So my first Ludum Dare has come to a close, and I have to say, I loved the experience. Not only was making the game super fun, but grading and playing others games was a blast too. Not only that, but I think I did pretty good all things considered for my first game, especially considering It was a Compo game.

Overall: 212th (3.775 average from 53 ratings)

Fun: 103rd (3.902 average from 53 ratings)

Innovation: 247th (3.653 average from 51 ratings)

Theme: 146th (4.069 average from 53 ratings)

Graphics: 307th (3.735 average from 53 ratings)

Audio: 157th (3.67 average from 52 ratings)

Humor: 270th (3.296 average from 51 ratings)

Mood: 398th (3.367 average from 51 ratings)

I'm most happy about the FUN catagory. Not only did I place very well (the top 5% if the total number of participants is considered to be 2,000), but it's the category I wanted to do well in as well. Most of my other game jam games I've created haven't been seen as very fun, and that is what I strive for in my games. I defiantly believe that this game shows my progression in design philosophy for the better, as not only did I find it enjoyable and replayable, but others did too.

Other categories such as mood and graphic I though I would do worse in, seeing as I just threw them off to the side, but If I had the time I could have put more time into the characters and world. Things like a dynamic background would really elevate this game to a new level, but sadly, nobody has the time to put in every feature they want.

I think for the next time however, I'm going to try to create key bindings and controls that are more intuitive, as I believe that is what this game is missing the most. I know that every game has flaws, but I feel as though when a player tries to play a game, but doesn't understand how, they have a poor experience overall. I defiantly need to find better key combos that are more industry standard (Like making jump space bar, and not L)

I had a blast this game jam, and I hope you all did as well. If you want to check out my game, I'll be happily abliged.

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/46/keep-it-afloat