So, as we have pretty much a week left before the start of the Ludum Dare, this is around the time that I start thinking about what things I can do in preparation for the compo. As I've got the next week off work, I'm trying to decide what (and why) I plan to finish before the compo begins ...

Typically this comes down to two things:

1. I'm going to pick a genre and/or game mechanic to focus on

If I'm being honest with myself, 2 days isn't enough time for me to finish a well rounded game and score well in all the categories, so I like to concentrate on those parts which make me happy, which as a programmer, is the coding. I love to use Ludum Dare as a chance to work on a game genre that I wouldn't normally have the chance to work on, and to aid this, I like to pick a genre/mechanics ahead of time that I plan incorporate into the competition. Sure, I still need to shoehorn the ideas into the theme when it's announced, but at least I don't run the risk of not being able to think of an interesting idea on the day. Picking a genre ahead of time also allows me to progress on my second point ..

2. Refine my LD library I have been developing a library/framework which I like to use for each Ludum Dare, and which I try to add new features to be used in any up-and-coming compos. I first started using it in LD31, and I have been slowly building it up over the years. I usually use 'the week before' to refine anything that might not have gone great last time, as well as add any features which are missing. Early on, this was things like creating a screen manager, adding OpenGL support, shaders or a specific feature (render-to-texture, splines etc.). Its also nice to have a single, simple process for creating a distribute-able package for the end of the compo. I spent more than an hour in the first few compos just trying to bundle my game up.

This time around, I will finally be adding some much needed features:

• openAL sound integration
• subpixel sampling shaders (using Handmade Hero Chat 018)
• post effect frame work
• box2d helper classes

What kind of things, if any, do you try and prepare beforehand?