22/08/2019
Congratulations to the winners of the first Table Realms Game Jam we ran at Nexus Hub - Retail.
Congratulations to the winners of the first Table Realms Game Jam!
We’d like to start by giving a huge thanks to all of the developers who joined us for the first Table Realms Jam, as well as everyone who attended the Table Realms workshop or showed interest in the Table Realms technology.
As this was our first jam, and very close to our first time inviting other developers to put Table Realms to use in their own games, we tried to stay flexible and available for all the unforeseen circumstances and varying needs of the developers. This jam was designed to give developers the opportunity to use Table Realms in games built using either Construct or Unity, with our team at the ready for any questions or technical issues which arose. There were, unsurprisingly, many questions and technical issues, but overall, we’re very happy with how the developers put Table Realms to use.
However, we underestimated the time and resources required by the devs to fully understand and implement Table Realms, which didn’t allow for much in the way of innovating with Table Realms beyond its most simple form as a mobile controller for console-style games. This led to a decision we made which we hope all of the participants will appreciate: we’re removing the R8,000 prize for Table Realms innovation and distributing that prize money among the runners-up. The prize of R8,000 for the best game still stands, and since only four games were submitted, that means everyone who submitted a game will win something!
And so, without further ado…
THE GAMES
FIRST PLACE: GoGoGogos! by catonice
PRIZE: R8,000
We had a lot of discussion about the winning game, but GoGoGogos! squeezed into first place with its attention to detail, excellent use of the theme, and the most suitable game loop for a casual console-style game. It’s very easy to pick up and play, and we saw a number of occasions where it created a “just one more game!” situation. This is the kind of game that could easily be scaled up to go beyond the limits of a jam game, and we hope to see more from catonice!
SECOND PLACE: Beef Knights by Mathbear
PRIZE: R4,000
A very close second, Beef Knights impressed us with its visuals and perfectly simple core game mechanics. While it was arguably the least “Something South African” entry into the jam, it has enough humour and general sense of liveliness to secure it second place. We’d love to see this game taken further, perhaps by including a proper lobby system and additional abilities for the player characters.
THIRD PLACE: Taxi Tourists by V Master
PRIZE: R2,500
Another excellent interpretation of the theme, this game scored highly among the judges for its simple yet enjoyable game mechanics, and the use of the South African map as the playing field made us all giggle. We’d love to see this one polished and turned into something fleshed-out; the inclusion of power-ups and tighter controls will go a long way, as would more obstacles or generally challenging mechanics.
FOURTH PLACE: BoerieBashers by MrScruff23
Prize: R1,500
BoerieBashers is a food-fighting arena-style game, and while we very-much enjoyed the concept, we felt that the overall delivery of the game let it down. While jams are very seldom the place for polish, this is the sort of game that would benefit hugely from improved visuals and clearer gameplay mechanics. Still, there’s no denying the enjoyment of flinging wors rolls at your friends!
Congratulations to all of the entrants, and to catonice for taking the win! We look forward to working with all of the participants again, and we hope you enjoyed diving into Table Realms with us.
Until the next jam, thanks again for your interest, and don’t hesitate to contact us if there’s anything you’d like to know about Table Realms.
Thank you to Nexus Hub - Retail for hosting the Jam.
