We did it, I don't know if we should have but we did! We made an FPS Golf game where you shoot the ball by shooting it with a gun.

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Our first Ludum Dare game made it over 20! Thank you so much for playing it!

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/modern-fairway-4-spec-ops-in-the-rough!

I played Toby Gawk early in the voting period and I'm still chuckling about it. Any copy with the phrase 'hella mouse controls' should tell you straight up that you're dealing with some quality writing. Immediately into the game I'm being blasted with MIDI punk that's bpm was still high enough to trigger flashbacks of my younger years in some dive venue getting shoved around by a hundred other bodies in a room meant to hold 20. The score counter is always ratcheting upwards and it somehow makes rushing from one gawking-target to the next extremely funny. The spirit of this game gets 5 outta 5 sick kickflips. Check out @fitz13 and @n8m8 's entry here: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/$73894

We might be biased cause Alien Holes is another funky golf game but it has surprisingly refined mechanics and a great vintage arcade feel, even in a 3D environment. The laser you shoot the ball with has explosion force applied to it, meaning that if you hit to the side of the ball slightly, force still gets applied and head on shots will apply the most force. It made for a fun learning experience as we experimented with shots and the aiming vs power relationship. With some slick aesthetics and a little visual fine-tuning, this could be an awesome, full release retro arcade style experience. This game gets 5 emoji alien heads outta 5. Check out @bazld 's entry here https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/alien-holes

Also, we're pretty good at it!:

This game is beautiful, I still can't believe the art is so well done on a Jam game. Not only was this a relaxing, aesthetically pleasing play, but the writing was cute and personable without being contrived or shallow feeling. The colors and structure of the environment plus the simple, straightforward mechanics of eating bugs and keeping both birds full made for a highly enjoyable experience. I give this game 5 out 5 aesthetically pleasing borbs. 🐦

Check out @rebecca-kremer and @qkjosh 's entry here --> https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/on-the-fly

Pinball Gardener combines pinball gameplay with resource purchasing to manage a farm. While I love- LOVE- the concept, I think it could use a little more refinement to fully integrate the two genres. However, Pinball Gardener's strongest suit is it's art. The art itself is gorgeous- chunky pixelated colors and shapes really add a clean, visually appealing style to this game. Also everyone knows I have a crippling weakness for cute things rendered in pixel form. Beyond the basic art style though, the UI design is so clean and clear- some of the best UI I've seen this whole Jam. The sound design is also top notch, sfx are differentiated from each other and well balanced. This is a fantastic product to turn out in only 72 hours. I award this game 5 pixel art vegetables cute enough to actually make me want to eat vegetables out of 5.

Check out @kianamosser and @MattFDraws 's entry here --> https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/pinball-garden

Its little secret that I love playing chill games and relaxing. Fishing Asteroids delivers both, thankfully, and it's laid back atmosphere, oceanic galaxy theme really puts me in that zone that only fishing games in rpgs can put me. The art is cute and visually appealing- all the elements on the screen are easily distinguishable from each other at a glance, and the music suits the the theme well. There's been a lot of really high-energy, almost frantic play experiences in Ludum Dare #41 (which are highly enjoyable in their own right) but Fishing Asteroids was a well designed, well executed oasis of chill. This games gets a full 5 out of 5 high powered super rods.

Check out @arbosis , @Ja-viera , and @roboxel 's entry here: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/fishing-asteroids

Dungeon Solitaire is a great mix of concepts where you play a solitaire-like game of cards against yourself to the ultimate goal of using all the cards possible. You play the cards to build a dungeon full of all kinds of traps and parameters like spinning saw blades, extra gravity, winding passages, and more. Its a fiendishly simple mechanic that's quite challenging in play. As a compo entry, this game has homemade assets too and, frankly, we kind of think that the simple, vintage style graphics helps cut back on the clutter-potential this game has for an overall pleasing visual style. On a scale of 1 to Getting Rid of that Last Stubborn Saw Card at the Very End, this game gets an 11.

Check out @lex 's entry here: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/dungeon-solitaire-1

Honest Dan's Trout is honestly one of the most honest to goodness Gameboy experiences I've played on this Ludum Dare. The limited color palette and well-crafted sound effects took me back to those nostalgic days before backlit screens and rechargeable batteries. Not does this game look slick but it's hella challenging- in a fun, fast paced way, not a old Gameboy platformer way. My old person brain was quite entertained by the brick breaker paddle and tetris block rotation all at the same time. A great puzzle game that relies on a simple, clean mechanic framed in a neat, aesthetically pleasing package! Honest Dan's Trout gets five trouts out of five. (why is it called trout???)

Check out @honest-dan 's submission here: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/honest-dans-trout

So if you've been following my reviews you might have picked up on the fact that I have a very special place in my heart of hearts for chill as hell gaming experiences. Bloom is one of those games. Its a hybrid game mixing elements from Civilization, a platonic dating sim, with a kind of inherited-trait twist and a certain Catan-esque look. I love it. You lead your tribe in forging friendships and alliances with the other tribes, sharing resources and breeding settlers to have physical features that appeal to as many of the other tribes as possible. And you just... get along. This game was calm and engaging and I'm always after relaxing experiences like it! Funny story: when I was a wee kid my Dad used to play Civilization 3 and go absolutely ballistic when the game didn't go as expected (my old man is so bad at all games its so sad) and it sort of ingrained an instinctive, immediate dislike of any game even remotely resembling it. For Bloom's ability to placate years of childhood trauma and deliver a great experience, it gets a big, therapist-approved A+.

Check out @luckyfeathers and @welshfireman 's entry here: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/$77069

I can't praise this game highly enough. I'm a huge sucker for a well-executed creep factor and Woodsy just does a great job with very difficult art driven elements- like mood and humor and ambiance and tension... I could go on. The pixel art is stylish and unique looking and the monsters are certainly creepy and scary but also very well designed and individualized. The writing in this is fresh and a little sardonic but natural feeling and that really lends itself to the overall tone of the game and the implementation of this jam's theme. This game also describes my idea neighborhood. I give this game 5 friendly cryptids out of 5.

Check out @ghodan @moawko and @ninjaropes entry here: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/woodsy

I played this game early on and the only reason I hesitated on a 'review' was because I wasn't entirely sure how to word my reaction. Whether the developer intended it or not, there's a stark poignancy going on here that elicited a real reaction from me and I was very excited to think about its potential. Inherently neutral game mechanic or possible vehicle for a much deeper meaning aside, the game quickly established an insidious tone right out of the gate that could easily couple with any number of wider reaching motifs. Again, I think the potential to link this to overarching themes of injustice could make this a super powerful game serving up capital A art. But all that aside, what IS here is a great mechanic that can swing into dark humor or harsh metaphor (or both?) and I'm impressed with the mood and versatility that's come out of a Jam game- scratch that- a COMPO game. For delivering a solid mechanic that really plays off two themes with a lovely bit of sardonic crunch, this game gets 5 concealed assailants culling the weak from the herd out of 5.

Check out @kromeboy 's entry here: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/the-long-walk

If y'all have been keeping up with my Fave Games of Ludum Dare #41 mini-reviews, you'll know that I tried to put a focus on games you might have missed. With this post, I'm going to drop a lot of objectivity here and just talk about my personal top five games- games that I had the most fun with or games with aesthetic and style that really appeal to me.

With all that out of the way, these are my favorite games of Ludum Dare #41:

5) Puttsy! by @caterein , @giantdad , and @morrilet https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/puttsy

Okay so maybe we hate IRL golf but apparently we're all about those eSports... but like... not Overwatch (though I do play (but I also suck)). Puttsy! is minigolf with tower defense elements and man, its addictive. This reminds me of the puzzle games I would stay up all night playing, with more time and just a bit more polish, Puttsy! absolutely has what it takes to be a satisfying, long lasting experience.

4) On the Fly by @rebecca-kremer and @qkjosh https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/on-the-fly

I posted about this one early into my reviews. Again, the art is such a gorgeous hook here but also this his a chill as hell experience that I just really appreciated. There's serenity in the design and gentility in the writing but also some well placed humor too. This game is a delight, I'm so impressed it was made so quickly!

3) Woodsy by @ghodan https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/woodsy

Listen, I know I posted this game a few days ago as a 'general' fave of Ludum Dare but I love this game. The art, the mood, the style, the narrative, the simple but solid mechanics... This game is also very close to being a solid purchasable title, too! You can read my earlier review of Woodsy but for now, just know that I love this game and that I would like for Peter to replace my current neighbors).

2) Bomb in Rhythm by @finalspace https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/bomb-in-rhythm

This is game with competing themes of peace and war combined into a unique package of rhythm game + bullet hell. I love that there's a little wordplay between the mechanic and narrative themes going on here, as this is a fun experience that packs a bit of thematic impact. The dev used Asset store components in designing the level bit they did a fantastic job with lighting, placement, style, etc that really add a peaceful feel to the game- at least until you start getting inundated by warheads. As far as gameplay goes, the mechanics are simple- dodge bullets, get notes but both are solid and challenging. The music, in my opinion, is the most interesting I've seen in this Dare. Not only is there a background track constantly playing but picking up the notes adds a harmonious melody on top that doesn't disrupt the soundtrack, even if you miss a few notes. All in all, this game is a pleasure to play.

1) Roulette Knight by @finlal and the Four Quarters team https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/roulette-knight-1

Roulette Knight unbelievably polished for being produced in 72 hours. The art is cohesive and stylish with a look all its own and the whole game has an extremely professional, budgeted look that kinda blows my mind a little. The UI is clean and super well designed and frankly, I can't praise the stylistic choices here enough (so clean! so consistent!). Beyond that, however, Roulette Knight is an engaging mix of gallows-humor, luck, and strategy as it combines RPG elements with... Russian Roulette, which isn't a game genre at all and had never occurred to me as a potential element of this Dare. These two genres are combined at the mechanic level, making it a true mix of incompatibility that ultimately makes for a super harmonious, fun experience.

Ludum Dare #41 - Post Entry Write Up

Conceptualization

We imposed the limit of only a few hours to spend on this and made this a priority of Friday evening. Determined to settle on a concept that had a lot of potential, fit the theme, and provided a level of scope that was doable became our top priority in the dare’s first few hours.

Quickly, we began coming up with genre combos that made us laugh or delivered some kind of inspiration. We got stuck on the idea of doing an 80s era text-based RPG around several truly incompatible genres, including sports, replete with cardinal directions based navigation, old-timey names for other characters, and old rpg flavor text that’s pseudo formal.

The idea for Modern Fairway was sort of cemented we we discussed how to mix and equal amount of FPS with an equal amount of golf. The best idea came to us when we nailed down the mechanical mix- shoot the golf ball with FPS weapons. Using FPS theming for the menus, sound, and UI assets juxtaposed against the cutesy golf look sold it for us, and we knew the jarring difference between art styles would only raise the impact of the humor.

Framework

Saturday - Begin 6am Terrain Generation FPS Engine Ball + Physics Main Menu Graphics Logo and Button Design Terrain Sculpting

We decided to drop the load out screen as it didn’t bring anything meaningful to the actual game.

Sunday - Begin 3am Create win condition Create second environment as level two Trawl internet for free use music and sfx for menus and during gameplay Amass free use low-poly models to populate course with

Monday - Begin 6am Sculpt paths in terrain Populate terrains Lighting UI tweaks Build Credits scene Screencaps + video footage for social media posts Post game Run Dread game as promised like a FOOL

Prioritization

We prioritized anything that served the Ludum Dare theme and/or built on humor. We trimmed or let go of ideas that didn’t directly offer payoffs in these two priorities. We specifically made the text and menus as dramatic and over the top as possible so that it would play off the cute, low poly look of the golf courses and in-play music.

In addition to the load out screen concept we had, we also had to trim extending the variety of weapons in the game. A true scoring system also didn’t quite make the cut.

Obstacles

Our biggest hurdle by far was distribution of skills paired with the stipulation of not purchasing assets and the absolutely oppressive time crunch. We’ve differentiated our skills as much as possible but neither of us are artists. We relied on free commercial use assets, models, sound, fonts, and music when we needed. All assets were used with permission.

What Went Right

Our ratings have surpassed our expectation. What we completed during the dare period is not complete, but stands alone well. Social Media/Marketing outreach. No bug-fixes or improvements have been made to the game after submission. Many people have offered well crafted critiques should we push forward with the game Networked with several devs on various social media.

What Went Wrong

Several UI bugs that we did not have time to fix Floating tree/cactus models that we didn’t have time to fix Terrain Size Lack to time to familiarize ourselves with FPS games and their typical feel, leading to mouse sensitivity issues.

Final Takeaway and Results

Rankings are up now and we were very pleased with the results:

406th Overall (3.6 avg rating of 82) which is the top 13% of all games and top 21% of games that ranked. 362nd in Fun (3.5 avg from 82) 200nd in Innovation (3.788 avg from 82) 57th in Theme (4.341 avg from 84) which is top 3% of ranking games 80th in Humor (3.987 avg from 80) which is top 4% of ranking games 349th in Mood (3.545 avg from 80)

Total Ludum Dare Submissions: 3050 (Jam: 2019, Compo: 1031) Total Ranking Games: 1898

Ludum Dare was definitely challenging but I take some pride in knowing that we were organized and crafted a workable scope that allowed us to finish a salient product within the time limit with limited resources. Even though we are still before the official judging period, we’re happily surprised by the response we’ve been getting and the connections we’ve forged during the rating phase.

If we decide to do another Ludum Dare- which is probably likely, though maybe not the next one- we’ll likely try to implement the same mode of attack, so to speak. Conceptualization was highly satisfying as was submitting a mostly finished product.

We want to leave Ludum Dare #41 with a shout out to all the cool people we've met here, who've carefully critiqued and commented on our game and whose game's we commented on. Ludum Dare #41 hinges heavily on its community and it was a really great experience working with and connecting with all you designer/devs. As always, hit us up on twitter --> @SoftDutch and see you next jam!

If counting in Japanese sounds fun to you play this

My Game Design 'Doc'

"1","2","3","4","5","6","7","8","9","10","100","1,000","10,000","100,000","1,000,000","10,000,000","100,000,000"

"Ichi","Ni","San","Shi","Go",Roku","Shichi","Hachi","Kyuu","Juu","Hyaku","Sen","Man","JuuMan","HyakuMan","SenMan","Oku"

"いち","に","さん","し","ご","ろく","しち","はち","きゅう","じゅう","ひゃく","せん","まん","じゅうまん","ひゃくまん","せんま ん","おく"

"一","二","三","四","五","六","七","八","九","十","百","千","万","十万","百万","千万","億"

Level 1 - Count to 10

Level 2 - Count to 25

Level 3 - 20 Random 2 digit numbers

Level 4 - 20 Random 3 digit numbers

Level 5 - 20 Random 4 digit numbers

Level 6 - 20 Random 5 digit numbers

Endless - Random numbers until mistakes end game (At this point start keeping score of how many they get right.)

The code I used to translate numbers into Kanji

Hiragana and Romanji was just a copy of this but translated

I made the game using pictures from my most recent trip to Japan. If any of you are planing to be in Tokyo or Kyoto any time soon I have a google map I can share with you and I am always 100% down to help people plan rad trips to japan. If any of you want to start learning Japanese and don't know where to start let me know and I'll shower you with advice. If you are not a beginner and looking for intermediate advice, me to! If your an expert tell me how I can go from being able to read 500 kanji to being able to read a newspaper, and from being able to speak like a 2 year old to being able to speak like a 3 year old. I would really appreciate the advice :)