Some major storm had happen on Mars, and your power plant is the last one left... Keep it alive at all cost.

I like how this is progressing. Almost done with all the basic systems. Adding the dangers tomorrow. Hopefully I can squeeze a tutorial at the end.

Managed to finish this earlier than many of my previous LD. Also managed to put in a semi tutorial, which is something new for me.

https://zwodahs.itch.io/ld46-keep-it-alive https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/46/ld46-keep-it-alive

Really like how this turns out.

Decided not to suggest any theme this time round.

My setup

• Engine: Haxe/Heaps (https://heaps.io/)
• my custom framework/codebase https://github.com/ZwodahS/hh_common
• Graphics: Aseprite (https://www.aseprite.org/)

For those who are still stuck (lol?) brainstorming for ideas and complaining about the theme (like me), just make any game, since all games are technically stuck in a game loop.

Managed to get the basic idea of the game fully functional.

Didn't want to innovate this time round and just make some simple games and just try to polish it.

Guess I will spend tomorrow creating more enemy types, maybe power-up for the players, and polish the game up.a

https://zwodahs.itch.io/ld47-loop-invader

A simple arcade style shooter, where everything is stuck in a loop

Can you beat the high score ?

Play it at https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/loop-invader-1 or Itch

It is time for Ludum Dare again !

I'm in this time with the same tools as before.

1. Haxe/Heaps
2. Using my additional base library https://gitlab.com/ZwodahS/haxe-zf
3. If I decided to make a Traditional Roguelike, would also use https://gitlab.com/ZwodahS/ren as the base engine.
4. Aseprite for graphics
5. ChipTone for sound effects.

While waiting for LD, why not check out my game https://zwodahs.itch.io/abyss which was made for 7DRL just a few weeks ago.

I believe that it is important to have at least a playable prototype by the end of day 1, so here it is

https://zwodahs.itch.io/ld48-plunge

Basic game loop is there, looking to polish it and add more content tomorrow =) Do follow or save the link on itch to play it when it is done.

I’m in this time with the same tools as before.

• Haxe/Heaps
• Base Library (https://gitlab.com/ZwodahS/haxe-zf)
• Roguelike Engine (https://gitlab.com/ZwodahS/ren)
• Aseprite for graphics
• ChipTone for sound effects.

I did not put in a lot of effort in the last LD as I was working on my game. Looking back I kind of regretted not doing more but I guess that's the past. This time I will reserve the 2 ~ 3 days to do a proper LD again.

In the meantime, why not check out the game that I am working on over at https://zwodahs.itch.io/explore-the-abyss. It is a traditional roguelike with heavy focus on inventory management. The game is currently in alpha and appreciate any feedback for the game.

I posted my "I'm in" post a while back but seeing that there are quite a number of new people, I decided to posted it again with some tips. Here is my set up

• Haxe/Heaps
• Base Library (https://gitlab.com/ZwodahS/haxe-zf)
• Roguelike Engine (https://gitlab.com/ZwodahS/ren)
• Aseprite for graphics
• ChipTone for sound effects.

Tips/Reality check 1. You have 48 hours (72 for Jam), but in reality you only have about 20. 2. Despite having only 20 hours, spend 1 or 2 planning and thinking out what you want to do. It is worse when you realised your idea is a bad one 3 hours into development. 3. Plan out your scope and cut it by half. At the end of the first day, cut whatever is left by half again. (If are new, you might want to cut it by 75%). 4. Identify your MVP, and beeline to a it ASAP. It is more satisfying to add to something playable, than to just blindly stare at code. Ideally by the end of the first day, you should have the core loop finished; core loop being menu -> game -> gameover/victory. 5. Spend your last 2-3 hours playing the game, fixing bugs and balancing instead of adding more features. 6. Don't make your game too hard. Most people will give up after 5 minutes. 7. Although it might be late to change, browser game usually get more play.

Do share more tips if you have any.

So I went against a couple of the tips that I posted the other day.

1. You have 48 hours (72 for Jam), but in reality you only have about 20. - I just coded for a total of 12hr(tracked), excluding eating time etc. Tomorrow I will have about about 12 ~ 14 hours, which means I probably would have spend about 25~hours.

2. Plan out your scope and cut it by half. At the end of the first day, cut whatever is left by half again. - I don't plan to cut any, because most of them are fun. Good luck to me I guess ?

3. Identify your MVP, and beeline to a it ASAP. - Well I technically did have a playable build by 4 hours in. However I only managed to finish the core loop just 2 hours ago.

The good thing is, I have a playable demo. Do try it on your phone.

The game is about ... well, technically it is more like an Operating System.

An asteroid crashed into your ship, making the entire ship unstable. You are currently bed-ridden, and have no choice but to navigate your ship back home via a phone. The sad thing is, the OS is really buggy and unstable.

Many features are not done yet, so tomorrow will be a long day for me.

Presenting UnstableOS.

I really like how my game turn out this time round. If you tell me that I will be making a mobile OS at the start of the LD, I wouldn't believe it.

Ideas brainstorming

The jam starts the same way as any other jam; 1 hour of cursing at the theme while I eat my breakfast. After the 1 hour of "brainstorming", I begin to explore the few ideas that I have, and various interpretation of the theme.

The main one that stuck out for me is "Unstable Reactor", so I decided to go with it.

The idea started similar to "Papers, Please" / "Cook, Serve, Delicious". You have various control that you need to manage as you try to keep the reactor stable. That idea was pretty fun as I draft out the kind of things you can do. For example, I wanted a mini-match3 game, a meter balancing game and few buttons that you need to press when it turns red or something.

After about 10 mins, I remember that I really want it to be mobile friendly. This is to allow my friends to play it from their phone. Within a minute, it instantly clicked; I should make a mobile app to manage a reactor.

I started then brainstorming the plot around the game and settled on a captain trying to return home.

Day 1

Previously I posted my tips for gamejam here, and one of them is to get the core loop up. I kind of went against that slightly.

Usually I would hack out the core game loop and didn't care much about how I structure the code. However, this time I realised that I would add quite a number of "App" to the game and needed some form of structure or it will be a pain to work with it in the last sprint.

Because of this, I only managed to get a full MVP towards the end of first day.

Day 2

Day two was mainly focusing on finishing up the game. The game was getting to a point of too much details, so I decided to cut the other features and focus on just the maintenance of the reactor + mining. Initially the journey home also took 10 minutes, which I then cut down to 5, and further down to 3 at the time of released.

The rest of the day is there to polish the game and add "bugs" to the game.

For example, Blue Screen of death when you max out your storage / furnace, screen Glitches and position swapping buttons.

Not sure if anyone would see my BSOD during game play since I have drastically reduced the difficulty.

Completion

I submitted the game at 10pm on day 2, which based on my tracked time, I spent 22 hours on it. That's slightly more than what I estimate but I really had fun making it. One thing I wonder is how the would turn out if I have stuck to the original idea of managing a bunch of mini games; would it be better ? would it be more fun ?

The only thing I know is I did had fun making this, and that's what matter I guess.

Last but not least, if you haven't tried the game, here is the link to it. https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/49/unstableos

My Setup

These are my setup for anyone that is interested

• Haxe/Heaps
• Base Library
• Roguelike Engine
• Aseprite for graphics
• ChipTone for sound effects.

Probably will not use all of them, in particular the Roguelike Engine. However, as per tradition, I'll just list it here in case I want to make a Roguelike.

Tips/Reality check

As usual, every LD brings new jammers, so here are the advice that I gave the last time with some updates.

1. You have 48 hours (72 for Jam), but in reality you only have about 20 hours.
2. Despite having only 20 hours, spend 1 to 2 hours planning and thinking out what you want to do. It is worse when you realised your idea is a bad one a few hours into development.
3. Plan out your scope and cut it by half. At the end of the first day, cut whatever is left by half again. (If are new, you might want to cut it by 75%).
4. Identify your MVP, and beeline to a it ASAP. It is more satisfying to add to something playable, than to just blindly stare at code. Ideally by the end of the first day, you should have the core loop finished; core loop being menu -> game -> gameover/victory.
5. Spend your last 2-3 hours playing the game, fixing bugs and balancing instead of adding more features.
6. Don't make your game too hard. Most people will give up after 5 minutes.
7. If you can, have a browser build. It is easier for people to try your game, and it will have less issues.

I seems to always fail no.6, so I will definitely keep that in mind this time. Do share more tips if you have any.

Shameless Plug

After the last LD, I also participated in another Jam which resulted in a game that I will be releasing on Steam soon :). The game is call Dice Tribes and can be currently found on itch.io. It is a worker placement game using dice, so if that sounds interesting to you, do check it out.

Despite already having a main project that I am working on, Ludum dare is one event that I try not to miss. Happy Jamming everyone.

I started the day without a good idea, so I decided to read various post for ideas.

After "shopping" around, one idea on a card game where you eventually run out of cards inspired me. I always wanted to make a card game, so I thought why not.

Turns out, there is a reason why not. For the first time in 2 years, I broke most of my rules.

1. Have a prototype by end of day 1 (Failed)
2. Plan to spend 20 hours (I can't. I am 12 hours in, and I am nowhere close to complete game loop)
3. Cut scope (I can't, there is nothing left to cut)
4. Identify MVP and beeline to it (I have change ideas about 2-3 times now, mostly in attempt to cut scope)

I hope I can finish. I don't intend to cut scope at this point. My guess is if I can't meet the Compo timeline, I will just go ahead and make it a Jam then, and if that fails... Extra category ?

The pit is a "deck losing" game where you use card and they will permanently disappear. You get more cards as reward but they will eventually run out.

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/50/the-pit

If you like card games, and enjoy a short random card games (and looking for games to review) why not try out the pit :D. It is HTML5, so you don't have to download anything ;)

Okay, I got to admit. This time round I was quite busy after the jam and hence couldn't play much games in the early days of the review period. I probably have some times to play a couple more next week. So if you have HTML5 games that need reviewing, do drop them here ;)

Alright, the obligatory "I'm in" post

Setup

• Haxe/Heaps
• Base Library / Template
• Aseprite for graphics
• ChipTone for sound effects.
• Beepbox for music ???

Tips/Advice

As usual, tips for new jammers.

1. You have 48 hours (72 for Jam), but in reality you only have about 20 hours.
2. Despite having only 20 hours, spend 1 to 2 hours planning and thinking out what you want to do. It is worse when you realised your idea is a bad one a few hours into development.
3. Plan out your scope and cut it by half. At the end of the first day, cut whatever is left by half again. (If are new, you might want to cut it by 75%).
4. Identify your MVP, and beeline to a it ASAP. It is more satisfying to add to something playable, than to just blindly stare at code. Ideally by the end of the first day, you should have the core loop finished; core loop being menu -> game -> gameover/victory.
5. Spend your last 2-3 hours playing the game, fixing bugs and balancing instead of adding more features.
6. Don't make your game too hard. Most people will give up after 5 minutes.
7. If you can, have a browser build. It is easier for people to try your game, and it will have less issues.

Alright, the tips is copied from LD50, but hey, don't change what is not broken :).

Shameless Plug

The last LD happened when I was working on Dice tribes ambitions. The game has launched and is receiving a big content patch this Wednesday :). You can find the game here https://store.steampowered.com/app/1965800/DiceTribesAmbitions/.

I am almost finished with the content for the game, so I am hoping that LD can provide me with my next game. so please no bad theme this time okay ?

I don't seem to be able to see the rating buttons after I open a game. I need to log out and log in for the ratings buttons to appear, and I have to do it for every game.

Edit: Weird, now that I wrote this post, all the rating buttons start appearing :/

Alright, the obligatory "I'm in" post

Every LD, I just copy my "I'm in" post and post them, no exception this year. I'm not lazy, just reusing "code".

Setup

• Haxe/Heaps
• Base Library / Template
• Aseprite for graphics
• ChipTone for sound effects.
• Beepbox for music ???

Tips/Advice

As usual, tips for new jammers.

1. You have 48 hours (72 for Jam), but in reality you only have about 20 hours.
2. Despite having only 20 hours, spend 1 to 2 hours planning and thinking out what you want to do. It is worse when you realised your idea is a bad one a few hours into development.
3. Plan out your scope and cut it by half. At the end of the first day, cut whatever is left by half again. (If are new, you might want to cut it by 75%).
4. Identify your MVP, and beeline to a it ASAP. It is more satisfying to add to something playable, than to just blindly stare at code. Ideally by the end of the first day, you should have the core loop finished; core loop being menu -> game -> gameover/victory.
5. Spend your last 2-3 hours playing the game, fixing bugs and balancing instead of adding more features.
6. Don't make your game too hard. Most people will give up after 5 minutes.
7. If you can, have a browser build. It is easier for people to try your game, and it will have less issues.

My Plan

This time round I have a few ideas that I want to try, and I hope to at least try one of them in this LD. LD is really the best place for me to build new things outside of my current project so I do hope to get one of the themes that fits some of those ideas :).

Shameless Plug

I launched my first game "Dice Tribes: Ambitions" last year and it is now on sale (as of this writing). If you like dice-worker placement, I think you will like the game :). You can also just try it out for free on my itch page or on Steam while waiting for the jam.

Crop Rotation (the game name) is going to be a pure drafting game, like Luck be a landlord.

The engine is taking longer than I thought and I also started late. I am almost done finishing the loop but I am too tired to finish it before I sleep.

I am hoping I can finish it tomorrow, or it will have to end up as a Jam entry instead :/

Crop Rotation is a pure drafting game. If you played Luck be a landlord, you will know what that is :) If not here is the genre in a nutshell.

Drafting game usually involve you drafting your deck or cards or whatever the game decide to call it. After that, the game will have a system that simulates, be it combat, or in the case of Luck be a landlord, Slot machine. Usually there will be a failure criteria - pay rent, or in some case combat. After each round, you get to choose more cards to add to your deck and repeat.

Drafting genre is an interesting one and Crop Rotation is a take on the genre using a farming simulation. If you had never play a game in this genre, as a game designer you owe it to yourself to try one. Why not start with Crop Rotation :).

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/52/crop-rotation (No installation/download required)

The game lacks tutorial right now and may be confusing. I am working on a full version and will probably launch it this year. If that interests you, do give me itch a follow :)

If the genre interests you, check out - Luck be a landlord - Fhtagn Simulator

If you have a HTML5 game, drop a link here, I'll try to do a review as well.