{"author_name":"My Milked Eek","cat":"LD #22","comments":[],"epoch":1324235400,"likes":2,"metadata":{"p_key":"60725","p_author":"My Milked Eek","p_authorkey":"7229","p_urlkey":"96478","p_title":"Ludum dare is over :(","p_cat":"LD #22","p_event":"LD22","p_time":"1324235400","p_likes":"2","p_comments":"0","p_status":"UPD5","us_key":"7229","us_name":"My Milked Eek","us_username":"my-milked-eek","event_start":"1323993600","event_key":"8","event_name":"LD22"},"text":"

I learned a lot throughout this Ludum Dare.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Preparation is key. And I don\u2019t mean by programming the game before the compo starts, but by knowing your tools inside out. I spent a lot of Saturday messing around because I didn\u2019t practice enough with Slick2D. That was noticeable by the peaks and lows my FPS had. It went from as high as 3000 to as \u201clow\u201d as 200 FPS because of a few changes. I\u2019m pretty sure that I won\u2019t do that much better the next Ludum Dare, but I\u2019m confident that eventually I\u2019ll master resource management.<\/p>\n

Clean code is good code. Yeah, screw that. I tried maintaining the cleanest code possible throughout Saturday and spent more time \u201ccleaning code\u201d than writing code. I stopped writing clean code on Sunday. I\u2019m not saying \u201cscrew clean code entirely\u201d but in a Ludum Dare situation it can get hectic and it\u2019s better to output code fast instead of clean. It\u2019s not like I\u2019m maintaining this game after today.<\/p>\n

Make it playable as fast as possible. I read some developers preaching this and to be honest, it\u2019s cool and fun when your game is running and changes you made are instantly testable. I switched from a platformer to a topdown view during the course of Saturday. I felt platforming wouldn\u2019t have been as fun and as smooth as topdown would have been. Know your limits applies.<\/p>\n

One thing I didn’t do was participate that much in the community. That was a choice I made when I started. I wanted to focus on game-making entirely. I think I wouldn’t have finished my game if I was reading around and trying everyone else’s game. Not to speak of internet distractions…<\/p>\n

All in all, my game isn\u2019t that much fun. It entertains you for a minute, or two if you\u2019re a slow player, but I\u2019m glad I made it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Special thanks to caranha for assistance and lols.<\/p>","time":"December 18th, 2011 2:10 pm","title":"Ludum dare is over :("}