I haven't gotten enough ratings on my game in the 2 other LDs that I've done, please help me achieve my goal of making it to the leaderboard! https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/dvz

Hi all. There's a game search site and I can't seem to find it. Can someone point me to it?

On my way to have rated 200 of your games, drop yours and any really exceptional ones in the comments below!

No fame without shame (I feel like asking for more votes is unethical but YOLO): https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/a-spark-of-light

One year ago, Ludum Dare 37 came to a close on this very day and, we, as a team, had just finished our second Ludum Dare entry - Hyper Holomayhem 37. Although the game's overall placement and results were quite satisfying, every time we think back at the game we can't stop but thinking we could have done several things differently, and how we could have faced our second entry in a completely different light and with a completely different design perspective.

As a result, it's not a game we tend to mention or acknowledge often, however, having a game created during Ludum Dare early on that we ended up not really being proud off taught us several lessons that helped us change the way we looked at Ludum Dare and how we structured our workflow on every event afterwards, both in regards to the jamming part, as well as during judging.

Up to this day, we still carry those lessons together with us, as our latest Ludum Dare entry, Jazzy Beats takes the stage now, one year later. On this post, as the game celebrates it's one year of lifetime, we'd like to discuss some of these lessons we learned the hard way through it's development, and how they ended up shaped the way we approached our latter jams, including, of course this latest Ludum Dare.

A Problem of Scope

Hyper Holomayhem was a side-scroller shooter where, as a jetpack trainee, you had to stay as long as possible in the Hyperdeck, a room that kept constantly changing layouts as it was powered it gears. As you explored the rooms under a time limit, you also had to dodge and shoot enemies, breaks blocks, and return to the room's core to deposit all the gears you'd find spread across the level. The gameplay hook came from the player's free and unrestricted movement, thanks to the jet-pack mechanic, random room layouts and using the player's weapon to destroy enemies and blocks in order to claims the gears spread through-out. Seems fine-ish and probably fun at first, right?

The truth was that for a great part of the jamming period, we hadn't really agreed on what made our game unique, or what made it stand out. Instead, we had several different, unexplored design ideas in our minds that didn't exactly cohere together, from different environments, to power-ups and puzzles, and by the time we decided to focus mostly on the shooting and speed oriented gameplay, we were already reached a point where we had very few time left to flesh up the gameplay without compromising everything else. On other words, we had an issue of scope, and the feeling that we could have made several different design decisions in regards to it, is one that accompanies us up to today.

This feeling taught us some very important lessons that we'd apply to our workflow on the following jams:

1. Always settle for an idea right at the beginning of the jam, and, if preferably, create mock-ups so everyone on the team understands the game vision and direction right from the start. If the idea already sounds like it's going to be an hassle and you haven't even begun it's execution, then it's preferably better to rethink it. The moment everyone in your team understands the concept is a pretty magical moment and one that you can really tell when it really happens.
2. Consider time and resource limitations and work little-by-little. Although every member knew exactly what they had to do at a given time, because of the lack of direction and scope, we ended up not having a clear distinction on what each of us should be aiming for. If the direction was established earlier on as point 1. mentioned, each member could have worked more coherently to improve gameplay.

Another aspect we felt we could have performed much better on as well as the judging phase, especially with it being the first time we were judged on a Ludum Dare. Since it was at the time where everyone on the team was busy with their personal work, school assignments and commissions, we ended up not putting as much heart and thought into it as we could have possibly have, making it the Ludum Dare we have posted the less, commented the less, and received the less feedback on of all of them, especially when compared to our latest ones.

From that point on, we realized it was important to do things differently, and that, for our next Ludum Dare we'd have to rethink most of our workflow, focus on the scope of our next project, and involve ourselves much more in the judging period.

The Next Ludum Dare

Four-months later, and cue Ludum Dare 38. For the second time, we decided to assemble exactly the same team that had participated in Hyper Holomayhem's development, meaning we were practically giving a second try at our team's structure. During the whole development of this new project, we took into considerations the things that we felt we hadn't played out as we expected during Hyper Holomayhem.

For starters, just as the jam started, we decided to make sure we'd completely settle on an idea before beginning the game's development. After almost two hours of discussion and some rough sketches, we had settled on the idea that would lead up to Petty Puny Planet’s creation. Having a clear vision from the start allowed us to plan ahead much better, and by the end of the first day, we already all of the base gameplay down, allowing us to further refine the concept, additional features and polish and add content for the remainder of the event, a polar opposite situation to what had happened with Hyper Holomayhem. How did some of these rough sketches look into the first hour? Well...

...even so, it was this much of a simple sketch that allowed everyone to understand what we were trying to develop.

Same-wise, when it came to the the actual judging phase, we focused on making sure that we’d spread the word about the game across as needed, and, even if we were still on a busy time of our personal lives like we had been during Hyper Holomayhem's development, that we'd take a moment off each day to guarantee we gave the game the attention it deserved.

At the time, we also cemented the name of our brand-evolved-into-collective Whales And Games, using its logo, name, and likeness for the first time ever in this project. Looking back, our focus on the judging phase after a rough first experience, and on getting the branding out for the first time, was an important step that helped lead to everything that came afterwards.

Jazzy Beats

And finally, we arrive at Ludum Dare 40, which judging phase is going on at this very moment. With all the lessons learned with Hyper Holomayhem and the latter, Petty Puny Planet, we took up the Dah-ray once again, creating and developing our currently in-judging game, Jazzy Beats. Applying the lessons we learned through the development of Hyper Holomayhem, and the changes we've made to our workflow through Petty Puny Planet, we we're able to deliver a project which we believe transmits the same values we have as a collective. For many, those values might not be the most important thing when it comes to game jamming, but for us, game jams are a opportunity to try new things, whilst also showing what Whales And Games is truly about.

On Hyper Holomayhem first anniversary, we might not have been able to ship a massive content-update to it as we did with our Ludum Dare 36 game, Colossorama when it was it's one year anniversary, but it's still a game to look back at and, for all it's flaws, realize it was an important milestone that helped us define a lot of our working procedures and direction to go. It's a game that, even if we aren't as proud of as much as others, it's a game that we, at Whales And Games will always consider a part of the family and of our history. One day, we'd like to go back and give the game the proper treatment and love it deserves.

In behalf of our team, thank you for reading, and for all the support you have given us during these past Ludum Dare that has lead us to the point where we are today. We might have gone through some hardships, but getting feedback, and seeing people playing our games is what drives us to keep on going! If you'd like to do some chit-chat, or would just like to keep up with the different things we develop, we also have our very own Discord! It'd be nice to see you there. Thank you! :whale:

Back with an update for my Godot port of my LD40 submission Mutoid.

After struggling to get a handle on the collision system (There's really a lack of good tutorials), I finally got bullets and damage working. From that point forward development gained some momentum. I haven now got scrolling background, mutant attacks and deaths, player shooting working, and player death working. Next up is collision with the upper buildings and viewport bounds. Then start and end game screens, and finally the other two enemies that are currently missing from the port.

After that point, I can start adding some of the new features I have planned. Lots of cool stuff planned, especially with the lighting built into Godot.

Here's a peak at the port progress.

Embedded video isn't working so please visit here instead: www.youtube.com/watch?v=2o-zoKDmu0U&feature=youtu.be

Need some more ratings on my game! There is a web version so no need to install :) Any ratings would be very appreciated!

Here is the game: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/too-much-slime

Don't watch it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiehmL-LVCI

Game Page.

Here's a couple GIFs on what to expect in Lantern, an endless horror-esque game made for this jam! Thank you all for your support! Check it out: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/lantern

(By the way, there has been some confusion about the integration of the theme into the game, and I will explain some different ways the game fits the theme: 1. The more light you have, the more likely you are to be chased by monsters. 2. The more your heart rate goes up, the lower health you have. 3. The more fear you as a player have, the more likely you are to make a mistake. Thank you all for the support!)

Are you not sure of your alignment?

Do you want to find out for sure what kind of person you are?

Well then, you should play The blacksmith. It's the definitive way of answering those specific questions. Make friends, go to the passion room, answer life's big questions.

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/the-blacksmith

Hey y'all I'm looking to play some browser games! Here's mine if you're interested: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/too-many-chooks

If you have not tried my game, please try it: Panic Blocks

Learn more in dev page

I have started working on the version 2 of the game after the Ludum, perfecting the mechanics and concepts of the game. Coming Soon... Please follow me on Facebook and wait for the information: Facebook site

Thanks!!!!

A secret... The more multipliers you have, the better items will fall. :3

The Theme:

The Enemy can't fight; every upgrade you pick up, every bullet you fire could lead you to victory or your demise.

Didn't get much time to advertise my game enough, here's hoping there's still time left! Thanks!

Leave a comment or a review and I'll check your game out too! :clap::innocent:

Rate Here.

Play Here. (Browser)

This is my first game I made for Ludum Dare, and I have very few Ratings can you Try It PLease

Frankly, my game isn't about graphics - I'm full opt-out on that category, as well as audio. More importantly, I didn't want to give anything away - no spoilers. Some people only make it a third of the way through my game. Some less. I've gotten requests for clues and hints, and this is fully understandable. I've gone back and forth about how much to divulge, and when to do it. If you read my game comment thread, some clues have been doled out. But, not a lot. Even so, a fair number of people have beaten my game.

My game is a one-time experience. It's not meant to be re-played many times (though, I suppose you could if you wanted to). If you see someone else play my game, you can't ever experience it yourself with freshness. It needs to be experienced with fresh, naive eyes. That's the purpose of my game. To be experienced one time. That's it. You play it once, you finish, you don't ever play it again. It's something that you must experience for yourself; Pics, GIFS and/or videos can hinder that.

I'm not saying my game's awesome. It's just different. It's hardly even a game, except it is. I guess I'll just tell you what other people said about my game:

"the font in the game isn’t like what is in the screenshots"

I didn't even get that right. But, I still have a functioning "game." Here's more quotes:

"confused"

At least six people used this adjective to describe their game-play experience. Another person was "not sure what was happening". Yet another person was "frustrated". One player was "angered". Someone else described an aspect of the game as "a little annoying".

"surprised"

At least two players were surprised.

"laughed"

At least three players laughed. One person "giggled". Another person was "tickled".

"interesting"

Five players deemed their experience interesting.

"unique"

At least four people found the experience to be unique.

"crazy and/or wacky"

Two people claimed my game fell into this realm. I agreed.

"trippy"

Three people called it trippy, including the person who made, "I took too many drugs."

"its [sic] something that I could pull off in way lesser [sic] time."

Yeah, someone said that too.

I agree with 95% of the comments I received, and I'd like to hear more, but I don't need your ratings; I have plenty of ratings. I also don't need feedback for future versions; there will be no future versions.

If you want to rate a game, check out one of the games in danger of not receiving enough ratings (20) to be judged:

https://ldjam.com/games/danger/all

But, if you want, you can still play my game - if you'd even call it that.

(My entry is titled "Theme - The Game" because I initially tried to submit it under the title, "Theme" which, apparently, conflicted with some other page on this site. :P )

You can also check out the post right below me.

Thanks to all that left a comment on my game!

While playing and rating games recently I was reminded of Nintendo's design philosophy about gameplay-first and how they would create a prototype without art, music, etc. and refine it until it can stand on its own. I realized that I never quite understood what people meant when they said prototype, and I learn best by example so I never truly made the connection. I know what a prototype is, but is there something different about how Nintendo makes a prototype?

I dug up Nintendo's GDC17 talk about BotW and found a section that shows a real prototype that they used to make the game and it's very similar to the original Zelda. I thought I would post it here to help give us all a bit of inspiration from the masters of the medium. Enjoy!

Note: There is a lot of info in this presentation so I'd recommend watching the whole thing. They reference the prototype a few times throughout the talk but the actual focus is on multiplicative design and freedom of choice. The prototype is just a means to get there.

Demo of the prototype starts at 18:07

https://youtu.be/QyMsF31NdNc

Help Grandma to sort her pills according to the doctor's prescriptions

Check out our game : https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/pile-of-pills

In the Post-Ludum build we just uploaded, we focused on UI improvements for greater clarity in combat and also added some basic music and sound effects to the game. We've kept the jam build on the page for rating purposes. We have also added a new character for you to take to your dungeon ;)

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/infernus

We love our bunnies! They're fun to play with, they love carrots, they're cute and there're LOTS of them!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6TQoOCphJ8

It's a gameplay video of our Bunnyfication game, and we'd be glad if you'd give it a try 🙂

It's bunny time!

...and if you like the game, please...

Thank you for your attention, ladies and gentlemen! You're great!