4k Flash Game Competition

[bluemagica]

It's OK if you use Flex builder, but not CS4.

That's my point, using "flex" gives more power than cs3 at the moment...that's why i think content should be limited to FP9

[urbansquall]

@sietjp: You can submit the game with a sponsorship link, but it'll count towards your 4k limit. Each participant will get the opportunity to do a shot out (which I'll post with the swf) which can include links, information, source code explanation, whatever.

Only 1st and 2nd place will be ranked. The rest will just be posted. Those that opt-out of source posting and don't win are simply listed as participants. I'm considering some sort of audience selection prize, and non-source code versions can still win those.

@bluemagica: I'm sorry, I don't have CS4! You can target FP10, but you'll have to use Flash Develop or Flex Builder then.

[urbansquall]

Updates: http://www.gamepoetry.com/blog/2009/...zes-and-rules/

To summarize:

1) There is now an "audience favorite" prize. You do not need to release source code to win it.

2) There will be souvenir prizes for all three winners (it's a surprise!).

[Orkahm52]

Just wondering, if I release the source of the game in order to win the prize, the game still belongs to me, right? So if I entered and won I could still go on to perhaps sell my game? Or am I giving the "rights" to the game to gamepoetry/urbansquall?

If it's the first I'm definitely entering.

~Ork.

[renderhjs]

worrying about merely 4 KB to still earn money afterwards or placing ads some of you people are seriously lost - what about joy, oppertunity to share & learn from others.
Makes my blood seriously boil reading such comments

[urbansquall]

I don't want any rights other than the right to post the swf. So yeah, you can do whatever you want with any of the stuff you submit to the competition.

As renderhjs points out, this is more about the opportunity to compete, to share, to learn and to also to pimp our chosen platform to the world at large.

[Squize]

This is like pulling teeth now isn't it.

I think if you can get a 4k game sponsored, or are willing to put a mochi-ad preloader in front of a 4k game, then good luck to you. You're totally missing the point, but hell, that $5 will make a difference.
( It's a 4k game guys! What the hell do you expect from it ? Is it really a case of finishing a game of any size means there's got to be money involved ? That the potential to win some prizes isn't even enough ? ).

I'm so glad we're just sponsoring the 2nd prize and not actually organising this, this has scarred me in regards us ever doing our own comp.


Squize.

[Orkahm52]

Okay sweet.

I definitely wouldn't sell the game as it is but I'd like to maybe make a better version of the concept I'm using. I'd hate for someone else to be able to steal my idea and I'd not be able to do anything about it, cause I'd lost the rights to it because of this competition.

Just a note: I've never actually made money off a game before and I don't think this game will be about to change that...unless I win the competition of course

~Ork.

[renderhjs]

I'd hate for someone else to be able to steal my idea and I'd not be able to do anything about it, cause I'd lost the rights to it because of this competition.

maybe I should be worried about you stealing my ideas and code !?! If we would all think like that from what would we then all learn? sure buy books and learnDVDs but the truth is that +90% is learned from free resources of the internet and perhaps also from this competion in the future. Because if sources are given it can be a great inspiration and help for understand how people designed certain game mechanics

seriously posting such comments is not constructive at all ! - instead try to convince others to compete as well, convince them to do their best, to add their source and the bloody hell have fun in the first place.

[Pazil]

Exactly like render said, I think the point of this competition is for other people to take our ideas, and use them further and expand them or learn from them.
I feel happy just submitting something for the competition, and hopefully knowing someone could use it to learn from!

So have we determined that AS2.0 is really smaller than AS3.0, or is it just the overhead of AS3.0?

P.

[Squize]

I know my post followed yours Ork, but it really wasn't directed at you.

Asking about rights and branding in any competition is unfortunately needed these days after comps have slipped into just being an excuse to get cheap content for so long.

It just burns me that these little comps which are just for fun ( Like the first of the recent 48 hr comps ) get picked over to the nth degree.

Squize.

[Geneve]

Maybe I should enter the competition (not to win ofc). But with my way of coding, I could probably just get a character to move left, right and jump and it would be 4k right there already

[Orkahm52]

Just for clarification I'm not worried about anyone at game poetry or flash kit stealing my game ideas just those evil kind of people who usually decompile other peoples games and make money of them.

I'd be fine with my code being shared so that others can learn from it and perhaps use it to make a game! I just happened to have fallen in love with the concept game I'm making. Perhaps I'm looking at this competition the wrong way?

Anyways, I think I've been converted cause now I want the whole world to make a game out of my entry.

~Ork.

[8bitjeff]

I think it would be really really cool if as many people as possible who entered took the time to explain their game ideas, code, and optimizations used to fit under the 4K limit. I'm going to do that on my site (after the competitions is over, and a little bit during), but just as well it could be done here or any place. These types of competitions are what help build a community out of a groups of individuals, and show how Flashkit is different than the monetary based communities. I am really glad that Urbansquall and GYW are doing this.

[5TonsOfFlax]

I think that's a great idea Jeff. Urbansquall, is that sort of explanation acceptable for the readme? Will the readme be made public as well as the source code?

[Sietjp]

Just for clarification I'm not worried about anyone at game poetry or flash kit stealing my game ideas just those evil kind of people who usually decompile other peoples games and make money of them.

Thx. Exactly the same for me.

@Squize&Render, am I under attack ? When I was talking about sponsorship, I plan to make a longer version of the game on my own website and to put a link at the end of the 4K game. Not a big deal.

@Pazil, read some of the previous posts, AS2 is clearly the right choice over AS3.

[tonypa]

I think sponsorship/mochiads questions are justified, not that you would make lots of money with 4k game itself but if its somewhat good, it can be extended into bigger version. You already have done quite some work so why not add more bits and make it proper game.

If you are worried that someone may take your source code, compile swf from it, put their own name on and start to sell it, then maybe dont submit your game. But as I already pointed out, 4k is probably not enough to make huge hitgame and original developer has advantage of understanding the code best so it can be developed further.

[hatu]

Come on guys, 4kb's of super compressed cryptic code doesn't sound like something anyone would want to steal

[urbansquall]

Yeah, the concept might be stealable, though, so if you're worried, don't use that uber concept you've been working on for the last 6 years.

About the readmes... Basically, the read me is going to be posted on each page's entry, so that the developer can talk about anything.. Like how your cat likes teriyaki sauce. Or how you got your keyboard handler to be 400b instead of 600b. If you've put together a legitimate game, then you get to put whatever you want along side it, including links back to your site... whatever you like.

[Sietjp]

This 4K Java game made 810,000 hits on pepere (in about 2 years) : http://www.pepere.org/flash-developm...rs4k_u_45.html

So yes it is worth to think about this kind of things before submitting.