With the completion of the Patreon poll, we have our first Wildcard selected! Details will be revealed closer to the time.
For now though, I am pleased to announce that the Poll to select the Community Wildcard, chosen from a selected pool of Wildcard ideas, is now open! A quick rundown of the polling options:
Minions
Have yourself a subordinate lackey or mooks to boss around!
Changing Seasonal Weather
From sweltering summer to frigid winter, let’s see mechanical changes brought on by the shifting seasons!
Character Possession
Take direct control over an NPC’s actions!
Destructible Environment
Unleash your inner beast and tear down the scenery!
Three-Minute Time Limit
What can the player accomplish with only three hot minutes on the clock?!
Of these five options, please select one from the poll below. There is nothing governing your vote - vote for the most fun sounding! The easiest! The trickiest!
Minions
Changing Seasonal Weather
Character Possession
Destructible Environment
Three-Minute Time Limit
0voters
The poll will conclude in two weeks, closing on midnight (00:00 UTC-7) of Monday, August 1st. So get discussing and voting now!
Indeed, although do keep in mind that this is but one additional, optional challenge to apply to your game entry. If you can see a game idea that utilises both the Theme as well as the Wildcards than so much the better!
I’ll be keen to see what clever combos can arise from the use of the Wildcards!
I can’t say I disagree here. With this specific wild card being very mechanically focused, it feels like you’d need to make a game from the ground up with it in mind, just to earn 5 bonus points, compared to the main theme being a critical pass/fail. On that same note, it’s also optional, so provided the main theme and other wild cards aren’t too demanding should be easy to ignore.
For those who are worried about how the cards and theme will mesh, the theme for this year will very much be along the lines of the ones from our first to jams like “the holidays” or “in the office” in terms of how generic it will be.
I believe you still qualify for a card if you have some destructible objects, or a 3 minute limit mini game, the cards are an option to add to you game not a full focus of the game.
These cards are worded in a way that makes the seem full focus, if Destructible Environments was instead, Destructive Tendencies: Have some breakable objects in your game, it would probably feel less intrusive.
That is correct, yes. You can excuse the flair on my part for the descriptions; the key takeaways are the card names themselves.
Again, all three Wildcards, along with the Theme, are open to participant interpretation. “Destructible Environment” could be satisfied with the mere breakage of furniture to the levelling of entire cities.
I’m not sure what the appeal of a three minute time limit would be but it seemed to get some votes, I’d love to know people’s thoughts. The rest I think could be entire game jam themes entirely on their own, but it’s for the best we stick with something generic since I do enjoy the broad range of unique ideas these bring to the table.
Grot and I had a long conversation about scoring, the jam and the fact that more then just developers participate in this jam, I have my opinions and I don’t think that the current design is the best design, but they are just that, my opinions.
I hope that when the official cards are revealed time has been taken so that the names/descriptions let people know that the cards can be a small addon and are not something that needs to be baked in like the Theme or their fetish of choice.
Something I have been wondering, do people in general have a bias for voting for whatever is nearest the top? Not saying that they do, but I’ve seen a few polls lately and the thing at the top seemingly gets the most votes regardless of what it is and I don’t know what to make of it. Of course there is also the possibility that it just orders things from most votes to least after voting and I simply forgot the original order.
