So, I managed to participate in my first LD. RGBCMY is very minimal game where you have to absorb colors to be able to pass colored gates and finally reach the target.

What went right

• Using Löve2D game engine
  I always liked LUA and thought that Löve2D is a great engine for small games. I just never found a project I could use it for. Using it for LD was fun.
• Only using basic shapes
  As the theme was “Minimalism” it felt natural to stick to basic shapes like boxes, rectangles and lines. At first, I wanted to use them as place holders for pixel graphics, but after a while I liked the minimal look.
• Using sfxr
  There are only two sound effects in the game. Using sfxr it took only seconds to create them.

What went wrong

• No preparation
  I did not do any preparation, so I spend the first hour configuring my tools and figuring out how to actually use Löve2D.
• Underestimating level creation time
  I totally underestimated the time it takes to create and test new levels. Although I came up with very minimal level editor, I only managed to include 5 levels with the game. Four of them were created in the last hour of development. You can easily finish all levels in less than 30 seconds.

Update

As I only managed to include 5 short levels but got nice comments asking for more, I have now added five more levels which are way more challenging and should keep you entertained for a few more minutes. You can find the download links on the entry page http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-26/?action=preview&uid=21343.

Conclusion

Ludum Dare is awesome! I’ll definitely be participating again next time.