A common issue I have in Ludum Dare jams is running out of time at the end. I tend to be ambitious with my projects and it often ends up with me having a really solid core and then not much content to actually play with.

For my game, Watt Balance, I wanted to have an actual plot in the game. I'll be the first to admit I needed more variety in enemies and objectives, and I had plans for them, but I squeezed in the last code commit for the recharge mechanic 45 seconds before the deadline because that was something I could get done in time. I wanted to have dynamic lighting, so that when you went below the surface you had to spend battery power on running a flashlight if you hadn't repaired the power in the area. But I had actually worked out a plot I wanted to use, and that's the part I'm most sad that I wasn't able to include.

Imagine the feeling of having collected all of the powerups. You've spent all but one of your batteries repairing the power stations. You've explored the world, and there's the last power station... but no more batteries. There's nothing to do but spend your last one on the repair. The station springs to life, and then the screen goes dark, just like it did so many times when you ran out of power -- looks like it's game over. What did you miss?

"My battery is low, and it's getting dark..."

That message never showed up before. And then when you would have expected the title screen to come up so you can have another chance to play, the music shifts, and the lights come back on. The inhabitants of the city have reactivated because you fixed the power system, and to thank you they repaired you and gave you a new battery. They throw a celebration for you, and the game ends with a picture of your character sipping a can of oil while lounging on a huge pile of batteries.

If you give my game a try, I hope you can imagine what the finished version would have been like. And if you share what you would have done, I'll happily check your game out with the same idea in mind.