The Relay Jam

Welcome to The Relay Jam, a collaborative, low-stress game jam where you don't have to carry the weight of making a whole game by yourself.

In a traditional jam, you start from scratch and run a solo sprint to the finish line. In a Relay Jam, you work in pairs or small teams, but with a twist: you take turns. You build the foundation, pass the baton, and watch your teammate bring it across the finish line.

The Theme

The theme for this jam will be revealed when it starts.

How It Works

1. Team Up: Sign up with a friend or find a partner in our community forums or Discord before the jam begins.
2. Phase 1 (The Hand-Off): Partner A has the first half of the jam to build the core prototype, basic mechanics, or foundational concept based on the theme. When their time is up, they package up the project files and pass the baton.
3. Phase 2 (The Finish Line): Partner B takes the existing project and has the second half of the jam to add features, polish the art and audio, design levels, and finish the game.
4. The Golden Rule: You cannot work on the project at the same time. Trust your partner, embrace the creative surprises they throw your way, and have fun.

Requirements

To ensure a smooth hand-off and fair play, all submissions must meet the following criteria:

• Engine & Source Sharing: You must use an engine or framework that both partners have access to. Partner A must share the editable source code/project files with Partner B at the mid-point.
• Original Work: All code and assets created during your respective phases must be your own, use properly licensed public domain/open-source assets (which must be credited).
• Platform: The final game must be playable on Windows, Mac, or directly in the browser (WebGL). Browser-based games are highly recommended so more people can play your entry.
• It is compulsory for you to have a pop-up notification in your game  to tell players the hand-off has been done.

Community Rules

• Be Kind and Respectful: This is a friendly, supportive community event. Harassment, hate speech, or overly toxic behavior toward other participants or your partner will result in immediate disqualification and a ban from future events.
• Communicate Clearly: Because this jam relies on a hand-off, be honest with your partner about your skill level, your schedule, and how your project files are organized.
• Pls keep it friendly: Please refrain from creating games with extreme violence, gore, or sexual content. Let's keep the showcase accessible to everyone.

FAQ

What happens if I join late? You can still join! However, because this is a two-part relay, joining late means you and your partner will have less time for your respective phases. If Phase 1 has already ended, you can still team up, but Partner A will have to do a quick "lightning build" to give Partner B enough time to finish.

Can I work in a team of more than two people? Yes. If you have a team of three or four, you just need to split your team into two groups: Group A (handling Phase 1) and Group B (handling Phase 2). The rule remains the same: Group B cannot start building until Group A hands off the project.

Can I participate solo?  I am sorry, but the short answer: no.

What if my partner disappears at the hand-off? If your Phase 1 partner ghosts you,  we are sorry to say that unless there's another dev who needs a partner, we cannot do anything to help this ):

How do we share the project files? You can use file-sharing services like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive. If you are more experienced with development, setting up a shared GitHub or GitLab repository is highly recommended. PLEASE NOTE: By joining this jam Wobbly Labs is not  responsible for any dangerous files shared  throughout teams.

What if I have a question not answered in the FAQ? Wobbly Labs does not respond to messages directly in the community chat, but if you do put your question in the community, we might put it in our FAQ.

Timeline

• Theme Announcement & Phase 1 Starts: 6/13
• The Hand-Off (Phase 1 Ends / Phase 2 Starts): 6/20
• Submission Deadline: 6/27
• Voting Ends: 7/4

Voting and Feedback

This is a relaxed exhibition jam. There are no overall rankings or losers. Instead, after submissions close, everyone is encouraged to play the games and vote on fun, positive community badges like:

• Smoothest Hand-Off: Best synergy between Phase 1 and Phase 2.
• Most Unexpected Twist: The game took a wild, awesome turn in the second half.
• Coziest Vibe
• Most Creative Use of Theme

Need a partner? Head over to the Community Tab here on itch, and use the #FIND-A-PARTNER topic to team up.