The lesson of the day was cognitive resources.

Do everything that boosts cognitive resources.  Set the stage properly for a smooth run.

I am narcoleptic with multiple sleeping problems.  Day-to-day conversations are on my list of things that are too hard to keep track of.  Cognitive resources are always at a premium for me.   That is why I am a master at managing them, and when it comes to something like Ludum Dare,  I know just how to harness their true potential.

Boosting cognitive resources involves cleaning the house,  making sure affairs are in order, being confident with time and abilities, etc.

I burnt through so much “Cog” this weekend that my brain kinda feels dried out.  However, I put those resources to good use by avoiding distractions, cleaning up my environment, and preparing for the storm.

Things I think I did wrong

• No Practice / Warmup – I thought I was doing something else this weekend.  I hadn’t used my tools since last Ludum Dare.
• Dishes – I didn’t do dishes the day before, my kitchen was in disarray, and it was a cognitive inconvenience.  Clutter creates mental barriers and I am a king of clutter.
• Pacing – I needed to have scheduled breaks.  In the beginning I was too excited and getting up too often,  toward the end I was grueling and not getting up enough.
• Didn’t prepare meals – I did remember to take some meat out of the freezer and go grocery shopping
• The 90’s were rad. – I forget that the culture has changed since 1995.  I try to make games that would be sweet B-hits for the SNES, when I should be making simpler games with much more polish and elegance.
• Should be simpler – Warm-up games like Space Squid, and Bio-Contaminant would have been viable candidates for the competition even though they only took 10 hours a piece.  I really aught to be less ambitious and put more time into polishing.

Things I think I did right

• Comfortable Environment – I chose to use the tool-kit I had prepared when warming up for Ludum Dare 26 in April while making Space Potato & Dice & Arrows.
  
• Clean the office – It sure ‘aint clean anymore,  but when I started it was spotless.  I took the time to set the stage and it payed off in morale, workspace convenience, and ultimately those cognitive resources I was valuing so much.
• Time commitment- I committed the entire weekend.  I didn’t do -anything- else.
• Sleep – Properly planned sleep schedule, for maximum cognitive resources.  I’m a bad-ass at this nowadays, by the way.
• Grocery Shopping – It was good to have some healthy food quickly available
• Timelapse – The timelapse really helped me to stay on task and distraction-free.  No Facebook cat-photo adventures,  people are watching!
• Post Mortem – Closure is bliss.

 Game

Click Here to play & rate.

Timelapse