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Hey,

So the calendar pictures are DUE!  Here’s the deal, we need 12 people to make the calendar, so I want everyone going to join to post here.  You should probably get your initial pictures taken ASAP.  Once we have 12 people committed, we’ll work out the final details of photo editing so we can wrap this up!

Cheers!
-Phil

Hey everybody,

I did an low-key comment polling on the Ludum Dare site about a date, but it sounds like I should ask the Ludum Dare community en mass.

So, I’ve created the following survey to see what weekend in December is best for people.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=c2lBOxrf862U7BA5r5qm8Q_3d_3d

It’s short, 3 questions and an optional comment field. Please take a minute and fill it out. The responses will help us pick a final date.

Note: Survey Monkey limits me to 100 responses, so if we hit that, check back in a couple hours or day and I’ll have made more room.

EDIT: Results recorded and cleared. We have 97 more than the link above suggests. Keep them coming! It’s still too close for my liking.

Thanks!

- Mike Kasprzak (PoV)

Hey everybody,

For Ludum Dare 16, we’re looking at December 11th-13th weekend. I’ll be sending out a proper announcement e-mail this weekend, but I wanted to get some initial feedback.

December has always been a tricky month to schedule. Some people have exams to deal with, others have work, and many have family holidays and gatherings to consider. Nearly any weekend we choose is going to have problems. For myself even, the first weekend is a little too tight for my tastes.

So, I’m looking to hear some thoughts.

As far as I know there’s no game industry or notable demoscene events conflicting with that date… not that I’ve checked.

With that date, Christmas falls on Friday before the usual 2 week voting ends. That’s a hard date to avoid entirely, unless we were to start on the first weekend. So, an idea of mine is to do 3 weeks of voting this time. That way there’s room to do your family thing, then come back and play a few games. Not to mention, we’ve been averaging well over 100 games these past 2 competitions, so a little more time may be appreciated.

That’s what is on my mind. Do share any comments if you have them.

Thanks,

- Mike Kasprzak (PoV)

Hi everybody,

Apparently we have even more big middleware news. Epic’s Unreal Development Kit (i.e. Unreal Engine 3) is now available for free to game developers, much like Unity. Details can be found here.

http://www.udk.com

Licensing terms are FREE for non commercial, and 0% royalties up to $5000 (25% after). To compare, Unity’s FREE license allows you up to $100k profits before having to buy.

Historically speaking, Unreal Engine 3 was our go-to example of an unallowed piece of middleware. However, the terms above are reasonable enough that we really should consider it an acceptable development tool. To put things in perspective, we do allow several pay-to-use library/engines such as PTK and Torque. It’d be unfair of us to disallow something with FREE terms.

With that in mind, we’re looking for some information.

** If anyone is up for some experimenting, we’re curious how large a bare-bones redistributable (i.e. a binary) is, or if it’s even possible to make one. Thanks! **

Like any middleware, development with UDK for a competition would be subject to the same content restrictions as any other engine or middleware (i.e. content from scratch). It’s just you’re getting the renderer, stock shaders and tools they used to make Gears of War. This also means you run the risk of less people in the competition being able to run your game, as the hardware requirements are certainly higher than Unity or alternative shaderless middleware. XNA developers have had this problem in the past.

Even though the rules don’t fully reflect it yet, one of the goals moving forward with Ludum Dare is to better define where we fit in. We don’t compete with the IGF and other indie game exhibits, but compliment them. We aim to be a place where game ideas start, and encourage you to take them to the next level. Be it exhibits like the IGF or Indiecade, shareware and casual markets, online services like Steam, to mobiles like iPhone, consoles and beyond. That means embracing middleware and all practical ways of shortening development time, despite us from scratch purists.

Stay tuned, LD 16 info is coming.

- Mike Kasprzak (PoV)

Well, that’s the big news today. Popular Middleware Technology provider Unity Technologies has announced that it’s flagship product “Unity” is now free.

http://unity3d.com/unity/download/

You still have to pay for the iPhone and Console versions, but the PC/Mac and Web version is free for Indies (According to their license agreement, that’s people/companies earning less that $100k from the games they make).

As usual, we’ll continue to encourage Unity developers to join us for our 48 hour game making fests here at Ludum Dare.

Or hey, if you’re looking for a reason to try unity out, the upcoming December compo sounds nice.

Ludum Dare 16′s date we’ll have for you in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

- Mike Kasprzak (PoV)

Hey,

So November 7th is the weekend whereby you must have your swimsuit calendar picture taken by.  The week following that we’ll be doing some photoshopping of pictures to get them overlayed on game screenshots and other stuff.  So it’s time to get ripped people!  Remember this is for the LD!  I plan on having the calendar available for sale a few days before U.S. Thanksgiving day, so it is ready in time for Christmas shopping season.

-Phil

Ludum Dare entrants are really on a roll this year.

The latest in the continuing legacy is Seth “mrfun” Robinson’s Mind Wall from Ludum Dare 14. Mind Wall is on it’s way to China for the inaugural Independent Games Festival China competition.

IGF China Info: http://www.gdcchina.com/events/igf.html
Finalists List: http://www.gdcchina.com/events/igffinalists.html

Download Mind Wall: http://www.codedojo.com/?p=104

Mind Wall was created for the 14th Ludum Dare’s theme Advancing Wall of Doom, and took place in April of this year. Seth has since improved on his Ludum Dare entry, and even ported the game iPhone!

One of our favorite Mind Wall moments has to be this youtube video recorded by a player. His girlfriend captured this tense and tender moment as he conquered the unforgiving beast that is the Mind Wall.

So hey, Ludum Dare. Not bad ‘eh? First it was Phil and I at the IGF Mobile in March, Lexaloffle at the TGS Sense of Wonder Night last week, and now mrfun at IGF China. Not to mention our record breaking 123 and 144 entries the past 2 compos. A fantastic year for us all.

Lets keep that going!

The Independent Games Festival and Independent Games Festival Mobile are now accepting entries for 2010. We’d love to see more of you keeping this little streak of ours going. Both competitions require an entry fee, and for you to provide your own travel if you make it. But if you ask any finalist, they’ll tell you that attending is totally worth it.

Independent Games Festival (Due November 1st, $100): http://www.igf.com/
Independent Games Festival Mobile (Due December 1st, $50): http://www.igfmobile.com/

I’ll be there at GDC next year (perhaps with Phil). Not that meeting me in person is all that monumental an event, but hey. If we get enough of an LD crew out there, we’ll totally have to do something.

Keep up the great work everyone!

- Mike Kasprzak (PoV)

Ludum Dare 15 voting has finally ended, and the results are now available.

Top 10

For the press, we have a special link just for you. If you want to know who “won” Ludum Dare 15, go here for the top 10 games (expandable to the full 144).

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-15/?action=top

“Winners” are decided by the Overall category. To our surprise, we had two ties in the top 10. Neat!

Categorical Top 5′s

For us LD folk, the full categorical breakdown of winners.

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-15/

*NOTE*: Click on the titles of the categories for Top 10 style lists per category.

Ludum Dare 15 as Screen Shots

And since it looks cool, the full list of 144 entries, as screenshots.

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-15/?action=preview

Next Time

Our next major competition (Ludum Dare 16) will be in December. The exact date we’ll know as the month approaches. To keep informed of the latest news, you can sign up for our mailing list here:

http://www.gamecompo.com/mailing-list/

You can also follow us on Twitter:

http://twitter.com/ludumdare

Or alternatively, you can watch user news‘s RSS feed.

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/author/news/feed/

Can’t get enough? Then stop by next month for MiniLD #13 hosted by nilsf.

Suggestions

If you have any suggestions for the compo, we’re collecting them in the comments here:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/2009/08/30/suggestion-post/

Thanks everyone for coming out and making Ludum Dare 15 such a huge success.

- Mike Kasprzak (PoV)

Well it’s the last weekend before voting ends. Also, in less than 30 minutes from now, MiniLD #12 begins. So here’s your last minute update from me.

First things first, hey voters! I’ve tried to collect a list of people that submitted Windows ports or stability/compatibility fixes late. If you previously rated these games without a working version, please take a 2nd look at them. And any other entrants with some time, we’d appreciate it if you could take a look at them too.

Moons Of Subterrane by stuckie
Mole Cave Tactics! by philomory
Cavern Escape by PSnake
Deep Escape by Cosmologicon
Byte Vs. GNOME – MrDude * NEW

Also, I ran across a game with *only* a Mac version. If anyone with a Mac could take a look, that’d be great as well.

The Evil Dark Cavern Which Leads Straight To Death – BenKo * NEW

If I missed you earlier, post a comment and I’ll add you to the list.

Also, these people currently sit at less than 20 votes. If you could give them a bump (and by bump, I mean actually play them and not “can’t play” vote them), it’d be much appreciated.

Cosmologicon, laremere, Tange, Jonny D, philomory, and Jach

That’s it for now. I turn the show over now to GirlFlash and MiniLD #12.

- Mike Kasprzak (aka: PoV)

PS: Prior post here.

Voting is going well, but we can always use more. We’ve hit the 1 week mark now, which means there’s one more go. So if you haven’t already, make some time this week to check out some of the games.

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-15/

Results will go live shortly after the deadline.

Coming up this weekended, hot on (in?) the heels of Ludum Dare 15, it’s MiniLD #12 hosted by GirlFlash. So if you’re looking to get some more practice in, or keep the good LD vibes going, tune in. For more information, see the announcement post.

http://www.ludumdare.com/…/september-mini-ld/

Something of interest, we did a user survey over the past week. We polled 100 people and the results are now live. You can check them out to learn all about your fellow LD folk, colorful graphs and all.

http://www.ludumdare.com/…/ludum-dare-demographics-survey-results/

That’s it for now.

Suggestions

If you have any suggestions for the compo, post them in the comments here:

http://www.ludumdare.com/…/suggestion-post/

Thanks everyone for helping make Ludum Dare 15 such a big deal.

- Mike Kasprzak (aka PoV)

PS: Prior post here.

Ok, so we’ve all just had a load of fun with LD15, but it would be a shame if by decembers LD you totally sucked at 48 hour development, so I think its a good idea to get some practice in between now and then, to make sure you are in tip-top shape

So I’ll be hosting septembers Mini LudumDare, which will start  Saturday 12th at 00:00 UTC and end 48 hours later.

the theme will be announced at the start, but if you want to be *extra* prepared, it might be an idea to make sure you can access data on the web using whatever you make your games with… if you want

- GirlFlash

Wow!  At current count, we have a whopping 144 entries!  To start voting on entries, go here:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-15/

For the rest of the world, hit this link to see the list of all the entries.

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-15/?action=preview

If you made an entry, but for whatever reason weren’t able to submit at the deadline (upload problems, used the old submission method), let us know (via IRC, or respond to this post).

Voting will last for 2 weeks.

Remember, this time you’re being rated on how many entries you voted for.  Users that play and rate 25%+ of the entries will see a bronze icon beside their name, 50%+ a silver, and 75%+ a gold.  There will be a final list showing the best voters, along with the rest of the results.

Windows Ports

Hurry up and get your Windows ports in! The longer you wait, the less time people have to play and vote for your entries. For more details on porting, see this post.

Also, some people need help porting their Python+PyGame games to Windows+Py2EXE. If you can help out, see the comments here. If you need a place to upload the ports, ask a moderator in IRC for the FTP info.

Timelapse Videos

Be sure to tag your posts with the tag timelapse. It’ll make it easier for others to find your videos, and for me to collect them all.

Suggestions

If you have any suggestions regarding the compo (things to change, little things to make things nicer, etc), post them in the comments here:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/2009/08/30/suggestion-post/

Thanks everyone for coming out and making Ludum Dare 15 our biggest and best compo yet! Now go vote!

- Mike Kasprzak (PoV)

That was it!  Wow.  If you haven’t already, get your entry in RIGHT NOW.

We’ll hit the switch in about an hour and you can start voting.  If you want to see the current entry list, hit this link.

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-15/?action=preview

Thanks everyone coming out and making Ludum Dare 15 such a big deal!

- Mike Kasprzak (PoV)

As we wind down Ludum Dare 15, I’d like to bring your attention again to the Submission System. * NEW

DO NOT make a post with a final tag.

Instead, visit this page and fill out the form to submit.

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-15/

The submission system is all-new for Ludum Dare 15.  Hopefully it’ll treat us well for years to come.

If you need help hosting your entry, make a post requesting help or ask in IRC.

For more details, see the Wiki.

Post Deadline Porting

By the 48 hour mark we’d like everyone to submit a working copy of their game for some platform.  If you’re not a native Windows user, that’s okay.  Submit a build for whatever your native platform is, then get started on porting as soon as you can.  Again it’s strongly recommended you have a Windows build of your game, as the majority of entrants either run Windows or have access to a Windows machine/VM.

Voting begins a few hours after the deadline and lasts for 2 weeks.  The longer it takes you to provide a Windows port, the less time people will have to try your entry.

For ports, you are strongly encouraged to provide a fully self-sufficient Windows build.  If LD14 taught us anything, there’s probably going to be a lot of entries to dig through.  That means you should make every effort to provide an easy to play game.  Include all required DLL’s (that aren’t built in to Windows).  Python users, use py2exe.

Porting Helpers Wanted (Python+PyGame, Allegro, SDL, etc)

If your game was made with a cross platform API like those mentioned above, and you lack a Windows machine to make a port, let us know.  Either stop by IRC, or (NEW) respond to this post. Provide specific details such as all libraries used, and a link to download the source.

If you can help people by porting their game to Windows, it would be greatly appreciated.  If you can’t or would rather not host the files yourself, let me (PoV) know.  I’m going to see if I can set up a shared FTP account for our helpers.

That’s all for now.  Thanks everyone for making Ludum Dare 15 our best compo yet.

- Mike Kasprzak (PoV)

PS: Announcement Post+Keynote Link Here.

PPS: If you have any compo/submission comments or suggestions, I’ve started a post/thread here.

The theme for Ludum Dare 15 is…

Caverns

Go!

Ladies and gentlemen, girls and boys, this — is Ludum Dare 15.  The big one-five.  And talk about big.

We have many many new things to share with you today, so read this post carefully.

New website look and Avatars

You’re seeing it right now.  A shiny new theme to compliment the shiny new version of WordPress.  And after some web hackery, we also have Avatars (i.e. gravitars).

To set your little picture, you need to sign up at www.gravatar.com.  Gravatars follow you around on all the wordpress blogs you post on, by hashing your e-mail address.  So all you should need to do is sign up at both sites (ludumdare.com/compo, and gravatar.com) using the same e-mail address.  Easy.

New Submission System

We have a brand new submission system.  Gone are the days of “Final” tags and confusing image upload problems (that I usually end up fixing).  Now we have a lovely brand new streamlined entry submission system put together by everyone’s favorite philhassey, Mr. Phil Hassey.  When you’re ready to submit your entry, hit this page.

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-15/

Again, that’s no more final tags!  Hooray!

NOTE: The submission system hosts images, but not downloads.  If you need help hosting your entry, ask in IRC or make a comment/post requesting help.

NOTE2: Please only create an entry once you have a download ready.  You are not required to declare your intent to enter.  Just show up, sign up, and submit once you’re done.

Keynote Address

That’s right.  What better way to say Ludum Dare 15 is a big deal than to say it in recorded digital video.  So without further ado, check out the Ludum Dare 15 keynote address with Mike Hommel (hamumu).

Voting Categories

We’ve gone ahead and refined the voting categories for the competition.  They are as follows.

Innovation – How interesting, original or unique an entry is.
Fun – Unique yes, but is it actually enjoyable?
Theme – Good, clever, or interesting uses of the theme.
Graphics – Is it pretty?
Audio – Does it sound nice?
Humor – Does the game amuse you. The concept, the presentation, etc.
Overall – Do you love it?
Community – Journaling, sharing workspace photos, meal photos, motivational posters, recorded a timelapse video, etc.  How well did they tastefully go above and beyond to participate, as well as tell and show you what they did?

Coolness (i.e. Voting) – This isn’t actually a category you’re voted on.  Rather, it reflects how well you voted on entries during the voting phase.  People that play and vote for 25%, 50%, and 75%+ of the entries get awarded bronze, silver and gold icon medals in the coolness category.

More Stuff

You can join us in IRC.  #ludumdare on irc.afternet.org.  You should be able to find more than a few people to answer your questions there throughout the weekend.

We have some common tags for types of posts. deskphoto for pictures of where you work. foodphoto for pictures of your meals. motivation for silly motivational posters you decide to make. timelapse for timelapse videos. Try to use those so people can more easily browse them.

Seth (mrfun) fixed the World Map (*cough*… that I broke).  You can  see where people around the world are entering from, and add yourself.  In addition, we collect humorous quotes from IRC throughout competitions and the off time.  We’re adults, so some of the things said may not be suitable for minors.  Those you can check out here.

We do mini Ludum Dare competitions in the off months.  Veterans take a month, pick a weekend, and provide a theme.  Check back regularly to catch the latest Mini LD.

And if you’d like to stay informed of future events, we have a mailing list.

From all of us at Ludum Dare, good luck!

- Mike Kasprzak (PoV)

The final round of theme voting has begun. Go here:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ld-15-voting-round-3-of-3/

Results from the first 2 rounds can be found here.

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ld-15-voting-round-1-of-3/
http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ld-15-voting-round-2-of-3/

Since there were more themes in the 2nd round, I had planned to take more themes from it. However, the results from the 2nd round were dramatically lower. So instead, I took the top 8 themes from both rounds to make the final list. Amusingly, everyone’s favorites “Evolution” and “Zombies” made the cut again.

One more thing.

In case you missed it, we have some pretty cool Ludum Dare related news to share.

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/2009/08/26/swarm-racer-3000-at-tokyo-game-show/

That’s all for now. Go Vote!

- Mike Kasprzak (AKA: PoV)

If you ever wondered why Ludum Dare keeps going after all these years, it’s for awesome news like this.

Ludum Dare veteran Joseph White (aka Lexaloffle, aka Lex… when I’m lazy)’s latest game Swarm Racer 3000 will be on display at this upcoming Tokyo Game Show. It’s one of several titles being featured at the indie friendly Sense of Wonder Night. You can read more about it here.

Lets look at some gameplay footage.

Pretty sweet looking ‘eh.

The Ludum Dare connection? For those of you that missed it, back in 2006 we had the very awesome theme Swarms. And back then, Lex produced this really great entry named Swarm Racer.

http://indygamer.blogspot.com/2006/05/swarm-racer.html

Since then he’s made it far more awesome.

http://www.lexaloffle.com/swarm.php

And today, the all new Swarm Racer 3000 is looking pretty freaking great.

So a great big congratulations to Lex, from all of us at Ludum Dare!

- Mike Kasprzak (aka: PoV)

Round 2 of the theme voting has begun. Hit the link below to make your choices.

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ld-15-voting-round-2-of-3/

Again, my apologies for this round having more choices.

Results of the 1st round can be found here:

http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ld-15-voting-round-1-of-3/

Round 3 will start Thursday, and the choices will be a combination of the highest rated themes from the 1st and 2nd rounds. So, make some good ones.

That’s all for now. Go vote!

- Mike Kasprzak (AKA: PoV)