Hey there,

Rules state that we have to publicly post any base code that we use for the game’s development before it starts. This is my first competition so I hope I’m posting this in the right location.

I doubt anyone else will find this useful, because it’s less than an hours worth of base code, with very little functionality.

http://www.mediafire.com/download/prpkezhtztf1ocr/LudumDare29BaseCode.zip

Thanks,

I’ve made some progress on my ideas and the game implementation. Right now it’s a working tile map with randomly generated terrain, collision and entities. I feel at this point that I’ve haven’t put enough time into the actual gameplay mechanics, so that’ll be when I wake up.

I’ve made some more progress over the last several hours. I now have randomly generated caves with enemies and progressively harder levels accessed through wormhole-type things. You are able to fire a beam which damages enemies, fly using a jetpack, and shield yourself from damage (all unlockable abilities). Just need to implement a UI system, improve enemy AI, create sounds, and compose music… I’m hoping my schedule works out in my first Ludum Dare.

Wow, that weekend flew by. I’ve learned so much that my brain probably thinks it’s been a week.

Thank you LD for pushing me to finish my first game!

Things that I’ve learned for next time:

• Packaging the jar. I’ve done it before, but had some issues with resources. Lesson: Don’t leave it to the last 15 minutes.
• Get a functioning UI system before polishing (sounds, music, textures). My main menu and in-game interface look like crap because I left them too late
• If approaching something new, such as creating music in this case, learn it before starting a game jam…
• Plan and practice before starting. I decided to participate in my first LD only a few hours before it started, which gave me little time to write base code and get warmed up. I’ll know better next time.
• Mechanics first, aesthetics second. I feel like I polished the look a little too much before I even had combat and gameplay.
• Try making a game in a pre-build engine, not starting from scratch.

If you have a few minutes (it’s not very long) check out my game here:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-29/?action=preview&uid=36649

Let’s see if I can improve on my first entry from LD29.

• Java
• LWJGL
• Slick-Util
• IntelliJ Idea IDE
• Git for Version Control
• Photoshop for textures
• FL Studio for sound and music – If I get to music
• Chronolapse for the timelapse

Base code is available here: https://github.com/micdoodle8/LD30/tree/base

Good luck to everyone participating!

After several hours, here’s what I have so far. I feel like the process has gone smoother than my last ludum dare, but I don’t want to get too relaxed.

It’s a puzzle platformer with a slight twist, being able to control multiple players from different worlds. Still deciding how I want to make it different from other puzzle platformers, that’ll be the hardest part.

Same thing as before, just prettier now

Now for some more gameplay improvements.

Woohoo! Submitted my second Ludum Dare game on-time

InterVersal

Overall, I feel like this was a much more streamlined process that my original game, which I’ll elaborate on in my post-mortem. The confirmation that I’ve learned enough to do it better the second time is a nice feeling. I’ll have to wait for the scores to see how people like the game compared to the first.

Complete development timelapse:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bXQk3RG7ag

Third time in, this time for Ludum Dare 33.

I’ll be using:

Java & IntelliJ Idea 14

Notepad++

Photoshop/Pyxel Edit

Bfxr/FL Studio

Good luck to everyone else participating, let’s make some great games!