LudumData

gafblizzard

LD26

Mondicraft: Doodle creator

LD26LD #26 29. Apr 2013 · 00:42 UTC · 3 days after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 0

I think this is the first time I’ve finished something as a submission for Ludum Dare.  I didn’t find any good sources of legal sound effects (besides maybe bfxr and the like) or especially music sampling, since even something like LMMS seems to have unresolved questions about whether its sound samples can legally be used.  I found a couple of online music sequencers but I had similar questions about licensing for those.  Are there issues if you take an electronic keyboard and use its sound samples as sound effects?

Anyway, maybe in the future I will get lucky and find the answers to these sorts of questions ahead of time so I can add audio and music to entries.

All the “game” itself does it let you create Mondrian-style doodles, like the following:

Ludum Dare entry page:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-26/?action=preview&uid=12278

I don’t know when and how ratings will start, but if I can figure out how to rate other people’s games, I will try to make sure I do that!

Comments

29. Apr 2013 · 00:49 UTC
Yes, that is allowed. I don’t remember exactly where it is stated, but that’s certainly allowed. I mean, you have to draw the line SOMEWHERE, right? Are you not gonna allow me to use waveforms in my oscillators because that’s “sampling”? 😉
GAFBlizzard
29. Apr 2013 · 00:54 UTC
I know it seems silly, but I’m more concerned about the “is there anything that legally covers using a sound sample”. For LMMS specifically, if you google “lmms sample license”, you run into discussions with no clear answer and apparently no license information, as though people are not sure whether it’s legal to use a single LMMS sample as a sound effect in a commercial (or otherwise) piece of software.
GAFBlizzard
29. Apr 2013 · 01:10 UTC
And just to be clear, I’m talking about general legal usage terms, like copyright, using in a commercial game, etc., not legal as in Ludum Dare rules specifically.

Rules: Can the webpage be edited after the deadline?

LD26LD #26 29. Apr 2013 · 05:20 UTC · 3 days after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 0

Quick question — some people have suggested that I add instructions besides the “game” so you can see the instructions while the playing.  Since that would be adding text to the webpage itself but not modifying the game/application, is this allowed since the compo submission deadline has obviously passed?

Comments

29. Apr 2013 · 05:38 UTC
I think that’s absolutely fine. If you’re not modifying your game then I don’t think the rules have any issue.
ilo
29. Apr 2013 · 05:39 UTC
Yes, that’s definitely allowed.

LD29

Announcing code base and some tools for LD29

LD29LD #29 25. Apr 2014 · 04:54 UTC · 4 hours after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 0

 

Code base:

 

I am using my previous Ludum Dare entry code base so I can get started again with FlashDevelop quickly.  Here is the previous entry including source code:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-26/?action=preview&uid=12278

 

Planned tools:

 

Flash Development:

Sound Effects:

Music:

Image Editing:

Additional notes on tools and resources used for LD29

LD29LD #29 27. Apr 2014 · 23:32 UTC · 2 days after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 0

For my LD29 entry, I used a community fork of Flixel (https://github.com/FlixelCommunity/flixel) and a community fork of Flixel Power Tools (https://github.com/FlixelCommunity/Flixel-Power-Tools).

I also used the freeware, commercial use allowed font PF Tempesta Seven (http://www.fontspace.com/yusuke-kamiyamane/pf-tempesta-seven).

For text editing, I not only used FlashDevelop, which is a nice IDE useful for AS3 development, but also GVIM, which is a free, open-source editor (http://www.vim.org/).

LD30

Announcing code base for LD30 — Flixel project template publicly available for Ludum Dare use

LD30LD #30 22. Aug 2014 · 20:17 UTC · 20 hours after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 0

Code base and tools for LD30:

 

I am using a personal library that provides a FlashDevelop Flixel project template as base code.

Here is what the project template loooks like without modification:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21575115/bliz_flixel_ld_template/index.html

Here is the download link for the project template, which includes a README.TXT:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21575115/bliz_flixel_ld_template.zip

Everyone is allowed to use this project template but ONLY for Ludum Dare games.  Please email me (gtschemer at gmail.com) if you have any questions otherwise.

 

I am using my previous Ludum Dare entries for reference code so that I can reference them as needed.  Here is the previous entries including source code:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-26/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-29/?action=preview&uid=12278

 

Planned tools:

 

Font:

Flash Development:

Sound Effects:

Music:

Image Editing:

LD31

Announcing code base for LD31 — Flixel project template publicly available for Ludum Dare use

LD31LD #31 05. Dec 2014 · 10:51 UTC · 10 hours after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 1

I’m in for LD31!  Code base and tools:

 

I am using a personal library that provides a FlashDevelop Flixel project template as base code.

Here is what the project template loooks like without modification:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21575115/bliz_flixel_ld_template/index.html

Here is the download link for the project template, which includes a README.TXT:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21575115/bliz_flixel_ld_template.zip

Everyone is allowed to use this project template but ONLY for Ludum Dare games.  Please email me (gtschemer at gmail.com) if you have any questions otherwise.

 

I am using my previous Ludum Dare entries for reference code so that I can look at them as needed.  Here are the previous entries including source code:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-26/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-29/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-30/?action=preview&uid=12278

 

Planned tools:

 

Font:

Flash Development:

Sound Effects:

Music:

Image Editing:

Lessons learned from last time

LD31LD #31 05. Dec 2014 · 22:51 UTC · 22 hours after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 2

I made some notes, mostly from the last Ludum Dare, LD30.

 

I am posting them in case they happen to help me, or anyone else, this time around!

 

  1. Make sure your music-creation tool of choice works a few days before the jam.  I probably wasted an hour or two getting everything figured out with Music Creator 6 / Sonar X3 last time.
  2. If possible, break your game idea into individual feature sets.   This way if you only have time to finish a few features, or one stage of the game, it can still be a complete, though small, game.
  3. Think about whether certain assets can be used in multiple places to save time.  Maybe a background, obstacle, or sound effect from one level can be used in another!
  4. I used master volume = 22 on my computer to balance sounds.
  5. To amplify my voiceover recording to a reasonable level, I used 10dB gain in Audacity.
  6. On my system, Sonar X3 will not use the best low-latency settings with the WDM/KS driver mode unless I close other audio applications first.  This even includes Firefox.  After I launch Sonar X3 I can then relaunch web browers, but I cannot play sound with other applications until quitting Sonar X3.
  7. In Sonar X3, occasionally the sound would get raspy like it is clipping or the latency is too low.  Choosing a higher latency may help, but there seems to be a better solution:  Pressing play, then stop in the controls at the top seems to usually fix this.
  8. A game that is too easy is probably better than a game that is too hard.  People can see a whole game if it is easy enough, and with thousands of games, odds of someone playing all the way through are small otherwise.
  9. For flash games, add some space above the flash object on the HTML page so it is not jammed next to the title bar.

Ludum Dare 31 lessons learned

LD31LD #31 11. Dec 2014 · 08:22 UTC · 6 days after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 0

Here are a few things I learned from this Ludum Dare:

With HTML and swfobject.js, there seems to be no way to get initial mouse and keyboard focus without using wmode = “opaque” or possibly “window”, both of which apparently have performance problems.  If you use wmode = “direct” for embedding Flash, people will have to click the flash video first for Flixel, and that click will apparently get ignored.  Modifying Flixel might be one way to fix it.  I just worked around it by making the game initially pause so there is a big arrow that makes it sort of obvious people need to click.

Sometimes FlashDevelop seems to stop detecting compile errors, but when you run the standalone Flash player, it will freeze without doing anything.  In this situation, if you close the Flash player and restart FlashDevelop, the next time you compile the error(s) should be properly detected.

The standalone Flash player seems to have a bit of lag playing sound effects.  However, playing the game in FireFox seems to make it better, so don’t panic!  The “0.2” master volume in BFXR seems to work with 22 volume on my computer.  However, BFXR annoyingly seems to reset the master volume with each new sound, so be very careful if you are wearing headphones.

If I do something silly with a title/menu page like making it a minigame, some people may like it, but other people may be annoyed by it.  My conclusion is that I should include a skip button or keypress in that case so the people who get annoyed can jump straight to gameplay.

LD32

Lessons learned from LD31

LD32LD #32 13. Apr 2015 · 02:12 UTC · 3 days before compo start by GAFBlizzard · 0

I made some notes, mostly from the last Ludum Dare, LD31.

  1. With HTML and swfobject.js, there seems to be no way to get initial mouse and
    keyboard focus without using wmode = “opaque” or possibly “window”, both of
    which apparently have performance problems.  If you use wmode = “direct” for
    embedding Flash, people will have to click the flash video first for Flixel,
    and that click will apparently get ignored.  Modifying Flixel might be one way
    to fix it.  I just worked around it by making the game initially pause so there
    is a big arrow that makes it sort of obvious people need to click.
  2. Sometimes FlashDevelop seems to stop detecting compile errors, but when you
    run the standalone Flash player, it will freeze without doing anything.  In
    this situation, if you close the Flash player and restart FlashDevelop, the
    next time you compile the error(s) should be properly detected.
  3. The standalone Flash player seems to have a bit of lag playing sound effects.
    However, playing the game in FireFox seems to make it better, so don’t panic!
  4. The “0.2” master volume in BFXR seems to work with 22 volume on my computer.
    However, BFXR annoyingly seems to reset the master volume with each new sound,
    so be very careful if you are wearing headphones.
  5. If I do something silly with a title/menu page like making it a minigame, some
    people may like it, but other people may be annoyed by it.  My conclusion is
    that I should include a skip button or keypress in that case so the people who
    get annoyed can jump straight to gameplay.

 

Also, here is my previous lessons learned post for reference:  http://ludumdare.com/compo/2014/12/05/lessons-learned-from-last-time/

Announcing code base for LD32 — Flixel project template publicly available for Ludum Dare use

LD32LD #32 13. Apr 2015 · 02:17 UTC · 3 days before compo start by GAFBlizzard · 1

I’m in for LD32!  Code base and tools:

 

I am using a personal library that provides a FlashDevelop Flixel project template as base code.

Here is what the project template loooks like without modification:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21575115/bliz_flixel_ld_template/index.html

Here is the download link for the project template, which includes a README.TXT:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21575115/bliz_flixel_ld_template.zip

Everyone is allowed to use this project template but ONLY for Ludum Dare games.  Please email me (gtschemer at gmail.com) if you have any questions otherwise.

 

I am using my previous Ludum Dare entries for reference code so that I can look at them as needed.  Here are the previous entries including source code:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-26/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-29/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-30/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=12278

 

Planned tools:

 

Font:

Flash Development:

Sound Effects:

Music:

Image Editing:

Comments

togie
13. Apr 2015 · 05:31 UTC
Flixel is a great tool! I use it to cut back on the extra 9 mb of storage space unity forces for android unity player!

LD33

Announcing code base for LD33 — Flixel project template publicly available for Ludum Dare use

LD33LD #33 21. Aug 2015 · 08:56 UTC · 8 hours after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 3

I’m in for LD33!  Code base and tools:

I am using a personal FlashDevelop Flixel project template as base code.

Here is what the project template loooks like without modification:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21575115/bliz_flixel_ld_template/index.html

Here is the download link for the project template, which includes a README.TXT:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21575115/bliz_flixel_ld_template.zip

Everyone is allowed to use this project template but ONLY for Ludum Dare games.  Please email me (gtschemer at gmail.com) if you have any questions otherwise.

I am using my previous Ludum Dare entries for reference code so that I can look at them as needed.  Here are the previous entries including source code:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-26/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-29/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-30/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-32/?action=preview&uid=12278

 

Planned tools:

Font:

Flash Development:

Audio:

Image Editing:

Comments

21. Aug 2015 · 09:12 UTC
I have created but not finished a template like this for LibGDX, spending the first several hours of a jam implementing menus etc is not a great idea!

Compo submission: “You are the DM”

LD33LD #33 24. Aug 2015 · 05:19 UTC · 3 days after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 2

I completed a playable game, but I did not finish the mechanic I wanted to add about player personalities. If the game concept entertains you, I would appreciate an opinion in the comments about the options from the description:

* Option A, DM versus computer adventurers.
Focus on managing adventurers with different personalities / character builds.

* Option B, DM versus human players.
Focus on making obnoxious surprises for other players in multiplayer, maybe taking turns as the DM.
(The downside of multiplayer is finding other people online to play with, of course)

Screenshot

http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-33/?action=preview&uid=12278

LD34

Announcing code base for LD34 — Flixel project template publicly available for Ludum Dare use

LD34LD #34 12. Dec 2015 · 01:57 UTC · 25 hours after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 2

I’m in for LD34! Code base and tools:

I am using a personal FlashDevelop Flixel project template as base code.

Here is what the project template loooks like without modification:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21575115/bliz_flixel_ld_template/index.html

Here is the download link for the project template, which includes a README.TXT:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21575115/bliz_flixel_ld_template.zip

Everyone is allowed to use this project template but ONLY for Ludum Dare games. Please email me (gtschemer at gmail.com) if you have any questions otherwise.

I am using my previous Ludum Dare entries for reference code so that I can look at them as needed. Here are the previous entries including source code:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-26/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-29/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-30/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-32/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-33/?action=preview&uid=12278

 

Planned tools:

Font:

Flash Development:

Audio:

Image Editing:

Compo submission: “Morse GRO”

LD34LD #34 14. Dec 2015 · 07:07 UTC · 3 days after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 3

I immediately got the idea of making a two-button game in the style of Game & Watch / Tiger Electronics / RadioShack products. I also decided to use the growing theme.

Like many other people, I wanted to use Morse code, but it turns out that my game is very difficult. I included a hard mode with ALL the letters plus numbers, but currently I don’t think anyone has even beaten the easy version. 😛 I’m still fairly happy with how the presentation turned out. I ran out of time so I didn’t do music, and the gameplay should have been easier, but it was an interesting experiment.

I learned one huge lesson: Gapless MP3 playback is a HUGE pain (whether in Flash or HTML5). In the end I had to use an obnoxious sound buffer method since all other attempts failed. I burned maybe 5 hours on that one thing.

Development timelapse GIF:
Timelapse

http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-34/?action=preview&uid=12278

Eaiser post-compo version

LD34LD #34 14. Dec 2015 · 21:29 UTC · 3 days after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 1

screenshot

http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-34/?action=preview&uid=12278

I normally try not to make post-compo versions, but I learned that this time I made the timing way too difficult in my game. Specifically, the timing between letters for the order combinations is pretty tight. I commented out one line so now the order combinations wait forever. 😛

Of course, it’s not fair that ratings be based on the new version, but I wanted to at least make it more usable if people were interested. It’s kind of sad and funny that sometimes, a single-line change could have improved a game drastically, but with little to no playtesting time in a 48-hour competition, it can be hard to know that ahead of time.

Comments

14. Dec 2015 · 21:36 UTC
Ha! I also made a Game & Watch thingie! 😉
5you
14. Dec 2015 · 21:37 UTC
I totally understand. I personaly found out (don’t remember if it was this morning or yesterday) that I left a “cheating code” in my release so after the first level in coop mode you already beat the game. AA single line of missplaced code… It’s ok in my book to change one or two lines so the game become playable.

LD34 Theme Retrospective

LD34LD #34 04. Jan 2016 · 10:39 UTC · 24 days after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 1

This is my 7th Ludum Dare, and I know it’s basically tradition for all of us to complain about themes once they are chosen. However, out of the previous 6 times I’ve participated, I don’t remember the theme seriously HARMING games. Even the entire game on one screen theme probably produced some neat games. Maybe they were small in scope or a little annoying because of the one screen, but normal controls could be used etc.

However, out of 30-something games I played and rated this time (and that’s low by my normal standards), plus my own game, I feel some games were actively HARMED by the two-button theme. I know it’s theoretically optional, but many developers including myself apparently decided that we wanted to use it — or that perhaps we would be judged harshly for ignoring it and using the other theme.

Whatever the reason, many people including me ended up using two controls, and in some cases made neat, clever games THAT WERE REALLY ANNOYING TO PLAY. I thought maybe Morse code would be a clever idea, but the timing was too difficult for the vast majority of players. Even if the two-button mechanic was creative (maybe one does one thing, and one does the other thing, and both does a third thing), it might range from glitchy to frustrating to nearly ruining the player experience.

I may be a minority on this, and I’m sure some games WERE good even with two buttons. But next time you’re voting on a theme, I respectfully ask this: Please consider voting for a theme that relates to content rather than mechanical restriction. I really feel that the player experience will be better because of it.

Comments

04. Jan 2016 · 11:18 UTC
I think the phenomenon you’re describing is mostly due to people trying to force two-button controls into games that should have just been about growing. People who stuck to the two-button controls theme made some great games, likewise people who made growing games with appropriate control schemes. I think in the future there should be a theme tie-break mechanism, because it’s clear that a lot of people are concerned that picking one or the other theme is a handicap (and they might be right, I dunno).
04. Jan 2016 · 12:47 UTC
I disagree GAFBlizzard. As randomhuman pointed out, and I agree, the problem is not with the mechanics, it’s about people trying to put the mechanics into a game that needs other mechanics. I think Ludum Dare limitations are exactly for that: pushing the creativity through some limit. Although this is my first LD, I participated in other game jams, and I think that the limiting factor is important. If you have a two-button theme, you need to pick things that will work with two buttons. It’s actually a good way find out new ways of doing a game. I rated about 100 games and many of them were awesome. Maybe lack some graphics or audio, but gameplay-wise they were creative. (I played simoroshka game and it was a very creative way to use the two button theme). So, I disagree that limiting mechanics will affect the game negatively, unless you want to do a game that won’t work with these mechanics. For me, it was a great experience and I learned a lot. Of course, this is only my opinion.

LD35

Announcing code base for LD35 — Flixel project template publicly available for Ludum Dare use

LD35LD #35 15. Apr 2016 · 19:21 UTC · 19 hours after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 2

I’m in for LD35! Code base and tools:

I am using a personal FlashDevelop Flixel project template as base code.

Here is what the project template loooks like without modification:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21575115/bliz_flixel_ld_template/index.html

Here is the download link for the project template, which includes a README.TXT:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21575115/bliz_flixel_ld_template.zip

Everyone is allowed to use this project template but ONLY for Ludum Dare games. Please email me (gtschemer at gmail.com) if you have any questions otherwise.

I am using my previous Ludum Dare entries for reference code so that I can look at them as needed. Here are the previous entries including source code:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-26/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-29/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-30/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-32/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-33/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-34/?action=preview&uid=12278
 

Planned tools:

Font:

Flash Development:

Audio:

Image Editing:

LD36

Announcing code base for LD36 — Flixel project template publicly available for Ludum Dare use

LD36LD #36 26. Aug 2016 · 21:58 UTC · 21 hours after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 2

I might be in for LD36! Code base and tools:

I am using a personal FlashDevelop Flixel project template as base code.

Here is what the project template loooks like without modification:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21575115/bliz_flixel_ld_template/index.html

Here is the download link for the project template, which includes a README.TXT:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/21575115/bliz_flixel_ld_template.zip

Everyone is allowed to use this project template but ONLY for Ludum Dare games. Please email me (gtschemer at gmail.com) if you have any questions otherwise.

I am using my previous Ludum Dare entries for reference code so that I can look at them as needed. Here are the previous entries including source code:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-26/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-29/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-30/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-32/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-33/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-34/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-35/?action=preview&uid=12278

Planned tools:

Font:

Flash Development:

Audio:

Image Editing:

LD 38

Announcing code base for LD38 — Flixel project template publicly available for Ludum Dare use

LD38LD #37 22. Apr 2017 · 00:58 UTC · 24 hours after compo start by GAFBlizzard · 1

I’m in for LD38! Code base and tools:

I am using a personal FlashDevelop Flixel project template as base code.

Here is the download link for the project template, which includes a README.TXT:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/5y7enwor6jebixw/bliz_flixel_ld_template.zip?dl=0

Everyone is allowed to use this project template but ONLY for Ludum Dare games. Please email me (gtschemer at gmail.com) if you have any questions otherwise.

I am using my previous Ludum Dare entries for reference code so that I can look at them as needed. Here are the previous entries including source code:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-26/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-29/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-30/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-31/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-32/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-33/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-34/?action=preview&uid=12278

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-35/?action=preview&uid=12278

Planned tools:

Font:

Flash Development:

Audio:

Image Editing: