This weekend I have three concerts, one tomorrow and two on Sunday. I have to travel a long time through the snow to get there, I think I’ll have only about 10 – 12 hours to work on LD. I might decide to go with the jam like last time, but I’d really prefer to get something playable done during the normal LD.

Anyway, this is my desk:

I’m probably making something for Flash with Haxe, using my Haxe Base Code (new version 1.6), but maybe I’ll use Flixel instead or perhaps do something with a physics or 3D library.

If I can think of something very simple, I might try to make in in html5 (also using Haxe, but with jeash).

My tools:

• Coding: FlashDevelop, Haxe (or perhaps Blitz3D, BlitzMax, Delphi, Visual Studio)
• Graphics: Tile Studio, ULead PhotoImpact, Inkscape, Photoshop
• Sound: Nero Wave Studio, audacity
• Music: MilkyTracker, NoteWorthy Composer
• Timelapse: ETL and VirtualDub
• Internet: Firefox with ChatZilla

Good luck everyone!

I’m not really doing the mini-LD, but I am working on a new version of one of my LD games, Cave Miner from LD 15 (Caverns). I’ve already spent several weeks working on it and here is what it looks like now:

Most notably, I’ve added a lighting/shadow system. I also changed the gold into crystals and added some statistics at the top. It also has some sounds now (using sfxr).

There is still a lot to do: power ups, enemies, level exit, health system, light battery system, doors, keys, switches, teleport, elevators, more decoration and probably something with little bombs and destroyable blocks. And then of course a lot more levels, music, a title screen, menus, high scores, etc.

I finished my game last night and submitted it to MochiAds. Unfortunately, I’m still waiting for it to get approved (I hadn’t thought about this being a weekend, so far my experience was that games get approved within a couple of hours). So I probably won’t make the $1 before the end of October…

Anyway, you can play the game here: Zwarte Piet (flash)

I was planning to make my first Android game for the October challenge, but I need more time for that.

So instead I’m now porting another old game to Flash: Zwarte Piet. So far, I’ve got the first level coming along nicely. It shouldn’t be too hard to finish this game, submit it to Mochiads and still make at least $1.00 before the end of October!

Here is a little program I’ve been playing around with (inspired by the theme Evolution, which didn’t make it again):

• Random Art Evolver (Flash)

This program generates random images based on a code (which is shown at the bottom) and mutates them. When you click on one of the images, you’ll see it in full size at the right and all images will start to evolve from that point on. If none of those get any better, you can restart the same code by clicking on the large image.

Once you have found an image you want to use for something, you could capture the screen and save it somewhere as a bitmap, but the idea is to simply save the code and use a function to generate the image at any time.

The library is for haXe, it generates a BitmapData from a given String. It shouldn’t be too hard to port it to as3 as well.

Enjoy!

I’m glad with the JAM, I might even get something playable done this time!

Things aren’t going as fast as I had hoped and it doesn’t look like I can finish my game in the next hours, so I’m going for the jam! (Should have made that decision earlier, then I wouldn’t have had to code that basic platform stuff again…)

Last night I played a concert with a symphony orchestra at a “street festival” in Wageningen. There was a wind orchestra that played after us who didn’t have any basses, so we played along with them as well. I was home at 1.30 am and was very tired. Now I’ve slept well and I’m ready to start working!

Today, I’m away all day. I did check the theme this morning and I’ve been thinking about what to make, but haven’t decided what to do yet.

Anyway, here are a few pics I made:

Here is a picture of my desk. Now I should sleep a little before it all starts.

Here are my previous attempts at Ludum Dare, most of them never finished:

I’m planning to do the normal LD. However, I’ll be away for most of Saturday (again, playing in an orchestra), maybe on Sunday evening I’ll decide to go for the jam instead.

Anyway, I’ll probably make a Flash game, here is what I’m planning to use:

• Code: FlashDevelop and either Haxe/SWFMill with my own base code, or Flex with Flixel.
• Graphics: Tile Studio, PhotoImpact, InkScape
• Music: MilkyTracker, NoteWorthy Composer
• Sounds: Nero Wave Editor, Audacity
• Timelapse: ETL.exe and VirtualDub

I’ll take my sound recorder along on Saturday so I can start recording sound samples (lots of instruments there). And I recently bought a smartphone, so I’ll be able to follow how things are going when I’m away, and perhaps post.

I finally added a main character to my game. It can’t do much, except walk around and jump (BTW: the jump sound is a glissando on my cello). The game isn’t finished unfortunately, you can’t complete it.

I also made some background music, using the sound samples I recorded earlier.

• Play the game here: http://www.wieringsoftware.nl/ld/MonkeyIslands/
• Source code: http://sites.google.com/site/mikewiering/LD17_Wiering.zip

I just spent an hour recording all kinds of sound samples inside (musical instruments) and outside (birds, things falling into water, etc). I hope I’ll have time to do something with them. I want to make a MOD file with music. Next time I should do this in the beginning when I’m still thinking about the theme.

I still need to make a main character.

I added a few layers with waves, now it looks more like water.

I really need to start working on some game play. But the weather is really nice, so I’ll go for a walk first, and perhaps record some sounds.

I’m working on making it look like these are little islands in the sea, still needs some waves.

I added a background layer (which is the same as the foreground, but mirrored) and tuned the colors some more. Not sure what to do at the bottom where the water starts.

I didn’t have much inspiration for the theme, but eventually decided to make a simple platform game. I was planning to use Flixel, but had trouble getting some basic stuff to work, Flixel has changed a lot since last time I used it. In the end I went back to haXe and my own code base.

I’m using my new Wacom tablet with Photoshop Elements and it feels great! Here is my first screen shot:

This time I don’t have any concerts or rehearsals, so I hope to be able to spend lots of time on LD17! This time I really want to finish something that’s playable and has sound/music.

My tools:

• depending on the theme and my idea, I plan to use FlashDevelop and either Flixel with AS3 or my own code base with Haxe and SWFMill (the newest version has support for mod files based on BadSector’s FMP), perhaps box2d or physaxe, or perhaps BlitzMax / Blitz3D
• Tile Studio, PhotoImpact, Inkscape, Photoshop, GIMP
• Nero Wave Studio, bladeenc, audacity
• MilkyTracker / NoteWorthy Composer
• instruments: keyboard, cello, double bass, guitar
• my ZOOM H2 audio recorder for recording sound samples
• ETL.exe and Virtualdub for time lapse, ManicTime for time/app logging
• FireFox with ChatZilla
• digital camera
• I just bought a Wacom tablet, I might use that, but haven’t really had time to practice drawing with it yet
• food & drink: almost none left, so I’ll have to do some shopping tomorrow

Good luck everyone!

I just made a timelapse video, you can watch it here. I removed the parts where I was away or asleep. The music is from a concert I played on Friday (from Brahms’ 2nd symphony).

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buC_zbkgDHU

Edit: programs I used: FlashDevelop, Tile Studio and my new pixel editor which is still work-in-progress.