{"author_link":"\/users\/zanyg","author_name":"ZanyG","author_uid":"zanyg","comments":[],"epoch":1569671075,"event":"LD45","format":"md","ldjam_node_id":162539,"likes":50,"metadata":{"p_key":"133419","p_author":"ZanyG","p_authorkey":"1120147","p_urlkey":"349626","p_title":"Thoughts on the Theme Slaughter","p_cat":"LDJam ","p_event":"LD45","p_time":"1569671075","p_likes":"50","p_comments":"0","p_status":"WAYBACK","us_key":"1120147","us_name":"ZanyG","us_username":"zanyg","event_start":"1570147200","event_key":"78","event_name":"Ludum Dare 45"},"node":{"_collation":{"body_sanitizer":"TextUtils::SanitizeHTML via existing importer","event":"LD45","removed_author":false},"_superparent":159347,"_trust":2,"author":120147,"body":"I've seen others discussing how they would change the theme slaughter for the better, and while I agree with limiting it to just one suggestion per person, I also think people should be trying to make better themes. So, here's my list, in no particular order, of surefire ways to get your theme rejected:\n\n- **Symbols**. We've all seen _light_, _death_, and _time_ a dozen times. A waste of a suggestion. Even when you try to integrate it into a larger theme, it rarely works.\n- **Jokes**. While some may find _yeet_ or _Area 51 raid_ amusing as a joke, nobody wants to be forced into making a game focused on it.\n- **Meta**. A theme is meant to be the topic for the LD, not provide additional restrictions to jump around like _use an unfamiliar engine or language_ does. Something like _pick 3 themes_ makes it difficult to judge how well games stick to the theme; while _remaster previous project_ breaks the whole point of the LD: to make a game within a couple of days.\n- **Proverbs**. These are obscure, a pain to interpret, and even more of a pain to implement. How are you even meant to make a game around _Bob's your uncle_?\n- **Repeats**. I just made a game around _your life is currency_, so why should I want to do it again? If I liked my previous game, I would just remake it, and if I didn't, I'd be able to improve upon my past experiences, neither of which constitute making a game from scratch.\n- **Specific**. There are numerous problems with _find the killer (needle in a haystack)_. If it were to be selected, you would have to make a game with a mystery, and with a large selection of suspects.\n- **Imprecise**. On the other hand of too specific, it is possible to make ones that are too vague. Take _Rube Goldberg's nightmare_. Would this be a machine very simple and efficient, or one very complicated that achieves absolutely nothing?\n- **Nonsense**. What on Earth is a _peom_? Why would I want to make a game around _Shirayuki- Rotk\u00e4ppchen_, which Google informs me is an anime?\n- **Political**. This may be more of a personal annoyance, but I prefer to keep my games separate from the woes of real life. I come here for escapism, not more mention of _climate change_.\n- **Restrictive**. Anything that forces the creator into a particular artistic style, genre, etc. falls under this category. Examples are _16 bit_, _Minimalism overkill_, or _dating simulator_. Remember that others may be less confident in drawing, coding or writing in a particular way than you are.\n- **Negatives**. A theme should provide inspiration of what to make, not limit what can be created. _No guns or platformer games_ would severely limit what gets made, with many LD participants simply unwilling to make something other than a platformer.\n\nAnd some more from @alphish:\n- **Feel-bad**. Things that are just depressing like _there's no hope_ are going to generally be less fun to rate too many games of in succession. Sure, these themes can be well-handled by a game, but just as themes that restrict the creator to an arts style or genre are bad, these restrict the tone of the game.\n- **Frustration**. A game with a _horrible control scheme_ designed specifically to haunt the player could be good, but it won't be when twenty of these are played right after another. I may have reached the top in Getting Over It, but it doesn\u2019t mean I want to have similar experience dozens of times.\n\nWhile I'm sure that there are some trolls among us who enjoy posting themes they do not believe are good themselves, I feel as if the majority of people are simply unaware how bad many of their themes are.\n\nFrom @jeremy-ryan: There is a distinction between a good game idea and a good theme idea. _No jump platformer_ could result in a very good game, but I would absolutely not want to play and rate fifty of them.\n\nIn general, before submitting a theme, consider if you would like to make two thousand different games on that theme, and rate them all, without it becoming difficult or repetitive. If you can only think of a few games to make fitting your suggestion, how can you expect us to think of unique games?\n\nFinally, good luck on the Ludum Dare.","comments":20,"comments-timestamp":"2019-09-29T17:02:07Z","created":"2019-09-28T10:47:33Z","files":[],"files-timestamp":0,"id":162539,"love":50,"love-timestamp":"2019-09-30T15:57:37Z","meta":[],"modified":"2019-09-30T15:57:37Z","name":"Thoughts on the Theme Slaughter","node-timestamp":"2019-09-29T23:10:39Z","parent":161765,"parents":[1,5,9,159347,161765],"path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/45\/uh-oh-galaxy\/thoughts-on-the-theme-slaughter","published":"2019-09-28T11:44:35Z","scope":"public","slug":"thoughts-on-the-theme-slaughter","subsubtype":"","subtype":"","type":"post","version":484496},"node_metadata":{"n_key":"162539","n_urlkey":"349626","n_parent":"161765","n_path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/45\/uh-oh-galaxy\/thoughts-on-the-theme-slaughter","n_slug":"thoughts-on-the-theme-slaughter","n_type":"post","n_subtype":"","n_subsubtype":"","n_author":"120147","n_created":"1569667653","n_modified":"1569859057","n_version":"484496","n_status":"WAYBACK"},"source_url":"https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/45\/uh-oh-galaxy\/thoughts-on-the-theme-slaughter","text":"I've seen others discussing how they would change the theme slaughter for the better, and while I agree with limiting it to just one suggestion per person, I also think people should be trying to make better themes. So, here's my list, in no particular order, of surefire ways to get your theme rejected:\n\n- **Symbols**. We've all seen _light_, _death_, and _time_ a dozen times. A waste of a suggestion. Even when you try to integrate it into a larger theme, it rarely works.\n- **Jokes**. While some may find _yeet_ or _Area 51 raid_ amusing as a joke, nobody wants to be forced into making a game focused on it.\n- **Meta**. A theme is meant to be the topic for the LD, not provide additional restrictions to jump around like _use an unfamiliar engine or language_ does. Something like _pick 3 themes_ makes it difficult to judge how well games stick to the theme; while _remaster previous project_ breaks the whole point of the LD: to make a game within a couple of days.\n- **Proverbs**. These are obscure, a pain to interpret, and even more of a pain to implement. How are you even meant to make a game around _Bob's your uncle_?\n- **Repeats**. I just made a game around _your life is currency_, so why should I want to do it again? If I liked my previous game, I would just remake it, and if I didn't, I'd be able to improve upon my past experiences, neither of which constitute making a game from scratch.\n- **Specific**. There are numerous problems with _find the killer (needle in a haystack)_. If it were to be selected, you would have to make a game with a mystery, and with a large selection of suspects.\n- **Imprecise**. On the other hand of too specific, it is possible to make ones that are too vague. Take _Rube Goldberg's nightmare_. Would this be a machine very simple and efficient, or one very complicated that achieves absolutely nothing?\n- **Nonsense**. What on Earth is a _peom_? Why would I want to make a game around _Shirayuki- Rotk\u00e4ppchen_, which Google informs me is an anime?\n- **Political**. This may be more of a personal annoyance, but I prefer to keep my games separate from the woes of real life. I come here for escapism, not more mention of _climate change_.\n- **Restrictive**. Anything that forces the creator into a particular artistic style, genre, etc. falls under this category. Examples are _16 bit_, _Minimalism overkill_, or _dating simulator_. Remember that others may be less confident in drawing, coding or writing in a particular way than you are.\n- **Negatives**. A theme should provide inspiration of what to make, not limit what can be created. _No guns or platformer games_ would severely limit what gets made, with many LD participants simply unwilling to make something other than a platformer.\n\nAnd some more from @alphish:\n- **Feel-bad**. Things that are just depressing like _there's no hope_ are going to generally be less fun to rate too many games of in succession. Sure, these themes can be well-handled by a game, but just as themes that restrict the creator to an arts style or genre are bad, these restrict the tone of the game.\n- **Frustration**. A game with a _horrible control scheme_ designed specifically to haunt the player could be good, but it won't be when twenty of these are played right after another. I may have reached the top in Getting Over It, but it doesn\u2019t mean I want to have similar experience dozens of times.\n\nWhile I'm sure that there are some trolls among us who enjoy posting themes they do not believe are good themselves, I feel as if the majority of people are simply unaware how bad many of their themes are.\n\nFrom @jeremy-ryan: There is a distinction between a good game idea and a good theme idea. _No jump platformer_ could result in a very good game, but I would absolutely not want to play and rate fifty of them.\n\nIn general, before submitting a theme, consider if you would like to make two thousand different games on that theme, and rate them all, without it becoming difficult or repetitive. If you can only think of a few games to make fitting your suggestion, how can you expect us to think of unique games?\n\nFinally, good luck on the Ludum Dare.","title":"Thoughts on the Theme Slaughter","wayback_source":[]}