Gamejolt Adventure Jam 2017 Coming Up: May 5th - May 19th

AdventureJam returns for its third year of game development pandemonium as anyone with a computer, an idea, and an internet connection is invited to create an adventure game over the course of 14 days!

Whether you love point & click adventure, text adventure or exploring 3D environments, we want you to jump in and create a game that embodies the spirit of adventure, whatever that means for you! Adventure games have been around nearly as long as computers, and what began with words on a black screen has evolved into an amazing spectrum of gaming experiences. Let's celebrate the awesome legacy this genre has created with 14 days of pixels, puzzles, parody and pathos!

AdventureJam will begin May 5th at 9:00 PM EST, and end precisely 14 days later on May 19th 9:00 PM EST. The voting process will follow immediately after the jam concludes, and will last until June 16th at 9:00 PM EST.

So GET LAMP... GET SWORD... and GET READY... for AdventureJam!

Main site: http://jams.gamejolt.io/advjam2017

Discord discussion: https://discordapp.com/channels/148964658521440256/148964658...

These things are great if...

• You have a team
• You can sort the art yourself

Neither of which I have, so I can never partake. I can write, I can sort development, I can script, I can even do sound design (at a push), but I can't bloody draw 2D or work a 3D application to save my life. :shakeshark: -- someday, I will get someone to add this emoticon for me.

Well, the use of existing open sourced/CC artwork is allowed. There's some good stuff out there - for example, Glitch (over 10.000 assets, all in glorious vector *.fla format).

https://www.glitchthegame.com/public-domain-game-art/

Of course, you would have to work around the existing art, but limits can be creatively stimulating :-)

Well, the use of existing open sourced/CC artwork is allowed. There's some good stuff out there - for example, Glitch (over 10.000 assets, all in glorious vector *.fla format).

https://www.glitchthegame.com/public-domain-game-art/

Of course, you would have to work around the existing art, but limits can be creatively stimulating :-)

Using pre-made assets available to other people would be more of a practice run at developing a game. At least in my mind, anyway. If I was judge, I would be looking at original work & creativity - not a fan of readyily available asset files - even sound fx audio files, though I do think they save some time. Art though is more noticeable - very noticeable in 3D models especially.

Using pre-made assets available to other people would be more of a practice run at developing a game. At least in my mind, anyway. If I was judge, I would be looking at original work & creativity - not a fan of readyily available asset files - even sound fx audio files, though I do think they save some time. Art though is more noticeable - very noticeable in 3D models especially.

Agreed, original art is always going to make your game 'stand out' - in a (hopefully) unique way. Having said that, I have played a number of really good (indie) games that relied mostly on existing game art (commercially available or free) that are a lot of fun to play. Vice versa, many games with outstanding art turned out to be rather boring to play. I am a strict believer that games with great playability and sporting 'bad art' trump poor games with great art.

Thing though is, I agree with you that with graphical adventure games it is far more difficult to achieve a fun original game when having to limit yourself to existing art.

Another option is to re-use open source 3d art, and setup your own 3d scenes by mixing and matching those assets in order to create (more) original looking artwork for a point-and-click adventure game. Or simply overpaint basic 3d scenes as a starting point for backgrounds, which I often do myself.

But that still implies you have to be able to draw/digitally paint, of course.

Another technique I used in the past: render 3d scenes as line art. Blender allows you to do that easily, but if I am honest a 3d application will NOT automagically turn anyone in an artist - far from it, actually. You have to develop an eye for good visuals and composition, colour, lighting, etc. No matter the tool(s) you use.

I tried to use blender. I failed. Couldn't even create something as simple as a minion from the Despicable Me animated movie franchise.

I'm pretty good with the pen tool in photoshop, but I lack the patience to cut-out reference materials & I work very slowly in photoshop when it comes to cutting out, using the pen tool to outline around something & then start shading it in. I think I just lack the patience these days for anything like that.

Ah yes, 3d apps can be a tough nut to crack if you've never really worked with one. I started working in 3d software way back in 1986 on my first Amiga 1000(!), and working with 3d's  become quite a natural feeling to me. The amount of free 3d resources out there is quite impressive, but can also be intimidating.