden loom
Allar loves moving platforms
small fern
goals in life
maiden loom
you should make them extra moving, slightly random, jittery, and unpredictable
that would be his favourite game ever
zenith gust
I usually treat jams as playtime more than work, which is why standard work practices often get left behind ^^
small fern
especially when the physics is frametime dependent on the game
maiden loom
hehe
small fern
yeah
I still get lols of that one platformer which was impossible on his rig
he just kept dying
maiden loom
I do game jams the same way I do prototypes at work - pick a goal, have a deadline, and hammer at it until it resembles said goal π
small fern
thing is, if I did that, I'd probably be doing char controller from scratch for that
like I know that would be my first step
and at the end of the jam, I'd have functional char controller and not much else π
zenith gust
Not much prototying at my current work, I dig through 30 year old legacy code for bugs π
small fern
that's like.. older than ue codebase
zenith gust
I chose to see it as archaeology, makes it a bit less dull π
small fern
ue4 still probably has some of that near two decade old stuff tho
maiden loom
it almost certainly has some 90s code still in there
zenith gust
There's always that one piece of code or structural decision that just survives all refactors
maiden loom
I recall a while back I was digging through the brush / CSG stuff to track down the BSP goblin
all of that was more or less 90s code π
small fern
I kinda wonder what's the true story about this https://twitter.com/timsweeneyepic/status/952661474501111808
Twitter
zenith gust
I recall some of the older code being helpful when I was working on an unrealscript compiler/decompiler for mass effect modding
small fern
like, they would have had many iterations on ue to change the coordinate system
zenith gust
basic types still applied etc
maiden loom
UE5 could go right handed, I guess
would bring it more in line with the tools people use
proper charm
wonder if there ever will be an UE5
I feel like with modern update pipelines it's not really necessary
small fern
it doesn't seem likely anytime soon
I'd wish they'd do it and make the core slimmer
they can't do wonders on ue4 architecture for that part but fresh take would help them make better calls on making the engine more modular
they do try to make compilation times better every now and then but then the engine gets more bloated at the same time
so iteration times will remain bad for majority of the users
maiden loom
UE5 will be whenever they do a significant overhaul of the engine
I would have like that sooner rather than later, but I don't see it happening for a while
robust basalt
Tim commented on the coordinate system thing in the forums a while back. They basically just adopted 3D Studio MAX's coordinate system without thinking about it further.
small fern
but it's not what max uses
or did they change that?
or you mean they tried to use 3ds max setup but accidentally made it left-handed?
gritty beacon
but unreal coordinate system is the most sensible of them all so don't change it
minor hemlock
Wonder if UE5 would be so radical as to remove the F requirement from structs
zenith gust
But then we'd lose things such as the lovely FIntVector or FInt32Range! π
small fern
I don't really see any of the four alternatives currently being used being more sensible over other in any other regard than that it would make sense to use what others do
you get used to all of them and they feel fine
solid abyss
so we are back to square one.. we still need a 5th person for our team .. someone who can either sculpt characters .. or animate them
small fern
having 4 members already doesn't sound like square one to me π
but I guess you could have started with four...
maiden loom
we still have four, and it's okay
though I would also like a fifth man if one could can be found (rigging / animation or 2d / UI, or VFX)
small fern
I still think 5 is kinda overkill, could just max at 3 to keeping it more fair for all π
I mean, there definitely is enough roles for 5 people but it's kinda lot when people are going solo or duo too
maiden loom
could then also distribute prizes over a much larger set of teams
small fern
^
maiden loom
but yeah, 5 is in the rules, so 5 is what people aim for
small fern
altho I feel that they could do less prizes too :p
maiden loom
the prizes do feel too big this year tbh
solid abyss
well I'm a manager by profession .. so I make use of every aspect as I can
solid abyss
yeah yeah.. its all cool .. don't worry π
small fern
I'm mainly wondering if the rules should be changed in the future
solid abyss
not actually ..
small fern
but I guess people are used to 5 people teams now
it's just, it wasn't originally like this
solid abyss
5 is an ideal no in my opinion .. since a lot of people do quit before the JAM starts
maiden loom
tbh, I suspect the size of the prizes also encourages things like cheating etc
small fern
basically one such team equals easily what 20 avg devs get done in same amount of time
maiden loom
I've done most of the jams for over 5 years and only won a prize once, so don't let the fact I'm a professional mean anything xD
small fern
yeah, the cheating aspect is big motivator to not go by rules
solid abyss
yeah its understandable .. it is not about talent always.. lot of factors are at play
small fern
well, you are still by definition a pro π
maiden loom
back then there were also only like, 30 teams entering
small fern
wonder if you could decline from the prizes if you won π€
maiden loom
there'll probably be 3-400 this time around π
solid abyss
I agree .. 300+ submissions at the very least
small fern
mainly because the fancy prizes I suppose
maiden loom
if I got the main prize, I'd probably turn down the GDC Expo pass
that's just useless, imho
solid abyss
Pokedex: A 0lento has appeared out from under a rock
solid abyss
I would have prefered if the prizes were smaller in all the JAMs .. and without a raffle
maiden loom
aye
the software prizes are probably the best
though I'd turn most of those down too
small fern
I like that they hand out cpu's now
maiden loom
what am I gonna do with 6 months of art tools?
solid abyss
For me they are useless .. since I create my own stuff
small fern
I mean IMO they could even ditch the main rig price and rather give out gpu's etc, stuff that's useful to devs
but I guess a lot of the items they get is just what peope they contact want to give
so there's that
solid abyss
yeah .. I guess they should talk to AMD and Intel directly
giving out CPUs and GPUs separately would be more ideal
solid abyss
no they are not directly .. it seems
maiden loom
Falcon are giving the rig
small fern
"2ND and 3RD PLACE PRIZES
a 9th Gen Core-i9 CPU from Intel Software
a P27h monitor from Lenovo "
maiden loom
Intel used to give SSDs, but I guess it's processors this time
solid abyss
yeah .. SSD was not that good... given how cheap they have become
small fern
how do you even split these if your 5 member team wins? π
maiden loom
the SSDs are probably more useful - the problem with an i9 is that you'd need to build an entirely new machine around them π
you don't split them, everyone gets one?
small fern
oh?
solid abyss
0lento is still living under a rock
small fern
in the past, only one computer was given out
maiden loom
in the past the computers were raffle prizes
solid abyss
π
glass fossil
The prize should be all of the team members faces inserted in the example content textures folder
small fern
The 2019 Epic MegaJam will feature 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finalists. Each team member will receive the prize awards.
so, if you got 5 member team with clear advantage, you get 5x prizes? π
but yeah that covers the splitting part
eternal edge
Bit of a spit in a face of solo devs :/ Understandable tho, not that kind of game jam π
maiden loom
there is a solo dev category
maiden loom
it is certainly possible, hehe
solid abyss
I think it is better that the things are a bit skewed away from solo devs .. since we don't exactly wanna promote being alone in Game Dev here ..
people should understand the importance of a good team
small fern
I dunno
to me game jams should just feel fun regardless of the team size π
also none of the prizes concern me, I'm not here to win them :p
like, literally, I don't put enough effort to even qualify even if I submit the entry :p
but all that prize stuff make it more of a competition
maiden loom
small prizes create a fun, competitive environment, and the awards ceremony adds a little bit of fanfare to the end of the event
minor hemlock
yall acting like you dont want a SPACE CAT COMPUTER
maiden loom
I want that tower, but I ain't gonna burn myself out trying to get it
minor hemlock
π
I'll probably put a disproportionate amount of effort into this jam because having a well oiled team is fun on a bun, but I don't expect the same of the rest of the team
as a coder, it's like having someone hand you legos while you're speed building a model π€€
hearty ferry
With everyone here arranging 5-person teams, I'm going solo, can't lose the solo-dev category if you're the only solo dev π
edgy fulcrum
I'll compete for that solo dev - so you'll get some competition, don worry:D
minor hemlock
there have been solo devs that took home a finalist prize π€
edgy fulcrum
Would be a bit sad to win the 1st prize as solo dev tho, would be more fun to share the GDC trip with more people
minor hemlock
yeah π¦
maiden loom
dunno if the GDC trip has much value, it's just an expo pass
you can't go to any of the talks or anything
eternal edge
there's the intel expo showcase thing in there? Q is whether GDC as a whole is worth it π
maiden loom
you basically get access to an area with a few people advertising products and recruiter booths
that's about it
vapid thistle
You could just get a better pass
hearty ferry
You get travel and stay there though right? Especially from europe that would otherwise be crazy expensive, so a nice prize even if you're gonna get tickets for talks yourself
maiden loom
Flights from Europe are about $300, accomodation is probably the most valuable part of the prize, hehe
minor hemlock
$300 π¬
hearty ferry
$300 is about β¬250 converted, tickets from where I live start at double that for the cheapest easyjet, and that's one-way so you end up at 1k just for travel without accomodation, then the hotels are (according to GDC website) $250-$300 a night so for 5 nights that'd be another $1250 for the cheaper options, or 2.2k total
hearty ferry
Well then I still gotta fly to the UK first, though that indeed is cheaper, it's still money
somber hazel
destination is San Francisco right?
maiden loom
None at the moment, but I've looked at the route before
312 euro return on Skyscanner
Would screen cap it but no idea how on this phone
somber hazel
dayum, even moscow-san francisco (700) is cheaper than my location-san francicsco (1k)
hollow wolf
@tranquil matrix is being under 16 years a big problem for the jam
tranquil matrix
Yes, the minimum age for participation is 16
sonic echo
so what should we do about this
maiden loom
that person unfortunately probably simply cannot participate
sonic echo
Okay really dumb that Epic Games doesn't provide an Age Restriction
on the front page of there Jam
minor hemlock
It's in the official rules for previous jams π€·
sonic echo
yeah should been in for new comers
crystal geyser
i'm sure they could help, but wouldn't be eligible for prizes
sonic echo
Well now were down one Team member
So if anyone is a coder (blueprints) we now have a opening
eternal edge
Speaking of GDC, they just sent out a new survey, giving out 3 All Access Tickets in a raffle. If you want to help out data collection and perhaps take the 1:50000? chance π
Last page is a doozy btw: "Should industry unionize" followed by "Will it unionize" also had a page on crunch.
sonic echo
are we able to use assets/past-works/plugins in the Jam to help the development of the game?
credit them of course
tranquil matrix
@sonic echo You're allowed to use pre-made assets, but they must be noted as part of your submission, and they do not add towards your score
Important to note is that they also don't affect your score negatively!
civic dock
Re: underage participants - I think Epic is just being responsible and covering their legal bases. I doubt any serious consequences will come from a team member being under 16. The democratization of tools and resources for game development has significantly reduced the average starting age, and I doubt Epic is going to actively push against that. π
sonic echo
Well we already removed that team member from the group, we could re-contact him, but might not want to risk any possible issues for having a team member in the group under the age
@tranquil matrix so what about past creations, like I built a prototype of a game a while back, could we use it as a refernce or use it as a starting point when we develop the game?
eternal edge
Think about it realistically, no one is really going to check in-depth. If the result looks all too polished it might raise an eyebrow, but a week long jam for a team of 5 is actually going to result in some stunning work. Obviously people are going to not reinvent the wheel. After all you are using a 20 year old behemoth of a library to build your game in the first place π
sonic echo
I like to just be sure , my team are hopefully make something that can be a strong contender for winning the Jam and want make sure we don't do anything thay can ruin our chances of that
west wing
@hearty ferry > can't lose the solo-dev category if you're the only solo dev
I've won "under 100 MB" category prize in the "Marketplace Takeover" jam.
sonic echo
So are there any issues of using past unfinish creations as a starting point/reference to help in developing the Game for the Jam
wet rivet
If you list it then you're fine
placid lantern
@sonic echo pretty sure you can use what you want. Just have to state if it was made/worked on before the jam
wet rivet
That being said, please correct me on this if it's wrong @tranquil matrix but past work is judged as if it's not there. So lets say that you use a premade dust particle effect for your footsteps, when that's being judged it's ignored
So if you can do it in the jam time frame then do it in the jam frame
west wing
Previously there was a link to Game Jam Toolkit in past jams pages, which is a nice little game-agnostic boilerplate project. Not sure if they reconsidered something about it, or it just got obsolete.
sonic echo
Also again our team is down 1 member so our team so we have an opening
topaz mortar
For this game jam do we need to create all the assets at the time of the Jam?
Or can we create/assemble some before hand?
vapid thistle
You can use pre-made assets you just need to declare them in the submission. Also pre-made assets don't add to your score but they also don't reduce it, so it is better to make everything during the jam.
solemn merlin
If you make a model that use premade textures like Quixel textures do you list the textures?
wet rivet
Yes
quick heart
are you guys ready?
hardy talon
Ready as I'll ever be π
Turns out I basically just have Friday night to Sunday night to get mine together. Hoping the theme is easy to get started with so I'm not wasting time π
stable kiln
well could use some more time to get used to mixer and bridge π
azure flicker
I've got an issue with Assembla.
I already have an Assembla account, when I click the invitation link it asks me to log out and make a new account, is there any way to use this workspace I got on my existing account as far as anyone here knows?
(I already shot 'em an email, but based on what I read here I don't think they are good in responding quickly)
wind aspen
Are any of you streaming your Jam?
placid lantern
thought about it but nah
wet rivet
I might be
civic dock
I might too. Not sure yet.
wind aspen
I am keeping a development blog of the progress
sonic echo
I'm a bit worried, beside loosing a member, though might have a replacement (still waiting for there respose) are time zones are very different so hard on being in touch with each other
manic shale
My team is needing a 3D artist
wet rivet
Different time zones are great, you go to sleep wake up and a whole bunch of tasks are done
sonic echo
that is propable true and if your programing, you program for a few hours, sleep, wake up and new additions to the progrm have been added
wind aspen
Working with people on other time zones is tough. It seems most people are sleeping when I am ready to work.
sonic echo
a lot of compition
nova oxide
looking for an audio person to join our team!
zenith gust
Yeah that's some good numbers, hyped to see what everyone comes up with!
wind aspen
Only one person from the team needs to join the itch site, is that correct? Or does each team member need to enter?
small fern
@minor hemlock of course everyone would want it, but I've seen previous megajam finalists π
so.. got a generic question
asset reuse is clear
you gotta mention it
gaunt copper
that means there will be around 301 entries
small fern
but how do people feel about reusing old unused ideas? π
gaunt copper
probably bit higher
minor hemlock
betting on old ideas meshing well with the theme π€
small fern
I've got so many ideas from past jams I never got to put in practise
well, I got this one thing that's doesn't really depend on the theme, it's more of a thing that might be fun in a jam scale game
not a game mechanic, just something extra
I was really bummed that I couldn't use it on last jam as I just did technical stuff π
but yeah, it probably wouldn't fit the theme as well as on last time
topaz mortar
I'm gonna try to make almost everything I can from scratch
gaunt copper
you should :p
topaz mortar
How about you guys? What does your work load look like?
topaz mortar
Right now I'm rigging a model
quick heart
ready for modelling ,blockout, texturing, codding ,animating and so on :):stuck_out_tongue:
quick heart
need a new pc π π π
sonic echo
sigh gets frustrated waiting for my team to appear on discord to chat
wind aspen
Who's going to be playing all these Game Jam entries?
topaz mortar
I'll probably give a shot to a few that catch my eye
wind aspen
Its going to take ages π
minor hemlock
Rip @gaunt copper
topaz mortar
Any song playlist you guys recommend working with?
probably gonna listen to Guilty Gear Ost, Rock, Jazz or some energetic music
gaunt copper
@wind aspen i be streaming :p
quick heart
all youtubers here ? π
placid lantern
whats youtube?
west wing
This time I doubt my ability to play anything after 7 days of jam.
gaunt copper
if will be around 300 to 400 entries it will be not a issue for me
but i will play it entire week with my normal pace
ifn ot more
quick heart
what was previous year's theme ?
topaz mortar
I'll be streaming as well on twitch what about you @gaunt copper ?
gaunt copper
me too :p
wind aspen
wasnt last year "settle the score" ?
west wing
@quick heart https://itch.io/jam/2018-epic-megajam
quick heart
@gaunt copper don't you afraid somebody will come on your twitch and write something and you get ban ?:) i thought twitch is the worst place now...
gaunt copper
just for refrence summer jam was as much as big as last year megajam
quick heart
2080 card previous year and 2070 this year...something is happening π€
gaunt copper
@quick heart my playthru jam usally viewed by max 30 viewers so i not much scared :p
quick heart
still can't see the theme?
gaunt copper
theme will be annouced on tommorow stream
quick heart
i mean from previous one
gaunt copper
Make it Count :>
west wing
Here is the list, covering every jam after moving them to itch platform: https://itch.io/jams/hosted-by-unrealengine
5 participants to 1 entry, roughly. Megajam could be a bit inflated in number of joins, though
sonic echo
Man really hoping the game idea me and my team are thinking will fit this Jams theme
still osprey
Need help with setting up perforce with assembla. How can I verify SSL fingerprint?
sonic echo
me and my team still have an opening
glass fossil
@sonic echo sound technical/design guy?
manic shale
This is the first game i'll be doing with unknown people
This is the first jam im doing and
this is the first game that ... uh...
thick heath
Would love to follow any experienced UE4 streamers participating in this jam: https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Unreal Engine
sonic echo
what would the stream show, don't think alot would try and stream themselves developing there games
civic dock
Lots of people stream game development.
Probably the minority of the participants will do so in this case, but it's not that uncommon.
thick heath
I found a few streams from previous years! But most of them had 1-5 views XD
autumn abyss
have you guys receive your whole tomato licenses ?
thick heath
No
autumn abyss
mmm neither have I
thick heath
There is a free 30 day trial for everyone.
I think if you compete well and impress then there is a chance of getting a longer license.
autumn abyss
yeah that's the license I'm trying to get the 30 day trial
I already did the 30 day trial back on the day so I was hoping this would be an extra 30 days
cinder mist
I thought about taking part in the epic jam for the first time. Is it possible to use Marketplace assets since I am more focused on programming?
zenith gust
@cinder mist You can use assets made by others or made before the jam, but you have to declare them when you submit, and they will not be included in your score.
so if you're doing it, keep track of everything you use so you have a list ready
cinder mist
ok, perfect! Thank you @zenith gust
zenith gust
Np, many submissions usually have at least a few things
carmine kindle
I'm sure there's also a number of people who won't sign up in advance and only do so right before they try to submit their games.
solid abyss
yeah .. though I don't see a advantage of that ..
it is a 'One-more-thing-on-the-list'
limpid trout
good luck everyone
cinder mist
I have another noob doubt, is a problem if I join the jam and I can't complete the game in time?
zenith gust
@cinder mist There's no obligation to submit anything even if you sign up
So if you make something and learn along the way, but don't get to a point where it's playable, no big loss as you've still learned π
solid abyss
@cinder mist .. you will be put to the stakes .. no mercy π
cinder mist
lol
lean obsidian
@cinder mist - If you're in the same position as me, I've dabbled with UE4 and other software for ages but never had time to sit down and make something. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to actually make something π
zenith gust
I use these jams mostly as a way to make sure I dedicate the time to actually sitting down and creating something, and to practice rapid prototyping and keeping scope small
I still often fail on the scope part π
cinder mist
@lean obsidian Yes... I watched a lot of video, I followed a lot of courses, made a lot of prototypes, but nothing from start to finish, and I'm thinking that this can be the right opportunity.
zenith gust
My advice is as always to keep it as small as you can possibly think
there's so much that goes into making a "finished" thing
lean obsidian
^That's where I'll struggle π
cinder mist
The only thing I completed it's an arkanoid clone, but I did in Unity, without any course, any tutorial and If i read the code now it's a total mess but it works... In unreal I tend to overengineering... trying to make the things in the right way... and end in nothing..
zenith gust
Yeah, overengineering is one of the biggest enemies of jamming
bitter dagger
Any one wants to team up with a programmer/designer for the upcoming Epic Mega Jam? Iβm new to unreal but have some experience with Unity , thought this jam would be a good time to explore ue4.
glass fossil
This is going to be my first UE4 gamejam and first time releasing something in UE4 - a while back I created a few ideas in it, just getting back into it from Unity, very excited about the quixel scans and the soundly code is great
zenith gust
it'll just make you end up with one decent system and nothing else
glass fossil
@cinder mist my first gamejam entry was an inception based arkanoid clone π
pretty fun idea - your bat is a model of the level.. the more of the level you destroy, you can see little replays of your play happening on yourself... your bat destroys the same way
zenith gust
@bitter dagger check out the crowdforge page if you haven't already: https://crowdforge.io/jams/ue4jam
cinder mist
@glass fossil do you have a link? I'm curious...
glass fossil
sure it's at https://fategame.itch.io/debris (was in unity)
I have a very different idea for this jam
cinder mist
ty
glass fossil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oi2fjjw2kw few seconds of play that shows the bat with tiny-cute explosions of rubble as you destroy the main wall
it only took an hour
zenith gust
I would advise to keep your minds open for the theme, a game with mechanics that fit the theme is always more satisfying imo. (And is judged by theme, if you care about that)
glass fossil
you have to watch fullscreen HD to see the cute debris parts
lean obsidian
Theme is announced in 9 hours or so, right?
glass fossil
You are right @zenith gust - my idea is fairly esoteric, it's a way of mismatching players - it's not rooted in any particular theme or idea, so I will see if it will fit
zenith gust
10+, it'll be sometime during the normal unreal thursday stream on twitch
glass fossil
:p excitement
old frigate
Hello everyone! π If youβre a 3D Artist interested to join a team of four (two programmers, one artist, one composer) for the MegaJam - hit me up! Weβre looking for team players whoβd like to make a game youβre proud of and have fun doing it π
zenith gust
@glass fossil that's good, I just see many people have fully fleshed out plans on what type of game and mechanics beforehand, and I think that lessens the experience for those that do it ^^
lean obsidian
Out of curiosity - @zenith gust and others - what kind of tools are you considering? - Maya + ZBrush + UE4 -> Or UEMarketplace for assets?
zenith gust
I don't have any of the fancy licenses as I only do this as a hobby, so I'll be going the open source route (blender + krita)
I've struggled with getting enough art the past jams as I'm not experienced enough art-wise, much more of an engineer, so my plan this time around is to try to make things as modular as possible so I can procedurally generate most combinations of it
But that depends on theme ofc, if the theme makes me think of something that's not easily modularized or that I don't think I can accomplish myself then I'll go the asset route instead
glass fossil
same here @zenith gust, blender, krita... I'm on OSX
@lean obsidian you're on windows?
zenith gust
My main worry right now is audio, I'm really not well versed in any of the tools for that, the best results I get out of some logic and SonicPi π
cinder mist
I'm also a hobbyist... I use blender, affinity photo, reaper/logic and I hope Quixel π
glass fossil
Audacity does a lot of stuff you will need @zenith gust - you downloaded soundly yet?
sound.ly is free for the duration of the jam
lean obsidian
Good to know - I was using Blender up until recently, then made the switch to a Maya subscription. @glass fossil - Yes bud, Windows π
zenith gust
Yeah that's probably the route I'll go, I just really like the idea of doing everything myself, but sound-wise the results have not been too good for me in the past
lean obsidian
Don't forget to download your free copy of Soundly @zenith gust - that you get with this Jam
Has reasonable sound effects to use
carmine kindle
Just make all the sounds with your mouth and apply some effects in audacity, that's what I've done in some of my entries 
lean obsidian
In that case you should make a setting in your game to swap between the original sounds and the modified ones... π
That'll make for some disturbing gameplay...
zenith gust
Haha, I did that once with decent results, though I think you have to have a theme that you can apply in a comical/humoristic way for that to work π
cinder mist
@carmine kindle pew pew - boing - boooom π€£
carmine kindle
My favourite one was when I had to do chimp sounds at 3am for one jam.
zenith gust
π
lean obsidian
Your neighbours must love you π
glass fossil
My first (non-ios, I have many of them) alpha-released game was in Unity, but I am really hoping to move it over to Unreal. https://fategame.itch.io/buy - I used Kevin MacLeod music and some free glass sounds - but it all worked - when I expand it out of the alpha I will definitely use Marketplace creators - it's a great synergy
@carmine kindle imagine trying to explain a gamejam to police at 3am "no you see.. it's a survival horror game.. no i'm not a twitch streamer, it's a gamejam.. i uh... "
cinder mist
@glass fossil the music remember me "stranger things"
glass fossil
yes, it's a c418 remake from his site... so I figured it was half-ok to use it... it fits anyway :p
Time to fresh install and update all my tools I guess....
zenith gust
Yeah, need to update and test things when I get home to be at least somewhat ready π
cinder mist
I have 4.19, 4.22 and 4.23 installed... I have to choose between 4.22 and 4.23: I wouldn't want to find some weird bugs halfway and having to change version ...
jolly spoke
Hi guys. Any tips for someone working alone on the game jam?
Am planning on making all the art and code myself
maiden loom
plan very small
1970s/80s scale arcade game small
aim to have all the core gameplay mechanics done by end of day Sunday, then fix up, polish, and art it
lean obsidian
Like @maiden loom says, @jolly spoke - In my line of work (software) we call it the 'Minimum Viable Product' (MVP). I've found using Trello helps me prioritise 'Nice to Haves' vs MVP and having the MVP at the forefront of your mind should help you put ideas to the side. π
maiden loom
in this case, I wouldn't even aim to have 'nice to haves' - the product needs to be bare minimum full-stop in order for you to be able to push it out in time
lean obsidian
^Makes sense
carmine kindle
Plan everything out before you start working on it (a list of systems/models/sounds/etc), then remove all the things that aren't absolutely necessary for the game to function. And don't add anything new, at least until your game is already fully playable and technically ready to upload.
hearty ferry
I'd change ready to upload to uploaded since you can always upload an update later and you may discover something when trying to upload that slows it down
gaunt copper
Almost 2k
this will be arounf 400 entries imo
going sleep, see ya during the stream
;p
maiden loom
1800 joined means 1800 registered, but only one person per team needs to register
so that's likely far more than 400 teams
small fern
and many don't register at all in advance
stable kiln
prolly around 500 that think its a fortnite tournament π
maiden loom
I would not be surprised to see >1000 entries with that many joins
speaking of which, it's not too late to hop aboard my team if you're an artist / rigger / animator sort
stable kiln
dunno how much time i can spend
exploring some cloud stuff, no idea if i can use it this jam
gaunt copper
@maiden loom it was always arounf n/5 regardless :>
i seen 910 once and it never crossed 230
also more popular global jam with so many entedies arounf the world produce only around 600 UE4 entries
stable kiln
600 from a total of what?
zinc junco
i guess a fair few will drop out due to life commitments
maiden loom
many also fail to make a game in time
but I'm still expecting a lot
last years megajam was something like 900 registrations and 300 entries
gaunt copper
no ti was bit over 200
210
@stable kiln 606 our of 9002 was UE4 entries in global jam
in 2019
autumn abyss
hey guys does someone remember where to get that handy guide with prefixes and suffixes for keeping everything organise ?
gaunt copper
MAke up your own ;p
autumn abyss
there was a really great one on the community I just don't remember what it was called
feral wind
Being a singular game artist
carmine kindle
This page has the joined/submissions numbers for all itch UE4 jams https://itch.io/jams/hosted-by-unrealengine
gaunt copper
soecially that this gonna be throw away project
autumn abyss
@zinc junco thanks baby π
gaunt copper
autumn abyss
am I the only one that uses ABP_ instead of _animBlueprint ?
gaunt copper
bw i googled "allar standard" to find it xd
autumn abyss
@gaunt copper thank you
zinc junco
i use it too
gaunt copper
but dont get over obsesed by it, each project has there own conventions and Ue4 dont enforce anything
in fact UE4 it self dont use prefixes on engine assets
But C++ convetions are diffren matter as UE4 expect you to use them
cinder mist
I think that the important thing is to be consistent in the naming convection
autumn abyss
@gaunt copper ohh I wanted to go full C++ for this one anything I should know ?
in terms of prefixes
gaunt copper
in short oyu need to make oyur code look like engine code and names same as you see in enigne APIs
most comon mistake i see is starting names lower case, where everything in engine is named starting upper case
people even do that in blueprints which is wierd;p
Also as much as you try to go "full C++" you will always end up doing some blueprints
it simply way easier to assign assets and setting up components in them
i usally work this way, make base code for specific kind of actors and make invidual actors in blueprints
this works great for blueprint onlies in the team
ok going sleep i need ot wake up for the stream ;p
o hand it same wiht blueprints, as much as you will do bluepirnts only you will eventfully hit it's limitation as deeper you gonna go with UE4 and end up doing C++ or use plugins (which is ready C++ work). For example Epic don't do any network (non-replication like HTTP) and file controls in blueprints for security reasons
robust basalt
Any idea how heavy quixel mega scan usage would be judged this time around? I imagine a lot of people will use it now
tulip viper
Lol I do too, free art
small fern
same as always?
like, no extra points
or any points for that matter
I already queued all megascans packs on the marketplace to download for the jam :p
will see if I actually use any
or if I even use bridge to get some extra from their site
this happened quite close to the jam start, had this happened month+ ago, we'd probably see way more megascan heavy entries
not everyone follow the industry news that closely
or even ue4 ones
mental walrus
I'm going solo as well, going to make something so small that I might even finish it on time
undone schooner
Was ready to Jam this week, suprise delegation to the company and now I am going to miss the first day qq
maiden loom
first day isn't so bad
I'm not personally expecting to be productive until Friday night
minor hemlock
first day thinking day π¦Ύ
maiden loom
yup
edgy fulcrum
I usually spend the first day just thinking about a fitting idea for the theme, wouldn't say you're missing out that much, Toku!
brave current
Swag!
maiden loom
there will be a theme announcement
feral wind
ah cool
maiden loom
then go nuts for a week
feral wind
what if the theme was nuts
we see a whole lot of projects appearing of video games about crunch
and monster energy drinks
small fern
oh I'd definitely want the swag tho
like, who cares about the computers and cpus
but that unreal swag..
quick heart
where will they annoucne the theme, guys?
hearty ferry
Only a hundred to go for 2k participants
glass fossil
anxiously awaiting... any ideas on what the theme will be? or fav themes from other jams?
some are more tangible, others more abstract - there's a good list of theme ideas on the LD wiki
hearty ferry
Even if not the theme, Cats in Space seems to be a theme this jam, though more like a subtheme/joke
Usually the actual theme is incredibly vague/abstract, curious to hear what this years will be
gritty beacon
the theme will be: epic megacats
jolly spoke
Have there been subthemes like that before? Do a lot of games follow the subtheme?
Just don't want to make a space cats game if everyone else is too
glass quarry
I dislike cats so won't do it anyway
vapid thistle
I'm guessing a lot of people will try for the subthemes
And especially for space cats
For some reason people have always wanted space cats to be the theme
And this is their chance
lean obsidian
I haven't really been around long... Why are space cats a thing? π
jolly spoke
So there might be a lot of space cat VR multiplayer games under 100 mb developed by one person
lean obsidian
The last cat I had was a right evil insert plethora of bad words... So I mean, a cat slaughter house theme would work well...
hearty ferry
Space dogs vs cats?
jolly spoke
vs capybaras
lean obsidian
I don't miss being woken up by a big fat furball trying to eat my naked toes, tyvm.
jolly spoke
The capybaras will try to be everyone's friend
Who here is going to try to go for the subthemes?
minor hemlock
someone mentioned there was another concurrent jam with a space cat theme once upon a time?
so.. double dipping π€£
lean obsidian
cough cough
hearty ferry
I'm gonna be trying for some of the special categories, but which ones will depend on the theme
sonic echo
oh like what?
glass fossil
i'm nervous about space cats. not in general. just as a theme. blanking on it
glass fossil
space cats are awesome tho and nothing to be nervous about. PSA.
oh. ok, if it's space cats I have a great idea. ok now i want it to be space cats. I see how this works.
lean obsidian
I think you can do space cats regardless of the actual theme
ARMY OF ONE - for the best game developed by a solo developer
TINY AWARD - for the best game that comes in under 100MB
FRIENDS AND FOES - for the best multiplayer game
SPACE CATS - for the best game incorporating "Space Cats"
IS THIS REAL LIFE? - for the best XR game
placid lantern
These are the only space cats i acknowledge
hearty ferry
Im gonna try army of one, tiny award, and friends&does for sure, the other 2 only if it fits with the theme
tranquil matrix
The theme will be announced during the Unreal Engine livestream in two hours: twitch.tv/unrealengine
jolly spoke
Does anyone know what the rest of the livestream is about?
small fern
wet rivet
Itβd be cool if a special category was to hit all of the special categories
jolly spoke
Ah, just saw you work for epic
tranquil matrix
@jolly spoke We'll be going over the rules, prizes, submission process, and look back at the last couple of jams. You can ask questions throughout the stream as well π
jolly spoke
Cool, unfortunately Iβll miss the beginning.
small fern
yeah, Victor is one of Epic's Community Managers
jolly spoke
But Iβm really looking forward to it
small fern
also probably their most active CM on this discord atm
tranquil matrix
That's ok! As soon as we get back to our desks after the stream we will update the itch page and the forums with the theme π
I'm setting up the last assembla source control spaces right now, but I will do another pass later tonight and on friday.
small fern
so, two hours to the stream
hearty ferry
I cannot wait for the theme announcement! Tonight is still crunchtime on another project but I will have all weekend to make up for that π
small fern
so theme in 2.5h I guess from now
hearty ferry
Since it's the 5 year anniversary, the theme may have something to do with either the number 5, or with the past themes? That's my best guess, but unsure yet
small fern
5 years of megajams already?
I hope the theme is not "mambo number five"
or maybe it could be half decade
"glass is half empty"
brave current
I've been in the games industry for 15 years and never once participated in a proper Jam.
Should I start now? π€
placid lantern
sure why not
brave current
Good point
minor hemlock
anyone wanna start betting on themes?
solemn merlin
My vote is space based theme
edgy fulcrum
I'm guessing on something that will make the space cats hard to pull off - so something anti-space themed
hearty ferry
The theme: "Just do anything, but without space or cats"
glass fossil
@hearty ferry you think it'll be abstract or game related? something like "eons", or "enemies can't see you if you close your eyes"
hearty ferry
It's usually way more abstract than either of those
glass fossil
that's a cool idea... walk blind through a level, taking as few glances as possible, each time you open your eyes you materialize and they hiss and start swarming towards you, avoid them, find the exit... chills
you can hear the strange creatures if you get too close, turn your head in VR to actually get a 3D spatial cue as they are breathing
different types of enemy and obstacles / timing would give variety... nothing like using controller to open eyes and realizing you're face to face with a scary monster... i like the idea of holding your eyes shut... must keep fingers on the controller...
hearty ferry
Last year was "reality is often inaccurate", the year before "however vast the darkness, we have to supply our own light" so it'll probably be a similarly vague saying this year
My personal guess since it's 5 years is either something with the number 5 or combining/revisiting/remixing past themes, since it's a special number, but we'll find out if that's correct soon enough
jolly spoke
I actually made a game similar to that but itβs with turning a flashlight on and off
hearty ferry
For the dark/light jam theme I did a VR game where enemies could only walk through shadows, and you could position some lights before a wave tried to get to you, if none got to you you'd complete the level
minor hemlock
I went through every epic jam theme and the past few years have been pretty open to punny takes
More phrases than mechanic suggestions which I like
jolly spoke
@hearty ferry That sounds awesome!
minor hemlock
Saw this in one of those awful Pokemon take threads but pretty applicable to the jam
sonic echo
Man, almost an hour til the Jam, my team is thinking of maybe doing a Horror game, but man I hope it fits within Epic Games Jam rule set
civic dock
Wow. 1,995 joined! Definitely going to hit 2k. That's quite impressive.
minor hemlock
you want something that can be grasped quickly without any potential bottlenecks that players might get stuck on
also what's scarier, a well made horror game or a buggy horror game 
civic dock
lol
sonic echo
@gritty beacon serously they don't like horror games
civic dock
I think it's feasible to make a very short horror game that's stream friendly and easy to get into without being too arcade-y.
still osprey
Anyone else had SSL problems with assembla while trying to use perforce source control?
sonic echo
so not an M rated Horror game
Well I have an some backup ideas that aren't horror related
zenith gust
I try to have 0 ideas before the theme ^^
sonic echo
problem mostly is I come up with dozens of ideas so it is a given
small fern
one thing I wonder in many ue4 jams is where would they draw the line on gore amount
rules used to state that games couldn't be that graphic
but there's been pretty brutal games on jam winning entries in past
still osprey
there isn't anything about brutal games in rules
glass fossil
@jolly spoke that sounds very cool - link?
@hearty ferry that was my big mechanic for this time around ;). I did a prototype for it ... way too long ago, a top down affair
(the shadows / light)
hearty ferry
Yeah for me it had a miniature room layout, you could switch between "big" mode and position flashlights above the room shining into it, then a small/fps view when the wave starts and you see how well your lights hold up
glass fossil
based on the movie version of i am legend
tranquil matrix
glass fossil
this time i wanted 1 player is the target of the boid cloud of zombies, and the other is a single survivor that gets more in a group, going building to building. search, find torches, flares, etc. quick day night cycle, hide in lit building at night... careful which to enter in day. a flip side. yin & yang
gritty beacon
tranquil matrix
Yup, and so are the assembla requests haha
hearty ferry
I was literally just screenshotting it
civic dock
final arch
does any one have a link to the launch stream?
tranquil matrix
glass fossil
https://www.twitch.tv/unrealengine ... too quick!
final arch
Thanks
gritty beacon
so, who will beat the record?
civic dock
I can't imagine that record will be broken any time soon.
It'd have to be 1 second.
I can't even...
Which jam was that? How long has the record stood?
lean obsidian
That reminds me of my uni days... The midnight deadline was always 11:59:59... π
gritty beacon
the last one
it can be 1 second
maybe it can also be 0 seconds, who wants to try out? 
glass fossil
danil681 - why is that username familiar? they famous?
sonic echo
@tranquil matrix what is Epic opinion on Horror Games for the Jam?
tranquil matrix
@sonic echo You can make horror games π
sonic echo
oh someone said Epic doesn't like Horror games
glass fossil
I love that to this day one of the scariest images in cinema is a painted Kirk mask... chills every time.
it was spray-painted white I just found out
sonic echo
@tranquil matrix so a horror game is perfectly fine, just might not get played during the Epic Stream when submitted
glass fossil
" In the original Halloween, a latex Captain James T. Kirk mask from Don Post Studios was spray-painted white (not turned inside out, as it's often described)"
hype, 40 minutes
final arch
People talking about horror games, anything known about the theme yet for this jam?
radiant acorn
Only the crew know i'm guessing to keep everyone honest :p
glass fossil
@final arch nothing yet, olinkalex just had a query
problem is even reading the intro gives me about 30 ideas shooting off into directions... anxious π
onyx moon
so no hour long kick off stream?
sonic echo
yeah, I have an idea for a horror game and if the game does fit the Jams theme then most likely my team work on that game
still osprey
what's about game with just co,mbat and blood then? Will they play it on stream? What are exact requiments?
ancient delta
wait for the theme announcement
glass fossil
quantum cats
sonic echo
Disavatages if you make a Horror game for this Jam, Epic might not play it in streams, Advantage you have a strong chance the big youtubers will play it.
sonic echo
35 minutes
small fern
theme will be announced in an hour earliest tho
would be nice if there was actual countdown to the theme announcement π
civic dock
Yes, the theme is usually saved for the very end of the stream.
sonic echo
is a stream happening now, cause I clicked on the Stream link and nothing is playing
civic dock
I'm happy the entire stream will be dedicated to the jam this time, though. Gonna be lots of juicy info and celebration of past jams. π
It starts in 25 minutes.
radiant acorn
Might be random but does engine version matter at all? I dont think it should considering your packaging but incase you have unfair features or anything?
long umbra
it should not?
tranquil matrix
@radiant acorn Engine version doesn't matter
radiant acorn
I just hope i have enough time for this one, have a massive project due for work on Tue but going to power through and see if i can at least get something out π
civic dock
@small fern But 4.24 is so juicy...
small fern
my plan is to start with 4.23
and if there's time, could upgrade to 4.24 to see if it still works :p
civic dock
Honestly it's a sound plan.
I'm just super curious to test out the new modeling tools in a game jam.
small fern
they are only on 4.24?
civic dock
Yes.
small fern
ah
civic dock
It's totally different from the old mesh editing mode that never left experiemental.
small fern
yeah, that would be fun to try
civic dock
Way more robust and stable, relatively speaking.
radiant acorn
But you do have the sweet free Mixer and Bridge to then try and tie in and test out π€€
civic dock
Mmmm yeah, good point about Quixel stuff. Probably won't work with 4.24 yet.
Hm... game jam with Megascans or new modeling tools... decisions!
small fern
quixel textures work just fine on 4.24, you might need to import them through 4.23 first tho
but like, it's super trivial to just import the materials on 4.23 and then migrate to 4.24 project
civic dock
Right, that's what I mean. Bridge won't work with 4.24, most likely.
small fern
would need to at least recompile the plugin
civic dock
Yeah forget that. lol
If I do go with 4.24, I'll just do the extra work of migrating from a 4.23 project.
But then again, any time lost in a game jam is crucial. We'll see.
Still undecided.
maiden loom
last chance for a rigger / animator / 2d / UI / 3d art type person to hop aboard our sinking ship, 'cos once we start working, we're working π
long umbra
approximately how silly is it to enter this jam with no UE experience whatsoever?
long umbra
heck yeah, let's go
zenith gust
Yeah, if nothing else you'll force yourself to jump straight in and learn for a couple of days ^^
a good excuse to take the time for that
long umbra
good luck, everyone!
small fern
if you haven't programmed much before, then better keep the idea real simple (well it's probably good to keep it simple for jams anyway)
small fern
whatever makes sense for you
zenith gust
Yeah, it's on twitch every thursday as normal
small fern
usually these aren't that long experiences
I'd guess 10-20 minute playthrough would be ideal for streaming purposes
some make way longer games, and some games take just like two minutes to go through
minor hemlock
and some take 2 minutes to ragequit
small fern
we've had really short winning entries for the ue4 jams too
small fern
I think that 10-20 min is pretty ideal
zenith gust
There's no one right way to do it
quick heart
and could take parts from it π
small fern
not too long, not super short
but having a catchy game is most important, not the play time
zenith gust
I'd say just using parts of a pre-existing game really is not in the spirit of the jam ^^
civic dock
The full official rules for the jam have been added to the jam page, for those who had questions: https://epicgames.ent.box.com/s/aebzaakmdnvoucm56z1o8v4qscg1tix1
viral orbit
What's the theme?
civic dock
The theme will be announced at the end of the stream.
I'll update the channel description and post in #unreal-news when that happens.
viral orbit
Thank you kind sir
hidden flicker
Still time to make the theme space dogs
civic dock
lol
quick heart
Is the theme is an idea or something specific?
civic dock
It's usually a phrase or concept.
quick heart
cool π
civic dock
Last year's theme was "Reality is often inaccurate"
quick heart
thank you...i saw it π maybe this year will be "reality is finally accurate with megascans and quixel joined" ? π
civic dock
Other previous themes include "Make it count", "The other side of the coin", and "Transformation".
lol! Maybe. π
viral orbit
On make it count, we tried to make a raid area 51 game lol
civic dock
Hahah nice.
carmine kindle
Oh wow, we actually got over 2k people signed up for this one
quick heart
so if i get it right, i could interpret it like i want, right?
small fern
yes
viral orbit
Yea
small fern
usually we get a lot of entries that are literally using things on the theme
and then things that go more with the underlining meaning of it
as long as it's somehow relevant, it's fine
quick heart
cool π
small fern
worst are the games that clearly have nothing to do with the theme
quick heart
can't wait to get the theme and start writing my plan
civic dock
Same. Very curious to see this year's theme.
eternal edge
Oh look at @onyx hare being featured and all π
civic dock
Heck yeah. π
glass fossil
When will the theme be announced?
quick heart
how do they count the points?
glass fossil
And where?
civic dock
The theme will be announced at the end of the Twitch stream, which is live right now.
eternal edge
eternal edge
Currently live on yt/twitch, end of stream announced
quick heart
i mean, is there any criteria?
civic dock
I'll be adding it to the channel description here when it's announced, plus I'll post about it in #unreal-news.
@quick heart They judge in 3 categories but I believe the points are kept private. You can read about it in the rules I linked earlier.
quick heart
@civic dock appreciate it β€οΈ
is there any chance to get into one of 3 first winners if you are working alone as well?
carmine kindle
Yup, definitely
viral orbit
Share link to winners from previous jam please
eternal edge
Unique Use of Contest Theme(Up to 5 points)
βFun Factor(Up to 5 points)
βVisuals(Up to 5 points)
quick heart
i'm experienced...just curious if somebody saw it peviously
viral orbit
There's some really nice entries always
eternal edge
Above from rules how the points are categorized
quick heart
@civic dock will you also participate in this jam ? π
eternal edge
your pic is a doggie tho!
wet rivet
I'm more of a space dog person tbh
quick heart
why nobody wants space horses?
carmine kindle
An epic battle between space dogs and space cats?
viral orbit
That's why he wants space cats so he can chase it
wet rivet
I've got just the dog to send to space
eternal edge
stop sharing perfect great ideas!
hidden flicker
Im with you rhys, start a crowdfundint campaign
small fern
wonder if I get disqualified from space cat modifier if my space animal is a squirrel with fake cat ears
eternal edge
harhar
hidden flicker
π π
small fern
that's fairly accurate π
quick heart
wonder will i win if i send black screen game π€
small fern
no
small fern
you need to have custom material π
eternal edge
Wasn;t enough for Ludum Dare with the theme "Start with nothing" sooo
small fern
I guess you could do game for blind people
small fern
yeah
quick heart
sounds weird
small fern
voice controls are also great
carmine kindle
There was a game in one of the early jams that tried using only sounds, but it was honestly pretty terrible π
viral orbit
really? What game was it @carmine kindle ?
quick heart
will be there some stop word?
eternal edge
Siri: Step forward.. siri: step forward.. sounds alright π
carmine kindle
That was way too long ago for me to remember.
viral orbit
I thought about making a game where you're blind and just use sounds and cues to play
quick heart
and get 0 points for graphics π¦
cyan latch
Hey
viral orbit
π
minor hemlock
hasn't visuals been called aesthetics before? a blind game with good aesthetics could do well
cyan latch
What is the theme about
eternal edge
i agree it's weird to be visuals and not aesthethics.. sounds like you dont need sound
civic dock
Theme will be announced soon.
quick heart
partlyatomic, game_changer and alpha...you guys should get 3 first winning places just because of your cool nicknames π
minor hemlock
but you'd have to have pretty phenomenal sound design π
civic dock
I'll drop it here as soon as it's announced.
viral orbit
Make a bot that automatically says "when the theme is announced, I'll post it on #unreal-news"
Lol
quick heart
@minor hemlock don't forget one who made you won when you will be high on top π
wet rivet
I'm prepped and ready for the space dogs theme
minor hemlock
cursed dog
eternal edge
no helmet poor doggie
west wing
Submissions must be appropriate for a broad audience.
Be careful edge-lords.
quick heart
is it a dog or some school talisman ? π
pulsar owl
so beat saber with cat's instead of boxes would be bad?
idle summit
When was the sign up?
long umbra
@idle summit you can still sign up
quick heart
last day of the jam with super cool game π
radiant acorn
@small fern jepp anytime up until the last minute
although that involves much riskiness
eternal edge
these questions are cute π
idle summit
@long umbra @small fern thank you, I'll see if I'll participate
carmine kindle
They'll announce it shortly
idle summit
Hasn't been announced yet
graceful oriole
we are losing time
eternal edge
lol
graceful oriole
not much time but time
regal wigeon
i want to join any team as a 3D artist or and a Blueprint coder
small fern
I mean, it's always announced at the end of the stream
idle summit
I've never participated before, so this should be interesting
graceful oriole
most jams ive been they anounce it the same minute it starts
minor hemlock
who's gonna be the first to drop the theme in here?
edgy fulcrum
-___-
small fern
@graceful oriole ue4 jams never work that way
eternal edge
you have exact same amount as everyone else. Also the jam is 7d + 6 hours so plenty of overhead π
small fern
it's always little less than 1h in with the stream until they announce it
graceful oriole
only the official ones atleast
graceful oriole
not for beginners
final arch
What source control did they say?
deep stag
anxiety is killing me π¬
small fern
you can use whatever you want
minor hemlock
perforce
idle summit
A week sounds good, going to enter for the hell of it.
graceful oriole
the theme is going to be crap i bet
small fern
π
minor hemlock
"crap I bet" hmm
civic dock
Let's wait and see what the theme is. π
minor hemlock
betting on craps?
small fern
and I thought I was negative π
graceful oriole
that would be a great theme
eternal edge
π© π©
graceful oriole
crap theme
civic dock
And hey, if you need ridiculous nonsensical game ideas, DM @glass fossil and say !gameidea
eternal edge
crap is what space cats make... it all fits together
idle summit
Conkers bad fur day crap?
graceful oriole
better than the other jam i joined that had tamagotchi theme
quick heart
damn i'm ready to pul the cats into space
graceful oriole
game about yeeting cats out of the ISS
idle summit
I'd play it
quick heart
!gameidea
glass fossil
Want game ideas? Send me a DM!
civic dock
Example:
graceful oriole
!gameidea
glass fossil
Want game ideas? Send me a DM!
quick heart
naaah i'm too lazy to pm bots XD
minor hemlock
I refreshed and got an ad 
graceful oriole
the game idea it gave me sucks
minor hemlock
no theme in the next 20 seconds pls
eternal edge
Unrealbot is a great Idea person
civic dock
lol π
graceful oriole
game about cats invading the ISS and its a mmorpg
quick heart
a game about unrelabot...who is getting multiple stupid queries and should invent game ideas for epic jam....catch the idea
graceful oriole
cat simulator in space
eternal edge
should we extend the bot so it gives brief and vague summaries. Also ends everytime it's going to take just 2 weeks tops
graceful oriole
come on give me the gosh darn theme
minor hemlock
hold onto your butts
you've got a whole week π
just take it out of your sleep allotment
quick heart
my butt has been already exploded