Calling all Commanders! The Ludum Dare fleet needs you! It's time to step up and do your part!

WebGL and Win https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/lifeforms-in-space

You can play the game through your browser at This link.

I just wanted to take the time to say thank you to the community for all the great feedback its been giving. If you want to give me some of your feedback on my game Arena Of Wealth heres a link! https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/arena-of-wealth

We're currently working into new characters for the game, each one with its unique combat mechanic, join to our Discord community and help us with the game development!

If you havent played the game, what are you waiting ? PLAY IT NOW!

What a journey it has been for me the 3 days of Ludum Dare, I'm making the updates for the game, within the ruling of the Jam, and will post the update about it after I put them in place, in the meantime, enjoy the video! :smile: :tv:

Share your game with me!

I'd love to check it out and rate it too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JS2AA7rxlYg

I went into the weekend knowing that I wanted to try out some of Unity's new functionality and ended up targeting the new Visual Effect Graph. I decided I’d do a lyric-video approach to free me up from worrying about game mechanics and letting me focus solely on the bits I wanted to learn. Feel free to check out my final result (https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/ephemera) as well as another game I created music for (https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/rude-bear-reassembled).

What went well:

Music

I wanted to have something that built in intensity towards a large climax and I think I achieved the target I was aiming for. I think I found a good balance of electronic and atmospheric sounds before hitting the guitars-and-screaming bit at the end. I’m not the strongest vocalist, but I think I got a passable performance. A few things I’d do differently in hindsight, but I’m happy with the result.

Learning

I had no knowledge of how the VFXGraph worked before going into the weekend and I spent a good 6 hours or so just reading articles and looking at how others have used it. I’m by no means an expert in it now, but I think if I started with a clear target I had in mind I could probably approximate it fairly well. It really is an awesome tool. They brand it as something for non-programmers to be able to get results that usually require programming, but I had the opposite experience - I have no business doing anything with visual arts and I was able to walk away with something cool looking.

Modularity

One of the great things about VFX graph is that you can expose parameters to be code-controlled very easily. Each element had (among other things) a spawn rate and an intensity parameter that combined to control everything from particle size, spawn rate, deformation speed, and color. This could all be controlled in Unity’s Timeline editor, through specific triggers I set up, or in response to the audio’s RMS levels. Sometimes all three. Super flexible.

Timeline

I had never used Unity’s Timeline editor before either, but I was able to use their Signal Receivers to lock specific actions to specific timestamps on the DSP level. I created a function to add or remove each text block and then could just go through the song and add triggers as needed. I don’t know how much I would use this in a game context, but it’s far more useful than I had expected.

What didn’t go well:

Setting up the Particle Systems

It could just be my lack of knowledge, but I had to do a LOT of duplication of VFX Components. I had hoped to be able to create a parameter that would let me swap out the text images as needed, but instead I had to recreate each VFX Component and update the Cache reference inside the Graph itself for every single chunk of text. This meant that I had 30+ separate VFX Graph objects. Once I started implementing text I was unable to make any real changes to how any of those systems worked or else it would be inconsistent with the rest of the project. Not to mention spending way too much time trying to solve this issue that could have been better spent elsewhere.

No interactivity

I had hoped to, at a minimum, let the player move the mouse around and affect the particles in the system. It definitely would have made things seem a bit more tangible. It’s definitely possible, but I ran out of time to get it implemented.

Conclusion

On the whole it was a very successful experience. I learned a TON and I’m really happy with the result. While I didn’t accomplish everything I would have wanted, I think I got a lot closer to that target than I usually do for Ludum Dare.

It's with a heavy heart that I write this post; Unfortunately my desktop just couldn't handle the work load I was putting on it and this morning suffered from drive failure. I've been working on it for close to a decade so it's not too surprising but without it I'm confined to a laptop that struggles to load any engines or tools.

Normally I wouldn't post this here but I've made a patreon to try and get a new cheap rig that will work for my day to day work, any support or even just sharing the patreon helps a lot

it can be found here; https://www.patreon.com/GearSteak

I'm going to continue to work on Fools fortune but development will slow

Don’t forget to play and rate Fools Fortune here; https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/fools-fortune

You can follow Fools Fortune’s post jam development at:

Twitter;https://twitter.com/Gear_Steak

Itch.io;https://gearsteak.itch.io/fools-fortune

Big thank you to everyone that played and rated my game! I have reached 20 votes!

Arrow of Light is an action-adventure epic developed by myself and my friend Hubol. I did the game design, programming, story and art, and Hubol did the sound and music.

Post mortem is the Latin term for “after death”. So what happened to this game after it died? Let’s hop right in & find out!

Chapter 1: Game Too Hard

Arrow of Light is a game that requires a high level of skills to play. Players must master the art of shooting arrow to succeed in this harsh world.

However, when starting the game, players only have 10 HPs. The first enemy you meet is flying high in the air and fires waves of bullets that do 5 HPs of damage! On only the third screen of the game, players are tasked with learning how to shoot while dodging the deadly attacks that will cause a Game Over in only two hits.

After you collect some Heart Flowers (an item which increases your Maximum HPs by 5) it becomes easier to survive. However, the introduction is very hostile to newcomers and may give a bad impression. If only we had allowed players to learn how to shoot the bow and arrows in a more forgiving environment!

There is another quite large difficulty spike, and that is in the final area, but we don’t want to spoil it ;-)

Another issue is that there are a lot of secret passages in the game which contain progress-critical items. The first passage most players will find is very obvious but some are quite well-hidden! Without careful searching, some players will simply get stuck in the grass area without realizing that there are secrets to find.

Chapter 2: The Lava Puzzle

There is an area in the game with some deadly lava. In Arrow of Light, this hot and familiar obstacle can be overcome by solving a puzzle, rewarding you with Heart Flowers and a special key that is needed to progress.

Now, if you are a game designer you are probably familiar with the concept of “conveyance” in level design--this means when the level design tells the player where to go in a natural way. If you look at the picture above, it really looks like the player is supposed to jump across the gap to the key. This is not the intended solution to the puzzle, as the gap is too large and the player will fall in the lava.

However, due to a development oversight, the lava does only a fairly small amount of damage! This means most players seemed to skip the puzzle completely by jumping into the lava. I think this was a confusing moment for many, many players!

Chapter 3: Ballons and the Unique Role of Humour

In this game, ballons are a major theme. The first enemy you encounter is riding a ballon, there is a secret area with lots of ballons in it, and more.

“But wait”, you might say. “Isn’t it spelled, baloon?”

This is actually a subtle bit of humour on the part of the developers Sylvie and Hubol. It is sometimes funny to intentionally mispell words. Most people would instead opt to spell “ballon” correctly, which is why the subversion of the trope is funny to us. Simple touches like this create a more playful atmosphere in the world of Arrow of Light.

However, it seems many people did not understand the joke. Some players, when they see the word “ballon”, simply correct it in their heads to the right spelling which is “baloon”. A few have even gone so far as to not rate the game in the Humour category. Personally, we think the game has some cute jokes in it but we understand that everyone sees humour differently.

Chapter Finale: Conclusions

In conclusion, we had a lot of fun making the game but there are some clear points of improvement. In the future games, we will try to balance the difficulty, design puzzles more carefully and spell words correctly.

If you haven’t checked out Arrow of Light yet, be sure to play it in your browser or as a Windows downloadable!

Check out the awesome soundtrack by Hubol too!

Hey everyone, I was a bit late on my rating for this LD very busy week. therefore it seems I missed out on the early influx of voters. If anyone is looking for a game to rate consider Playing mine, I would really appreciate it. leave on comment if you do and ill do my best to rate yours as well.

Anyway my game has a FTL inspired game loop. Your job is to micro manage your systems by moving your Crew around. You have three main Systems, Cloning (More Crew), Hacking (Stunning Enemies) Shield Repairs(Emergency repairs). With an additional North, South and East facing guns.

you will gain upgrades throughout the journey but you will force to Sell off you crew to obtain the upgrades.

The game can be a bit overwhelming at times, it doesn't hand hold you. you might need to play it an additional 1 or 2 times to reach and beat the final wave.

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/the-adventures-of

<3

Are you working alone, in a dark cellar that echos, and you are not sure if the game your working on has what it takes? We have all been there.

Send your game to receive live feedback on twitch. Get feedback from other game developers , we have already given feedback to more than 1000+ games, and have a small community who are well versed in the most common issues. We try to keep our feedback constructive, we want to help you make the game you want to make, and not try to impose our opinions.

Submit your game at http://bit.ly/gdcsubmit Stream will be live on https://twitch.tv/gamedevcompany

The only rule we have is that one of the devs should be present so we can ask questions in future feedback sessions. The game can be at any phase of production, from early prototype to full on release. As long it is playable and you are ready for feedback.

Excited to play your games, see you on the stream.

The Keyboard Cowboys are comin' in again with a new haul of some of our favorite Ludum Dare entries so far!

Ghostly Tricks

Made by @nelson-william, Ghostly Tricks is a top-down puzzle game where you trade your soul to a vending machine for bombs that you use to find a way out of increasingly tricky rooms. The total premise is very simple and easy to pick up quickly, but the way the mechanic is stretched makes for some really interesting gameplay scenarios and "aha!" moments that are rare in jam games. Currently one of my personal favorites!

Play Ghostly Tricks Here! https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/ghostly-tricks

BETRAYDED

Made by @barbiche, @drestin, @entropy, @acoussat, @roilbauk, and @karreg, BETRAYDED, on top of having a dynamite name, is a dynamite multiplayer game. The movement controls are as simple as they are silly. 2 players control their own restrained operative as they try to shimmy and hop their way back to their teammates in a hostage exchange. But the game doesn't end when one player reaches the other side of the screen! Art, audio, and gameplay are all on point with this one.

Play BETRAYDED Here! https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/betrayded

Dirty Cash

Naturally The Cowboys are a sucker for ludicrous game concepts. Made by @robber, Dirty Cash has you controlling a coin on the street and mesmerizing greedy businessmen with your sheen. As you are chased around the street, your goal is to lure them to a pit of eternal suffering, where they will suffer for their vices. The art and animations are impressive, the premise and mechanics are unique, there's just a lot to like about this one!

Play Dirty Cash Here! https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/dirty-cash

And that's all we have for now folks! Once again, a huge thanks to everyone who has taken the time to play our game, Knit Worth! The response has been overwhelming, and we're still in the process of returning the favor to everyone who was kind enough to leave a comment. Y'all's enthusiasm inspires us to spread the love as much as we can, so we hope to do another one of these soon!

'Til next time! :pointright: :cowboy: :pointright:

Try Spent, a short interactive story about trench warfare.

Hi lovelies!

If you don't mind being a bit silly, my game lets you shoot cute robots down with only your voice: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/zap-signal

If you're a streamer I'd love to watch you play! Three streamers have tried, and mostly died laughing

Try living longer by shooting enimes in space. https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/space-rabbit

Hello everyone! Please rate our game Hero Shop: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/hero-shop We'd like to have your feedback!

In comments give me your games to rate. I will gladly do that as soon as I have time. Thanks!

Obviously, this jam was unsuccessful for me. The major mistakes are: unobvious interpretation of theme and poor implementation of the trading terminal interface. I don’t even know why, but I made a cover for our game — https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/max-payin

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS fear that the recent rise in armored truck theft has caused investors to begin pulling out of the city, further affecting future city development. There have been a 20% increase in truck related incidents in this month alone than compared to the last six months. Mayor Carefre assures investors that the city "is doing its best to investigate" and that "aggressive measures are being taken."

This is coming during a critical time as the city is trying to support diversifying its architecture, requiring investor support to continue construction. Many local conspiracy theorists point blame at wealthy real estate investor Buck Goldstein for anti-competitive and criminal activities. In recent years, Mr. Goldstein has been investigated, but no formal charges have been brought against him.

Mr. Goldstein responded to theorist's allegations, stating that he's "fully committed to the beautification of the city" and that "conspiracy clowns need to quit scaring off investors."

-

Are you a professional driver? Are you tired of driving for minimum wages and poor benefits?

Apply today in the link below!

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/financial-getaway-1

A lot of people fed back that the collision detection in 15 Minutes to Live was a bit wonky, which made it hard to talk to certain NPCs. I've gone back and tweaked the hitbox to give it a slightly larger range, which should help especially for talking to NPCs behind counters. Generally, as long as you're facing them, you should be fine.

This will (hopefully) be the final patch until the ratings period is over. Once the jam ends, I intend to release an updated, more polished version, with some additional content.

Play here: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/15-minutes-to-live

How much interactive fiction is there in this year's LD? By interactive fiction I mean anything that consists mostly of reading stuff and maybe clicking a button or two every once in a while, not only parser-based titles.

So far I've found these (in no particular order):

• My own story about a suicide bomber and a bunch of spies which is a pretty regular CYOA in renpy. Someone in comments has called it bleak, but that's because I've decided to use some real-world topic this LD, and the theme is what it is.

• dRUNKEN nEIGHBOR by @hugovaz which is also a CYOA, but in Twine and not bleak at all. The premise is that you're so drunk you can't even remember where you live, and now have to figure that out before someone calls the police. Funny, although not really fitting the theme.

• invertebrae by @jjjjason has a cool mechanic. You have a limited collection of words and can pick up maybe one or two per scene. You also need to spend two words (a verb and a noun) to open each scene. How is that game not exactly linear, you ask? Go back to earlier scenes with your new words, reclaim all spent words and try to do something new. It also looks really great.

• Big Tiddy Goth Girlfriend by a bunch of people is a VN about an overly-clingy GF. The authors somehow manage to make me have opinions about characters called "Babe" and "Bro", which is something. Also the only one to interpret the theme literally, with a health bar to deplete.

• Perfect date by @limbo is a single-scene joke VN. Don't forget to check out the menus, most of the effort clearly went into filling them with dumb jokes.

Anything else I have missed?