What is this?"A Game By Its Cover" is a game development competition based on how people's work inspires others to think in new and wonderful ways. In it we'll make real games out of fake game carts whose creators probably never imagined would become something real!
What do I do?1- Pick one
fake game cartridge/disk/box art from somewhere in the internet!
2- Use it as inspiration to make a real
game out of it!
3- Enjoy an
atmosphere of high creative energy, no crystals required!
4- Have lots of
fun!
What are the guidelines?1- Each entry must be based solely on
one source image.
2- More than one entry can be based on the same image, so don't go on calling dibs since there are no dibs.
3- Create a thread for your game in the
A Game By Its Cover sub-forum within Competitions, with the prefix: "[AGBIC] ". Like this:
[AGBIC] My Bit of Garden: Gaiden Edition4- Within the first post of your thread, post the
image that you'll be using as inspiration.
5- If possible, post a
link to the original website where the image can be found.
6- Use the cart primarily as a source of
inspiration. You do not need to tie yourself to any elements of the cart (like title, art style or any descriptions), and are in fact encouraged to take it in an original path.
7- Use carts that show
original concepts and design. Avoid things like "Modern Warfare 2 on Atari 2600" or "Twilight as an NES game". Remember, we're here to prize originality and creativity!
8- Do not use your own images, or images that haven't been made specifically to be fake carts/disks/boxes.
9- Do not alter the original image in any way (other than resizing it for display on the thread).
10- Collaborations are allowed, welcome and encouraged.
11- You may use existing
frameworks/engines that you or others have coded for your games.
12- However, the game
itself must be made entirely for this competition.
13- If you
cancel your entry, don't lock the thread, merely add
" [CANCELLED]" to the end of your thread title.
14- If you
finish your entry, add
" [FINISHED]" to the end of your thread title, and remember to post your game in the
"POST FINISHED ENTRIES HERE" thread, following the guidelines provided in the first post. Only games that are posted in that thread will be eligible for voting.
15- There are
no restrictions or limitations as to how your game should look/work, except that your game must not alter or damage anything about the player's computer, though that should go without saying. Even if you choose a fake NES cart, you don't have to make the game with NES restrictions (but are welcome to if that floats your boat). Be aware that if your game doesn't work on Windows or otherwise works on few or obscure OS's that people may have trouble playing it and may not vote for it during the voting phase, but that part is also up to you.
16- TIGSource claims no ownership of anything you make. It's all for
fun!
17- If your game possesses NSFW or otherwise potentially offensive content, put in
disclaimers BOTH on the thread AND within the game itself as the first thing visitor/players see.
18- No prizes, other than the adoration of your peers and a piece of my approval, worth more than its weight in gold in at least
13 states!
19- Offer
feedback to your fellow participants throughout the competition! Socialize!
20- Enjoying yourselves is a priority!
But where can I find carts to make games out of?I'm glad you asked! The original event to inspire this competition was the Famicase Exibition, hosted in Japan by Meteor:
Famicase 2008Famicase 2009Famicase 2010A video on Famicase (2007)ALL Famicase carts in a single package for easy downloading! (courtesy of Cthulhu32)
(Mirror)A Flash App with all carts. May have higher resolution version on older carts. Requires hefty loading.Additional sources:
http://fx.worth1000.com/contests/11213/beta-busts-5 (provided by Ina Vegt)
http://mightygodking.com/index.php/2008/04/21/fun-from-yesterday/? (provided by shockedfrog)
Obviously, if you find somewhere else with interesting carts or boxes to make games out of, you're welcome to use them, and to share them in this thread! Of course, avoid sources of the style I mentioned previously. Pick original and creative concepts!
For those that want it,
here's a nice first-post template by Dacke (linked by JamesGecko) The compo STARTS: June 28
The compo ENDS: August 7Now get onto it! I'm going to bed!
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