A couple months ago I started playing with Flash and Chevy Ray’s FlashPunk. It was much easier to get into than I imagined, in part because of the great folks at FlashPunk.net and the active forum. Flashpunk, Abel Toy’s skeleton, and code from the forums helped me lower the learning curve without having to start at the ground floor, and perhaps giving up before seeing any real progress.

One of the projects I started is a side-scrolling platformer. I originally worked with my own code based from Abel Toy’s skeleton and learned quite a bit. I knew I was reinventing the wheel, and eventually moved to Noel’s APE – Advanced Platform Engine and Matt Thorson’s OGMO Editor. I’ve had a game idea running through my head for the past few weeks and have been thinking about moving forward with an implementation. This is where the Ludum Dare October Challenge comes in.

The October Challenge is a great motivational tool. Watching everyone come up with ideas, suffer through problems, make progress and come out the other end is great.

My goal for the month is to finish the game and put it online. I don’t plan on making any money from it, however it won’t hurt to shoot for that $1 goal, so I’ll throw some ads on the page. If I am happy with what I make, and it passes a gauntlet of my friends, perhaps I’ll submit it to a game portal.

The idea is something akin to Master Blaster meets The Legend of Zelda meets Mega Man. The player has just docked with a large capital ship after suffering some damage to his own little freighter/fighter. The larger ship, however, has just been attacked by aliens and what was originally supposed to be a simple repair and depart turns into a quest to find and collect parts, solve puzzles and save the capital ship from the invaders. Before the end, the player will have gone from the docking bay to the holds to the bridge to the depths of engineering, and everything in between..

So far, I already have some modifications to APE.  The first one I did was to create an alpha layer customized for each level so I can make some of them dark, like deep within the capital ship where the worst problems live. The follow up modification was to create light objects to attack the darkness and create ambiance. The second modification to APE was to give the doors a target. By default, APE goes from level 1 to level 2, etc. My doors have a target world and door, and when you go through them it loads that world and automatically puts the character to the matching door. This allows the player to visit the world in a non-linear fashion.

I have a little art done. Most of it is borrowed from my previous platform attempt and has a different theme, so it won’t make it past the art phase at most, and should be replaced bit-by-bit as I work on each of those type of objects. I want the style of the game to not be very cartoony, but of course, with 32 pixel by 32 pixel tiles, it’s not going to be anything close to real, so we’ll see how it ends up. I think I will end up being the artist, as I have no idea the extent of what will be required at this point and it’s hard to direct an artist without proper concept art and art design docs. If I do feel like I can bring an artist on board, I have a friend who I think will do nicely.

I expect to be challenged in regards to time. There may be some technological issues, I’m sure, but I think it will always come down to time. If things get tight, I may have to scale back on the size of the capital ship. I hope by the time I start feeling the pressure, I will have already completed a majority of the game engine.

October officially starts in a few hours. My first steps from here are to add more player abilities, like running and crouching. The basics of the gameplay need to be completed in the first two weeks, if not sooner, so I can start spending time working on level design and art.

So now I get back to FlashDevelop and the project code-named ‘Ship.’

The first concept art sketch of the Ship, the setting for the game.

Courrier of the Crypts will have tough time delivering the letter this time!

I’ve never made a single buck with game development so far and the October challange is going to be a new experience for me. On Ludum Dare compo #20, I’ve made this Courier of the Crypts game that had only 5 maps which were boring, with no hard puzzles or anything else so I’ve decided to start working on the remake of this game, which will feautre more mechanics, new graphic style (as you can see on the picture) and whole bunch of interesting maps. Goal isto earn that 1$ at the end and have another polished, fun and finished game.

If you wish to know more about future of the young courrier, follow the path into the dungeon (which is nothing more than my blog ^^ )

Here I come!

October challenge – I’m in! I have never finished a game, so this will be a tough one.

My LD #21 entry NO ESCAPE was justifiably criticized for its lack of gameplay, so that’s my main concern this time around. While I still lack the programming skills to really make a game, I recently stumbled upon StencylWorks which is basically a WYSIWYG type editor where the programmer stuff is dumbed down to the point that anyone could probably figure it out. The coolest feature to me is that it spits out .swf’s, so if I can get my game on some Flash Portal it may not be too hard to get that $1. While I’m sure there are some practical limitations to what a program like this can do, the gameplay mechanics I have in mind are going to be pretty basic. Once again, my focus will be on visuals, atmosphere and ‘the experience’.

Here’s my first concept art, which should also serve nicely as my first tile set:

I’m in!

I only recently found LudumDare however I am incredibly excited to enter the October comp.

Anyway I’ll update on here along with others through development, I will also be updating on my website : http://www.chrisella.com

Good-luck all!

Got a whiteboard this week for my home office so i could put some planning on there for the October challange!

Not 100% yet on my focus (i will spend a day or 2 to look at my current projects and see what’ll be feasible to finish with 90%+90% until the 24th to have a few days to actually make money and be possibly approval time for some App Store), got my LD20 entry that i’ve pondered on porting and some other projects that i feel have gotten somewhat on their way. My failed LD21 entry is also high on the list since it had great potential, shouldn’t be too work demanding and should work great on iOS.

Let’s see where we end up!

Cancer Wars 100% of revenue for cancer charity!

Going to put Cancer Wars up for the October Challenge but with a twist the game is for charity, it’s already out there on Kongregate, so you can play it there and know that all add revenue is going to charity.

It’s made with Unity but is not quite 100% complete, please play it because I could use some helpful feedback on what it needs to give it the best chance to make the most money for Cancer Research UK.

Will work on it this month and look to launch it on PC / Mac and Mobile platforms by the end of this month!

So I thought I’d finally get involved with Ludum Dare on the next gamejam but this October Challenge is great and I’m working on my game/tool already so why not start now!

I’ll be working on a game tool named CraftStudio which someone called “the Minecraft of game engines“. It’s a multiplayer tool for making games, in real-time. Instead of just terraforming maps à la Minecraft, you can also build your own cubic 3d models collaboratively, paint them and (will be able to) setup your own behaviors, scripts and stuff. You could call it a “multiplayer low-end Unity” and you wouldn’t be far off! It’s for all of us people who like to craft games (& movies) just because we can, and I’m building it with newbies in mind! (you can tell I’m excited by the number of exclamation marks I’m putting in this post!!!)

A Super Meat Boy model built in CraftStudio!

Right now I’ve already pushed out a free pre-alpha build (that you can grab at http://craftstud.io/). The basics for modeling are in but it’s pretty limited. I’ll push (automatic) updates about once a week.

So, my self-devised goal for this October Challenge will be to get CraftStudio out of pre-alpha into alpha land, and start selling it at the same time!

You can follow me at @elisee (more general stuff) or at @craftstudiodev (exclusively CraftStudio-related!)

Okay, I’m in. I’ve never done this (or anything like it) before but I have a few days of relatively spare time coming up…

I’m going to make an astro realtime strategy game, mostly because it was the first thing that came to mind a few minutes ago. It’ll be called SpaceBrew! and players will be stepping into the roles of franchise owners for the interstellar SpaceBrew! corporation. The objective here is to competitively exploit star systems in order to make the wide range of popular SpaceBrew! beverages with which everybody living in the Pangalactic Empire likes to drown the incessant doubts about their abysmal and puny existence.

I hope it’s alright to try and sell this on my own website because I’ll never make it through the hassle of registering for an app store as a foreigner…

This will be my first entry into a game competition, but I have just 3 hours/week for game dev, so I’ll give myself a year.

Hey! I’m hoping that this will the motivation I need to get, you know, at least some semblance of a game up and running. A sidescroller where you play as a sort of bounty hunter exterminating an infestation in the bowels of the city. Perpetual boss battles, and hopefully some light RPG + strategy elements. Not the most original, I know, but I’m gonna focus on mechanics for now (+ art design, swanky style, etc).

I’ll keep any interested parties updated frequently here. I’m sorry it’s so ugly! D:

This is my first interaction with any Ludum Dare, I’ve only heard of it recently, but I plan to enter the December competition and also this one.

I actually already have a game! (TAM TAM TAM)

But I always thought I would try to polish it more before releasing a paid version or doing any kinda of advertising. But I wanna participate in this challenge, so I’ll aim to make my game “payable”!

This is my game:

Link to the Android Market: Naipe Orders Free Beta!

The title screen of Naipe Orders

It’s an Android Game! I’m kinda of an story-centered game designer, so yeah. If you guys do play it, please leave your opinion on what it needs to be done(between a free and a paid version) to be worth an dollar!

Now we try to balance our lives between college and this challenge. GO!

And I just said them. Here are some more words for you: I’m in.

I have no idea what I’ll be making, or for what platform, but I’m not going to let that stop me!

Right now I am thinking about making a flash game and getting the $1 via Kongregate ads, but I’m not sure how much it it possible to get like this. Does anyone else have experience with Kongregate and their ad revenue? I would be grateful for any pointers/tips.

Good luck and may the Source be with you!

Hello Ludum Dare! I failed you last time. But this is a new challenge, with a bigger time span and new motivation! I have no idea what the game will be, but it WILL be finished this time. And I will make $1. That’s final.

Also, I recommend listening to the Binding Of Isaac soundtrack as you code. It’s quite soothing.

… and my intro video is here:

I’ve been getting a number of messages about opportunities people can utilize to reach the goal, so I’ve decided to collect them in one place. If you’d like to share one, post a comment below or send a tweet to @mikekasprzak.

Opportunities

• PC (Windows & Linux) – Desura – Looking for quality indie games
• PC (Linux) – Gameolith – 90% royalty rate until December
• Web – Intel AppUp – First 200 quality apps win $250 USD

Launching or Closing Soon

• All – Independent Games Festival – Highly regarded event with cash prizes, due Oct 17th
• PC (Windows & Mac) – Indie City – New Indie Games portal coming soon
• Web (Flash) – Flash Player 11 – Launching Soon (3D). Release Candidate Available

Marketplaces

• Mobile (Android) – Android Marketplace – Android phones and tablets ($25 one time fee)
• Mobile (Android) – Amazon App Store – Amazon Fire Tablet (First year free then $99 year)
• Mobile (Apple) – iOS App Store – iPhone, iPod touch, iPad ($99 year)
• PC (Mac) – Mac App Store – Apple’s built-in App Store ($99 year)
• PC (Windows & Linux) – Desura – PC Game and Mod storefront with a Steam-like client
• PC (Linux) – Gameolith – Linux gaming store with 70% and 80% royalty rates
• Web (Flash & Unity) – Flash Game License – Put your games up for auction
• Web (Flash) – Flash Portals – Too many to list. Many can be contacted directly
• Web – Chrome Web Store – Sell content to Chrome browser users ($5 one time fee)

• Mobile & Web (Flash) – Blackberry Developers – Phones and Playbook Tablet
• PC & Web – Intel AppUp – Windows and MeeGo (Linux) devices
• Mobile & Console – Microsoft App Hub – XBLIG and Windows Phone 7 ($99 year)

Payments

• Amazon Payments – Payments powered by Amazon
• BMT Micro – Long time favorite of many PC/Shareware authors
• Google Checkout – Payments powered by Google
• Google IAP – In App Payments by Google
• Paypal – Old Faithful

Resources

• Mobile – Streaming Color’s iOS Developer Revenue Survey

October is upon us, and it’s time to kick off the October Challenge 2011!

The October Challenge is a special Ludum Dare event I started last year. More and more people are making games today thanks to Game Jams and events like Ludum Dare. As a result, more and more people have declared “I want to start selling games too”. Well, it’s time to stop talking and start doing. Put simply:

That is your goal. That is the October Challenge.

Disregard all the usual Ludum Dare rules (no restrictions). Finish any game you previously made during a game jam, something else you’ve been working on, or heck, something entirely new. But we know you can make a game. Your goal, if you choose to accept it, is to not only make something, but to finish it and earn money from it. That’s all. No specific rules or platforms. Make good on that goal or promise to start selling games.

Finish your game before November 1st, and submit it to your respected market. That is the challenge. And once you earn your $1, you’ve done it! Easy as that. You’re now a pro.

I’d like to invite everyone to share resources and discuss markets and business models. I’ll help collect your links over the next couple days for others to find. If you need a place to start, you can check out this guide I wrote for last years event.

Also, do share your progress on your upcoming game with us here on the site. I’ll be opening a submission form soon to collect a list of completed games as they happen.

Keynote Invitation

What’s a Ludum Dare event these days without a keynote? Here’s me saying the same thing, in video, with strange editing and ambiance! Give it to your friends who HATE to read.

That’s all from me. No more waiting. Time to get started. Go go go!

Alright! Thanks everyone again for all your feedback.

After much deliberation, we’ve decided to start taking donations again. If it turns out that isn’t enough, we will investigate some of the other options. I’d especially like to thank everyone that contacted me directly about outright hosting, boxes, sponsorships, etc. We may still need you, but for the sake of the community, we’ve decided to try donations first.

To find out how we’re doing, or to make a contribution, visit the following page:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/donations/

It’s important to us that Ludum Dare stay free for all. We don’t want anyone to feel obligated to contribute. But if you’d like to help us out though, it would be much appreciated.

We have control over our VPS, so we can raise and lower our plans as we need to. We’re currently on a $90 plan. There was some unexpected heavy Reddit traffic the other day, and with the October Challenge about to kick off, we’ll be keeping a close eye on this to optimize our costs.

Thanks again everyone. And now it’s time for me to go kick-off the October Challenge.

I’ve been building a website for listing dame development events for a while now. It’s not finished yet but it’s starting to shape up, so I thought I could show it to you now.

The site has a neat calendar thing that shows all the events I know about. Clicking them shows a bit more information. Annoying time zone conversions are made for you. In addition, it has a feed that reminds you about the events two weeks (or when they are added) before they start.

Since the website is not finished yet, it has some problems and it’s missing features. Daylight saving time is causing troubles in conversions right now, but I’ll fix that later. Please let me know if you find any other bugs. I’ll add a way to change the time zone because it may not detect it right. Then I’ll need to add tags for events, so you could, for example, get notifications only about competitions in which you could use Python or have a prize.

Currently this is missing a name (just “Compos” now) and I hope you could help with that. Do you have any descriptive name ideas? I can’t buy a domain before I find a good name. And if you are interested in updating the content, contact me.

Click here to enter.

Only events that are available to everyone on the Internet are listed now. In the future, if others are interested, I might add a section for local jams too.

im benjabby. i (attempt) to make games, but usually fail, i always give up, i have a series of games im working on, the Orcarage series, featuring orcarage; a strategy game. orcarage rpg; a platform rpg with about 50 classes :3 orcarage legacy; a SSB-like game. orcaragecraft; a minecraft inspired game :3 and finally orcarage-the board game, an isometric boardgame :3

Seriously, let’s retire the “humour” category. There’s some games that try to be funny, but there’s even more games striving for a certain kind of mood – dark, scary, relaxing, whatever.