Rule-O-Matic

Don't read too much into the results of these sample spins! The method of picking rules is yet to be tweaked to its full potential, and until a good selection of rules have been added, it's rather meaningless.

Once the Rule-O-Matic has been spun for a final time, the authors of the selected rules will be contacted in order to add clarifications and last minute twists. They won't be allowed to do anything drastic, and to limit their advantage of a heads up, they won't know for sure which of the rules atually were selected. (For example, they may be notified that one of three specific rules have been selected.)

Here is a sample spin, with the following rules being chosen:

1. Genre requirements

   Bob the Builder (Good)

   The player must be able to modify the environment in the game by constructing structures, walls, altering the geography or maybe destroying stuff. Extra points if all of the environment is built by the player.

2. Technical requirements

   There are 2 technical requirements:

   Error Message (OK)

   Your game must contain a false error message at some point. Include it in an unexpected and creative way

   Final Boss (Great)

   The game must have a final boss to defeat. This does not limit you into an adventure or action game! Even Tetris Attack featured "bosses" of sorts.

3. Artistic requirements

   There is 1 artistic requirement:

   Advergaming (OK)

   Games as a form of advertisement: it's a hot concept in the marketing world! Your game must promote the sale of some (fictional or non-fictional) product -- as subliminably or blatantly as you like.

4. Bonus rules

   There are 2 bonus rules:

   Act of Pacifism (Great)

   You may opt out of one rule if your game involves no violence whatsoever (cartoon or otherwise)

   Act of Babel (Great)

   You may take one rule and, using an automated online translator, translate it into a different language and then back into English as many times as you like. Interpret the result as a replacement rule. You must document the steps you took, which must be reproducible and deterministic.

5. Other Important Info

   All entries must comply with all requirements except where nullified by Act of Dog.

   All entries must be submitted on or before 12:00 UTC on Monday 25th July without fail. All entries must be supplied in a ZIP file equal to or less than 250 KB in size. All source code, makefiles, documentation, and references to additional libraries used must be supplied in the ZIP file.

   You can assume that everyone will have a copy of Allegro (standard installation) installed. You do not need to supply one. It is okay to use a more recent version of Allegro, but if someone is unable to compile your game because of that, it's your fault. You should consider uploading binaries for people who have problems compiling the source onto your own website. I will be checking that the binary and source match up, so adding enhancements to the 'competition binary' is not permitted..

   If source code is reused from legal sources (your own, GPLed, public domain) you should declare this and what changes have been made, so that your work can be assessed for the voting.

   People should keep a informative and interesting account of their development through the competition. This can be sent after the competition for those people with no Internet access over the weekend. This does not affect your space requirement.

   A web-based "blog" update page will be available. This will allow spectators to see what is going on :-)

   You can make use of all information sources, mailing lists as you see fit. This is not an exam! :-)