This was crossposted with the #announcements channel on the Red Faction Community Discord.

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Today, we are announcing the first monthly FactionFiles Mars Jam!

The challenge for the inaugural February 2022 Mars Jam is:

Create any type of mod for RF1 that incorporates the theme of "What's Old is New"

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What's a Mars Jam?
Similar to a Game Jam, the Mars Jam is all about encouraging and celebrating creativity. Regardless of whether you've released anything before - everyone is a creator, and we hope the Mars Jam will encourage and motivate everyone to experiment, innovate, and create, regardless of any prior experience.

How do Mars Jams work?
Each month, we'll post a new challenge, which will include a type of creation and a theme. How you interpret and incorporate that theme into your work is entirely up to you - try to treat the theme as a prompt to drive your creativity. If you plan to participate in Mars Jams now or in the future, please visit #role-selection and use the :goldpickaxe: react to join the `Mars Jammer` role so you'll get notifications for them.

What's the submission deadline for the February Mars Jam?
Submissions to the February Mars Jam will be accepted until 28 Feb 2022 (11:59PM EST). After that time, we'll post a new challenge for March and ask the entire community to vote for their favorite submission from February's Mars Jam.

How do I submit my creation(s)?
Upload your creation to FactionFiles.com before the submission deadline and wait for it to be approved. Once approved, send a link to your file to #mars-jam-submissions to enter it in the Mars Jam. That's it!

Can I submit more than one creation?
Yes! A creator can submit any number of creations to each Mars Jam.

What will the winners get?
At the end of each Mars Jam, the winning creation will receive a fancy icon on the site, and its author will receive the coveted Mars Jam Champion Discord role (+ a golden color for their name). The role is theirs to hold until the next Mars Jam Champion is crowned. Additional prizes may also be awarded to winners down the road (TBD)

What different kinds of creations will be featured in future Mars Jams?
Multiplayer maps, single player maps, and artwork will definitely be featured in future Mars Jams. Other different kinds of creations may be featured down the road as well. The idea is to encourage everyone to venture at least somewhat outside of their comfort zone and experiment with creations they otherwise may not have considered.

Additional notes:
- No creation is too small, and no developer is too inexperienced to participate in Mars Jams. If you have an idea or a vision for something you want to create - we want to help give you the encouragement you need to bring that vision to life and share it with the world.
- Feel free to utilize #workshop for showcasing the development process for your creations, collaborating with others, and asking for assistance.

At the end of the day, the real prize of the Mars Jam belongs to everyone - we all benefit from the creativity of one another.

Now - with all that being said, February's Mars Jam is live as of now, and we cannot wait to see all the awesome creations to come!