The Jam is the all-inclusive version of Ludum Dare where we relax the rules so newbies and teams can enjoy the experience along-side the hard-core competitors. I like that, a lot.

What I don’t like is how relaxed the 48 hour competition rules are. Now I know these suggestion might be heckled as ‘not in the spirit of the competition’, but really, with over 1,000 entries, it’s about time we tighten up the rules so serious competitors can sink their teeth into a real challenge.

Here are a list of things that bother me about the competition rules:

#1. Anyone can change their submission after-the-fact.
This is the biggest hole in the competition my friends tell me about.   It sits very uncomfortably with me too.   There should be a single submission server with a cut-off at the dead-line. This would ensure people don’t make updates after-the-fact. Even presentation upgrades after-the-fact can give an entry a big boost, so I would like to petition to remove updating the entries at all. Challenge is all part of the spirit of competition.

#2. Theme is too vague.
You could make any game with these themes and slightly modify them, or their titles, to include the theme.  This is the number 2 flaw my non-coder friends point out.   There needs to be technical and artistic limitations – more tough rules- otherwise entries could be almost completely finished before the competition even starts, minus a few theme-inspired assets.

#3. No file-size or other technical limitations.
Back in the day we had Speedhack and there was a file size limitations of 512Kb compressed. This limitation is important for many reasons. #1 it separates those who know how to code efficiently from those who use sloppy techniques.  It also makes it much harder to pre-make a massive game/game engine and plop in some theme-related content during the competition.

#4 The worst rule of them all: Base code
Base code should be strictly FORBIDDEN. Much like the last three, this one is about being able to extend your ability to work on your game before or after-the-fact. One could literally write an entire game before-hand with lots of flashy sprite animation helpers and things, then come competition time simply make new graphics and sound for the engine. This ruins the spirit of competition.

My non-coder friends hate these rule flaws. They realize that the competition means virtually nothing if people could very simply, and very obviously cheat. Making the rules more strict would add to the intensity of the competition and help solidify the status of the winners.

I also have a personal gripe with the rating system. Having competitors rate games is a great way to ball-park the greatest entries; it’s unlikely really good entries will be underneath the top 100. Having said that, the top 100 games should be properly rated and sorted by industry veterans, or at least by competition organizers. Often times entries that, to outside observers, clearly don’t belong on the leader-board make it, and even sometimes make it to #1.   Past winners made a lot of my friends, who realize that I take game competitions very seriously, very sour about Ludum Dare.  The validity of the competition is constantly being questioned when I make mention of my participation.

I remember one Ludum Dare where a celebrity competitor had to opt-out because his entry would be so unfairly rated in his favour. If we really want a competition, we should have a place for such elite celebrity competitors.

Despite the common Laissez-faire attitude most people have towards  ‘the spirit of Ludum Dare’, I feel strongly that tightening the rules and pushing things harder is important not only to making better games, but in creating a better perception from the general public. It pushes us harder, it validates what we do, and it validates the winners. Without that validation the grand prize of notoriety falls upon the apathy of the greater public audience and damages the perceived importance of the competition winners.

To rectify some of these things,  I would like to suggest some extra rules for the competition. Note that I am not speaking of the Jam, which is fine the way it is.

#1 No base code – All code and assets must be written during the competition.

#2 Announce technical and artistic limitation alongside the theme.  See The Rule-O-Matic for the very best example of this http://speedhack.allegro.cc/rule-o-matic/spin

#3 Add ‘replay value’ and remove ‘mood’ from the ratings system.   Just a personal suggestion.

#4 Add a submission server – no updates after the deadline, not even spelling mistakes or presentation fixes. It is what it is. This will require a ‘line-up’ system so the submission server doesn’t get bogged down. Perhaps checksum entries prior to upload so this system cannot be cheated.

#5 Add a file-size limitation to source code and assets of 2mb. This is for the sake of the submission server as well as to add an extra degree of difficulty to serious competitors. Obviously, this doesn’t include engine over-head like included library files needed for execution.  Back in the day, 512kb was enough!  2mb is more than enough for the efficient programmer.

#6 Pre-approved, competition certified libraries only.  This again, is to prevent pre-completed base-code. Libraries must be approved by competition organizers.

#7 Remove names from entries during rating. – Popular entrants get too much notoriety and are unfairly judged in their favour. I know a big tradition is promoting your game after-the-fact, but really we all know that popular entrants get unfairly high ratings based on past performance and celebrity status.

I know I will get flamed for these suggestions, but I feel they are important. Why? Because when I explain the competition rules to my friends who do not code, they immediately poke these very same holes in it. They dismiss the competition and don’t give it the credit it deserves. I would like to see Ludum Dare actually mean something to people outside the competition one day.  I would like to see people gain the greater recognition they deserve.   Having better rules adds to the importance of the competition,  it adds to the tension,  and it pushes us even farther. More importantly, it attracts the worlds truly elite game developers and validates their performance to the general public.    I would like to see the winners go on to become not only credited by industry brethren, but by the populace of potential general public fans, eager to know who really is the best of the best. Until the rules are tightened, I don’t see that happening.

Please discuss, and thank you.