Mightyjor
Member
This was fantastic! Great video, gave me a good laugh! I’m guessing brown nut, black nut, green nut, large nut, chestnut, large nut_ _ _ _ _ N _ _
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This was fantastic! Great video, gave me a good laugh! I’m guessing brown nut, black nut, green nut, large nut, chestnut, large nut_ _ _ _ _ N _ _
This is so dang cool! Would we need to create the thumbnails for our games?Behold! The new Jam Player Alpha 0.1!
So far it:
- allows the user to preview an entry
- allows the user to run the entry from within the Jam Player app
- allows reordering entries between the ranked and unranked lists
More functionalities to come as I keep working on it.
If you would like to help out or just want to see how the code looks like see the Game Jam Tools repository.
At the moment, you can test it out using the following steps:
- if you haven't already, get the GMC Jam 42 ZIP and unpack it somewhere; the ZIP is available here
- get the GMC Jam 42 Playertest ZIP file and download it to the GMC Jam 42 directory, right next to the old Jam Player
- unpack the ZIP from the GMC Jam 42 directory
- if everything went well, you should be able to open "Jam Player.exe" and see all the Jam 42 entries
NOTE: Jam Player requires .NET 5.0 runtime to run. It should be compatible with Windows 7 up to 11. That said, I hope no one here runs into problems with framework version.
Technically speaking, thumbnails aren't necessary - if none is available, the jam-jar like placeholder is used instead.This is so dang cool! Would we need to create the thumbnails for our games?
tried it kept getting it telling me to install net 5.0Technically speaking, thumbnails aren't necessary - if none is available, the jam-jar like placeholder is used instead.
But yeah, ideally it'd be the creator who adds the thumbnails., especially since they know best what's the most "thumbnail-able" in their entry.
You can provide two versions - big for the entry preview with recommended size 240x240 and small for the list with recommended size 96x96. If you provide only one, it will be used as both (with simple up/downscaling). Usually the small one would focus on the most important part of the large one, but as you can see in the screenshot above, they can be completely separate (rat for the small thumbnail, Pan for the large thumbnail).
I'll be adding the remaining thumbnails for this Jam at least (since it's a new feature). Whether I'll keep adding them in the future Jams also depends on how many people will add theirs- if enough people add thumbnails, I might as well add all the remaining ones. Otherwise I might just stick to those that have a screenshot posted in the Games Topic, since cutting a part of a screenshot is still easier than getting the screenshot from the game.
Oh, also, I guess the thumbnails might be used by @GameDevDan in his Jam statistics? Though I'm not sure what thumbnail sizes he would prefer.
(also, has anyone tested the Jam alpha version on their own machine? I'd like to get an idea of how many people have no compatibility issues, and how many met some obstacles along the way, if any)
I would need to look into that. From a quick Google Search it seems possible to do, but I don't know how difficult it will be to implement, and there are still other features to be implemented. That, and I have no easy way of detecting programmatically if the icon is a default GM icon or a custom one.@Alice Some entries(Mine included) often have custom icons. I know my game icons have large and small versions. Is it possible to use the icon data in place of missing thumbnails?
The program kept telling me I needed to install .NET to run it, but I already had it. It took me a bit to figure out, but I finally realized I needed the x86 version, not the x64 version.(also, has anyone tested the Jam alpha version on their own machine? I'd like to get an idea of how many people have no compatibility issues, and how many met some obstacles along the way, if any)
Thank you for your tests! They are likely relevant to @EvanSki as well.The program kept telling me I needed to install .NET to run it, but I already had it. It took me a bit to figure out, but I finally realized I needed the x86 version, not the x64 version.
It's working for me now after installing the desktop .net 5.0 x86 version. I didn't even need to restart my computer after installing.
The only ones I have so far are for my own games and they appear only on a game's information page like this: https://danjohnston.uk/gmcjam/game.php?id=2046Oh, also, I guess the thumbnails might be used by @GameDevDan in his Jam statistics? Though I'm not sure what thumbnail sizes he would prefer.
It shouldn't be too hard, but I would avoid Enter as it will used elsewhere, e.g. in the feedback text box...A tiny idea that came to mind: would it be an easy addition to launch the selected game from Ranked/Unranked entries by pressing Enter?
Ah right, the situation that I meant was actually when you're moving through the entries using the up and down arrow keys (in the list that currently has focus).It shouldn't be too hard, but I would avoid Enter as it will used elsewhere, e.g. in the feedback text box...
However, it should be perfectly viable to associate some other hotkey combination to playing the games. I just wonder what would be the most intuitive hotkey for that?
The new Jam Player format separates files related to Jam information (Ability for the user to add new (missing) entries to the jam player.
This would allow the addition of valid entries that for some reason didn't make it into the jam player on the first go.
.jaminfo
, .jamentry
), so following the migration to the new Jam Player adding missing entries or correcting the information of the existing ones should become as trivial as unpacking a ZIP with overwrites.As the screenshot from the Jam Player Alpha 0.1 shows, the Jam-embedded thumbnails are already implemented.Game thumbnails (I'm aware this is already being considered, but I'm basically just saying that I really, really want it), or perhaps functionality for the user to paste their own 'print screen' clipboard data directly into a slot inside the player (one slot per game), so the user could choose their own image to represent the game.
Export customisation (together with thumbnails and ranking options) is one of the major improvements planned for the new Jam Player.Customizable export format - MY MOST WANTED FEATURE
This might be asking too much, but it'd be sooooo nice to be able to change some things in the format to save myself some post-editing time. [...]
Additionally, if I could save the format as a text file, then simply load that file in to the jam player in future jams, I'd always be ready to go after one simple action, as opposed to having to edit the format again. That'd be positively magnificent.
I plan to keep the drop-down lists for now, but I wouldn't mind getting the drag-and-drop system added on top of that. It's low priority, mind.In the "Choose best-ofs" section: Allow drag and drop from the ranking list to best-of slot, instead of (or, as well as) the drop-down lists.
That's another area for a major overhaul, though like the custom exports it might be a little much for this Jam.The "Rate" section of a game's page needs a total makeover, as many have already proposed.
I almost never use the Rate section, and I know I'm not the only one.
So, there appears to be two main goals to accommodate:
1. The ranking system is for the user, being usable to auto-rank entries based on scores.
2. The ranking system is for feedback purposes, able to be added to comments in the export.
For the release-ready version of the Jam Player, Readme will stay as it currently is (opened externally from the button). However, I do consider adding the in-player preview (though this might require some extra UI planning).Not sure how feasible this is(Especially since it would probably depend on the UI layout), but what I'd really like to see is readme.txt files embedded somehow. For instance, you click on a game and it brings up the game info(Name and authors), with the rating system buttons or whatever, and the textbox where we leave our comments. But if a readme.txt is available, it is automatically displayed somewhere on there too.
It would just be a bit nice to instantly see potential controls and other info without needing to open a text file.
I'll check that once I'm near my old PC with Windows 7 installed; it will be in a few days.Gave the new player a try; it runs after installing .NET 5.0 x86, but the "Play" button does not work for me. I'm on Win7, if that helps.
On a more minor note, it'd be nice to be able to drag the large game title/icon from the information window to the ranked list to rank the entry, instead of only being able to do it from the unranked list.
X64 would be compatible with both, unless their is specific code needed for an x86 versionThank you for your tests! They are likely relevant to @EvanSki as well.
I set the program to target win-x86 version, hoping it would be compatible with both x86 and x64 versions, but it appears it's not the case. So depending on whether most people use .NET x64 or .NET x86, I might ship the more popular version with the Jam ZIP and the less popular version separately. Or maybe I'll just include both "Jam Player.exe" and "Jam Player x86.exe" in the ZIP and the jammer will know which version to use.
By the way, it's possible to open ".jaminfo" file with Jam Player, so you might as well store the Jam Player in a fixed place (maybe in Program Files, or maybe in some main jam directory) and then use "Open with..." to choose the Jam Player as the default program for .jaminfo files. That way you won't need to wonder about which Jam player executable to open - just open the .jaminfo and you'll open the Jam Player with whichever user configurations will be added to the program.
A README.txt@Alice I haven't tried the new version of the Jam Player (yet) but I was wondering if there will be any reference as to which things a submitter should do in order to take advantage of the Jam Player features (e.g. having a README file, an AFTERWORD, the thumbnails, etc etc). Since the feature list keeps growing it would be nice to have that go-to list of things to configure in your project.
Non-sense! All games big and small are welcome and appreciated! The jam isn't about winning or competing its about having fun and making something with challenge!A week's time is a little bit too much of a commitment for me and I don't feel like pushing hard for a few days to compete with games made by bigger teams in way more time. Good luck to all, I bet the games will turn out splendid this time around
100%!!!!!!!!!Non-sense! All games big and small are welcome and appreciated! The jam isn't about winning or competing its about having fun and making something with challenge!
I suppose I could update the How to submit a jam game the PROPER way! topic to include the information about Jam Player files? Some additional emphasis in the Games Topic itself ("Hey, there's this thing called Jam Player that you can integrate with!") shouldn't hurt, either. How it'll look exactly we might decide closer to the Jam.@Alice I haven't tried the new version of the Jam Player (yet) but I was wondering if there will be any reference as to which things a submitter should do in order to take advantage of the Jam Player features (e.g. having a README file, an AFTERWORD, the thumbnails, etc etc). Since the feature list keeps growing it would be nice to have that go-to list of things to configure in your project.
A few jams ago someone guessed ahead of time, and it was confirmed. That gave a slight benefit to me with the Red Team since we could brainstorm ideas ahead of time even if we couldn't start. However, the theme is chosen by the winner of the previous jam so it would not get changed. The host can certainly play around confirming/denying guesses as his whim though, so we don't exactly know for sure until the actual reveal. And no, I wouldn't make any assumptions about the milk, cookie, etc... being part of the theme. I ALSO wouldn't make assumptions that they are NOT part of the theme either.....you never knowSo, what happens when people correctly guess the hangman? Do you use a crossword solver to find a new theme word that fits with the revealed letters?
Also I'm new to this, but I am going to assume the milk, cookie and the word "frozen" are not anything that should be attributed to this secret theme?
Okay then... V A C C I N E SA few jams ago someone guessed ahead of time, and it was confirmed. That gave a slight benefit to me with the Red Team since we could brainstorm ideas ahead of time even if we couldn't start. However, the theme is chosen by the winner of the previous jam so it would not get changed. The host can certainly play around confirming/denying guesses as his whim though, so we don't exactly know for sure until the actual reveal. And no, I wouldn't make any assumptions about the milk, cookie, etc... being part of the theme. I ALSO wouldn't make assumptions that they are NOT part of the theme either.....you never know
Currently nothing, we all keep playing Hangman and the person who guessed it early gets gloating rightsSo, what happens when people correctly guess the hangman? Do you use a crossword solver to find a new theme word that fits with the revealed letters?
Also I'm new to this, but I am going to assume the milk, cookie and the word "frozen" are not anything that should be attributed to this secret theme?
I thought the idea of keeping it hidden was to stop people from cheating and getting started early! I suppose it's all just for fun though, not to be taken too seriously, and the hangman game adds to the fun factor.Currently nothing, we all keep playing Hangman and the person who guessed it early gets gloating rights
HOWEVER, I'm currently thinking about some sort of community prize to who gets it first.
I don't like the idea of confirming it as then well, what am I going to do for the next few weeks until the jam starts?
For what it's worth, both work great for me. I tested all current functionality in each version with no issues.Here's the win-x64 exported version of the Jam Player files (that includes files related to Jam 42):
https://www.dropbox.com/s/oyymgbeqrrao2kl/GMC Jam 42 Playertest x64.zip?dl=1
And here's the win-x86 version:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9gsehhm8bjamsga/GMC Jam 42 Playertest x86.zip?dl=1
Since my initial desire for screenshots was to identify and jog the memory on what a game was and how it played, I do believe the two images per entry that you already have in place (icon and picture) will more than suffice, especially since I've discovered how easy it is to swap images out for custom ones (literally just replace the current images with same-named ones, or just change the names in the 'entry.jamentry' file to the new image files), and it's not even that much effort to add images to a game that doesn't have any, since that just requires adding two lines in the 'entry.jamentry' file. It may not be super user friendly, but it works easily enough.As the screenshot from the Jam Player Alpha 0.1 shows, the Jam-embedded thumbnails are already implemented.
Pasting custom screenshots from clipboard - let alone processing them - is much lower priority, but I don't reject it entirely.
Oh no, I see it clearly! It's great, I'd be so bummed out if I never had a chance to partake! I don't mind if we switch the length around to better allow everybody in the community to be able to enter every now and then. Hopefully we can keep the 72h jams alive too once or twice a year as they're what I much prefer. The jam is not about winning but I think competing for the #1 spot is part of the fun and also a big motivator when pushing through those 72 hours of development. We all enter on our own terms, I just happen to find more excitement in the whole thing when I can properly push for the very top!I think you're missing the intent of the "week long" format too.
Currently the week long jam is only for this jam, depending on how it goes it might stay only for the jam around this time every yearOh no, I see it clearly! It's great, I'd be so bummed out if I never had a chance to partake! I don't mind if we switch the length around to better allow everybody in the community to be able to enter every now and then. Hopefully we can keep the 72h jams alive too once or twice a year as they're what I much prefer. The jam is not about winning but I think competing for the #1 spot is part of the fun and also a big motivator when pushing through those 72 hours of development. We all enter on our own terms, I just happen to find more excitement in the whole thing when I can properly push for the very top!
Of course I am aware of how long human hours are...its like 12 minutes right?@ghandpivot @EvanSki You remember that recently most Jams were 96 hours (4 days) long, rather than 72 hours (3 days) long, right? ^^'
Haha, fair enough@ghandpivot @EvanSki You remember that recently most Jams were 96 hours (4 days) long, rather than 72 hours (3 days) long, right? ^^'
The main thing I'm wanting to do (more quickly/easily) is to add an identifying pic if there isn't one, replacing the non-identifying 'jam jar' pictures.I think replacing the existing thumbnails with custom ones might be a bit much, or at the very least not high priority (especially with all the potential cropping involved).
Yes, my original thinking on the suggestions thread was to have a gallery as well, but the entire purpose of my screenshots suggestion was to provide visual game-identifying information at a glance, to help jog the memory when going back over entries to edit or add to reviews, because just looking at a game title wasn't always enough for me when there were a lot of entries, especially when I had large gaps of time between playing games, so coming back and looking at game titles wasn't always enough to bring things back freshly enough in my mind.When it comes to custom screenshots, I was thinking more along the lines of a gallery of sorts