It’s cold and everyone is ill, looks like it’s competition time again!

This time i’m going to be doing something a little different. Instead of using my usual tools (C++ and HGE / SFML), i’m going to use my favourate scripting language, Lua, alongside an interesting engine called Love (Link)

This is because last time I did this competition, I felt so used to the process of making a game in C++ (considering I do it for a living), that I felt uninspired and that I wasn’t learning anything. With a language I don’t know all about, and an engine i’ve never touched before (but admired), this should help motivate me to finish!

Your cuddly gastropod friend,

-DBS

So I thought i’d share the way I am structuring the dialogue in my game.

I am using a node graph architecture – each piece of dialogue exists as a node in a tree. Each node can have several child nodes, representing the next piece of dialogue. A child node can be any other node – including itself, or the parent of itself. This allows for recursive dialogue (“try to open door” -> “door won’t budge” -> “try to open door”…..)

Throughout the life cycle of the game, a pointer to a dialogue node is used to track the “current node” – this is the piece of dialogue which is currently being executed, and switches to the next piece when it is able to do so. A disadvantage is that it cannot execute more than a single node at any one time – i.e. only a single piece of dialogue can be displayed.

If a node has a single child, the dialogue switches directly to the child node when the current node has finished executing. However, if it has multiple children, the choices are displayed for the player to choose from. The choice selected then becomes the new dialogue node.

To fill these nodes with content, and link them together, a description of each node exists in a table Lua-side.

All of the nodes listed in the AllNodes table are created and linked together at run-time automatically. To create nodes, you just place new node descriptions in this table, and specify the names of the child nodes.

The first prototype build, which shows the dialogue tree in action (with only a small part of the Soldier path complete) is available here:

Journey through hell – prototype

Next step – text effects! more content!

-DBS

Hello Ludum land!

A mini-LD devoted to dialogue was just the kicker I needed to get back into making stuff. I have yet to create a meaningful story in any game i’ve made, and this is the perfect time to make one!

The game I am making will consist of nothing but animated text, like the modern interactive fiction stories which are scattered around the net. This allows me to throw away my biggest weakness – drawing, and concentrate on something I believe I am capable of delivering well – an immersive story.

So, here’s the pitch:

The game is a story of the player’s trials in the darkest reaches of the world.
There are three paths the player can take – the soldier, the priest, or the child. Each path focuses on a certain type of test (the soldier has tests of strength and cunning, the priest has tests of faith and wisdom, and the child has tests of courage and temptation).

There will be plenty of choices to make, and the chosen route will make the game differ significantly.

The most interesting aspect to solve will be how to structure the dialogue so that it is as flexible as possible. That, and making an animated text system which is highly configurable.

I’ll be using familiar tools – C++ with an embedded Lua interface, and either SFML or HGE for graphics purposes.

“The guilty one is not he who commits the sin, but the one who causes the darkness.” – Victor Hugo

So it turns out that i’m completely demotivated this weekend. Due to a mixture of issues cropping up, including a poor design choice, external deadlines, and programming fatigue, i won’t be completing a game this weekend.

I’ll be giving it another shot in the next compo. I’ll have no assignments due, and will hopefully be in a less stressful mood.

See you next time!

-DeathBySnail

Gameplay code is now in a basic form, with several physics objects in place. Doesn’t look like much, but this is what will be driving the final game. Onward!

<upon reading the theme>

“Wow, this theme sucks.”

<Upon coming up with an idea>

“Wow, this theme is awesome.”

Okay, so i’ve got an idea for this one. Expect plenty of lasers, and some sort of cloning mechanic.

-DBS

Just got a new monitor, so this time i’ll be programming in HD

Once upon a time there was a snail. This snail liked to enter online programming events and write games. One day, he heard (or however snails sense the outside world) about a 20th Ludum Dare, and decided to enter it. Little did he know of the catostrophic consequences which entailed…..

Nethertheless, the snail posted his framework (written using C++, HGE, luabind, and Audiere) at SOME MAGICAL FARM and awaited the announcement of the theme.

Hey, it’s the big Two-Oh! The next one will be legally allowed to purchase alcohol in the states!

-DBS

I really enjoyed this weekend guys. Here’s to LD number 20!!!

Finished with plenty of time to spare.

Submission

The inevitable timelapse is here:

Although it is a very strange game, I am quite fond of it, and had a lot of fun making it.
Looking forward to playing through all of the submissions!

-DBS

core mechanics in, win/lose condition in, fancy animated text, and best of all..

..

wait for it..

PIRATE MODE

yeah.

wow, lot of work done today.

I’ve ended up re-writing the game design 3 times so far, but i have ended up with what will most probably be the final game design.

things to come tomorrow:

win/lose condition

intro/outro

better assets, and background

PIRATE MODE

Download Current Build

instructions:

the goal is to discover the correct combination of items that make a specific face happy before a hypothetical time limit. The happier everyone is, the more the music plays.

left-right arrow to move left-right

left mouse button to “grab” an object

right mouse button to “fire the object”

Nothing like sandwich to fuel the brain. MMMMMMMMMM

starting to get interesting…

Hooray, I have been relocated to the guest “bedroom” for this weekend’s competition. What better place to work in than a cramped, cluttered, cold cube!

Desktop shot (I even have a pen and paper!)

By sunday evening this desk will be covered in crumbs, tea stains and blood. If it goes to plan.

-DBS

This will be my second entry into LD. I’m ready for a weekend of long hours, hard work, and mass panic!

Also, I have some relatives visiting during the weekend, which should add an extra dimension of challenge to the competition (how do you entertain guests whilst working efficiently? )

Tools/etc:

• HGE (2D C++ engine)
• Lua (probably, if it becomes necessary)
• Audiere (simple audio library)

I also have a very basic framework, downloadable HERE-> Code

I had that game development itch. And with the next ludum dare over a month away, I decided to make a game this weekend to scratch it.

There’s been this little exercise in my head for a while now: how many people could play the same game on the same PC using 4 keys each on the same keyboard?

Theoretically it would be in the mid-twenties (~100 keys / 4), but that isn’t a practical solution. So ive settled with Five (cramped) players.

“Dude, give me that parachute!” is a physics-based game of tag set 15,000 feet in the air. Five Dudes, one parachute. The Dude with the ‘chute at the end of the game wins. There’s also obstacles and stuff. Still fun with < 5 people, any left over Dudes will just float about randomly.

PLAY!

Pic (looks better in motion):

I’ll be back for LD19!!

-DBS

Considering i am a man of NO FEAR, i will be making a fishing game

It will contain a morningstar of some description, because morningstars are cool. And a boat!

I’ll think of a proper design when the weekend starts.

I wonder whether the amount of fishing games will be more than the amount of fear-based games?

Spent this morning polishing off the game. Now doesn’t break for people with lower-than-average pc’s. Also contemplated adding UFO’s, but i can’t draw them at all

So i submitted it, final entry is found here:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-18/?action=preview&uid=2507

Here is what i have learned during the past 30 hours:

• Simple ideas can sometimes turn out more fun than complex ones
• It doesn’t matter if you are a terrible artist, as long as you are a consistant one
• There isn’t enough accordian in games these days
• Adding a simple 3-beat drum can make a sinister theme even more menacing
• Passing around a struct of system classes is much cleaner and easier to use than making everything a singleton
• I can make a game in 48 hours or less! I really suprised myself! (for reference,  the second fastest game made by me took a month :O)
• You can never eat enough noodles + bread

It’s been fun. Especially knowing that i’m not the only person who has the time and enthusiasm to take part in an event like this.

I’ll definately be entering LD #19!

-Adam

Download Current Build

16 hours of work and i have pretty much finished; only need to add polish and test it on other computers.

Features

• Alien on Alien action
• quality handmade tunes / sound effects
• Fully working yet crooked animations
• win / lose condition

Probably one of the more fun designs i have come up with for a game. You can’t go wrong with running and jumping!

So far i have really enjoyed this competition, and learned plenty.

Screenie!