File size must be less than 40Mb
I think this limitation should be removed if we want to increase the overall quality of the games in BGMC. C’mon 40Mb…I have single textures bigger than this. We are talking about games here. 
The aim is to make sure the most people can play the game. When put in an all games pack, 10 x 40Mb is half a gigabyte. While that’s not too bad by modern standards, not everyone here has an ideal internet connection.
I thought that 40Mb would be reasonable given that this is a week game jam. If you think the restriction on making the game is greater than the restriction on playing the game, I am willing to raise the limit. What max file size would you propose?
(The 40Mb is not including the executable, as the all games pack is for blend files. So thats 40Mb of actual content)
I think that space limitation somewhat is a good idea,
but I think it should be more like a penalty based in blend size vs how small it was when packed correctly…
more bloat = worse score
a bunch if actual content = fine
(this is what the contestants must balance, coding vs content creation and efficency and planning etc)
I would like to suggest a theme: Time travel
Maybe its good to have judges to judge the game from the inside, commenting on techniques and efficiency.
Also I have $20 in my Paypal account waiting for the winner, hit me up!
In the past some people have been very disorganized with their entries. There have been .blend1 files included which were a direct copy of the blend file with all the sounds and textures packed. Doubled the size of the entry for no reason. There were also 8 minute songs in uncompressed .wav format. 60megs just for background ambient noise!
As the organizer on those occasions I had to go through the blends and optimize them because I didn’t want to waste my online storage space. The alternative would be to just reject them, but I wouldn’t do that. 
BGMC is all about learning and improving while having fun. Project asset organization is a skill that needs to be learned early on, or people will never ever be able to manage a large project.
Fully agree!
This is the exact reason why there needs to be a file size limit. Beginner developers need to learn how to optimize their assets losslessly. I think there should be severe penalties for going over the file limit (5% off per mb). We could even compile a set of tips/tricks to lowering game project size.
As I said before, the first priority should be making games easily accessible to everyone. No one likes downloading 100mb for a game that looks like it could be 10mb. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time .zip for its rom is 25mb lol, 40mb is waaaaay more than enough.
(Granted Ocarina of Time took advantage of every possible optimization venue lol)
yep, just like the good ol’ days where developers tried to squeeze everything they could onto a limited hardware, it will be an endearing experience/story to be told for years to come 
A lot of valid points here.
I think the size limit should be there. It helps the player (due to less data to download) and it helps the developers to focus on quality rather than quantity (and to keep things organized).
Reviewing the internals of a game sounds nice but is really a lot of work. This should be requested separately.
Judging the “playability” of the game is more what I think we are looking for. Therefore players should judge or developers with player’s perspective.
Here is my topic suggestion:
- trading
edit: More topics:
- micro world
- giants
I thought that 40Mb would be reasonable given that this is a week game jam. If you think the restriction on making the game is greater than the restriction on playing the game, I am willing to raise the limit.
Ok, removing the limit was just a suggestion. 
Just it seems to me, people are somewhat forced to use simple textures, sounds and models because of that limit, which lowers the game quality.
But you point out enough reasons not to increase it
+1 for trading, it will be an interesting theme.
…and if it is “Drones” I reserve the title “Game Of Drones” 
Wohoo another BGMC is coming. Looking forward to it, might even join if the timing is right. In my opinion a 40Mb filesize limit is a good idea. There are lots of ways you can pack textures to really decrease their influence on filesize (for example, only use an alpha channel if you need it, and have several noise textures in R,G,B channels of one texture, instead of 3 seperate textures. Sound files can become quite big, if you choose wav or mp3, so I´d rather go with ogg.
Theme suggestions are:
-one room
-stationary
-replay value
(not as abstract and cool sounding as some of the other suggestions, but I think these themes can inspire some creative thinking)
I agree, size restriction is good exercise in optimization, planning and keeping development organized.
Id love to participate for once, but will see if the timing is right. If not Ill be happy to judge the entries.
My theme suggestions will embrace the restrictions:
- one/two button control
- monochrome/duochrome
- vector graphics (wireframe)
I agree with the size restriction and only .blends (lower file size).
Would it be possible to attach a license like: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ to the entire games pack? I think this will give everyone a little protection from anyone coming along and trying to sell a game or part of it. The owner should still reserve all rights to work on anything personally created during the week in any way they choose.
I make comment on BGMC. Is good. I am thank you.
40Mb MAX? But all my pre-bought HQ assets and 10 minutes music loops are going to exceed the limit :’[
And what is this talk of judges?? Let the bots vote! It’s what the people want, gotta put my other 3 accounts to use
Why would you even need 10 minutes of music loop? One minute loop or less would be optimal. If you can’t make an efficient game, then you have to learn to and this bgmc is the perfect opportunity.
I tried to work in some teams, and it was common to see HD textures for small stones (and other secondary details), music files in WAV and with too much minutes in time, and other serious lacks of optimization. In BA / BGMC games I still see VERY hi-poly models that doesn’t look good as the same models made in low-poly and with a good work in texturing… And of course, lots of filters that freezes low-end PCs (like mine) in a attempt to make the game look better (not always work). The Ocarina of Time example was a perfect example of how a good optimization can work. But I don’t know if there should be rules for each one of these problems besides the size limit, however warning the participants about this is valid.
And finally, I’m happy to be aware of the BGMC BEFORE it started, just missed the two last contests. Haha
I will participate for sure. 
By the way, is there an year schedule for the contests? Like ‘each three months there will be a contest’. It would be very cool.
Lol. Best part is people thought this was genuine outrage.
Excuse me, I gotta go fire up my bot accounts.
The irony comes from the fact that my games are usually the smallest of all the entries.
Theme idea: Pet Rock
As for participating - I’ve drifted away from game development in general, having not touched Blender since the last Bgmc, where I only modelled a carrot before throwing in the towel… If the host is desperate enough in looking for a judge, im quite impartial. I dislike everyone here equally.
By the way, is there an year schedule for the contests? Like ‘each three months there will be a contest’. It would be very cool.
Unfortunately not. They are organized by the previous winner, so it depends on their schedule. Generally theres a 1-3 month break between them. I wonder if we should try to formalise it a bit more…
SO keep your eye out either here on BA, or there’s a facbook group.
@APilch:
Seems like most of the judges you wanted have turned up in this thread. But it looks like martinsh (and possibly haidme) wants to join as a competitor, and it’s been a long time since I’ve seen a Monster take part in a BGMC, so I hope he joins…
+1 for Monster joining this BGMC