In the Sonic Hacking Contest we take quality control very seriously, but try to be inclusive enough to potential contest participants by not setting the bar too high.
It is important to note that the requirements listed below are just general rules of thumb, and may not necessarily be "one-size-fits-all"; entries based on more exotic or recent game may require special attention. if you believe you're going to submit an entry based on one such game, but you're not sure if your scope is going to meet the requirements, feel free to let us know.
If you can't meet the criteria, you might want to wait a bit more before submitting your entry to the Sonic Hacking Contest. Maybe you'll be able to refine your techniques and deliver an even better Entry for a future year!
Must have at least 3 of the following:
A. Palette changes, physics changes, and other various minor modifications.
B. Art changes, layout changes, and/or mapping changes.
C. Engine, sound driver, and/or special stage functionality changes.
D. Music and sound effect modifications.
Simple texture only hacks.
Simple object layout modifications.
Simple model swaps of existing game models.
Collections of custom models, assets, objects.
Custom levels and/or playable stages of acceptable quality.
Custom game logic/code written in assembly or existing game logic hooked using arbitrary programming language (C/C++/C#/D etc.)
Modification(s) that change features in the playable game itself.
The following entry types are acceptable submissions to the Contest regardless of whether they meet the above Quality Control Criteria.
Pick at least 1 of the following:
A. Complete change to the rules of a Sonic game. (Example(s): Sonic Bash v2, Boss Rush Hacks, Dungeons of Soleanna, Roller in S3AIR)
B. Overhaul into a whole new game. (Example(s): Sonic Forces Overclocked, Hellfire Saga, Sonic Essence)
C. Technical feat(s). (Knuckles' Clackers, Lantern Engine, DOOM in Sonic Mania)
D. Translation entries that translate a game into a language it was never originally localized into, while offering no other changes (Unjudged only).
Effective this year, submissions that have appeared previously at the Sonic Hacking Contest will undergo additional conditions.
If your entry has been submitted to SHC in the past, before being considered for the event, it will be tested for Quality Control against itself. This means that your entry will be compared against the latest version that has been submitted to the Contest previously.
Entries that have not made significant changes since their last submission to the Contest may be rejected.