Oh I love the new format. Until today I was only once able to take part in a LDJam. With both my job and my children to take care of, it isn't usually possible to just take a whole weekend off to develop a game nonstop. With the new "extra" format, this is no longer an issue! Would be nice to join the competition, but in the end a game jam is about the journey, not the destination.

The theme left me puzzled for a while because except for the generic endless runner where losing is obviously eventually unavoidable, nothing came to my mind. Since losing or getting killed in a game, while technically "inevitable", felt too cheap (no offense to those who took that path) I was looking for a concept where the focus of the game is not on the actual inevitable fact, but the delaying process. I also wanted the possibility to win without preventing the event in question, as it then wouldn't be inevitable and a game that cannot be won wears out rather fast (except for ASCII-based games about dwarves).

Finally I came up with "Wildfire suppression".

What is this game about? You control emergency response units in the woodlands. Wildfires are raging, and you don't have the manpower and resources to prevent them from reaching urban areas. The towns burning down seems inevitable, but you can try your best to hold the fires off until the towns have been evacuated. Use your resources well and prioritize to save as many lives as you can.

For previously mentioned reasons I still am in the beginning stages. I created a text based map format that can load into the game properly, automatically choosing and rotating all tiles. Right now I am working on the fire logic. Pretty devastating already:

I don't know when it will be finished, but thanks to the extra format I got plenty of time. I'm trying to stay within the compo rule boundaries (also regarding time spent on project), but as there is no pressure I may decide at any time to switch to jam rules or maybe take even a bit longer at any time to do some more testing, adding features or optimizing. Since I'm not competing against other games that were limited by those rules I think that's fine. If you think otherwise feel free to share your opinion.

Got myself some time to continue working on the game tonight - going to use the "Extra" category due to time limitations.

Added urban tiles today and optimized fire spread. Now there are actual towns to save! Or rather... evacuate, because destruction is inevitable ;)

I am still working on my entry, luckily I have enough time thanks to the new "extra" format.
The fire can now finally be fought using the fire truck unit. It can extinguish up to three tiles at once, but is limited to roads and thus can only reach tiles adjacent to those. You will also need to watch out as they can be destroyed if their current location catches fire. It can only withstand the heat for so long, so you can push through burning roads or make your getaway, but be fast with it.
Fire is also affected by wind now and spreads accordingly. You can use this to your advantage, as fire will not move against the wind, but a sudden change in wind direction can catch you by surprise!

Due to limited time available I wanted to participate in the "Extra" format. Unfortunately due to unforeseen events I was delayed even more, but at least I'll be able to submit before the final deadline.
Have a look at the current state of the game, its almost ready for release. You are in control of emergency units deployed against a wildfire. You cannot stop it, but you can delay it until the towns can be evacuated. Make tactical decisions and use your units wisely to get as many people out of the towns before they are consumed by the flames.
I hope there will still be some people around to play and rate the game as it's going to be a rather late submission, even for an extra. If not, it was still fun to develop.

Check out my "Extra" submission: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/$283006
In "Wildfire", you control emergency response units to fight a forest fire.
You don't have the time or resources to keep the fire from burning down the nearby towns, but you can try to keep it away long enough for the population to evacuate.
Command different emergency response units with unique abilities and advantages: Firetrucks, Police cards, Helicopters and Bulldozers.
Use your units tactically and prioritize use of your resources to save as many lives as you can before the inferno destroys everything.
Keep an eye on the weather, as asudden change of wind can easily cut you off.
Play in browser or download for Windows and Linux: https://laserpanzerwal.itch.io/wildfire

Unfortunately not every feature i planned made it into the release. Stay tuned for future updates:
Water-bomber planes
Additional maps
Level editor for custom maps
And more...

With the compo deadline coming closer, many games will be done soon. Most others the same time tomorrow. Obviously, jobs and families will prevent you from working on your jam entry for 72 hours straight, so some of us will submit later in the extra category. Make sure to check our stuff out too!

Have a look at my take on the theme: Rapid Pizza Delivery.

You deliver pizzas and your boss is clear about one thing: you deliver fast! Make your way through the city and make sure the customers get their orders in time or your boss will find somebody else who does!

What works for newspapers sure works for pizza... GTA2 vibes, anyone?

Obviously there is still a lot to be done, I only had a few hours to work on this so far. I'll keep you posted though, and hope to release this early enough to still get some reviews. Make sure to play it while it's still hot!

One day before the ratings end I finally managed to submit my extra entry: Rapid Pizza Delivery. You're a pizza delivery driver and have to make sure you deliver the pizzas in time. This game is inspired by GTA and GTA2 and features similar driving mechanics.

Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances I didn't have the amount of time I originally planned and my teammate had to bail before we started, so the game, while fully playable, is not finished in regards of the originally intended scope. I still hope it is fun, and may add the missing features at a later point depending on its reception.

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/53/rapid-pizza-delivery

While I still don't know who voted for the theme, nor understand why, at least I came up with some ideas and settled for the one I think works best for the compo. You are tasked with programming a robot to automatically navigate a facility and operate terminals. The problem is: the robot model available has very limited memory capacity to store your movement pattern and will always move forward until an obstacle is met. Be creative and find a way to operate all terminals in each level without running out of memory space.

I chose a pseudo-early-90ies-handheld aesthetic (you know which device I am talking about :wink:), although I cheated by using the home console counterpart's resolution to properly display the levels without frustrating the player. Originally, the player was going to switch between the map layout and a "programming screen" in which to choose the movement commands. This was scapped at an early point though as I found it user unfriendly and simply not fun. Instead, you directly control the robot with keyboard inputs in "simulation mode", which is then applied to the "actual" robot when finished to win the level.

Movement and winning conditions are all set now. Next stop is going to be a simple level editor so I can create content more easily.

Basic (very basic) level editor is complete. Levels are stored in integer strings, goal is to refine the editor for use with ingame controls so levels can be created and easily shared by players. I don't know if i will be able to do that within the 48 hours of the compo, but this can just as well be added as a post jam patch afterwards.

I think I need to work on the coloring. The color palette is limited to 4 scales of grey due to the handheld aesthetics I am aiming for, but walls and floor should be easier to differentiate....

With the first day almost over, please keep in mind that not everyone in this jam is running Windows. Many participants though use established platforms like Unity, Godot or even Pico8 which are capable of building for multiple platforms.

Web builds are the most accessible, but can be buggy or low performant. If a web build does not work for your game, please try and publish builds for linux and mac, too.

We want to rate your game, and you want us to rate your game. But that is only possible if we can play it.

Obviously, if that doesnt work due to a more exotic engine or some fancy schmancy selfmade toolkit :wink: we understand that this is not possible.

8 more hours to go, and things are looking good. The game seems to run stable, the gameplay elements are in place. I got sounds and even music, though it shows that I am not a composer... :sweat_smile: Now it is time to create some content with the level editor.

I was going for additional gameplay elements, and may add them later today to be used in additional levels, but for now I want to get some basic content done so the game is fully functional for an upload, should I run out of time.

90 Minutes to go (for Compo)! Got the game up and running, created 13 levels. Not too much, but enough to be played. Got some bugs fixed, now it's time for last minute optimization and preparation of the game page. And to fix that annoying music I created... I don't know why I even put it in there...

In the mean time: Main Menu! (Yes, I suck with logos :sweat: )

With virtually no time left, I released my COMPO entry :v:

SUPER LOW MEMORY BOT!

It is the summer of 1992 and you just rode your BMX eight miles down to the store to grab your brand new copy of SUPER LOW MEMORY BOT for your FUNTENDO GAME PAL handheld console. Grab a bag of chips and a soda, because the fun can begin!

In SUPER LOW MEMORY BOT you are tasked with programming robots to automatically operate consoles in a remote environment. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts only old robot models with LIMITED MEMORY SPACE are available. Get creative to fit all necessary movement commands in the memory available.

With all the fixes and optimizations I didn't have time to create nice a nice Cover Image and everything. But since that is not part of the game, I am sure you guys don't mind if the game page beautification happens after the 48h limit :sweat_smile:

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/54/super-low-memory-bot

Removed

If you loved your handheld gaming console in the 90ies and/or are always up for a challenging puzzle, check out SUPER LOW MEMORY BOT.
Program a robot with limited memory to automatically navigate the facility and control terminals. You only have so many available programming instructions, so be smart about the moves. Can you beat all 13 levels?

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/54/super-low-memory-bot

I was kinda bummed when I saw the theme as it was probably my least favourite of all the finalists. Took me a while to come up with an idea, although it probably isn't the most creative. Then again, what else but demons can you summon in a game? I sure wasn't going to make a game about going to court.
Anyway, Demonic Dominion (working title) is a roguelite set in a world that has already ended. Infernal powers have taken over, and the last human survivors have retreated into a dungeon.
You have been tasked with defeating them. You are not a fighter yourself, but instead you invoke demons to slay the humans. Every death rewards you with a soul that you can use to summon more infernal minions to do the overlords bidding.
There will be different demons with strenghts and weaknesses to match the variety of enemies you will encounter. You can find different enchanted pieces of equipment to upgrade your abilities, which will usually be lost when defeated. Certain pieces can be brought back though, making you stronger from the start until you manage to beat the game.
I got the basic spawning mechanics, basic combat and, most important, basic dungeon generation going. Let's see how much detail I manage to get into the game until deadline.
Warning, programmer art:

The kids were sick last week, of course I get it now too, right in the middle of the jam. Lost the whole evening yesterday, so I will likely have cut some things, especially in the graphic detail area. Thats especially annoying as the jam ends at 0300 AM for me and I have to work tomorrow, so I have about 12 hours to finish instead of 16. Anyway, I still managed to get some stuff going so there is hope!

Phew, what a weekend. First I'm stuck in a creative hole with no proper ideas on the theme.
Then I get sick and lose most of the Jam time.
I still managed to get a playable game released though, which is great. Unfortunately, while possible to play from start to end, the game is far from where I wanted it to be. Since had to stop due to sickness for almost a day and actually don't feel too great now either, alot of stuff is missing. The dungeons are bland, unit types are not balanced at all and the game is more like a prototype. Dang, it doesn't even have music.
Either way, I'm glad I still got it into a presentable state, so have a look at it. And should you like the concept, please comment and I might pick it up again in a few days to get it where I wanted it to be.

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/55/demonic-dominion