I'm in. I'm just polishing my tools and getting my base code ready. I'll post the base code before the event starts in three hours. I'm so excited! I didn't even know what "Base Code" was until two days ago when I got the book The Game Jam Survival Guide by Christer Kaitila as a free ebook, and it says in the Ludum Dare rules that we're allowed to use it.

I'm so excited about this "Base Code" idea I'm tempted to write "Base Code" for a bunch of different genres before the next Ludum Dare and publish them for others to use! Well, we'll see how it goes, enthusiasm is fleeting. <3

For now I'm going to get back to getting ready.

Alright I'm ready for Ludum Dare now, my tools are assembled. I'll be using Unity, Paint.NET, and BFXR.

Here's a link to my Base Code! http://storage.electricsquirrel.net/Ludum%20Dare%2038/Platformer%20Base%20Code.zip

So the theme is A Small World. Interesting! I'm not sure what I want to do with that theme. I had a thought about using a smol pupper as the protagonist but I don't think I can art that. XD

I want to make some kind of platformer so a thought I had was to make it set in small world, either by making everything teeny or by having a big level that consists of many small biomes or making many small levels set in different world locales.

The other thing is what do I want the player to do? Collect collectables? Beat up enemies? Both?

Do I want to make a game based on The Little Prince where you go around your tiny planet picking up Baobabs and cleaning your volcanos?

I'll give it some more thought.

I'm back to work on more Ludum Dare! First order of the day, make the pick-ups collect as a score...

It's a pretty simple platformer, I think I could have done more if I had even more base code to start with, and a better idea of how platformers in Unity should work. Also if I didn't have to spend all that time figuring out what was freezing Unity (I had a while where I wanted an if!).

Anyways try my game and tell me what you think!

It's called Smol Mouse Thief.

http://storage.electricsquirrel.net/Ludum%20Dare%2038/

There's a Windows version here: http://storage.electricsquirrel.net/Ludum%20Dare%2038/SmolMouseThief.zip

It's designed for web so I didn't think to include a "Quit" button. Use Alt-F4 to quit a fullscreen application.

I'm in for LD40! I've just started my Base Code, and I'm anxious to see what the theme will be!

Here's my basecode for this Ludum Dare: http://storage.electricsquirrel.net/LudumDare/2D%20Platformer%20Base%20Code.zip

It's very similar to last time in appearance but under the hood it's all new and much better.

I'll be using Unity 2017 as my primary tool, along with Visual Studio as my coding IDE. I'll be using BFXR for sound effects, and Audacity if I need to tweak them. For Art it's Paint.NET for pixel art and Inkscape for vectors. Blender if I do anything 3D which I probably won't. All free tools! Thank you, tool developers! You're the real heroes.

Well I'm awake now and it's time to begin Ludum Dare! The theme is The more you have, the worse it is. I've already got a pretty good idea. I'm going to make a game where you carry a stack of boxes, and the more you have, the worse it is. <3

A little over seven hours of work done and it's time for a lunch break and a stretch. The game's coming along well. I just fixed a couple confusing bugs in the end-of-level script. Now it looks nice. It'll look nicer with some polish!

Everybody keep going! Make those games!

Well it's time for my second day of Ludum Dare.

I've got most of my gameplay elements built.

What have I got left?

I've got to make actual levels.

I've got to implement hazards, ie pits and spikes and spike pits.

I've got to make a pause menu with an exit button, and put an quit button on the main menu.

I've got to make the robot's head tilt back the more he carries.

I think that's it. That first one is a really complicated one though. XD

My game, Warehouse Blues, is about done. I don't think there's anything else I want to do that wouldn't take me over the time limit. I'm uploading it now.

Once again I'm In for Ludum Dare. I've succeeded in creating games three times so far, and though I never gathered enough coolness points for my games to be played much, I think I did a pretty good job.

I'll be using Unity, Bfxr, Paint.net and maybe a bit of Inkscape if I feel really artistic.

I'm very excited for the theme announcement!

Well the first idea that comes to mind is a Match-three Tower Defense game, but I don't think I could make that in 48 hours. If you can and do then let me know so I can try your game!

My second idea is a text-based first person shooter, but that doesn't sound very fun.

I liked the turn-based racing idea that was suggested along with this theme but I'm not sure how to do it. XD

Another one that comes to mind is a match three roguelike. But I've made a Match Three game before and it took me months. I don't think I can do it in two days. XD

Or, CAN I!?

I don't know. It's weird I'm caught on Match 3. It's not really incompatable with anything. We've got Match 3 and Pirates and Match 3 and Platformer games to show that.

A friend just suggested Visual Novel Tower Defense and I'm seriously considering it, though that would mean I'd have to create a bunch of busts for chatting at eachother...

Another friend suggested Bullet Hell Text Adventure. I hope taking theme suggestions from friends doesn't count as collaboration. LOL

Other ideas from friends:

Historical simulation 2D platformer. "The Oregon Trail of Floating Platforms."

Scorched Earth-style tank game X survival horror

Solitaire: The Walking Simulator

Rhythm Pinball

Typing Tutor Text Adventure. Backspace is disabled, and any typos you make become mutant objects that will oppose you.

Typing Tutor Flappy Bird

Find-Object-In-Picture + Match 3 of those objects

Where's Waldo in Rhythm Heaven

Tower Defense Platformer

Rampart Bejeweled

Casual match-3 FNAF clone

SimEarth the TCG

JRPG Goat Simulator

Roguelike Solitaire

Golf Kart Racing

Metroidvania formula 1 racing.

Katamari Arkanoid

Asteroids mixed with pool

Prince of Persia Peggle

Okay I'm seriously SERIOUSLY thinking about Visual Novel Tower Defense. I like tower defense games and I think Visual Novel would be easy enough to add in but weird enough to not fit right. XD

Okay so if I'm going to make a Visual Novel Tower Defense game, how do I want to do it?

I could have a visual novel playing out in one section of the screen, and a tower defense game in another, and have them relate to one another.

I could make it entirely a visual novel with Tower Defense mechanics. Like, talk to people in areas about tower placement.

Maybe I could have seperate tower grids for different locations in the world?

No, I think I'll use the Visual Novel parts for determining what enemies rush your tower emplacements. That should work. Maybe also determining what towers you have.

I'll give it some thought overnight.

I'm sorry to say I barely worked on my LD Compo game this weekend. Only for about three hours. Didn't get anything playable done, but I think I have a fun idea and I got started, so I'm going to go ahead and try to complete the game over the course of the week. Good luck everybody else!

I'm in! I'll be using Unity, Visual Studio 2017, maybe Blender, probably SFXR, and I'll try to post if I use anything else.

I forgot to check the announcement before bed last night! How silly. But wow, your life is currency? That's going to be a toughie. I've got a couple ideas already, but one is a platformer where you're a burglar with a sack of money that depletes as you get hit, and I don't want to do ANOTHER platformer for Ludum Dare.

The other idea is some kind of bank defense game, where you guard a bank and build defenses using the bank's currency, but that's also what the mobs are trying to take from you and if you run out you lose.

I might be taking the theme too literally though. Like, it doesn't have to be a money defense game.

I am pretty well wanting to try a tower defense game this time, and it could be like, the lower your health at your base the more defenses you could have, but then it would be hard to balance so all players wouldn't go for minimum health all the time...

Well I'll give it some thought and we'll see how it goes.