Hello GiaDers!

It is once again time to demonstrate one of the great advantages of using the BYOND engine; its ability to allow developers to create complete network-enhanced games in a short time span. In the constraints of this contest, developers are tasked with the challenge of creating a game, from concept to completion, using unique and pre-selected topics, all within a period of 24 hours or less.


-Game in a Day 2016 Schedule- Please note that all times are in Eastern Daylights Time (EDT)

1. I) The preregistration section (October 16th to October 21st 11:59 PM)
   1. a) The topic nomination phase (October 16th to October 19th 11:59 PM)
   2. b) The topic polling phase (October 20th 12:01 AM to October 21st 11:59 PM)
   
   
2. II) The game creation section (October 22nd 12:01 AM to October 28th 11:59 PM)
   1. a) The development phase
      1. i) Fixed development (Daily at 12:01 AM, ends at 11:59 PM daily)
      2. ii) Flexible development (Begins at contestant's choice, ends 24 hours later.)
      
      
   2. b) The submission phase (Begins directly after the contestant’s development phase, ends 6 hours later.)
   
   
3. III) The judging section (Begins at the end of the last submission phase, ends 7 days later, reserving 1 extra day for every two entries received past 14.).

The contest is divided into three major sections. First is the Preregistration section from October 16th to October 22nd at 11:59 PM. While participants can register at any time during the contest, doing so during the polling phase of the preregistration section gives the participant the ability to nominate up to seven topics to be used during the contest, and after October 20th, participants will be able to select up to 15 topics as their favorites, and the 15 topics with the most votes will become the contest topics at the end of the pregistration section on October 21st at 11:59 PM. Ties will be broken as determined by the computer.

Registration is completed at anytime during the contest though the Game in a Day 2016 Headquarters, and requires answering some simple questions and agreeing to the terms of the contest. Depending on when a participant registers, relevant options will be available.

Next up is the game creation section. During the game creation section, which lasts between October 22nd at 12:01 AM to October 28th at 11:59 PM, is when developers actually begin to create games. To help accommodate varying schedules, the game development phase lasts for 7 days, during which participants select one 24 hour period to create their games.

There are two options for managing 24 hour periods:

First is the flexible development phase, which begins once the participant receives their three random topics. 24 hours later, their development phase ends. Flexible development is appropriate for developers who have other daily commitments and are able to time their start and end times as best suits them.

The second option is the fixed development phase, where two topics are publicly displayed and begins at 12:01 AM and ends at 11:59 PM of each game development day. Choosing fixed development has the benefit of knowing what topics the participant will be working with, with the trade off being a nonconforming start and end time. Fixed development may also be appropriate for two developers in direct competition.

Weather participants select fixed or flexible, participants will be expected to use at least one of their assigned topics as a basis for their game, not just a skin-over! After their development phase has ended, every developer will be given a submission phase, which will end 6 hours later. During the submission phase developers will be able to create a hub page and ensure they have uploaded their submission to the Game in a Day 2016 Headquarters.

The judging section is the time that it will take for the judges to review and publish the results of the Game in a Day 2016 Developer's contest. The final results are due to be published seven days after the last submission phase comes to an end, reserving an extra day for every 2 entries received byond 14.

Lets review some contest information in list format:

Name: Game in a Day 2016 Developer’s contest
Judging Period: 1 week after the final submission phase, reserving one extra day for every two entries received past 14.
Judge(s): Higoten
Location: Register and submit your submission at the Game in a Day 2016 Headquarters.
Engine: All submissions must be made with the BYOND development suite.
Teams: Teams are permitted. The team leader should register and is responsible for prize division. Team member registration is not required.
Number of submissions: One entry per user.
Topics: 15 topics will be selected as determined by popular vote during the polling phase. Topics submitted during the nomination phase are subject to review by the judge(s). Topics deemed inappropriate for this contest will be removed.
External Resource Usage: External resources (Libraries, sound, art, etc) may only be used if they were released for public usage or public domain prior to the release of this post. All other assets must be created during the participants’ Development Phase.
Prizes: All entries that are submitted will receive a technical review and score. Additionally, First place will receive a $50 Amazon card, second place will receive a $25 Amazon card, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth place will receive a half-year BYOND membership!
Additional Prizes: Additionally, A.T.H.K of BYONDPanel has pledged a free month of 512MB hosting for the first, second, and third place winners! Please contact Higoten if you are interested in being a benefactor of this contest by pledging a prize.
Originality: All submissions must utilize an intellectual property which is owned by the developer or team.
Credits: All credit must be given where credit is due, either in game or on the hub page.
Rating: It is recommended, but not required, that games be designed in such a way that it would receive an "E for Everyone" rating.
Legal: All submitted content must not violate United States law, or the BYOND terms and conditions.
Screen resolution: In order to accurately judge submissions, games must display properly on a screen resolution of at least 1024x768. Failure to do so may result in critical game elements falling off my screen, resulting in a misjudge.
Disqualification: Any submission found in violation of the spirit of the above or attempting to obtain an unfair advantage, at the sole determination of the judge(s), will be disqualified. All entries submitted by judge(s) are disqualified.
Grading Rubric:

Aspect	#	Details
Hub Presentation	4	Hub page is well made and accommodates users to play the game. It contains a clear and accurate short and long description, the title of the game, tags, display version number, depictive screenshots and/or video. A server and/or host files are available and install correctly. No significant spelling or grammatical errors are present.
	3	Hub page has a good amount of information, download, and pictures, but possesses significant spelling and grammar issues, is inaccurate, or has other outstanding issues.
	2	Hub page is of poor quality, has a small amount of information about the game, no screenshots/videos, no hostfiles/servers, or has excessive spelling and grammatical issues.
	1	Hub page exists, but has no information about the game.
	0	No hub page.
Theme Usage	4	At least one of the given topics has clearly been naturally integrated into the development of the game, or the topic is used as a catalyst to develop game play.
	3	Elements of one of the given topics were present throughout the game, but inspired the storyline or text portions, and not so much the gameplay.
	2	At least one of the given topics are used in the game, but is clearly a skin over for a potentially preexisting concept.
	1	Unable to clearly identify any usage of a given topic.
	0	Makes clearly no use of a given topic.
Consistent Artwork	4	All artwork is consistent. User interface elements blend well with the map and movements are animated when appropriate.
	3	Artwork is of mostly consistent appearance, or has noteworthy issues with animation or movement.
	2	Artwork is only of mildly consistent appearance or uses text based graphics.
	1	Artwork is not consistent.
	0	Artwork is stolen or not properly credited.
Informative Instructions	4	Instructions are well written and/or implemented into the game in a way that allows the player to easily learn as they play.
	3	Instructions provide sufficient information on how to play, but are of poor quality or bad grammar and spelling.
	2	Instructions are provided, but are unclear how to play.
	1	Instructions are provided, but are not helpful in learning game play, are wrong, or of extremely bad quality.
	0	No instructions are provided
Realistic Replayability	4	Game is fun and rewarding enough to justify nearly endless play through, or utilizes story/skill/advancement/currency to repeat core gameplay with well ramped difficulty.
	3	Gameplay is worth three or more play throughs. The gameplay works on the player building their skills to advance, but ramps the difficulty too fast to make it possible to reasonably progress.
	2	The game is worth two play throughs, and uses a single time reward to encourage this.
	1	The game is only worth one play though. There is nothing to be gained from playing again.
	0	The game can not be played.
Enjoyable Gameplay	4	Gameplay is fun and enjoyable for extended periods of time
	3	Gameplay is fun and enjoyable, but is shortlived, or has other complications.
	2	Gameplay is not fun overall.
	1	Gameplay is frustrating and not fun
	0	No gameplay is existent, or can not be scored due to other factors.
Structural Stability	4	Game plays correctly, laglessly, and without any errors.
	3	Game plays correctly, but has at least one non-critical error, or significant lag.
	2	Game starts, but has at least one critical error that affects gameplay.
	1	Game starts, but does not play correctly due to multiple errors.
	0	Game can not be started, or is unplayable due to errors.
Intuitive Interface	4	Interface, outputs, and feedbacks are well made, responsive, clear, easy to use, and fit the game well. They do not suffer from extreme spelling or grammatical errors. Unnecessary interface clutter is removed and visual or audio feedback is given when the interface is used. Outputs inform and transition the player when they start/complete a level or other similar event as needed.
	3	Interface, outputs, and feedbacks are decently made, but suffers from at least one outstanding issue.
	2	Uses the standard BYOND 3.5 interface without any HUDS.
	1	An interface is present, but doesn’t appear responsive, or is littered with unused buttons, or has significant other problems.
	0	Interface doesn’t fit correctly on a 1024x768 monitor.
Music and Sound Effects	4	The game uses a variety of sound effects and music that makes sense and works with the game to create an enjoyable and immersive environment.
	3	The game provides sfx and music that accompanies the game, but uses only one piece of music and/or sound effects that become annoyingly repetitive.
	2	The game uses both music or sound effects, but they do not benefit the game.
	1	The game uses only music or only sound effects.
	0	The game makes no usage of music or sound effects.
BYOND Spirit	1	The developer (and their team) puts well-intended effort into their productions. They are proud of their creations and accomplishments and tell others about their successes. They strive to make their creations and skills better. They also help to bring out the best in others who are searching the world BYOND by providing support and advice, being a role model, and maintaining a courteous and respectful attitude.
	0	The developer pointlessly discourages, bashes, or abuses other contestants in poor sportsmanship.
Ties will be resolved at the discretion of the judges as to which entry best implements these aspects beyond the purpose of this rubric.

Unclassified GiaD secrets!
If you have never (or even if you have) participated in a Game in a Day contest, these may help you submit a game!:

If you have any questions, feel free to ask below, contact me via the pager, or stop by the Game in a Day 2016 Headquarters, we have a chat room setup there.

Unavoidable legalese:
The judge(s) reserve the right to disqualify any submission, nomination, or user for any reason. The rules and terms above are subject to change, and participation in this event implies acceptance to all of the rules and terms above, even if the terms change. This contest is held by community independents that are not affiliated with BYOND Software. The distribution of all pledged prizes is the sole responsibility of the pledgee. All rights are retained of the proper owners.