{"assets":[],"author_link":"author\/edibletoaster\/","author_name":"edibletoaster","cat":"LD #23","categories":["LD #23"],"comments":[],"epoch":1334826900,"event":"LD23","likes":12,"metadata":{"p_key":"78028","p_author":"edibletoaster","p_authorkey":"0","p_urlkey":"287038","p_title":"Get ready. No really, Get Ready\u2026","p_cat":"LD #23","p_event":"LD23","p_time":"1334826900","p_likes":"12","p_comments":"0","p_status":"WAYBACK","us_key":null,"us_name":null,"us_username":null,"event_start":"1334880000","event_key":"10","event_name":"LD23"},"source_url":"2012\/04\/19\/get-ready-no-really-get-ready\/","text":"<p>Sup Fellow Ludum Dare participants? This is your friendly neighborhood toaster reminding you all to make sure you\u2019re really ready for the upcoming Ludum Dare. Here\u2019s a few general purpose tips that you should take note of for not just Ludum Dare, but just in general.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Backup your work always, often<\/strong><br\/>\nWhether you just work out of dropbox, or use source control, make sure you regularly back stuff up as you go along. You may get super tired along the way and may not make the best of judgement calls, power may go out at random, leading you to lose data, and precious hours of work. If not using source control, or something like Construct, Stencyl, Multimedia Fusion, or Gamemaker, try to save new revisions under different filenames to be safe, or if you need to revert. Do note that on the dropbox site you can revert to older versions of files, but trust me, in most cases, it won\u2019t help you at all.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Eat decent food<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>TIME TO FEAST ON JUNK FOOD ALL DAY LIKE PROGRAMMERS IN THE MOVIES! \u00a0<strong>No<\/strong>. Eat well, treat yourself well, and you\u2019ll have the right kind of energy and such to continue on and work\u00a0effectively\u00a0and happily. Not to say a cookie or three isn\u2019t bad every now and then\u2026<\/p>\n<p><strong>Destroy\u2026 Then Improve<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If things aren\u2019t working out, don\u2019t be afraid to scrap parts of your game that just don\u2019t work, no matter how much time you spent on it. Trying to shoehorn things into working may cost you more time than removing that extra feature that breaks everything, or even rewriting the feature entirely.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Use What you know<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you know C++ well, use it. If you know C# well, use it. Flixel, Flashpunk, Unity? Use it. If you know Gamemaker, Construct, Multimdia Fusion, Stencyl, GameSalad, Twine, etc. Just use it. There is no shame in a finished game. There is no shame in playing to your\u00a0strengths. This round, I may consider the use of Construct 2 or similar tool, rather than SFML 2 and C++ (which I\u2019m slowly getting better at) in order to focus on one of my weaker aspects (Art), and spend time on something I really love to do (music). \u00a0Super Crate Box and Spelunky were Gamemaker titles, so be awesome with whatever tools you use.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Who needs a map?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If you need help? Get some. Use the internet, check out if anyone isn\u2019t too busy on irc for advice and such. Don\u2019t be afraid to get a bit of help if you\u2019re really stuck. But do be advised, most of the awesome people on the internet will be busy with their own Ludum Dare projects, so be patient if you ask on irc. It is advised that you make sure you know how to research problems and their solutions. Also make sure you check out the tools list on the Ludum Dare site if there\u2019s anything you may need, be it pixel editors or music and audio tools. It\u2019s a pretty good list of nice free stuff.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Well these are a few tips I\u2019ll be trying to follow during the Ludum Dare. Hopefully these help someone out.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Good luck! Have fun, and I can\u2019t wait to try as many games as I can!<\/p>","time":"April 19th, 2012 9:15 am","title":"Get ready. No really, Get Ready\u2026","title_was_empty":false}