Join the Discord server!

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Check out Curdle Games on twitch!

I play all your games on stream right at the end of the jam! (Starts after jam at 4:30pm EST!)

Read the Rules and FAQs for info on how to get your game played.

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The theme for Curdle Jam 34 is:

CLOSE CALL

Curdle Jam happens every few months, so stick around in the discord and make games with our creative community!

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**PLEASE READ THE WHOLE PAGE TO SEE ALL THE RULES AND FAQs**

Jammers of any skill level are welcome to participate.

This jam is not ranked, think of it not as a competition and more like a community showcase.

Forming teams is encouraged, but you can fly solo if you want.

Use the Discord server to form teams and chat with other jammers. 

Using pre-made assets is fine as long as you credit the source and have permission to use them.

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There will be a submission stream on twitch at the end of the jam where your game will be showcased! Details on that will be posted in the discord near submission time. (Only web builds are played on stream)         

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Check out the awesome submissions to previous Curdle Jams!  

♥ Curdle Jam #33 ♥ Curdle Jam #32 ♥  Curdle Jam #31  ♥  Curdle Jam #30  ♥  Curdle Jam #29  ♥  Curdle Jam #28  ♥  Curdle Jam #27  ♥  Curdle Jam #26  ♥  Curdle Jam #25  ♥  Curdle  Jam #24  ♥  Curdle  Jam #23  ♥  Curdle Jam #22  ♥  Curdle Jam #21  ♥  Curdle Jam #20  ♥  Curdle Jam #19  ♥  Curdle Jam #18  ♥  Curdle Jam #17  ♥  Curdle Jam #16  ♥  Curdle Jam #15  ♥  Curdle Jam #14  ♥  Curdle Jam #13 ♥  Curdle Jam #12  ♥  Curdle Jam #11 ♥  Curdle Jam #10  ♥  Curdle Jam #9  ♥  Curdle Jam #8  ♥  Curdle Jam #7  ♥  Curdle Jam #6  ♥  Curdle Jam #5  ♥  Curdle Jam #4  ♥  Curdle Jam #3  ♥  Curdle Jam #2  ♥  Curdle Jam #1  ♥

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NORMAL RULES

- Ensure that each member has joined the jam from their itch.io account via this jam page 

- Fill the submission forms completely and accurately

- You will be required to explain how your game fits the theme during submission forms

- Upload a web build. Whatever engine you use is fine as long it is playable on a web browser and runs from your itch game page.

- Be sure to link the other developers to the submission as well, so that all the collaborator names are visible on your game submission.

 - Only web builds will be played on stream

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RULES THAT WERE MADE BECAUSE PEOPLE MISBEHAVED

 - Don't submit previously made games. You're welcome to join the jam discord while working on your own projects, but submissions to this jam are only for games made within the jam period 

 - Please keep your games SFW, violence and mild swearing are fine, just no hateful content or sexual content (that means no nudity, no racism, etc.)

- Absolutely no flashing lights and colors, no extremely loud noise spikes, no shocking jump-scare equivalents of any kind

- No highly contentious political topics, no nationalist or culturally divisive themes, any or any content that can harm others or ruin the vibe of the jam stream 

- Do not use AI generated assets / content in your game, this includes direct use of generated graphics, audio, and scripts. -- Debugging, brainstorming, systems planning, or learning with it is permitted.

- No slandering or any content directed at another person

- If you choose to put a Curdle cameo in your game, please do so respectfully. That goes for including any likenesses of other community members. Do not bully, make any inappropriate representations of others, or make explicit graphic depictions of them.

- No depictions of real-life celebrities, politicians, copyrighted characters, or any intellectual property that isn't your own. Spoofs/Parodies are fine, just make them tasteful, and make sure they deviate enough from the source material.

- If your game breaks any of these rules, the moderators will remove your game from the submissions and it will not be played on stream. Depending on the nature of the offense, you may also be banned from the community as well. 

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Here are the Submission Form Info Fields you will need to fill out when submitting your game. Leave yourself time to answer these before the submission deadline:

 - Team Members --> Format: Name of Handle - Development Role - Itch URL 

- Other Assets Used --> State which things weren't made by the team during the jam, credit assets used appropriately by finding links / source names wherever possible. If everything was made during the jam, simply state that (this includes music, sound effects, code, models, sprites, asset packs, textures, skybox, etc)

- Is your game a web build that runs from your itch page (web build)? --> It needs to be to qualify to be played on stream.

- Does your game have fully implemented sound effects and music? --> Only answer Yes if your game has sound effects in every appropriate place and background music that is mixed to match.

- Theme Usage --> How does your game fit the theme? (if you cannot provide a good answer for this, or it looks like your game was not made for this jam, your submission will be removed) 

- Additional Notes (optional) --> Any specific information about your game submission that you think I should know, write it here.

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Q: How do you decide the theme?

A: I created a long list of potential themes and decide which one to use right before the jam starts. Sometimes I improvise.

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 Q: Do you participate in the game jam as well? 

 A: Yes.

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 Q: Will I be disqualified if my game is not a web build?

 A: No, but I will not be playing your game on stream unless it is a web build.

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Q: Is this jam ranked? Is there a prize? Is this meant to be competitive?

A: No. 

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Q: How long do you play each game on stream? 

A: Roughly 10 minutes. Avoid adding filler to your game, as I may take longer to play the game than you think. Keep your gameplay concise and engaging. 

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Q: Why didn't you play all my levels / beat the whole game? 

A: Your game was either too difficult, had too many levels, or too much content in general. You're welcome to include as much content as you like, but don't expect it to be played to the end in that case. 

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Q: Why didn't you watch all the cut scenes / listen to all the voice acting / read all my text / dialogue? 

A: If it is well presented and palatable then I will enjoy it as intended, but if I start finding it too long or just plain boring, I will likely skip it. (I *highly* recommend making your cut scenes and dialogue skippable if there are more than a few short lines) 

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 Q: Do you have any recommendations for beginners? 

 A: I have many, but I'll narrow it down to these three.

1) See the jam through to the end even if it doesn't go well. Make something, and submit it, no matter what it is. The commitment to submission is important, and it teaches you a lot.

2) Give yourself a small, achievable scope. Make something very simple with only a few mechanics. It is a better and more rewarding experience to have a tiny demo that feels complete, than to have an over-ambitious, incomplete mess.

3) This last one is very important: If you join a team, be honest about your level of experience. I've seen people miss this one far too often and it results every time in teammates that are bitter about being lied to. My community is friendly to beginners, so you have no reason to lie. Be transparent, and let those more experienced than you help you improve from where you are. 

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Q: Can I submit my game to multiple jams? 

 A: No. If I notice a game was submitted to another jam, I will remove the submission. However, what you do with your game after I review it on stream is entirely up to you. 

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Q: Do I need to submit a web build to participate? 

A: If you want your game to be played on the submission stream, it needs to be a web build. In addition to that, far more jam participants and players will play your game if it is a web build. You are welcome to submit a different type of build if none of that matters to you.

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Q: Will you be developing the entire game on your stream? 

 A: Depends on my role in the jam. I find it very distracting to program on stream, so you'll typically only see 3D art, Animation, Level Design, that kind of thing.

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Q: Am I expected to use the entire duration of the jam to make my game? 

 A: Nope. Just figure out how much time you have within the jam period, and scope for that. 

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Q: Am I supposed to use the theme in a specific way to qualify for submission?  

 A: How you interpret the theme is up to you, and you will be asked to provide an explanation in the submission forms. The theme helps identify that your game was made for this jam, so keep that in mind at least a little bit when making it, otherwise I will think you're submitting a random game 

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Q: Why did you start Curdle Jam and why do you host them so often? 

 A: I love game jams and wanted my own community of friends to make games with! It keeps me sharp, and it is also a nice break from the routine. Also, it is just so much fun. I love seeing what everyone creates, and playing all of your games on stream at the end and seeing your reactions is very, very rewarding.

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