I’ve been wanting to Ludum Dare for a while, but I can’t code for beans. Seriously. The last time a bean asked me to write a function, I just froze up. Mostly because my beans were talking to me. So instead, I’m going to “compete” in the Game Jam alongside a code-savvy teammate or two, but will otherwise be following the rules for the solo Compo.

We’ll be dual-screen streaming over here, as soon as the theme is announced: http://www.gamefetch.tv/?ch1=hitchh1k3r&ch2=solifuge

Hybrid Compo-Jam Rules are as follows:
1) You can work alone or on a team.
2) All game code and content must be created within the 48 hours (72 if we blow it).
3) Games must be based on the theme.
4) All publicly available libraries and middleware are allowed.
5) All content creation, and development tools are allowed.
6) Source code must be included.

As for the project specs:
Language: Java
IDE: Eclipse (with Saros plugin)
Libraries: LWJGL and Slick-Util
Sound: FruityLoops, bfxr, audacity
Graphics: GraphicsGale, maybe PaintToolSAI
Food: Leftover Chicken Penne Rosa (from scratch; I cook better than I code)
Beverage: Excessive ammounts of Chai Tea.
Palette:

OK, of course LD had to start in the middle of the bloody night so after sleep, shower and food I’m ready to go!

The theme is broad and I’m already predicting a couple of game genres that will be created and I’m also going for a simple tech (2D side) game in HTML+Canvas with a sub-theme: Corruption.

Livestream is up at http://www.twitch.tv/zenmumbler
On irc as zenmumbler
Twitter: @zenmumbler

I will do my best to incorporate goats as I can.

First steps:

• app skeleton
• platform basics
• first playable
• awful graphics

Tools:

• Gear: iMac 27” 8x3GHz i7 / 16GB
• Editor: Sublime Text
• Gfx: Pixen + Pixelmator
• Sound: inudge.net + cfxr
• Level data: Tiled (likely)

Well, I have seen the last few competitions pass. This time I think I will give it a go

Just got started on my entry in he last hour or so. I’m jamming in meatspace this time, at the Manchester Game Jam, UK.

Nice theme! Thank the gods it wasn’t exploration again. I came up with an idea on the way here which involves, predictably, a small planet. It also involves aliens and guns.

I was thinking of playing around with HTML5 this time – something I’ve been wanting to try for a while now – but I was too lazy to do any research beforehand. So instead I’m sticking to what I know: Pygame. I just about managed to squeeze GIMP onto my tiny netbook, so there may even be graphics.

Good luck everyone. Bye for now!

Trying to think ideas for the game, I believe that Escape is a hard theme because is an open and closed theme at the same time, you have freedom in a lot of variables but you cant escape from making a game where you are Escaping from someone/something to reach some goal, or at least I lack of imagination.

I thought about making some wordplay like E-Scape or Esc-Ape but don’t think it will be so cool.

So, in the end, I decide to use the word like it is and make an Escape game, the first idea I had was to make something philosophical like playing a game where you want to achieve total freedom but that was impossible and the idea of the game was to transmit exactly that, total freedom don’t exists (sad game).

After thinking more ideas, I decided to make something really simple and try to finish it, so my last idea is a simple game like Canabalt where you play as a Vampire escaping from the Sun light, with some features like Robot Unicorn Attack where you can dash in the air.

Lets see what happens, maybe I get a better idea later and abandon this game to do the other one.

This will be my first participatement in a ludum dare competition.
I will go for the jam, because I am a little bit late.
I will be coding it in C#.
I think it will be something like escaping from the ever-nearing doom, kinda like dino run. However, I don’t know if it fits in the theme.
Wish me luck, I am an amateur coder!

Seriously? I just wrote “Badum tsch” in the title? GEDDIT?! (of course not)

So anyway yes I am going to participate in Mini LD number 24 or whatever oh well I think I got it right this time (unusual) and yes my full stop key is broken.

I don’t yet know which theme(s) I am going to pick, but certainly it won’t include love (neither one). The limitations are kinda harder to choose from… I was thinking about the audio and 2 colours thing… Finally – for the rules, I think I am gonna use this one to start with Java (yeah, Eclipse already installed )…

I will start tomorrow, even though it is a Mini LD. Edit: oh whatever I just started beacuase (damn I am good) I’ve got some nice ideas.

Post scriptum: I am happy with Niribu X – even though it was not complete at all when I submitted it, I got some nice feedback (thank you) – so I will finish this sometime when I want a break from my major project.

PreScriptum: I am NOTIFYING the site administrator – “WordPress 3.0.1 is available!”

As you can see, I’ve decided to enter MiniLD #22 – revisiting an old idea. What is that old idea? I’ve chosen (you Pikachu!) my previous AND unsuccessful entry, to MiniLD #15 – Old game CLONE. It’s the Code Runner.

Something actually surprised me – my old notes with ideas and concept were easy to find thanks to my superior organization skills (yah, sure). It makes the whole thing easier to do, and I know what did I plan to do with these pictures. I present an excerpt of these notes to you: (after the advertisement break)

(more…)

Okay its 3:31am the competition started 31mins ago. I had originally intended to wake up at 5-6am then start coding but I couldnt sleep so I thought I would get cracking early then catch a nap later on when im tired.

The theme “Enemies as Weapons” is actually a better theme than what I was expecting “Technology in the wrong time period”. I havent got an idea yet but im sure something will come to me

Anyways, here is where all the magic will be happeneing over the next 48 hours:

I have ChronoLapse setup to capture a screenshot every 60 seconds so hopefully we will get a nice video at the end showing my progress (or lack of ).

I will be updating at regular intervals throughout, mainly to break up the dev process a little as 48hours is a long time!

Wish me luck!

So this is where I start… about 5.5 h to deadline.  Right now I have one sheet of paper with gameplay plans, 0 lines of code, some gfx made and a cat to help me betatest when its done. Wish me luck

So its chain reaction. Let’s see now… (-_-)?

I’ll think about it in bed. :P