Lemma Soft Forums

I've realized that it's nearly March, and we haven't had a NaNoRenO/IntRenAiMo thread yet. So I thought I'd post one.

NaNoRenO is a yearly event in which people take the month of March to create a game from scratch. IntRenAiMo is a similar event in which people endeavor to finish their works in progress during March. The distinction we've made is that a game is made from scratch in a month if nothing produced before that month is directly used by the final game. (Notes and sketches produced in advance are fine.)

Threads from previous years are at:

2005 http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewto ... ?f=4&t=428
2006 http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewto ... ?f=4&t=943
2007 http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewto ... f=4&t=1750
2008 http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewto ... f=4&t=3011

I suggest we used the community wiki for coordination of game-making.

How much actual 'planning' is really required this time? Sure, there are more people around, but from experience I generally distrust that community efforts would have as much 'energy' in the end when compared to the initial organizing efforts. Do you think it's worth it to list down all participants who signed up (also vs. who eventually finished)?

Perhaps a simple "[Nanoreno 2009]My Game" or "[Intrenaimo 2009]My Game" tag is needed when you post such game in Works In Progress when recruiting help (to single them out as more urgent since they are time-limited), then in the Completed Games section as the end of March / beginning of April approaches.

Thoughts?

PyTom wrote:The distinction we've made is that a game is made from scratch in a month if nothing produced before that month is directly used by the final game. (Notes and sketches produced in advance are fine.)

Eh, I haven't started making a game yet but the functions I plan to use in the game had already been made. So if I copy, paste and modify these codes into my games in the month of March, does it still count as a game made from scratch?

DaFool wrote:Perhaps a simple "[Nanoreno 2009]My Game" or "[Intrenaimo 2009]My Game" tag is needed when you post such game in Works In Progress when recruiting help (to single them out as more urgent since they are time-limited)

Maybe we should also start a thread named 'Finished Nanoreno' and participant of Nanoreno that had finished their games can post it in that thread the URL for the completed games as well as the URL for the work in progress (if they have one). That way we'll know which games are for Nanoreno and which aren't.

DaFool wrote:How much actual 'planning' is really required this time? Sure, there are more people around, but from experience I generally distrust that community efforts would have as much 'energy' in the end when compared to the initial organizing efforts. Do you think it's worth it to list down all participants who signed up (also vs. who eventually finished)?

Just as an interesting "parallel" information, though it's probably been mentioned at some point, the Czech Animefest organizers have opened a ren'ai games making competition for 2009 - according to their news over 10 teams signed up, incidentally they have to finish their original ren'ai game (min playtime 30 min, team limitation seems to be 5 people) by 1.4., same as Nanoreno/Intrenaimo (their extra motivation is a PSP). The deadline is for the judges to be able to play the games prior to the start of Animefest in May.

PyTom wrote: The distinction we've made is that a game is made from scratch in a month if nothing produced before that month is directly used by the final game. (Notes and sketches produced in advance are fine.)

(Specifically, in past years at least - the distinction is that nothing produced specifically for the final version of the game is produced before that month. So notes and sketches are fine because they don't go straight into the final version of the game, but also pre-made free-to-use sprites or backgrounds or music (paper-dolls, etc.) are fine, because they weren't made specifically for your NaNo game.)

I'm still working diligently on my original game ... but I'm so tempted by this challenge ...

I like the thread-tag idea that DaFool proposed.

Question: Would place-holder graphics/borrowed graphics be acceptable by the end of the month to count as a completed game?

maselphie wrote: Question: Would place-holder graphics/borrowed graphics be acceptable by the end of the month to count as a completed game?

Well, basically, your game has to be finished, meaning all media (graphics, sounds, script) are made by you (or your circle if you have one).
Placeholders mean your game isn't quite finished (maybe because of planning).

Picture this: you are elligible to have a stand in Comiket and you received your authorisation just one month before the opening of the festival! Will you be able to produce a Chef d'oeuvre?

Offtopic info: Comiket is one of the most widely known japanese manga and anime convention and being able to sell your work there can make you famous - there are attendance fees and a draw between the willing participants, so getting a place then saying "No, I won't be there finally" is somehow a shame.

Well Nanoreno isn't the like because if you don't finish your game in time there's always IntRenaimo

yummy wrote: Well, basically, your game has to be finished, meaning all media (graphics, sounds, script) are made by you (or your circle if you have one).
Placeholders mean your game isn't quite finished (maybe because of planning).

Darn! =P That does present a challenge. But that makes it much more interesting.
Thanks for clarifying.

What is Intrenaimo?
And if some of the script already in progress before March, can I include it in NaNoRenO?
How about the genre? Can H-Game join too?

LVUER wrote:What is Intrenaimo?
And if some of the script already in progress before March, can I include it in NaNoRenO?

Intrenaimo is when the game starts before March, but finishes during March. So if you have a game in progress already, it can't be part of NaNoRenO, but it can be part of IntRenAiMo.

How about the genre? Can H-Game join too?

I'll say yes, but you should be discreet about what you post on the non-H section of these forums.

NaNoRenO sounds like a chance to take a break from our current project and still work the Kuroi Games team to the bone. I'm totally in on this! *Grabs his whip* We're gonna bust out a game in a month even if it kills them~

yummy wrote:

maselphie wrote: Question: Would place-holder graphics/borrowed graphics be acceptable by the end of the month to count as a completed game?

Well, basically, your game has to be finished, meaning all media (graphics, sounds, script) are made by you (or your circle if you have one).
Placeholders mean your game isn't quite finished (maybe because of planning).

On the other hand, lots of the past NaNo games have used publicly-available resources like stock photos, sprites donated by the community, and so on. Don't let the lack of original material prevent you from making a game!

Kikered wrote:On the other hand, lots of the past NaNo games have used publicly-available resources like stock photos, sprites donated by the community, and so on. Don't let the lack of original material prevent you from making a game!

Thanks!! I think I just might do that. I just found a great website on the OELVN wiki.

Well, You don't have to rely on public resources. One month is a very short time to develop something, but to be honest it isn't impossible to create something from scratch. Perfect planning + good idea and hard work can do miracles. Tigsource has traditional compos up from month to two weeks of time for creating a game from scratch and people often succed making cool games, most of them uses their own designed graphics, music and sound. It's just the fact that short time prevents poeple from creating something bigger and more compilcated.

I'd like to make up something nice with few other people, although it seems my current project already occupies most of the free time. Although I would happily enjoy any cooperation Well, it's a challenge for everyone, isn't it?

Friiiiigate.

It's that time already? ::panics::