Well, it looks like its that time again!

Godspeed, my fellow jammers! May your minds be full of inspiration and your mugs full of caffeine!

I got off to a fine start. Progress was great after a mere two hours in. The world of "The Last Gladewarden" was coming together nicely. A few of the trickier mechanics were already slotted into place and even Blender's insatiable desire to swallow my soul appeared less vengeful than usual.

Disaster struck as I headed to bed at 5 AM. I realized the spark was gone. There wasn't anything wrong with the Gladewarden, there just wasn't anything new about it. The planned hybrid action/tower defense was far too close to Antagonistic, my last Ludum Dare title. Sure, there were a number aesthetic and gameflow differences, but the code I was writing was painfully similar to that previous title. It wasn't new enough, different enough, 'dare'ing enough.

The next morning I awoke to a sobering realization: I was quitting. Ludum Dare Compo may very well be one of the most grueling technical competitions in the world and I wasn't about to kill myself rehashing the same ol', same ol'. I was out.

A mere hour later, I was back in. A concept had bloomed in my mind so bonkers is simply had to be given a chance. But could I make it? I had already lost nearly 15 of my scant 48 hours. There was only one way to find out!

With only six hours left on the clock, I was still missing the victory/failure conditions and an actual algorithm governing the main power mechanic. It was going to be tight, to say the least.

The game was completed with less than 30 minutes left until the deadline. Nothing from the original game ended up being usable in the new one.

Thus, without further ado, I present Airship Engineer: A gonzo little arcade game that challenges you to maintain three cantankerous steampunk engine contraptions to keep your travel schedule. Admittedly, it is missing a couple of my signature touches (such as an animated main menu), but it is a fine bit of silly fun. I hope you enjoy.

Check it out here: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/39/airship-engineer

Please don't. It's tacky.

Yeah, I know it seems customary to ask for handouts on the Internet at every possible occasion, but really folks, let it go just one day every four months, huh?

Filed under 'Oops', I just remembered to get the browser-based version for my entry set up for the download impaired. There's a bit of a sound clipping issue on one of the samples, but, other than that it came out okay.

Link available on my submission page: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/39/airship-engineer

Airship Engineer challenges you to maintain three uniquely cantankerous steampunk engine contraptions to keep the travel schedule of this experimental, animal-powered, luxury zeppelin. Arrive at your destination late and you'll be fired. Push the engines too hard and you'll blow up the ship. Do your job right and your boss is sure to be promoted.

All a day in the life for the Airship Engineer!

As always, thank you for your time and feedback.