Finished!
The game is done! Read on for a sorry tale of trials and tribulations.. :)
Play It!
Introduction
It’s Ludum Dare time again! Been looking forward to this for at least three months! :) I’ll try to keep a bit of a progress diary going during the compo this time. Here’s a list of the software and tools I’ll be using during the jam:
- Unity for the game engine, coding in C#.
- Photoshop for 2d graphics/textures.
- Blender for 3d (if I go that direction).
- GarageBand for music (new addition!)
Day 1, 10.40 am NZST
Getting everything set up and ready to go. Left my Wacom pen at the office, doh. Two and a half hours to go! Looks like there are some really interesting possible themes; hope I manage to think of an interesting idea…
Day 1, 1.00 pm NZST
The theme is Connected Worlds! To battle!
Day 1, 1.20 pm NZST
I have an initial concept to work with. Bit of a literal interpretation, but I think it should be fun to play with! Working title is ‘Orrery’. The ideas is a bunch of worlds all spinning around each other in interesting orbits, creating a complex spatial/time-based puzzle for the player to navigate around. Who knows if it will pan out?
Day 1, 4:30 pm NZST
Got a basic player control framework up and running, with gravity that works as you transition between the planets. No gameplay, graphics, music or anything like that yet. Mere details!
Day 1, 10:30 pm NZST
Not a huge amount of progress since last update. Not too sure where this game is going yet. I’ve been working on some 3d assets and placeholder music, but have been avoiding the elephant in the room - gameplay.
Day 1, 1:00 am NZST
Time to get some shuteye. Had another go at theme music in a different style. Hopefully I come up with a brilliant plan for gameplay in my sleep.. :)
Day 2, 8:30 am NZST
Ok, I have a harebrained scheme involving procedurally generated plants. Like Jack and the Giant Beanstalk, but between planets! This game could crash and burn if it doesn’t pan out, but I guess that’s part of the fun, right?
Day 2, 2:15 pm NZST
Good progress on the beanstalk front - you can now plant a seed and a giant stalk will shoot up, allowing you to get between the worlds. Next stop is adding some things to pick up, and an overall goal with a win condition. Starting to feel like this might be an OK game after all!
Day 2, 7:00 pm NZST
Fatigue is setting in big time. Got to push on through! I’m having to scale back the scope a lot. Was planning to have enemies, but there probably isn’t enough time left now.
Day 2: 1:20 am NZST
Signing off for the night. Will try to make a last ditch effort in the morning. Perhaps there’s a rabbit waiting to be pulled out of the hat. I hope so!
Day 3: 8.40 am
Right, time for the last push. I think I spent too much time coding this jam, and didn’t budget enough for gameplay and fun. Oops!
Day 3: 1:00 pm
Finished! Craziness. I’ve uploaded the game itch.io and posted my entry on the Ludum Dare site. Will do a bit of testing, then drink about 20 cups of coffee. I can’t really tell if the game turned out any good, or if it’s just silly. Doesn’t matter too much, it was an awesome learning experience as usual. Signing off!
Screenshots
