Anyone for Global Game Jam?

[Ingemar]

One week from now, the Global Game Jam takes place all over the world. Any PGD developer who will participate? Myself, I am hosting the local GGJ here in Link??ping, Sweden (most likely small, it is the first time). I can't hope for many FPC coders to show up here, though.

http://globalgamejam.org/

http://computer-graphics.se/gamejam/

[Stoney]

I'm gonna be in Munich for Global Game Jam. I did the entry last year in FreePascal with my engine, I'm not quite certain if I'll use FreePascal this year as well, it depends on the team (I was the only coder in our team last year) and the game idea.

[Ingemar]

I'm gonna be in Munich for Global Game Jam. I did the entry last year in FreePascal with my engine, I'm not quite certain if I'll use FreePascal this year as well, it depends on the team (I was the only coder in our team last year) and the game idea.

Nice! I thought I couldn't be the only one. What do you think about the Game Jams? What makes them work, what makes it a creative environment?

It will be the first time for me, so it is both exciting and a bit confusing. (I am responsible for booking but I co-host with people with multiple Game Jame experience.)

[Stoney]

I'm a big fan of any game jams whatsoever. I think the advantage of real-life game jams (as opposed to virtual ones like Ludum Dare) is that to you are in team and there's a lot more pressure, you can't really afford to give up. Another factor is that you have to make decisions within a few minutes max and stick with them as you don't really have time to completely scrap ideas and start from scratch.

[Ingemar]

Sounds like I am on the right track then. I have done small quick projects a few times before, usually with one more person (which I think is important, you need a discussion partner as well as someone that can take on some tasks that you don't have time for) but never with larger teams and not teams formed like in GGJ.

I am not sure what kind of team I will want, one where I do the programming or where someone else does, or I make a boardgame instead... but as long as I do something, I think it will be fun.

[Ingemar]

Now I am at the Game Jam and I just don't know what to do. Without a single FPC (or similar) programmer around, I have nobody to code with. I won't code in C/C++ for fun, that simply isn't fun. The guy I hoped to work ideas with went home.

[Ñuño Martínez]

I didn't know nothing about this Global Game Jam. But I don't understand: What does "not virtual" means?

[Ingemar]

I didn't know nothing about this Global Game Jam. But I don't understand: What does "not virtual" means?

Groups physically in the same place.

But for me it isn't very fun. I just don't know if I care to finish. I did have a playtester today, that was fun, but otherwise I am all alone. Not much of a "jam" then. I could have joined a group that is doing one of the ideas we came up with in my brainstorm group, but then we would be three programmers, all with different languages, and... I think I would code past the others in no time. I could have finished that game in the first evening. (Hey, I use FPC! Much faster.) And that would just spoil the fun for the others. So... I went for other goals, alone. I made a partial prototype yesterday, but couldn't see the fun. Today I made a boardgame instead, a strategy game. It works, it was actually pretty fun in the playtesting. But what's the damn difference whether it ends up on the GGJ server or in my drawer? None that I can see. I'll bring it to a game convention instead.

Sorry if I sound negative, I am a bit tired.

[Stoney]

We finished a game: http://globalgamejam.org/2012/dr-moebius-vs-world It's not in Pascal though, we used Game Maker (so indirectly Delphi for the Windows version ). I did the art for the game. The game is actually quite hard (almost impossibly hard and very unforgiving), there is also a HTML5 version here: http://spellmaker.de/ggj/

@Ingemar: I don't think doing the jam alone is a good idea. Were there no graphics or sound guys or gals that you could help you out with your game?

[Traveler]

That's a nice little game, Stoney. It's annoyingly hard, but at the time you still want to go on and try again, and again... and again.....




and again.....


good job!