[FredFredrickson]

Reflect Games presents
Game Development Competition: Time Travel!

Reflect Games is holding a final contest for the year 2009! This competition will be centered around a single theme, time travel, and will allow developers a great amount of creativity in their interpretation and execution of that theme. Submissions will not have to be finished to be entered into the contest. Prizes are good! Read on for details!

What is time travel and how can it relate to a game?
Wikipedia explains time travel as "the concept of moving between different moments in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space." For your game, however, you can use any creative idea you can come up with to implement this theme. You could employ programming that allows the user to go back and forward through time, like Braid or Prince of Persia: Sands of Time. You could create a game where the player can explore two (or more) versions of a world existing in different times, like The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. You could simply make a game based in ancient history, where the main character arrive via a time machine. Or you can do whatever else you can think of, as long as it fits the theme somehow. We'd like to keep the goals of the competition on creating a good game, and not mire developers in the details.

Game Rules / Restrictions
• Your creation must be made with Game Maker (trial versions of GM are fine, but please no beta versions)
• The game must allow the user to interact somehow - this isn't another cut scene comp!
• The ESC key must exit the game at all times
• Final entries (as zipped EXE files) may not exceed 20mb

Competition Rules
• You may enter as an individual or as a team, but a winning team will be awarded the same prize as an individual, so make sure you know how you're going to split things up!
• You may use any version of Game Maker to make your game, as well as any combination of DLL's, GEX's, etc.
• No example / tutorial edits - the foundation of the game must be entirely yours (you can, however, get help coding from others, from the GMC, etc.)
• Graphics and sounds do not have to be original, but original is always better
• Games do not have to be completed to be entered into the contest, but it is encouraged that they are
• You may not enter a game that you have released prior to the start of the competition, or which you have entered in a previous competition
• You must be willing to submit the GM6, GMK, etc. in the event that there is question about the source of your code
• Judges will make the final call on all disputes
• One entry per person, one prize per entry

Duration
• The contest will last for a month - from November 10 through December 10 (the competition will officially end at 11:59:59 PM PST on December 10)
• All entries must be ZIPPED EXE FILES and sent as a URL via PM to me (FredFredrickson) at the Reflect Games forums or at GMC by midnight PST, December 10. You can host it however you like.

Judging
• This competition will have three judges - myself, David Perritte, and Spencer Crownover
• Entries will not be judged by how complete they are, but rather on their quality and presentation, how well they follow the theme (or bend it to their will), and how cohesive the game is as a whole
• Judges will assign points to each game based on the quality of the creation in relation to the rest of the entries. Final scores will be tallied and posted by me, and the winners will be the games with the three top scores
• Judges will be announced before the judging process begins
• Winners will be announced December 13

Prizes
• First prize will be any game (or combination of games) on Steam that amounts to $30 or less
• Second prize will be any game (or combination of games) on Steam that amounts to $10 or less
• Third prize will be any game (or combination of games) on Steam that amounts to $5 or less
• In the event that no entries are deemed worthy of obtaining a prize (you've got to try, after all), no prizes will be awarded, and the competition will sadly travel back to the future from whence it came, tears and all

Acknowledgments
Thanks to David Perritte for helping to give the prizes an extra bit of oomph this time around!

Further official announcements and discussion for this competition will take place at the Reflect Games forums. Registration is not required for you to enter the contest.

That should take care of all the details - I hope we see some good entries! There might be a shiny new game in it for you if you can come up with something good! Good luck!

How much more do I have to add? :D

[BenRK]

2 YEARS LATER

Steam $30 and down game list

Just thought I should mention...

[TBird]

Huh. I haven't had steam installed for a LONG time. When I think of steam I normally think of Valve and other games using their engine. I knew they started selling smaller games too kinda like WiiWare does.

Until you posted that list Ben I'd never gotten around to seeing how many games they actually have for sale though. Most of which don't fit that category I had them placed in.

I'd have to install the steam software and have the steam account to have any of those games though?

[diminish]

TBird > Yes, I believe you would need an active steam account and the steam client to receive and download the game.

Martin > I will PM you shortly here regarding my half of the funding. I also have a recommendation, since there is the possibility of no one getting a prize, I think we should re think the judging this time around, What if we(You & Me) judge all entries. We could then encourage all people to participate and take out a lot of the time within announcing winners and judging. I also think it would be great to give each entrant feedback on how they could have improved. Please consider this option, as I think it would make the results slightly more personal and or more worth while.

[FredFredrickson]

[mysterysmith]

Hi, I just joined this forum specifically for this competition. I (think) have a great idea for it so thanks for running it I love the theme.

[BenRK]

If it's a DLL for Game Maker and you can use it from scratch (rather then building off an example), then you can use it.

Though I personally would have banned all DLLs and the like for the competition, but that's just me, so be glad I'm not running this competition.

[diminish]

Benrk > Using a dll extends the functionality of Game Maker, it doesnt give you an advantage in winning a game comp.

Smith > I believe use of dlls is perfectly fine and thank you for participating, we look forward to your entry.

[FredFredrickson]

Diminish is correct - DLL's are perfectly fine.

How much more do I have to add? :D

[Gamr]

Schweet! Great to see my idea implemented :3

I'm definitely going to make one kick-butt entry.

[FredFredrickson]

Good luck! I'm anxious to see what kind of stuff you guys come up with!

How much more do I have to add? :D

[TBird]

I have a fun little idea. We'll see if I can get it worked up in time.

And I don't mind getting my first place prize through steam . Now that BenRK's post made me aware they have more than just Valve games I'll go ahead and get an account.

[diminish]

Make sure you guys spread the word, make this competition the best one of 09!

[BenRK]

*cough* Only one of 09.

[TBird]

I think dX meant that it's the best competition anyone will have had in 09. Several other sites have had comps this year.