EDIT: Thanks for your help, Pov!

I tried to update my LD submission to fix a graphical bug. Unfortunately, while the “edit your entry” screen appears fine, pressing “submit” causes the game title, description, and links to vanish. The screenshots, for some reason, survive.

My page is at http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-17/?uid=1441 if there is anything there to interest you; the game itself is available from http://www.mediafire.com/file/5izfj2ymddr/Jump Pirate_final.exe

The problem is, due to the lack of links it is not recognised as a valid entry. Consequently all my entrant privileges (e.g. voting on other entries) have been suspended. Help!

Here‘s the timelapse video of me making Jump Pirate. I think there’s a frame (at about 1:37) of the final screen with “0 deaths” written on it, but that was a (subsequently fixed) bug, unfortunately.

Answer: Everything’s more awesome with pirates!

I probably shouldn’t have looked at QOGQOG’s progress report before starting my own game, since now my graphical style is going to be emulating his, but oh well. Basic platformer physics up and running, tutorial signposts with words on in place. I’ve done stuff like this many times before, so it should by rights NOT have already eaten up 1 of my 48 hours of game dev time

It’s gonna be a platform-exploration type game. And I fully intend to make use of the fact that the theme is “Islands”, not “Island”. I won’t say any more for now…

Okay, so I took part in MimLD 16, and I thought it was great fun. I even have a finished game to show for my efforts, which is a rarity for me. So, now that the “official” LD looms, I feel ready for action. I learned a few things from last time, such as what software to use, how to manage my time, how to come up with a good idea, and how to not be too competitive about the whole thing.

Well, alright, I didn’t learn that last one.

Tools I’m going to use:  Game Maker for the programming, and I might include a few script libraries that I wrote and that are freely available online.

The Game Maker sprite editor for artwork, possibly defaulting to GIMP or Pivot Stickfigure Animator if the situation (or my total lack of art skills) calls for it.

SFXR for sound, or perhaps my microphone, using Free Audio Editor for any editing that I want to do.

Chronolapse for the time-lapse video (expect a few frames of me surfing the internet to sneak in there).

and a few pounds of gray mush that appears to be powered by cookies to design the entire thing.

Good luck. If you’re like me, you’ll need it.

The Dragon is a 75% puzzle, 25% platform game with 30 levels. It saves your progress and allows you to play levels again if you have already beaten them.

The story is told through white text that appears on the level, and which follows your progress through the game. The story is intentionally ambiguous, and supports several interpretations. Spoilers may or may not be found in the comments below this text.

I will be writing a post-mortem shortly, once the competition is over.

Made with Game Maker.

This ought to give you some idea of the direction I’m taking with this competition. It’s going to be a 2D puzzle platform game (my specialty ), with minimalist graphics (partly due to the comeptition restrictions, but mostly because I only know how to do pixel art).

I’ve figured out the story, though I’m not going to give it away here for fear of spoiling it. I’m mildly irritated by the restriction on screen size, since my game is set on a 32×32 grid – hence the black border around the image to pad it out.

The engine is up and running; I only need the level design now. Obviously that is the part that will take the most time.