There’s not much new to see in this screenshot as I haven’t done anything with the art since the previous update, but I’ve made a lot of great progress overall. The main game mechanic (chargeable grenade launcher that allows you to jump higher by shooting the ground) is in place and working well, I’ve still got a few weird movement bugs to work out that I run into occasionally. But for the most part, the gameplay is done. I just need to make many, many more levels.

So, I think that’s what I’ll be focusing on.  Making more levels, basically “finishing” the game.  Then I’ll get sounds and music in there, do something (read: the most that I can) with the art, and be done!  I think I’m at least halfway done now, so I’m making good time to finish by tomorrow night!

It’s been a lot of fun thus far and I’ve learned a lot.  I’m really glad I finally decided to take part in one of these.

Here is a screen from the beginnings of my game.  A robot who jumps!

More to come later!  I’ve got an idea of how I want the story to go.  Am now trying to come up with interesting mechanics.

But, I’ve got a start.  :P

Hello all,

As I am a first timer to LD, as well as any sort of time restricted game jam, I’m interested in discovering best practices from those more experienced in this type of competition.  Any tips or pointers would be greatly appreciated.  Reading through a lot of the introductory posts here, I’ve noticed an overwhelming amount of first timers like myself, so I think this information will be valuable to a large number of participants.

Some things I’m specifically seeking advice on:

• Time management – Specifically, I’m wondering if you’ve found that spending some time thinking through the design of your game before starting work (perhaps even writing down a few things about the gameplay, story, characters, etc.) was most helpful, or if diving right in and prototyping your idea(s) worked better
• Art assets – Personally, art is my biggest weakness.  I honestly can’t draw at all.  I’m planning on either doing A) pixel art or B) a very sparse/minimalist art style, akin to Asteroids.  So I’m wondering how those less gifted with all things art related have dealt with this weakness and how it has worked out for you in the past.  Judging by past successful LD projects, having good art and presentation is immensely important.
• Scope creep (or, overambitiousness) - Obviously, trying to do “too much” in a game in 48 hours would be a killer, but it’s kind of hard to judge or quantify what “too much” would be.  Any past experiences would be greatly appreciated here.

Thanks so much for any responses!  Certainly feel free to pass down any other advice you may have that I have not specifically asked about.

This will be my first LD, I’m excited for it.  I can’t decide what I want to make my game in though.  I’m skilled with Java, C/C++, and Python, and I’ve been looking at Unity recently.  I’m thinking about perhaps using Game Maker for this competition though.

Any thoughts/suggestions?