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GBADEV.ORG 2004Mbit Development Competition
ROM available for download [Monday Mar 27th 22:23:07 GMT 2006]
Right, I forgot that I should probably post it on this website too. heh!

You can now download the 2004Mbit Compo Game from this link! Have fun!

 
Last parcels have been sent [Tuesday Dec 27th 20:13:42 GMT 2005]
I spoke to Duo (who has been sending the US/CAN orders) the other day and he confirmed that the last games were sent on the 22nd. Hopefully everyone has received the games by now.

There have been a handful reports of problems with cartridges:
A few would not start or would only start intermittedly when trying to play it on a DS. I think they all worked fine when trying them on a regular GBA.
2 carts would reset when trying to start some of the 10 games. At least 1 of the 2 was fixed with a simple re-flash.
1 cartridge was apparantly stolen (and the manual torn) in transit. The opened parcel was however still delivered ;)
1 cartridge was reported as having another game stored on it. This was the game that the cartridge manufacturer had tested the cartridge with. I assume there was a simple mixup in sending it out. It will be re-flashed and fixed :)

If you have experienced any problems with your game, please contact the e-mail address to which you originally sent your compo payment.

 
First parcels have been sent [Friday Nov 25th 00:31:12 GMT 2005]


First parcels were sent out on Thursday. Picture shows EU/AUS/JPN parcels going out tomorrow =)

 
oh right... [Thursday Nov 24th 02:38:54 GMT 2005]
Oh thats right! I almost forgot...
The game is finished and we have been burning carts and getting everything ready. FINALLY! ;)

Orders will be sent out starting today, Thursday (No sorry, we do not know which day your game will be sent...all the games will be sent as soon as possible). Expect all EU/UK orders to be shipped by Friday. US orders will be sent starting Monday (due to thanksgiving).

I want to thank everyone who has taken interest in this project, and hope that you will enjoy the game! :)

(at least we managed to get them out before x-mas ;)

 
addresses [Thursday Nov 14th 23:29:21 GMT 2005]
It appears that our mass-email to US customers regarding address confirmation has not been received by all. We will try again. If you have not received an e-mail from us regarding your address, please wait a few days before contacting us about it as we are now aware of the problem :) (a few people have contacted me about this already. Thanks)

 
Still waiting on menu [Thursday Nov 11th 14:35:13 GMT 2005]
All customers should have been contacted and had time to get back to us with shipping address. We are still waiting for sgstair to finish the menu............we will start sending the games the same day he finishes the menu.

 
Manuals have arried =) [Thursday Oct 6th 19:33:04 GMT 2005]


And here they are! They are a bit smaller than real GBA manuals but the quality is ever so much better =)

NOW, we have all the "hardware" needed. All thats left is the menu which sgstair is currently working on (when not doing the wifi thing). ETA until we start shipping is 1 week.

During this time we will try to e-mail everyone who has placed an order to confirm their address. Some of you have already contacted us regarding new addresses but I think some people might have moved and didnt think about letting us know =)

 
Manuals are done =) [Monday Oct 3rd 23:50:43 GMT 2005]
Just a quick word to let you know that the manuals were finished today and should be sent from the factory in China tomorrow. Hopefully we will receive them before Friday the 7th.

Ill post pics as soon as they arrive...

 
The boxes have arrived! [Wednesday Aug 24th 12:21:19 GMT 2005]

I have finally received the boxes from the manufacturer! Another big step in completing the project and Im VERY pleased with the quality. IMO they look much better than official GBA boxes (but maybe Im biased). Here are some more pictures:





Please stay tuned for more updates regarding the manual.

 
finally! :) [Saturday Jul 18th 22:15:13 GMT 2005]
Finally some progress on the compo game! :)

After some problems with the initial manufacturer of the compo boxes we have finally found a new one and today I wired the money to pay for them. I will keep you updated.

 
news [Saturday Jun 17th 21:39:32 GMT 2005]
Sorry for the lack of updates regarding this project. We are very much still working on it but as there are so many people involved, all of them having different priorities, it will take some time before everything is finished. We can not give any expected shipping date at this time.

New since last update...

-The cartridges have been shipped to a few "distributors" around the world, so as soon as the final game rom is finished, the cartridges can be burned on site ready to be sent to "local" customer.

I had been hoping to have have boxes and manuals printed by now but unfortunately some developers of the winning entries have been less than helpful in sending us the material we need in a timely manner.

If you havent seen it already, I posted on gbadev.org main page around a month ago about getting Shigeru Miyamoto to sign one of the compo cartridges I had brought to E3. Click here for the story...

 
SOLD OUT! [Saturday Apr 30th 23:45:52 GMT 2005]
WOW! That was fast! All the 500 games have been sold on pre-order.
Thanks for the interest in the competition!

/The gbadev.org team


 
Boxart [Saturday Apr 30th 15:56:24 GMT 2005]


The compo game is selling faster than we ever could have hoped for =)

225 games remaining! If you want a copy, place your order now! If you can not pay by PayPal, please contact us and we will work something out.


 
Pre-ordering [Sunday Apr 24th 12:02:33 GMT 2005]
A pre-order page is now available! There are only 500 games/carts available so secure your copy today! Since a BIG part of the cost is paypal and postage fee's, the price / game goes down quite a lot when ordering several games. First class postage is included in the price, but to keep costs down they are not insured/trackable etc.


Pricing structure:

[QTY: price / game]

US customers:

1: 11.99$usd / game
2: 11.49$usd / game
3: 10.99$usd / game
4: 10.49$usd / game
5: 9.99$usd / game
10: 9.49$usd / game

UK customers:

1: £6.49 / game
2: £6.29 / game
3: £5.99 / game
4: £5.69 / game
5: £5.35 / game
10: £4.99 / game

European customers (outside UK) / Asia / Other areas:

1: 9.49Euro / game
2: 8.99Euro / game
3: 8.75Euro / game
4: 8.49Euro / game
5: 7.75Euro / game
10: 6.99Euro / game


The game is expected to start shipping in late May or early June, but as not to slow down the process further we hope to have most of the games sold by then.

 
Compo carts have arrived =) [Tuesday Mar 29th 11:59:07 GMT 2005]

Finally! The cartridges arrived today, and the manufacturer had even put the labels on them. Saves me from having to do it ;)

We are continuing to work on this project to try to have the game available as soon as possible but things are taking longer than we had originally planned on.

Here are some more pics of the carts (even the DS flashcart pales in comparison heh):
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
Image 4
Image 5
Image 6

 
bleh [Friday Mar 11th 21:51:43 GMT 2005]
Oh dear! Time flies. A whole month has passed without any updates.
No worries we are just busy. We have lives you know :P

Anywho...
The cartridges has been manufactured (and paid for) and will be sent to us next week
as soon as the cartridge labels are finished at the printers.

Next we will tackle boxes and manuals. Stay tuned and contact me if you have any
questions (other than when the cartridges will be finished/available for order etc).

 
progress [Sunday Feb 12th 21:19:21 GMT 2005]
A few weeks have passed without any updates but rest asure that we are working very hard on this project!

A while ago I bought 500 cartridges and a burner. Unfortunately this (standalone) burner could only copy standard ROM cartridges and was unable to copy contents from a flash cartridge (I guess thats what you get when buying stuff from chinese gba pirates :). While this bummed me out for a while (I thought it was ~$2000 down the toilet), I was pleasantly surprised when I was given a full refund for this purchase. I didnt even have to send back the cartridges.

This presents an interesting opportunity. If someone would like to buy these 500 empty cartridges for say, 1000$usd, that would mean we could lower the price for the finished compo cartridge with 2$usd / game. Please keep in mind that the cartridges come unassembled and the burner is very fussy over what it will and wont copy to the blank cartridges. Sold AS IS.
Please e-mail simonb[CAT]gbadev.org if you are interested. No questions asked.

I have found a new cartridge supplier and I have received sample cartridges and writer from them. I was very pleased with the quality of the cartridge and will place an order this week.

The boxart etc is comming along nicely, as is the intro/menu and credits.

The developers of the winning entries will be contacted soon by the project coordinator. We will also contact you about the manual but that will probably be 1-2 weeks from now.

 
Final Results [Sunday Jan 23rd 23:15:44 GMT 2005]
Finally we have the results! 10 Games will be on the cartridge. We would have liked to be able to fit more as there were several other good games that unfortunately did not make the final cut :(

But anyway, The games on the cartridge will be (In no particular order):

1. Bengt - Swinger of Longarm


2. GunKid


3. Space Gems


4. Swish-It


5. Naval Battle


6. SnackMan


7. Simonchu 2


8. YuckFu


9. GASP


10. PanzerPanik



We thank everyone that entered the competition and if you didnt make the cartridge we still hope that you had a great time working on your entry.

We will contact the developers of the 10 selected games within a few days.

 
delay [Saturday Jan 22nd 16:05:07 GMT 2005]
Unfortunately we have all been extremely busy these last few weeks and the compo results have had to wait. We are very sorry for this. We are close to being finished with the final results and hope to have them up by tomorrow.

 
w00t [Wednesday Jan 12th 13:11:19 GMT 2005]
Sorry for the lack of updates. We have received the following updated entries:

Space Gems
GunKid
Switch
Eque
YuckFu
Snackman
PanzerPanik
Simonchu2
bsol
Aura
Top-Ping
GoForIt
Swish-It
SSA64
GASP

I think thats it...if Ive missed someone please e-mail me =)

Please for another few days for final results. Thanks

Also, I believe we are close to finding a new cartridge manufacturer...more on that later

 
updated entries [Tuesday Jan 4th 11:39:49 GMT 2005]
A while ago I asked the developers of the entries still in the running to send us updated versions of their games (if they wanted) on or before January 5th. I will list all the updated entries I have received in a day or so when judging will continue.

 
cartridge manufacturer [Tuesday Jan 4th 11:37:15 GMT 2005]
Unfortunately the cartridge manufacturer that was originally going to be doing the cartridges for us has not been able to deliver what they have promised. I am talking to other manufacturers now and I dont expect this to be any major set back.

 
winning entries [Tuesday Dec 21st 19:10:41 GMT 2004]
Finally an update...

We have not yet decided on exactly which entries will be on the cart. We have a few maybe's that are good but where something is missing or just need to adress something.

The entries has been marked with either:
"YES" = Has a good chance on getting on the cart
"YES/MAYBE" = Still has a good chance but needs to address listed issues
"MAYBE" = Still has a chance and will be tested again if it has been updated
"NO" = Will unfortunately not be included on the cart.

Entries marked with YES, YES/MAYBE or MAYBE can send in updates of their entry until January 5th. You dont have to send in an update but if other entries are updated and as a result get much better...
Entries marked with NO is unfortunately out of the running.

Please e-mail any updates to simonb[-A.T-]gbadev.org on or before January 5th.

Aura - YES
bsol - YES
Naval Battle - YES. Multiplayer over link-cable would be excellent.
Panzer Panik! - YES
SolitarioAdv - YES
Space Gems - YES. Hard to tell the colors apart.
Super Mega Happy Snackman - YES. Can be quite hard to control. Problem with entering a new map and run right into ghosts
Swish-It - YES. Maybe some music?
YuckFu - YES. Too dark. Needs better presentation.


GunKid - YES/MAYBE. Needs to fix the scrolling problems. needs save
Simonchu 2 - YES/MAYBE. Needs more levels.
Star Fortress Dendron - YES/MAYBE. Too short.


Blocktrap - MAYBE.
Eque - MAYBE. needs sound
GASP - MAYBE. too hard
GoForIt - MAYBE. needs sound and save
KrakkMan - MAYBE. Needs 1,2,3 player mode also.
Smiley's run - MAYBE. Needs to fix collision detection, add a small tutorial thingie (like bsol)
SSA64 - MAYBE. buggy
Switch - MAYBE. needs more levels
Top-Ping - MAYBE. Some objects arent exactly clear what they do


Grace - NO
Motus Advance - NO
Mount & Decay - NO
ouzy - NO
SpaceWar - NO
StripPoker - NO
Up or Down - NO


 
entries [Friday Dec 10th 22:22:32 GMT 2004]
Ok, here is a list of all the 28 games entered into the competition.

We are very pleased with the overall quality of the entries and look forward to many more days of playtesting =)

Aura by Paper Cup Games
Bengt - Swinger of Longarm by Team Longarm
Blocktrap 1.0 by Didou (Developer - Send in your contact details)
Eque by Vex
GASP by CJ
GoForIt by babaloomer
Grace by John Nesky
GunKid by Inflame Games
KrakkMan by Krakken
Motus Advance by Didou (Developer - Send in your contact details)
Mount & Decay by Cepheus
Naval Battle by Olemonde
ouzy by JL
Panzer Panik! by isildur
Simonchu 2 by Jagos
Smiley's run by Goldohulk
SolitarioAdv by Domenico
Space Gems by GreenGianT
SpaceWar by Kevin Bohlmann
SSA64 by John Nesky
Star Fortress Dendron by ScottLininger
StripPoker by Cesar Cappellozza
Super Mega Happy Snackman by Ben Ward
Swish-It by Chris Goudy
Switch by Ben Ward
Top-Ping by Supermegatom
Up or Down by Paolo Borzini
YuckFu by Dominic Szablewski

 
BEEP [Monday Dec 6th 06:42:03 GMT 2004]
*BEEP*! Its over folks! 28 entries were submitted with an average size of 349KBytes. Unfortunately some people forgot to include contact information with their entry. If you are one of those, please contact me on simonb[CAT]gbadev.org as soon as possible and we will sort that out.

Thanks everyone for entering the competition. I will update the site later with more news =)

 
Errm [Sunday Nov 28th 18:33:26 GMT 2004]
Errm errm....I just noticed that there are some problems with the uploading in the submit section. Opera can upload both screenshots and .zip files just fine, Netscape can upload images but not .zip files and IE seems to not be able to upload either...

I will try to fix this...tonight :)

UPDATE: Should be fixed now...

 
Submit section is up! [Sunday Nov 28th 11:59:48 GMT 2004]
If you have registered to enter the competition you can now start uploading your entries. Even if you upload an entry now you will still be able to delete it and upload updated versions up until the deadline.

Please follow these simple instructions when submitting your entry:

- Click on the Submit link in the menu. Enter your login and password.

- If you/your team are going to submit multiple entries, each entry must be in its own .zip file.

- Each .zip should contain 3 files: your entry, a small text file giving some information about the game + credits and one text file with contact information of the person responsible for the game. Please see the example further down in this post...

- Name the .zip file after your entry. Example: If your game is called Pokebomb, name the zip file Pokebomb.zip. Name the game information file Gamename.txt (EX: Pokebomb.txt) and finally, name the contact text Gamename_contact.txt (EX: Pokebomb_contact.txt).

- For each entry you submit, you must also upload a screenshot of the game. This 240x160 screenshot should be a .jpg or .png and must be smaller than 40KByte. Only the game should be visible (Not any emulator window etc).


Your contact information will ONLY be available to me, Simon, and not to any 3rd party. Your privacy is important to us.

Please take a look at THIS EXAMPLE of how your entry should be submitted.

If you have any questions, please e-mail simonb[CAT]gbadev.org...

 
Registration is now open! [Wednesday Nov 17th 10:54:12 GMT 2004]
The Registration is now open. Please take time to register now so there wont be any problems on the last day before the deadline.

 
Registration [Sunday Nov 14th 18:10:23 GMT 2004]
The Registration was supposed to have opened yesterday, but I must admit that I completely forgot about it =) I will try to have it ready by tonight (Sunday)...

 
1 month to go! [Saturday Nov 6th 13:40:41 GMT 2004]
UPDATE: It seems that some people did not understand my gold-carts and fineprint jokes, but I assure you that they are just that; jokes, and nothing to get upset about.

Almost 3 months have passed since we announced this years very interesting game development competition. Now there's only 1 month left until the deadline! I hope everyone is getting excited =) If you haven't heard about the competition yet, I suggest that you read the rules to find out exactly what it is about, or at the very least continue reading this post to get a better idea.

GBADEV.ORG has hosted a few GBA development competitions before, but this years competition is a bit different. Instead of just releasing the games (this is a game only competition) on our website, we will manufacture 500 real GBA cartridges with the best games. We expect about 7-12 games to fit on the cartridge. The maximum size for a game is 4Mbit (512Kbyte). This had to be done to fit enough games on the cartridge to make it appeal to the public.

We will also manufacture labels for the cartridges, full color boxes and manuals, just like real GBA games available in stores! Once everything is ready we will set up a webshop on this website where you can purchase a copy. How much will the game cost you ask? 100$usd? 50$usd? 30$usd? 20$usd? No! We expect the final price to be roughly 14$usd, and that includes shipping too! Please keep in mind that neither GBADEV.ORG or any of the developers behind the winning games will make ANY money from this competition. We sell the games to break even.

Each person/team behind the winning games put on the final game cartridge will receive 1 special edition cartridge coated with real GOLD* each! Video games collectors** have estimated the value of this special edition cartridge to upto 50,000$usd***

The deadline for the competition is December 5th! If you are going to enter the competition you must Register to receive a login and password to the Submit section where you can upload your entry (and a screenshot of it). The registration will open on the 13th of November, one week from now.

You, the developer of a game entered into the competition will retain all rights to your game. By entering your game(s) into the competition you only give us permission to use your game on this multi-game cartridge and manufacture 500 copies.

* real as in the color gold, not the element AU
** "Video games collector" is defined by the fact that this person owned at least 5 video games****
*** Estimation was done by a random video games collector and should not be considered to be the real value for this game
**** "Video games" may be imaginary