{"assets":[],"author_link":"author\/ganbaregames\/","author_name":"Kyle Mac","cat":"LD #28","categories":["LD #28"],"comments":[],"epoch":1386952500,"event":"LD28","likes":7,"metadata":{"p_key":"81405","p_author":"Kyle Mac","p_authorkey":"0","p_urlkey":"290522","p_title":"What I Learned From Last Time","p_cat":"LD #28","p_event":"LD28","p_time":"1386952500","p_likes":"7","p_comments":"0","p_status":"WAYBACK","us_key":null,"us_name":null,"us_username":null,"event_start":"1386892800","event_key":"20","event_name":"LD28"},"source_url":"2013\/12\/13\/what-i-learned-from-last-time\/","text":"

Ludum Dare 27 was a very informative experience for me. I thought I\u2019d put all the things I learned from last time in a post before 28 starts. If you\u2019re new to Ludum Dare, you\u2019d do yourself good to read this.<\/p>\n

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  1. Breaks Are Good<\/strong> \u2013 When I\u2019ve been programming for a few hours, I get fried. Everything turns into a distraction, and I\u2019m not able to work optimally. When you get to that point (and you will get to that point), it\u2019s good to take a walk, make a cup of tea, or perhaps play with your cat for a bit. Taking breaks not only allows for necessary rest, but it often leads to some of your best work since it gives you time to think about your programming problems.<\/li>\n
  2. Make Sure To Eat<\/strong> \u2013\u00a0 Food is good. It might be best to prepare some meals for the coming weekend while you still have the chance. Also, despite what a lot of people say, an energy drink or two won\u2019t hurt you, especially if you\u2019re going to pull an all-nighter.<\/li>\n
  3. Choose Your Music Before It Starts<\/strong> \u2013 I don\u2019t know about you, but I like to listen to music while I work. If you know you\u2019re also like that, it behooves you to make up an iTunes playlist before Ludum Dare starts.<\/li>\n
  4. Choose Your Music Generation Software Before It Starts<\/strong> \u2013 As much as I hate to admit it, presentation is important and audio presentation especially. If you have no idea what you\u2019re doing when it comes to music (like me!), you should find a good music generator beforehand so you don\u2019t waste time looking for one during the 48 hours. Otomata<\/a> worked for me last time, but there are plenty of other free music generators out there. Be sure to find one that can export audio files too!<\/li>\n
  5. Blog Posts Equals Ratings<\/strong> \u2013 I\u2019ve noticed from the last Ludum Dare that some of the highest ranking games were made by people that would post a lot of development updates and post-mortem statuses. Big, colorful screenshots will do if you don\u2019t have anything of value to say.<\/li>\n
  6. Make Your Game For Browsers<\/strong> \u2013 Unsurprisingly, not many people want to download your game in order to play it, especially since there are so many other Ludum Dare games that are available for browsers. If you are primarily creating a desktop game, make sure to schedule time to port your game to web.<\/li>\n
  7. No, Seriously, You Need to Rate at Least 20 Games<\/strong> \u2013 This might be the most important thing I learned from last time. When they say you won\u2019t rank if you don\u2019t rate other people\u2019s games, they mean it. You might be of the opinion that you don\u2019t care about ranking high, but trust me when I say that your future self will not share that opinion.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    So that about does it for me. Is there anything that you\u2019ve learned from your own previous Ludum Dare experiences that you want to share in the comments?<\/p>","time":"December 13th, 2013 4:35 pm","title":"What I Learned From Last Time","title_was_empty":false}