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[fish]

this looks great!
love the style.
could have totally worked for the b-game comp, too.

whats the gameplay like?

[PHeMoX]

I think the goal is mainly going to be exploring, finding new stuff, getting to higher places.

Totally digg that gameplay-style already. It's pretty fresh and looks incredibly dynamic. Good job!

( ow and hi everybody, thought I'd register here too since I'm entering this Gamma256 demo-thing  :D )

[RobSegal]

I'm curious how you guys are to project all the games.  If I'm working with an engine that only goes down to 640x480 but only using a small portion of that space like 200x50 in line with the event rules can you zoom in on that small space with the projector?

[RobSegal]

Some of you guys have really got a lot done already!  I'm impressed.  Curious if you're willing to mention what technology you're using.  Libraries, sdk's, etc.

[Alec]

I'm using SDL, OpenGL, OpenAL. (yes, 'tis 3d hardware accelerated... 256x256 )

[PHeMoX]

I'm curious how you guys are to project all the games.  If I'm working with an engine that only goes down to 640x480 but only using a small portion of that space like 200x50 in line with the event rules can you zoom in on that small space with the projector?

It's easiest to use a windowed mode, remove the window borders and stretch it to a 1024x768 or 1280x1024 resolution, there's no hardware that supports 200x50 fullscreen, so you'll have to use windowed mode anyways. I've currently set things up so it'll change the windows according to the desktop resolution.

@Fish: Is it save to assume the resolution these demos will be played at will be either 1024x768 or 1280x1024? Or will it be a widescreen resolution? Otherwise I'll have to hard-code some more resolutions into my project.

Anyways, back to the drawing board, I need to think of some more enemies.. 

[fish]

its probably going to be something standart like that.
not sure what exactly, we need to talk with the tech guy at the venue and see what the projectors can do exactly.

[bigpants]

~5 years ago I used to teach computer programming. We used a variety of projectors by different manufacturers. Typically, the projectors were only capable of standard resolutions (640 x 480, 800 x 600, 1024 x 768). You could zoom in & out the entire screen, but there was no projector supported clipping or zooming of specific sections of the screen.

While I haven't kept track, I do know that modern projectors have focussed on supporting higher and higher resolutions, with better refresh rates. i.e. 5 years ago, the projectors simply could not support 1280 x 1024.

I would check with your tech guy asap to ensure that the projector can do what you want. Otherwise, you'll wind up broadcasting 640x480 where only 250x250 (or what have you) is used. Even with a black background, this will look bad.

Alternative (if projector fails)
Have people create their games for 1024 x 768 using 4x4 groups of pixels for every pixel. Projector will always show 1024 x 768, regardless of the size of the game. Won't help games at super bizarre widths & heights, but I don't think there's a solution for projecting those.

[besttof]

Using a set fullscreen resolution ( I vote for 640x480 ) and just render the area you'd need for your game ( using as big 'pixels' as possible ) should work fine right? I mean, as long as you leave the unused area black, those area's would be left alone by the projectors ( unless you have some very futuristic, sci-fi, anti-light projectors )

At least, that's my experience.

But either way, a set standard for the graphics would be very welcome

[PHeMoX]

As long as the desktop resolution is either 640x480, 1027x768 or 1280x1024 it's all fine with me. I'm just going to hardcode those 3 resolutions into my game and check the desktop resolution and go from there. Should work.

Talking about anti-light projectors, normally the darker colors aren't exactly very visible or is everything going to be shown in a very dark room?

[fish]

not pitch black, but darkened, for sure.

[Guert]

Yes, no pitch black... It's safer this way. You never know what those crazy indie gamers could do in the dark... ESPECIALY when Xbox controllers are involved...

Seriously, I really want to join this competition... I just don't know if I have the skills to code everything by myself... Luckily, I still have some time!

Hey fish, I read the games must show soem gameplay for about 5 minutes... Are you looking for simple, mini-games or big lengthy games like RPG's or something? I got like an idea for a simple mini-game, an adventure game and an action game but dunno which to pick

Later!

[fish]

games have to be pick up and play, thus fairly simple, and preferably of a fixed duration, around 3-4-5 minutes so that everyone gets a chance to play.

id love to have more locals on board so yeah...do it do it do it.

[Guert]

Good, I have just the right game concept...
Thx for the info!

[BMcC]

Hey, I've got a question.

The games won't have any sound... is this because there will be music booming at the event?

If so, I'd love to know what you plan to play.  It could be cool for the developers to be able to work to it.

[Guert]

Oh and I almost forgot... With multiplayer games, will we have to use multiple gamepads or only one per machine?

[fish]

if you plan to have a multiplayer game, let us so we can try and get enough controllers. shouldnt be a problem.

and yeah, there will be music.
we dont know who yet.
we'll let you know as soon as we do.

[Guert]

Well, I'll evaluate if I can make the game turn based or something... I'll keep you noticed! Thx!

[besttof]

just wondering: since it's not a competition, will all candidates' games be displayed on the party? And, if so, all at once or in turns?

and it would be nice to know on what kind of systems the games are going to run. this is, of course, not such a big issue for games that run at 256x256 max, but it would be a shame if my game ran fine here but comes to a grinding halt on the party ( which, i guess, is very unlikely since i'm developing on an old 1.6 Ghz G4 powerbook )

[fish]

well post the computer stats as soon as we sort out the whole computer sponsor thing.

but yes, you should be fine.
we didnt have any problem last year.

we are expecting more entries this year than last.
last year, all entries were shown.
in case this isnt possible, only the best/most interesting one will be shown at the event. in case we get LOTS of really awesome stuff, we'll figure out some sort of rotation.

last year, there was 7 games, each running on its own dedicated screen.
we think we'll have even more screen this year so, shouldnt be too much of a problem.