This was my first LD jam and a first time making a game compo style (didn't do art before). This was such a great experience! I've received tons of great feedback and ideas for further improvement, played many very cool and unique games and felt like I belong to this community.

Main lessons I'm taking away as a developer are: - You must explain all the mechanics in the game. Especially those that are uncommon in popular games. Better dedicate a separate level to such mechanics - UI is important. Not only it's presence but it's placement. I changed UI in a post-jam version from a static on-screen bottom-row to in-world and it makes a huge difference - If your game relies on how things sound make sure to give it a listen on different headphones/speakers. I heard everything loud and clear in my studio-quality headphones... guess what -- it didn't sound that good on laptop speakers :sweat_smile:

Thank you to everyone who participated or made this event possible!

Let's stay in touch! This jam I realized how motivating and inspiring it can be. I'll be following back anyone who follows me on Twitter

Here's the twitch https://www.twitch.tv/caudatecoder

You can use !submit command in the chat to get the link to google forms

I'm gonna stream and record playthrough of your games here https://www.twitch.tv/caudatecoder/ for a couple of hours

Come submit your game!

I’m gonna stream and record playthrough of your games here https://www.twitch.tv/caudatecoder/ for a couple of hours

Come submit your game (preferably on twitch than here, so we could interact and maybe get some interesting details about your game)!

Hello! I've been streaming and giving feedback to games for a week now. It's been a blast -- there's just so much great stuff! I need a bit of a break though...

While taking a break from streaming I wanted to give you a list of my 18 favorites games so far: 9 JAM and 9 COMPO (the numbers aligned absolutely randomly :sweat_smile:). Here's a list split by categories (that I partially made up) in no particular order:

Puzzle: * Fuse Lit! (COMPO) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/fuse-lit -- really nicely done puzzle game with clever mechanic and great visuals * BOX IN OX (COMPO) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/box-in-ox -- aesthetically pleasing and clever take on a tetris-like game * Death Is Real. (COMPO) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/death-is-real -- great combination of puzzle- and skill- based mechanics with a well balanced difficulty progression * Battery Low (JAM) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/battery-low -- small but stunningly beautiful game with impressive attention to details and polish about a rover trying complete it's science mission before running out of energy

Humorous: * Stalling The Dictator (JAM) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/stalling-the-dictator -- small and funny game about trying to stop a dictator with great graphics and voiceover

Platformer: * Giraffe o'Clock (JAM) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/giraffe-oclock -- "gameboy-inspired, full of chiptune bangers, story-rich, dialogue-heavy, game about a baby giraffe, afraid of the dark, who goes on a massive journey to transcend space and time in order to manipulate time so it’ll never turn dark". All that + great platforming mechanics and level design

Thought provoking: * Granting Immortality (JAM) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/granting-immortality -- I'm just going to quote description "A short interactive fiction about deciding who is worthy of receiving the gift of everlasting life". Makes you question your values and principles without in-the-face morale or judgement * Eschaton, Dark Forest of the (COMPO) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/eschaton-dark-forest-of-the -- a bullet hell game with a charming set of characters and thought provoking dialogs about the inevitable end of everything

RPG/Action RPG and the likes: * Caring Hero (COMPO) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/caring-hero -- a very funny take on the theme. A game where you try go through a zelda-inspired dungeon to face a boss. The boss is dying though and you need to heal him the whole time to give him an honorable death * Before Impact: Meteor Fantasy (JAM) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/untitled-meteor-game -- a solid and very polished auto-action RPG where you must stop cultists and become powerful enough to save the world from a meteor * Healer's Handbook (JAM) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/$280256 -- a game where you take the role of a healer, trying your best to save your party-members from inevitable demise by God

Strategy/Tactic/Management: * Whoa! It's like a space game or something! (COMPO) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/whoa-its-like-a-space-game-or-something -- a surprisingly complex and big for a compo space trading and shooting game * Zom-Beware! (COMPO) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/zom-beware -- "Zom-Beware! is a strategic city builder/defense game with a cutesy board game aesthetic". Build your city defense to try to stand against endless waves of zombies * The Lars Mission (JAM) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/the-lars-mission -- impressively complex and polished base management game. "Overcooked vibes with hints of Among Us mini games, set in a beautiful sci-fi laboratory." * Aster Defense (JAM) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/aster-defense -- a gorgeous tower-defense-like game where you defeat Earth from asteroids. It's quite easy and becomes a very meditative experience after a couple of minutes

Innovative/Immersive/Other (sorry couldn't quite make categories for the rest of the games) * Park Lane (COMPO) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/park-lane -- ‘Park Lane’ is a short PSX-style horror experience about waiting for your train late at night in a dark and lonely Park Lane station * Elephant In The Room (COMPO) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/elephant-in-the-room -- an innovative and unexpected use of wikipedia to make a game where you try to find a topic for a long conversation * Will There Bee Another? (JAM) https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/will-there-bee-another -- a dialogue based game where you try to delay the inevitable end of a date

Huh.. that's it for now. If you'd like to discuss these games or share your favorites please go ahead! Thanks everyone :heart:

Hi! I'm gonna play and give feedback on my twitch in a few minutes https://www.twitch.tv/caudatecoder/

Come submit your game!

This might be the last stream that I make before the end of PLAY+RATE as the activity around LD is winding down and most people who sought feedback for their games got that already. There are just a few games on my list that I'd like to play and rate hence this steam.

idea: I would like to try to make music for your games on a stream (if you didn't have time or people to make it). So let me know in the comments if you're interested!