As I couldn't finish the game the last time, I'm really looking forward to LD47. I feel like after four LDs and one DJam I more or less understand what's the most enjoyable workflow for me in a 48h game jam.

I'll leave some thoughts on the whole process here. Feel free to discuss .)

1. Scope

I always think too far ahead, making up systems far too complex for 48 hours. I think that's okay, as long as you can keep yourself in check and finish the damn thing, but I tried to make a Darkest Dungeon clone for LD 46 and it didn't go that well. I tried to finish it in time for jam, but it was unbalanced, and the gameplay was hard to understand.

One way that paradoxically improved the overall quality of my work was constraining my timeframe to 20 hours. I did this for DJam4 in 19 hours or so. I used stock audio, so maybe I'll focus more on that this time, since it really improved the overall quality and feeling of the game. In the end, I like that last game a lot more than all my previous submissions.

So this time I'm making something that I can finish in 20 hours or so, and then use the remaining day to polish it.

2. Avoid crunch

This might sound silly since the whole LD is kind of a crunch simulator, but it goes with the whole "constraint your time". I spent the whole 48 hours of past LDs, with about 6-8 hours of sleep, and found that I'm not really able to work efficiently for a month or two after LD. I avoided the burnout after DJam4, and not being strung with anxiety for the whole weekend makes it more enjoyable, not to mention I actually finished the game, and was quite satisfied with the result. Keep the game as simple as possible, and then relax and polisih.

3. Prepare yourself

I'm talking about pre-LD preparations. Like clean your table, stock up on food, and then decide what technologies you'll use. Prepare your libs in a new project (I work with Unity), and practice drawing what you know how to draw a few days before LD, so you can make assets quickly. I've heard it's a good idea to have menus and fonts ready as well, but I think I'm a bit too disorganized to manage that.

4. People and stuff

I like to hang around the LD discord voice chat. I don't talk much, but I like to listen. It's one of the best part of the whole LD. I'd probably wouldn't participate if there wasn't a community this strong. But it's also good to mute the chat from time to time if you want to get anything done.

5. Balance trying new things and doing things you know how to do

I like to try some small new thing on each LD, but also do and use things I did many times before. It improves the overall quality, and takes a lot less time to do what you know how to do.

6. Theme

I don't think too hard on the theme. I make up a few ideas, pick one, and make it happen. Sometimes it's better, sometimes it's worse. I never manage to fully realize it anyway, so I just make the best game I can, and it's more than enough for me.

Okay, enough of me rambling. Let's go already!

THE HYPE IS REAL