GMC Jam Discussion The Tropical GMC Jam 38 Discussion Topic

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Red Phantom

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Unless I've made a mistake, I'm pretty sure,

THREE WISHES GIVEN

is still a possible contender. Actually I'm kind of hoping that for my first jam this is the theme. Still I have my doubts due to

THREE MINUTE TIMER

being such an accessible theme.
 

HayManMarc

Member
Ah I see! So the theme of the jam is not related at all to "tropical" right? Instead the entire theme is based upon those three words (with missing letters)?

(I'm new to this, if you can guess 😝)
Yes. It's just always been tradition to use wacky adjectives in the titles for the jams. Haha
Bonus points if your game includes a tropical theme, too. (Unofficially, of course.)
 

Alice

Darts addict
Forum Staff
Moderator
THREE MINUTE TIMER seems like one of the stronger guesses, and it might fit with one of @JacobV previous entries: https://forum.yoyogames.com/index.p...ental-gmc-jam-3-games-topic.18172/post-116421
(don't know if timer there was exactly three minute, but it felt like that)

Though thinking more about it, instead of THREE MINUTE TIMER (which might or might not be the actual theme), I'd much prefer "TIME LIMIT" or "LIMITED TIME" or something.
Having it specifically three-minutes restricts pacing a lot. So I hope it's not THREE MINUTE TIMER, because having the limited-time mechanic is one thing, but restricted pacing is a big trouble, and really hard to adjust the game to (unless three minutes are not actually three minutes).
And as ghandpivot pointed out, since we're likely to play a given entry at least a few times, we end up with longer playtimes because of the time restriction.

So yeah, hopefully it's something like THREE WISHES GIVEN or THREE SIMPLE RULES or something else, as long as it's not THREE M'LADY DUDES*.
(even if wishes given are quite specific, while simple rules are quite vague; are we doing Newton's Laws of Motion again? 🤔)

*I could make a game inspired by Queen's song "I want to break free", though
 

ghandpivot

Member
Though thinking more about it, instead of THREE MINUTE TIMER (which might or might not be the actual theme), I'd much prefer "TIME LIMIT" or "LIMITED TIME" or something.
Having it specifically three-minutes restricts pacing a lot. So I hope it's not THREE MINUTE TIMER, because having the limited-time mechanic is one thing, but restricted pacing is a big trouble, and really hard to adjust the game to (unless three minutes are not actually three minutes).
I brainstormed some ideas and to me, the biggest problem seems to be the scope. Most of my ideas for a 3 minute time cycle require tons of content to stay fresh for 3 minutes, nevertheless for several cycles of 3.
A timed exploration game like Minit? 3 minutes is way too long, will take ages to both play and make.
A game when something happens every 3rd minute? Requires tons of fun content to explore in the meantime to not get boring.
A timed score-attack game? Maybe if the idea is good enough to stay fresh and the timer can be motivated in a satisfying way.
The world ends in 3 minutes-game: This idea might be used a lot, though have these kind of timers ever really worked well when used for the entirety of a game rather than just the climax?

For me, the best way to interpret the "Three minute timer" so far seems to be to read it as 3 * (Minute Timer), i.e. three one minute timers, where the game switches up on each one.
The general feeling when brainstorming is that Three minute timer is oddly specific. Wouldn't the theme just have been "Timer"? The "Three" in "Three simple rules" makes more sense than the randomly attached "three" to the timer's otherwhise more arbitrary limit.
 

Alice

Darts addict
Forum Staff
Moderator
Yeah, that's what I meant when I talked about restricted pacing, and that pacing is sloooooow.
I mean, when you think about e.g. completing a platformer level, usually it should take you about a minute or so - if you need nearly three minutes to complete it, it's too long, especially if failure means you have to start it over again.
Mmmaybe it would be more feasible with some bullet hell survival game, where you need to survive something between 3 one-minute cycles and 6 half-minute cycles (the latter is preferable, because the content is fresher).

Well, we'll see how it turns out, I guess?
 

Evanski

Raccoon Lord
Forum Staff
Moderator
Having it specifically three-minutes restricts pacing a lot. So I hope it's not THREE MINUTE TIMER, because having the limited-time mechanic is one thing, but restricted pacing is a big trouble, and really hard to adjust the game to (unless three minutes are not actually three minutes).
Three minutes is a lot more time then it first seems, just get a stop watch, set it for 3 minutes, it will feel like a long time, sit and do all this and then realize that more then 3 minutes have past,'
time is relative to what you do during it

And as ghandpivot pointed out, since we're likely to play a given entry at least a few times, we end up with longer playtimes because of the time restriction.
(unless three minutes are not actually three minutes).
;)

 
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bandman28

Member
Since Ghandpivot gave a lot of info about how it couldn't be Three Minute Timer, I rest my case by saying "I have no idea what the theme will be." Since the jam is in one and a half days, a clue to show it all will probably be posted the day before a.k.a. tomorrow.
 

ceaselessly

Member
Nine definitions of the word "minute":

  1. a period of time equal to sixty seconds or a sixtieth of an hour.
  2. the distance covered in sixty seconds by someone driving or walking.
  3. (informal) a very short time.
  4. an instant or a point of time.
  5. a sixtieth of a degree of angular measurement (symbol: ʹ).
  6. extremely small.
  7. so small as to verge on insignificance.
  8. (of an inquiry or investigation, or an account of one) taking the smallest points into consideration; precise and meticulous.
  9. record or note (the proceedings of a meeting or a specified item among such proceedings).
Jams are supposed to be about thinking outside the box, aren't they?
 

deepfry3

Member
Nine definitions of the word "minute":

  1. a period of time equal to sixty seconds or a sixtieth of an hour.
  2. the distance covered in sixty seconds by someone driving or walking.
  3. (informal) a very short time.
  4. an instant or a point of time.
  5. a sixtieth of a degree of angular measurement (symbol: ʹ).
  6. extremely small.
  7. so small as to verge on insignificance.
  8. (of an inquiry or investigation, or an account of one) taking the smallest points into consideration; precise and meticulous.
  9. record or note (the proceedings of a meeting or a specified item among such proceedings).
Jams are supposed to be about thinking outside the box, aren't they?
Darn, I'd secretly hoped I was the only one with this thought. :p
Whilst I can echo others' thoughts on it, if the theme was indeed THREE MINUTE TIMER, there are still so many ways that theme could be utilized without literally having a three-minute timer!
 

Alice

Darts addict
Forum Staff
Moderator
Jams are supposed to be about thinking outside the box, aren't they?
They kinda are, but if you go for a more unusual interpretation of a word:
- some reviewers won't be aware it's the intended use of theme
- others will be aware but not acknowledge it because it doesn't fit what they imagine theme-phrase to mean
- others will actually acknowledge and appreciate the more unusual take (as long as it's still deeply integrated into the game)
So it can be a hit or a miss.

Another trouble is when word-by-word interpretation if the theme deviates from people's image of the theme.
Like, EVERYTHING HAS A COST word-by-word would suggest "every tiniest thing/action costs you something" while the games often use interpretation of "big things come with big costs".

I feel like the games most likely to win "Best use of theme" use the most common intepretation of the theme, but commit to that interpretation a lot or integrate the theme in particularly entertaining way.
Another matter altogether is that some themes are hard to differentiate in terms of which use is better - as long as there's some use at all. That makes theme votes spread thin, and one game getting more votes than the others seems more like luck than using the theme in especially creative way.

Overall, theme-voting works in mysterious ways...
 

ghandpivot

Member
Let me be clear though, 3 Minute Timer is not a bad theme and lots of interesting stuff will probably be made. It is just more unforgiving than a one minute timer in terms of game design, and my normal approach of making stuff up as I go along will probably work poorly. I'm still uncertain if I have time to make anything at all though 🙃
 

GameDevDan

Former Jam Host
Moderator
GMC Elder
OK the final clue is just this:

The theme is definitely one of the handful of themes people have gravitated towards. Revealing any more letters will either be no help at all or too much help. So you'll all just have to wait 27 hours and 36 minutes to find out ;)
 

Alice

Darts addict
Forum Staff
Moderator
So, going by what Dan described, it should be one of these themes:
THREE WISHES GIVEN
THREE MINUTE TIMER/GAMES
THREE SIMPLE RULES

These are effectively three themes (I count the three minutes as one).

Therefore, I conclude the theme must be "THREE GIVENT HEMES", and you can actually choose one of these themes above, like you could in Jam 30 and Jam 31.
Yes, that must be it! *nod, nod*
 

Gizmo199

Member
So this whole discussion about 3 minutes being limiting / to much time I disagree with. I can easily think of a way to spend 3 minutes in a game doing nothing but exploring. haha. I think it's a great theme (if in fact, it is the theme) because it does give scope, not the opposite. Either way, there isn't a theme that exists that everyone will agree is a perfect 'all-inclusive' theme without being completely vague, which ironically makes it a bad theme. lol. Hell, I spent more than three minutes correcting my spelling and English on this insignificant post alone! lol.

EDIT:
based on dans post (which I feel like is directly correlated to the discussion of a THREE MINUTE TIMER) I would guess THREE SIMPLE TIMER. Final guess.

EDIT 2: imma actually up the ante:
Final final guess:

THREE SIMPLE GAMES

Has to be...
I need to go to bed...
 
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The M

Member
I'm thinking three minute timer or three simple rules. Either way, my goal for this jam is to push my limits and make something outside my comfort zone. I'm excited! 😄
 

Chaser

Member
i don't mind three minute timer as a theme. It worked for so many arcade games many years ago. It's still used in some games today. "'Time Extension!" ( i say in a sega rally voice over) :) invincibility or some sort of power up have timers, doors have timers. Id prefer it to any of the suggested alternatives personally, but we will have to wait and see and work with what we get. :)
 

Alice

Darts addict
Forum Staff
Moderator
I mean, if it was THREE WISHES GIVEN vs THREE SIMPLE RULES vs LIMITED TIME, I'd totally be on board with LIMITED TIME - which does cover the powerup and door timers you mentioned.

The thing I'm mostly worried about is the exact three minutes mark, as it narrows down the thing that can be timed with it. I mean, three-minute powerup timer can be a bit excessive, so it's not applicable here. Likewise, a three-minute time limit to complete a level or a section of a game can result in excessive padding of content in order to actually make the timer a concern for a player (instead of them completing the section in 30 seconds), or on the flipside a tight challenge that requires the player to play through a three-minute iteration over and over again. Even worse if it's a tight challenge with lots of padding, so that you're bored to death through the first two minutes of the run and then try to make it through the last brutal section and fail again.

I'm quite certain several developers here would use the three-minute time limit well and put enough content and variety to keep the player engaged. What worries me is less experienced developers trying to extend their game to three minutes time limit, which could result with several games that have very sparse content stretched across three minutes.
 
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