{"author_link":"\/users\/guillaume-cleenewerck","author_name":"Guillaume Cleenewerck","author_uid":"guillaume-cleenewerck","comments":[],"epoch":1744311148,"event":"LD57","format":"md","ldjam_node_id":414583,"likes":0,"metadata":{"p_key":"211205","p_author":"Guillaume Cleenewerck","p_authorkey":"1408197","p_urlkey":"451007","p_title":"Shelter from the Blight","p_cat":"LDJam ","p_event":"LD57","p_time":"1744311148","p_likes":"0","p_comments":"0","p_status":"WAYBACK","us_key":"1408197","us_name":"Guillaume Cleenewerck","us_username":"guillaume-cleenewerck","event_start":"1743811200","event_key":"111","event_name":"Ludum Dare 57"},"node":{"_collation":{"body_sanitizer":"TextUtils::SanitizeHTML via existing importer","event":"LD57","removed_author":false},"_superparent":406845,"_trust":1,"author":408197,"body":"# Our First Game Jam: [**Shelter from the Blight**](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/57\/shelter-from-the-blight)\n\n![Screenshot of the game](\/\/\/raw\/58a\/36\/z\/6be91.gif)\n\nFor a long time, my friend **Yiraa** and I have shared the dream of making a game together. We\u2019ve been close friends since engineering school, and every now and then we\u2019d talk about cool game ideas, build some lore, and say, *\u201cWe should make a game!\u201d* We\u2019d start something, tinker for a few hours, three, maybe four, and then it would quietly fade away.\n\n---\n\n## But this time was different.\n\nA few weeks ago, **Yiraa** said:\n\n> \u201cLet\u2019s join a game jam.\u201d\n\nIt felt like the right push. Unlike our past attempts, this would give us a **deadline** and a reason to actually finish something. Ludum Dare was coming up, and it felt like the perfect opportunity.\n\nNeither of us had any prior experience in game development, but we're both developers. I'm fairly experienced, but **Yiraa** is excellent, especially when it comes to **quickly learning new concepts** and **solving tough technical problems**.\n\nTo work efficiently, we decided to **split tasks**. I had touched 3D modeling briefly more than a decade ago, so I took on the modeling and helped shape the game design, while **Yiraa** focused on the core systems and logic.\n\n---\n\n## The Game:\n\nThe theme was **\u201cDepths\u201d**, and that\u2019s how [**Shelter from the Blight**](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/57\/shelter-from-the-blight) was born, a **3D hex-based strategic building game** where players dig down through the earth to escape a **creeping corruption** from above. Each new depth unlocks new resources and buildings, creating a satisfying sense of **progression and pressure**.\n\n\nWe didn\u2019t want the game to be too easy. In fact, our goal was to create a kind of **die-and-retry** experience, where players learn through failure and slowly master the systems. That said, we didn\u2019t have time to fully tune the difficulty or resource generation, something we\u2019re excited to work on in the future.\n\n---\n\n## Creating Under Pressure\n\nWe were realistic about our ambitions. It was our first game jam, and we knew we\u2019d be up against the clock. To save time, we **reused and adapted design ideas across levels**. The only thing we knew about a jam is it is all about making tough calls quickly, and sometimes that means recycling mechanics or models to keep momentum. \n\nThat strategy helped a lot. I even had time to do some **sound design**, using random things around my apartment to make effects. I probably annoyed **Yiraa** by banging on furniture, but it made him laugh, and it was part of the fun.\n\n---\n\n## Learning by Doing\n\nCreating even simple 3D assets was a challenge for me, especially early on, but I **learned fast**. With each new model, I got a bit more confident and efficient. Maybe I have strong instincts for modeling, but for sure i can thank my last experience, the fact that  **necessity is a great teacher**, and the jam pace forced me to improve quickly.\n\n![3D assets](\/\/\/raw\/58a\/36\/z\/6be9c.png)\n\nOne unexpected bonus: **my dog**. Thanks to her, we had to go outside every now and then for a walk, which turned out to be the perfect excuse to take breaks and get some sunlight. These little pauses helped us reset and come back with fresh ideas.\n\nOf course, doing a game jam after a packed week of our full-time jobs was intense. It wasn\u2019t exactly relaxing, but it was **energizing** in a different way, a **creative rush** that made the effort worth it.\n\n## Looking back\n\nWe\u2019re incredibly proud of what we made. [**Shelter from the Blight**](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/57\/shelter-from-the-blight) may not be perfect, but it\u2019s a **complete, functional, fun game** that we built from scratch in just a few days. That alone feels like a massive win.\n\nWe're already thinking about a **V1.1**, where we can polish the gameplay, improve the balance, and expand on concepts we didn\u2019t have time to explore.\n\nMore importantly, this experience gave us a lot of **confidence** to keep going. Some of our friends were hesitant to join the jam, worried they wouldn\u2019t be able to contribute. Now that we\u2019ve been through it, we know they absolutely could. And hopefully next time, **they\u2019ll join the adventure too ...** \n\n### Because in this kind of experiences you can surprise yourself with what you're capable of.\n","comments":0,"created":"2025-04-10T17:27:46Z","files":[],"files-timestamp":0,"id":414583,"love":0,"meta":[],"modified":"2025-04-10T18:54:44Z","name":"Shelter from the Blight","node-timestamp":"2025-04-10T18:54:44Z","parent":408196,"parents":[1,5,9,406845,408196],"path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/57\/shelter-from-the-blight\/shelter-from-the-blight-1","published":"2025-04-10T18:52:28Z","scope":"public","slug":"shelter-from-the-blight-1","subsubtype":"","subtype":"","type":"post","version":1308545},"node_metadata":{"n_key":"414583","n_urlkey":"451007","n_parent":"408196","n_path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/57\/shelter-from-the-blight\/shelter-from-the-blight-1","n_slug":"shelter-from-the-blight-1","n_type":"post","n_subtype":"","n_subsubtype":"","n_author":"408197","n_created":"1744306066","n_modified":"1744311284","n_version":"1308545","n_status":"WAYBACK"},"source_url":"https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/57\/shelter-from-the-blight\/shelter-from-the-blight-1","text":"# Our First Game Jam: [**Shelter from the Blight**](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/57\/shelter-from-the-blight)\n\n![Screenshot of the game](\/\/\/raw\/58a\/36\/z\/6be91.gif)\n\nFor a long time, my friend **Yiraa** and I have shared the dream of making a game together. We\u2019ve been close friends since engineering school, and every now and then we\u2019d talk about cool game ideas, build some lore, and say, *\u201cWe should make a game!\u201d* We\u2019d start something, tinker for a few hours, three, maybe four, and then it would quietly fade away.\n\n---\n\n## But this time was different.\n\nA few weeks ago, **Yiraa** said:\n\n> \u201cLet\u2019s join a game jam.\u201d\n\nIt felt like the right push. Unlike our past attempts, this would give us a **deadline** and a reason to actually finish something. Ludum Dare was coming up, and it felt like the perfect opportunity.\n\nNeither of us had any prior experience in game development, but we're both developers. I'm fairly experienced, but **Yiraa** is excellent, especially when it comes to **quickly learning new concepts** and **solving tough technical problems**.\n\nTo work efficiently, we decided to **split tasks**. I had touched 3D modeling briefly more than a decade ago, so I took on the modeling and helped shape the game design, while **Yiraa** focused on the core systems and logic.\n\n---\n\n## The Game:\n\nThe theme was **\u201cDepths\u201d**, and that\u2019s how [**Shelter from the Blight**](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/57\/shelter-from-the-blight) was born, a **3D hex-based strategic building game** where players dig down through the earth to escape a **creeping corruption** from above. Each new depth unlocks new resources and buildings, creating a satisfying sense of **progression and pressure**.\n\n\nWe didn\u2019t want the game to be too easy. In fact, our goal was to create a kind of **die-and-retry** experience, where players learn through failure and slowly master the systems. That said, we didn\u2019t have time to fully tune the difficulty or resource generation, something we\u2019re excited to work on in the future.\n\n---\n\n## Creating Under Pressure\n\nWe were realistic about our ambitions. It was our first game jam, and we knew we\u2019d be up against the clock. To save time, we **reused and adapted design ideas across levels**. The only thing we knew about a jam is it is all about making tough calls quickly, and sometimes that means recycling mechanics or models to keep momentum. \n\nThat strategy helped a lot. I even had time to do some **sound design**, using random things around my apartment to make effects. I probably annoyed **Yiraa** by banging on furniture, but it made him laugh, and it was part of the fun.\n\n---\n\n## Learning by Doing\n\nCreating even simple 3D assets was a challenge for me, especially early on, but I **learned fast**. With each new model, I got a bit more confident and efficient. Maybe I have strong instincts for modeling, but for sure i can thank my last experience, the fact that  **necessity is a great teacher**, and the jam pace forced me to improve quickly.\n\n![3D assets](\/\/\/raw\/58a\/36\/z\/6be9c.png)\n\nOne unexpected bonus: **my dog**. Thanks to her, we had to go outside every now and then for a walk, which turned out to be the perfect excuse to take breaks and get some sunlight. These little pauses helped us reset and come back with fresh ideas.\n\nOf course, doing a game jam after a packed week of our full-time jobs was intense. It wasn\u2019t exactly relaxing, but it was **energizing** in a different way, a **creative rush** that made the effort worth it.\n\n## Looking back\n\nWe\u2019re incredibly proud of what we made. [**Shelter from the Blight**](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/57\/shelter-from-the-blight) may not be perfect, but it\u2019s a **complete, functional, fun game** that we built from scratch in just a few days. That alone feels like a massive win.\n\nWe're already thinking about a **V1.1**, where we can polish the gameplay, improve the balance, and expand on concepts we didn\u2019t have time to explore.\n\nMore importantly, this experience gave us a lot of **confidence** to keep going. Some of our friends were hesitant to join the jam, worried they wouldn\u2019t be able to contribute. Now that we\u2019ve been through it, we know they absolutely could. And hopefully next time, **they\u2019ll join the adventure too ...** \n\n### Because in this kind of experiences you can surprise yourself with what you're capable of.\n","title":"Shelter from the Blight","wayback_source":[]}