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![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.gavpugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/advofone.png\")
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So, this past weekend I participated in the 22nd Ludum Dare<\/a> competition. You have just 48 hours over the weekend in which to create a game. The crux of the competition is that you create all code and content within that 48 hour period. No re-used assets at all. Only engine\/middleware\/framework code is permitted to be prepared beforehand.<\/p>\n I wrote my game with Unity<\/a>. It\u2019s the first project I\u2019ve ever undertaken in Unity, and I had very little experience of it. I came out of the other side with a very positive impression, I really liked using it. As much as I love C\/C++; given the time constraints, it seemed a good idea to go with Unity. The other big upside is that you can deploy the game to be played via a web browser. This was definitely what I wanted. I didn\u2019t want people to have to go to the hassle of a download-and-install, just to play the little toy game I made over a weekend.<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n I wrote a turn-based strategy RPG game. My inspiration was the \u201cShining Force\u201d series of games. The theme of Ludum Dare this time was \u201cAlone\u201d; every game submitted had to follow this theme. This obviously doesn\u2019t fit the team-based gameplay of Shining Force, but mine has a twist. You just play as a single character. It just takes the combat part of those RPG games, there\u2019s no walking around and talking to villagers. There is a shop to purchase and sell items between battles, but that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Here\u2019s a link to play the finished game:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I was disappointed with what I ended up with, mostly due to how much work I had to squeeze into the time. In my eyes the game had two major failings:<\/p>\n The biggest achievement though was:<\/p>\n That’s my introduction out of the way. Now, onto the postmortem…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I had to prioritize the last few tasks, so I inevitably had some on the cutting room floor. Here are the features I really wanted to add:<\/p>\n Of course, all of these things still fall way below \u2018fixing the balancing\u2019, and some other things mentioned in the \u201cWhat went wrong\u201d section. The Perlin-noise, colored and textured terrain was actually a wishlist item for me originally. I wonder if I\u2019d have left that on the wishlist, I would have been able to fix the balancing?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In all, I enjoyed the experience. I was disappointed that the game I was intending to be challenging and provide seemingly \u2018endless hours\u2019 of battling, only holds up for about ten minutes. But I had fun coding something that quickly under a time pressure. Sure, the code looks absolutely horrible, but it\u2019s a thrilling experience just churning out stuff at that speed, and having it all come together.<\/p>\n I would consider doing another Ludum Dare in future, but I\u2019d definitely want to do more preparation. I\u2019d also certainly scope my idea much better. I think a shorter, tighter game is the way to go. Something that would be doable with two \u2018sleeps\u2019 in there as well. I\u2019d like to get a good twelve hours of sleep next time, instead of five! <\/p>\n <\/p>\n You\u2019ll notice the log ends at about 2pm, four hours before my 6pm deadline. That last four hours was just a whirlwind, the time flew by ridiculously fast!<\/p>\n I found it pretty useful to keep this log. It helped with motivation, and helped me focus on what I should be doing next.<\/p>\n I also have half a dozen mini-notepads full of ramblings about movement, AI, and the turn system. Taking a break from the computer and sitting down with a pad and paper is pretty valuable. Just gives you time to refocus, so you don\u2019t just sit there coding down a blind alley.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n ~38 hours in ~4 minutes:<\/p>\n Ludum Dare #22 – Adventures of One<\/a><\/p>\n The first session was about 10 hours; the second session was about 28. Tags: postmortem<\/a>, timelapse<\/a><\/p>","time":"December 21st, 2011 1:30 pm","title":"\u201cAdventures of One\u201d \u2013 A postmortem, journal log, and time-lapse video"}The Game<\/h2>\n
\n ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.gavpugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/unity.png\")
“Adventures of One”
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![\":)\"](\"http:\/\/ludumdare.com\/compo\/wp-includes\/images\/smilies\/simple-smile.png\")
\n <\/ul>\n What Went Right?<\/h2>\n
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What Went Wrong?<\/h2>\n
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\n ![\"\"](\"http:\/\/www.gavpugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/picasso.png\")
“Picasso” – Look at that work of art!
<\/b><\/i><\/div>\n My TODO List At The End<\/h2>\n
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Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n
My Journal Log<\/h2>\n
\n ![\"Zip](\"http:\/\/www.gavpugh.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/11\/inf-file.png\")
log.txt<\/a><\/p>\n My Time-lapse Video<\/h2>\n
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