• Role Reversal
• The odds are stacked against you
• Big fish in a small pond

Let me know your thoughts!

Edit: Changed "Reverse a Genre" to "Role Reversal"

Since everyone is posting "I'm In" posts, thought I should as well...

If I make it through to the end, this will be my first game jam. I'll probably keep my idea simple (like maybe a simple platformer with the theme applied) to avoid burning out. I'll be taking part in the Jam because the Compo is currently out of my league. I'm not expecting a really high score, I'm just taking part for fun and to hopefully gain some game dev experience along the way.

The main problem with LD44's theme is that it's not doing what themes are supposed to be doing.

The rules page for Ludum Dare says "The theme is something we do to help everyone with the “blank sheet of paper” problem that artists and creators deal with." but theme "Your life is currency" doesn't really help with that. The first idea that comes to mind, and the one most people are using by default, is "you use your health to pay for upgrades". That's just one mechanic, and it doesn't help you decide what type of game to create. Some people have decided to be creative by thinking of "life" as experiences rather than health. While that's different, it still doesn't give you much to work with.

I tried to force myself to participate and make a generic platformer, but I couldn't do it. I had so little motivation that the whole time I was thinking how I wanted it over and done with, and even the smallest problem was enough to make me quit.

Anyway, luck to everyone who's still participating!

• You are Bananas
• The World is Bananas
• Everything is Bananas

Bananas!

It doesn't say YOU have to start with nothing. It could be the world, the enemy, someone you're supporting or anything else you can think of. :wink:

I've never successfully completed a Game Jam game before. The only two times I tried were in 2019 - first with a non-LD jam, then with LD44, and both times I gave up. However, with my game dev skills having improved since then, and with the addition of the Extra as a backup option, I've decided to get back in the game!

I'm aiming for the Jam, but I'll probably end up submitting to the Extra.

(Previous post: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/51/$302058/im-taking-part-for-the-first-time-in-years-since-i-gave-up-in-2019)

The last two times I tried participating in a Game Jam, I gave up within the first couple of hours. This time, I'm proud to say that I'm still going strong with relatively few hiccups. My game is a simple 3D platformer where a new enemy spawns every 10 seconds, and you have to escape the level. It's not particularly amazing, and I'm not expecting it to be the top rated game in Ludum Dare, but at least I can say I participated in a Game Jam.

I'm hoping to get the code finished today so I can focus on the art and level design. Then, tomorrow I'll be focusing on wrapping it all up and releasing.

I don't currently have any screenshots, since it mostly contains placeholder art.

It's just under 12 hours until the Jam ends and I made it through without giving up!

In this terrible game, you have to make it to the end of the level while a new enemy spawns every 10 seconds, shooting projectiles at you. It's extremely simple, has hideous programmer art and can be completed in 50 seconds (although, it will probably take longer for people who don't already know the optimal movements) but at least I can say I completed a Ludum Dare!

Today, I'll be making last minute changes and wrapping everything up. I'll probably submit it a few hours before Submission Hour, since this is my first Game Jam and I'm afraid of messing up the build/submission process and losing time.

In this game, you have to escape the oasis (get to the end of the level) while a new enemy spawns every 10 seconds. Get out fast to avoid being swarmed!

It's quite terrible, but at least I was able to complete a Ludum Dare!

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/51/oasis-escape

I've submitted my game and am now in the phase of rating and giving feedback on other games. As this is my first Ludum Dare, I decided to focus on games from other first-timers. If this is your first Ludum Dare and you have submitted a game (or if you have one to recommend), post it in the comments.

Edit: Here's my game, in case anyone else is looking for other first-timers: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/51/oasis-escape

A common criticism I've been getting about my game is that the camera is too sensitive. The rules state:

Certain Bug Fixes are allowed. You can’t add new features, but if something broke or didn’t work correctly as you were finishing up, you can fix this after the deadline. You are asked to highlight the changes you make in your submission (a short change log). You probably wont get a 2nd chance with some players, but at least it wont be a problem for future players.

Thing is, the change I'm thinking of making is kind of in a gray area. It's not really a "bug", but it's also not adding a new feature.

Since everyone is making "reminder" posts to go play their game, here's mine. Go play my game! https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/51/oasis-escape

The first time I attempted a Ludum Dare was in 2019, with LD44. I gave up after four hours and never attempted it again, until LD51, where I released Oasis Escape. It's a rushed mess, but at least I can say I completed a Ludum Dare.

Originally, I had no intention on participating. I didn't even take part in the theme slaughter, and the only poll I voted in was the final.

I'm eventually planning to release a commercial game which was conceived in 2017. Development on it has been slow for various reasons, mostly related to art. Often, I'll work on it for about three days and then get burned out, making only a tiny bit of progress. If it continues at this rate, it will probably take another decade to complete.

Last week, I was in the mood for working on my game. I noticed from checking Twitter that Ludum Dare 51 was coming up. With my game dev skills having improved since my last attempt,and with the addition of the Extra (which I could have used if I failed the Jam - fortunately I didn't), I decided to try it again for the first time since 2019. It was a hasty decision I made on the spot, but it ended up changing my perspective on game dev.

During The Event The strict 72-hour deadline forced me to focus on what was important. I have a habit of spending hours refactoring code or trying to finalize my art long before it's ready. Because of this, it ends up feeling like I made no progress. This time, I couldn't do that. If I tried, I would fail to meet the deadline, so I was motivated to resist.

Oasis Escape went through multiple art style changes. It was originally going to be about escaping from a lab. I tried multiple colour schemes, but they all ended up drab and boring, if not outright depressing. Eventually, I changed it to take place in a desert oasis. An alien escaping from a lab may have made more sense story-wise, but neither storytelling nor interior design are skills I'm currently focusing on.

Had I not had such a strict deadline, I would have probably tried to "polish" each style, then burn out before finding one that worked. The deadline forced me to strip everything down to the basics. In addition, I was forced to come up with new art instead of just using what I already had (not that I had much).

The result ended up influencing my main game. I liked the colour scheme of the water and sky better than what I already had, so I changed my main game to be a mixture of the two.

After The Event I learned a lot participating in LD51, but the thing that changed me the most is what happened after.

Normally, I work alone, in deep solitude, fantasizing about the one day where my game will finally be good enough to announce it.

Ludum Dare gave me the opportunity to get focused feedback. It's kind of like a focus group. I submit a collection of features and get feedback on them. I then use that feedback to figure out what works and what doesn't, and what I should and shouldn't implement in future projects. This gives me insight that I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. (Of course, I also return the favour to others participants by them feedback, but this post is primarily about what I've learned about my own games)

A common criticism of Oasis Escape is that the camera is too sensitive, so I'll be sure to set it lower in future projects. While this particular problem wouldn't have effected my main game too much (as it is a big project, it will eventually have sensitivity sliders), it was important for fine-tuning the defaults.

Someone pointed out that it looked like a 2000s Flash Game. While my main game will obviously be significantly more detailed, the goal since conception has always been to resemble modernized Flash animation. I failed on the "modernized" part, so I consider that a half-success.

I got a bit of feedback about the game's difficulty. Game developers in general are terrible at gauging the difficulty of their own games, so having people play my game after seeing it for the first time gave me insight I sorely needed. It letes me know what level of skill I should expect from first time players, and adjust the difficulty curve accordingly.

All in all, the past week has been quite an experience. I'm looking forward to Ludum Dare 52, where hopefully, I'll be able to make a good game.

Personally, I prefer themes that can be implemented into existing ideas, and don't force a specific art style or genre.

This will be my second Ludum Dare, and also my second game jam altogether. For LD51, I submitted Oasis Escape (https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/51/oasis-escape), a really sloppily put together 3D platformer, which was basically a practice run. This time, I'm hoping to create something a lot better.

My rules are the same as last time: I'm aiming for the Jam, but may end up submitting to the Extra if I fail to create something good enough on time. Although this time, the bar for "good enough" is a lot higher.

I already have an idea of what I'm going to create, but I won't be able to decide for sure until the theme is announced.

I've decided to quit my entry for LD52. It's not a problem with the theme or anything, I just don't feel like I would benefit from participating.

My first (and currently only) Ludum Dare was LD51. It was a chance to practice my game dev skills, test ideas, and get some feedback.

I don't feel like LD52 is having the same effect. Since last time, I've made a lot of progress on my main (commercial) game, and have a much clearer idea on what the finished product will look like. Therefore, I have no need to "experiment" or "practice" when I already have the necessary ideas and skills. Anything I create would just be an inferior version of part of my main game with the theme tacked on.

That's not to say I won't take part in more Ludum Dares in the future. There will be times when I need to try out ideas or get feedback. Now just isn't the time in my game's development cycle for it.

I basically just keep pressing "N" while staring at the "Recent Themes" section, and if I see a theme I like, I click on it and change it. I don't even look at the area where the current theme is displayed.

Am I the only one who does it this way?

According to Mike Kasprzak, who runs Ludum Dare, the various "Don't use Unity" themes are the lowest rated of them all. https://twitter.com/mikekasprzak/status/1706433713267990783

There is hope!

Here are my ideas (so far) for each theme. I have at least one for every theme except Folklore. I'm still not entirely sure what to do with that one. If Folklore wins, I'll probably just use ideas for another theme and apply folklore creatures to it.

Feel free to use any of these, since they're just basic ideas, and even if multiple people were to use them, the execution would be very different.

When I make my game, I'll probably end up combining multiple ideas, maybe even from different themes (but obviously focusing mainly on the actual theme).

• Get to a shelter before night
• Defend a shelter from waves of enemies

• Complete the same set of challenges in a loop, but keep certain abilities from your previous run

• Survival game where you must live only in resources found underground

• An interdimensional portal that brings monsters into the human world
• Collect strange machines and use them for combat

• Choose from multiple branching paths, each of which has different pros and cons

• Follow the signal - if you lose track of it, it's game over

• The enemies are plants that became sentient and turned into monsters
• The player is gigantic
• The enemies are gigantic

• Basically the same as "Shelter", so any Shelter ideas would apply to Santuary as well

• Survive only from remains
• Craft from parts of broken down machines
• Use scraps to keep a fire lit

You have no weapons made for offense, you can only defeat enemies by reflecting their attacks * Enemies can transform into a clone of the player in their current state

• I would go with the same ideas a "Paths", but require a key for each path, adding an extra choice of whether to go back for another key or choose an inferior path

• Use items you find (around the world? from enemy drops?) to create electricity and keep a light powered - if it runs out, you lose

• You play as a tiny creature in a world that looks gigantic, and must defend yourself against insects who are the same size as you

• The playable area continously shrinks and you must hurry before it eclipses the exit

• You regain health and/or stamina by defeating enemies
• You absorb the power of plants