Well, I'm going to give this a shot. Together with a Ludum Dare veteran, if all goes well.

Well, looks like we made it. Just in time! Our game, Helicopter crate overload, is complete. This was my first Ludim Dare, but I wouldn't have made it without my Ludum Dare veteran teammate. Thanks Tinco.

I hope you guys will give it a whirl.

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/helicopter-crate-overload

As my family is celebrating the Dutch holiday of Sinterklaas (for all you non-Dutchies: He’s the O.G. Santa Claus) this weekend I decided to create a bonus level for my Ludum Dare game. My aunt will have to play this bonus level to find out where her present has been hidden (though for the sake of keeping the peace within the family, the game also tells you where it is if you die too often).

I’m afraid I haven’t hidden a present in your houses to go with it, but you can still play the level. Instead of collecting all the crates in a single spot, you start with three presents and have to deliver them to three different chimneys. Don’t worry, they’re not as heavy as the regular crates.

And don’t worry about the block of Dutch text at the menu, you don’t need to understand it. If you do, well, I hope you’ll get a chuckle out of it.

A link to the bonus level has been added to the game page: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/helicopter-crate-overload

NOTE: This bonus level was made after the Ludum Dare challenge, and should not be taken into consideration for the rating. Also, unlike the full game, the bonus level only has a Windows executable.

I realize most people will probably assume this is a sock-puppet account, but I swear I had no involvement whatsoever with this game. I just found it in my review-cue, found it one of the best games I played, then noticed it had next to no reviews or comments yet. Anyone interested in some frenetic frustrating fun should really check this game out. (Even if I ran into a recurring glitch in level 3-3.)

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/the-800-page-hedgehog-and-bunny-epic

Of course, feel free to check out my own game too. But I already got a bunch of feedback on it, so if you only have time for one game, try the other one.

Alas, my spur of the moment, last minute entry into the compo is not going to work. Given the timezones, the fact I didn't take off from work tomorrow, and some general slackiness, I don't have enough time left to get my Buddy-cop management sim up and running. I have a bare-bone interface now, but the game behind it is too far from done.

The idea was that you assign your loose-cannon cops (who'd all have been fired if they weren't so damn good at their jobs) to cases, with events happening every day that might get the case closer to being solved if they could pass the relevant skill test. To increase their odds, you can assign them a partner, preferably someone who's their complete opposite so they have all the skills covered. Though doing so does increase their renegade score, which makes it more likely that during events they'll upset politically connected people, violate procedures, or cause collateral damage. If those effects, or the effects of unsolved crimes become too great, you lose. If you solve all cases before that happens, you win. But as the loud-mouthed Chief of police, there are only a few actions you can take to try and keep your officers from doing more harm than good and not getting themselves killed (two days before their retirement, natch).

I'm still going to try and finish this mock-up, then try and coax my friend into making some drawings for me. Some nice carecatures would compliment the cheesy vibe I'm going for.

Good luck to everyone else.

Well, this isn't going according to plan. But at least sailing around and shooting is beginning to feel nice.

Now all that's left is to add the ships to plunder... and the eldritch creatures that chase you... and implement the sacrificing of crew members to said creatures to distract them at the expense of your ship's performance... and sounds of any kind...

Yeah, this'll be tight.

Well, that was... close. Couldn't even finish the in-game UI, but damnit, I made a game. Maybe next time, I'll make a good game!

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/43/steampirates-of-bermuda

Who will give Steampirates of Bermuda it's final praise/kick/review needed to break that magic number 20?

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/43/steampirates-of-bermuda

So my second complete Jam game, and first complete solo project has been rated. The results are middeling:

I'll be the first to admit that I agree that this solo entry didn't end up as good as last year's game, which was rated better too. That game, done with the help of a LD veteran, was more or less done after 2 days, with the third dedicated to polish. This year I was still working on the game late into the third day. I guess that's a lesson to take away for next time: Take that polishing time. I also noticed that even small bits of polish in terms of menu's or an intro of some kind can make an amazing amount of difference.

That said, even ignoring the polishing aspect, I'll also admit that this game felt less fun to play than my previous entry. As this game is based on an idea I have for the first "real" game I want to make, this is something to keep in mind. I may have to spend some more time working out how to implement this movement & fighting scheme to be more entertaining. That, or leave the game as a MVP that I'll just use as a practice run and give away for free.

So I don't really disagree with the ratings. I would have liked to see my Theme rating a bit higher, both because I overhauled my original idea for a game to better fit the sacrifice theme and because I kinda like it myself. That said, my subesequent rating spree has shown me that my "choose which skills to level down" idea wasn't exactly unique this jam.

Still, even with a mediocre end result, I am happy that I did manage to deliver a game within the deadline. My previous solo attempt for a last-minute compo entry was a failure. And since it appears increasingly likely that when I start working on my first big game project I'll have to work mostly alone, it's good to know that I can at least get some work done. I hope to get better work done in the future.

PS: Does anyone know where I can find the total number of rated games for comparison?