I’m thinking of making a first-person shooter game this year, and I searched and wanted to try out what others made in this category.
I found these games:
Hunters 4K
Ice Fighters
Robotron 4096
But unfortunately none of them starts or is available. The listed ones are all Java Web Start games. Are there any mirrors or tips on how to try them out?
There is a general rule not to make identical games to previous entries. If I can’t even try these entries, I can’t guarantee I’m not making something similar to them.
Maybe the authors of the listed games can share/post their games again?
That means that I can’t submit Gravitational Fourks again (although I could make a Gravitational Fourks 2 - and, in fact, it’s a possibility). It doesn’t stop you from submitting a planetary ballistics game, even if it has identical gameplay.
I’ll try to find it, I may have it archived somewhere. Not at the top of my priority list though.
It is very unlikely you will just incidentally make an identical game. You if you can’t see or play an existing game, chances are you won’t be able to make an identical game either.
People have submitted many Tetris clones, just with different graphics. These are not identical games.
I think everyone should release the source code of the game. It could have a link to the source in the main page of the game in java4k site. With the source code we can learn and improve our skills and build even better 4k games.
Anyway, maybe sometime the source if so complex that we cannot learn from it… it’d be very nice if people share their knowledge in a wiki or something similar like the great resource from Alexander Hristov (http://www.ahristov.com/tutorial/java4k-tips/procedural-cartoon-rocks.html). Maybe add an optional section in the game page called Technical Details…
just a few ideas…
While a good idea, many may not want to release the source code as it might give others a competitive advantage and we might end up with a situation where everyone submits near to the end of the contest which isn’t really good motivation for others to enter.
We could do something like save the source code and only release it after the results but again seems too long winded to be worth the effort.
I agree with you, everyone should even release the source code of any program (not only 4k games) so that we could learn and improve our skills. However, lots of people still think that sharing should be only an option while I think sharing should be the rule.
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It is a good idea in my humble opinion.
Even a complicated source code should be instructive if it is well written and documented. I learned a lot of things by reading the source code of Art Attack in 2006…
We’re talking Java4k games here. Are any of them well written? I’d expect 100% of them to be full of “elegant” (read “ugly”) hacks.
Bonus point(s) for releasing the source? 
Pehaps make submitting the source compulsary, but then give them the option whether they want the source to be viewable before or after the competition ends? I for one do not mind sharing code, the more the merrier!
Wha? Why? I vote against giving bonus points for sharing the code, and even stronger against making it a rule.