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[Harley Turan]

Oh man, just got Xbox 360 controller support working with Cocoa/Objective-C  

As for the game itself, the basic mechanics are done, just got to turn it into a game rather than a tech demo. It's nice to be reaching the end of a project, that hasn't happened in a while. Hope everyone else is making great progress, can't wait for the big unveiling!

[cmspice]

Can we get the system specs that these games will be running on. My game happens to use a lot of memory... Like a lot. Which is funny, because it needs to use that much because there is a memory leak when I try and free the image memory so it's actually more efficient memory wise if I just cache everything.... And there A LOT of images.

Also want to know about whether these games will be tested with or without sound and also what the policy on updating a submission after the deadline is. I do plan on having the game DONE by the deadline but not necessary up to par with all the requirements. In my case, the subtitles in lieu of sound may not be in by the 31st because my primary focus right now will be on sound as is more relevant to the final release of the game (which will be after GDC). Also, in the event py2exe fails on me, I may need some extra time writing a batch script and creating an installer to run the python scripts directly. Can my game still be eligible for judging if I fail to meet these criteria. Can I at least submit my game and have you guys play it to see how awesome it is even if I know it'll be rejected on grounds of failing to meet the requirements (for personal satisfaction)

thanks.

[caffeinekid]

When is the submission information going to appear? We are passed mid-January already.

(Not that my game is actually finished, I'm just curious.)

[Zaknafein]

"Important: Games for Windows - LIVE is not available to finished games. This functionality is not included in the redistributable version of the XNA Framework. A game that attempts to use these components without XNA Game Studio installed will result in a GamerServicesNotAvailableException.

Also, the XNA Framework Redistributable file does not contain the Content Pipeline Build Runtime. Building content at run time is supported only when XNA Game Studio has been installed on the Windows-based development computer."

Aaaah yes, that is correct.

Regarding the content-pipeline compilation side of things... What I ended up doing (for Fez internal development, like sending a dev build to Phil) is bundling XnaMediaHelper_1.dll (which is found in C:\Program Files\Microsoft XNA\XNA Game Studio\v3.1\Bin) and all the content pipeline DLLs that you need (Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Content.Pipeline.*.dll, found in C:\Program Files\Microsoft XNA\XNA Game Studio\v3.1\References\Windows\x86) in the same directory as the .exe. This works well, but it's a hassle and a license grey area... you're not supposed to distribute them. But jesus, seriously, they just had to make it simpler.
Also, you can use the content pipeline reading/processing features without bundling the DLLs, no problem there. The only case you do need to distribute them is if you compile content by code using MSBuild stuff, which is kind of unusual for a game (but for a level editor it's perfectly understandable).

Sadly, for the GamerServices functionality, there's no way to make it work that I know of without installing the full XNA SDK. So my advise is to completely ignore the Microsoft.Xna.Framework.GamerServices and Microsoft.Xna.Framework.Net namespaces, never use any class inside them, and you'll be fine.

But like I said, I'm sure the judges will have working XNA setups and if all else fails, they'll install VC# and the XNA SDK. Or they'll just call me.

[moboid]

When is the submission information going to appear? We are passed mid-January already.

(Not that my game is actually finished, I'm just curious.)

How's about..... TODAY.

http://www.kokoromi.org/gamma4submission/

[moboid]

When the games are being selected, do the Gamma members play with their volume set to zero (to replicate Gamma conditions)?

To replicate Gamma conditions, we curate the games with accompaniment by an extremely powerful stereo playing DJ mixes of chip music, electro and dance rock.

[moboid]

Can we get the system specs that these games will be running on. My game happens to use a lot of memory... Like a lot.

Also want to know about whether these games will be tested with or without sound and also what the policy on updating a submission after the deadline is.

Can my game still be eligible for judging if I fail to meet these criteria. Can I at least submit my game and have you guys play it to see how awesome it is even if I know it'll be rejected on grounds of failing to meet the requirements (for personal satisfaction)

thanks.

The machines will be on the upper end of normal-powerful, but we don't usually rent the highest end ones so we can't guarantee your game will be supported. 

You should assume that what you submit is final.  On occasion, for the SELECTED games, we have accepted tweaks.  But for that to be the case, a game has to be awesome and complete enough to be selected in the first place.

Of course you can submit a game even if you don't think it will be showcased.  Builds character.

 

[SpaceParanoid]

Is anybody else having trouble submitting? I keep getting "No Verification Code Generated", even when I copy it exactly, case-sensitive or not.

[caffeinekid]

When is the submission information going to appear? We are passed mid-January already.

(Not that my game is actually finished, I'm just curious.)

How's about..... TODAY.

http://www.kokoromi.org/gamma4submission/

Thanks for that...but...

The selector for number of players is broken... It won't let me select 1 OR 2 OR 3 OR 4 players.

[moboid]

The selector for number of players is broken... It won't let me select 1 OR 2 OR 3 OR 4 players.

Hm, actually you have a point... we could make those checkboxes, eh?

[moboid]

Is anybody else having trouble submitting? I keep getting "No Verification Code Generated", even when I copy it exactly, case-sensitive or not.

Cindy and I just tested it and it worked, and we've already successfully received some submissions.  So.... not sure what's up with that.  The webform app we are using is handling the verification codes, and it's always worked for me so far.

[AlbeyAmakiir]

Will the "Brief description of your game" be shown to players? Or is it for your benefit only? That will really change what I write. What about the screenshots?

[moboid]

Will the "Brief description of your game" be shown to players? Or is it for your benefit only? That will really change what I write. What about the screenshots?

The description and screenshots should be what you would want to show the players, media, etc.

[GKokoris]

To avoid passing the one-button limit, is it cool to provide one *.exe for windowed mode and one for fullscreen, or does display switching fall under the "debug" category so I can just leave it to the standard ALT-ENTER combo?

[Dom2D]

I'm almost done!
I wonder how many entries there are... I can't wait to see what you guys have come up with.

[aeiowu]

Just a quick question, nothing turned up on search, but are you guys going to play these games with no sound on when you judge? Should we even bother adding sound effects at all? We have some in there but have been doing playtests with loud music in the room and no computer speaker sounds etc.

[moboid]

Just a quick question, nothing turned up on search, but are you guys going to play these games with no sound on when you judge? Should we even bother adding sound effects at all? We have some in there but have been doing playtests with loud music in the room and no computer speaker sounds etc.

Answered that last week.

[moboid]

To avoid passing the one-button limit, is it cool to provide one *.exe for windowed mode and one for fullscreen, or does display switching fall under the "debug" category so I can just leave it to the standard ALT-ENTER combo?

The one button limit applies only to what the player experiences in-game.  Any commands or hotkeys that are developer-only are fine.  Keep in mind the keyboard will be hidden - the game should always loop back to the start screen when a play session is done.  You should never let the player see the desktop.

[Kaelan]

As far as the five minute time limit goes, a minor question: Let's say the player has successfully reached the end of the gameplay, and he's 4 minutes in. What if the ending sequence lasts a minute and fifteen seconds... do we boot them out 15 seconds before the ending is over? Should we boot them out with a 'game over, you were too slow' before playing any of the ending? Is it okay for the ending to go over by some tiny amount of time once the player has already "won"?

Or - to get really exotic - what if I treat the ending sequence as a title screen, so once they've reached the ending, they can walk away and a new player can walk up and press A to skip the remaining bits of the ending and begin a new game?

If you want us to stick rigidly to 5 minutes, I can do it, but I'm interested in knowing the spirit of the guideline instead of just following it to the letter without understanding. I would rather be a little flexible with the time guideline in order to ensure that anyone who plays for more than a few minutes gets to see the ending, but if the goal of Gamma 4 is to have people trying out the games on display multiple times, it's okay for them to 'not finish' the game the first one or two times they try it as long as they can finish it the third time, or watch someone else finish it.

[Dom2D]

As far as the five minute time limit goes, a minor question: Let's say the player has successfully reached the end of the gameplay, and he's 4 minutes in. What if the ending sequence lasts a minute and fifteen seconds... do we boot them out 15 seconds before the ending is over? Should we boot them out with a 'game over, you were too slow' before playing any of the ending? Is it okay for the ending to go over by some tiny amount of time once the player has already "won"?

How about this:
- Count the time the intro and end sequence take.
- Remove that number from 5 minutes.
- Use that number as the time limit to complete the game.