This was my first LDJam and my first completed game. I’m currently working on a platformer, so I did have that experience to build off of.
I decided to do the jam since I couldn’t work on the game on Monday and wasn’t sure how much I’d finish.
Tools used:
–Construct 2 (Engine)
–Pyxel Edit and Photoshop (Art)
–BFXR (SFX)
–LSDJ (Music)
What went right
- I had blocked off the entire weekend (Saturday and Sunday) solely for working on the game. This was very valuable. However, Saturday night I went to a friend’s party and that was a much needed break (take breaks!).
- Friday night (when the theme was announced), I was out catching a friend’s acoustic solo show. I checked twitter for the theme and brainstormed with pen and paper while at the show. This was huge. Just being in a different environment helped. I’ve read LD advice about going for a walk, running, or generally going out for theme brainstorming. I agree.
My brainstorming notes.
- When I got home Friday night and was happy with my idea, I made a checklist for the morning. I listed all the mechanics and art I wanted to get done on Saturday. Then I put them in order of importance. When I woke up on Saturday morning, I knew exactly where to start and didn’t spend any time idling. Plus it kept me on track all day Saturday.
- I used prototype art at first. Just square blocks with a dot to one side to represent which side they were facing. This let me get my main mechanics up and running. Then when I got a bit burnt out on coding, I switched over and started working on art (after about 6 hours of coding). Broke up my day wonderfully.
‘Lil dude just wants to ooze!
- Using Construct 2. Getting small games up and running in Construct 2 is super easy. The solid and platform behaviors are built in and worked great for this game.
- Did progress posts. These were fun and even getting a few +’s helped me moving along.
What went badly
-I should’ve taken Monday off of work. Even though I was doing the Jam, I was making it a point to finish by Sunday evening. Had I taken that extra day off, I would’ve spent more time with sfx and actually writing new music.
-I rushed the SFX and used an old song I wrote. The SFX are ‘okay’ and, while I like the song, I don’t feel that it fits. I would’ve liked a more ‘metroid-creepy’ song.
-I daydreamed about other themes before the weekend. I’ve wanted to make a small local multiplayer game for a while now and I thought LD would be my excuse. When the theme was first announced, I was super bummed. Not that I didn’t like it, but that I couldn’t do my original idea.
-Not being more familiar with BFXR. I was seriously just moving sliders all over the place. I should’ve spent more time with it beforehand or made my sounds in LSDJ which I’ve been using for years.
Me using BFXR.
-Small things. The song has a gap in when it loops. The astronauts can see you even if they’re off-screen. The closet door only has two frames. I wanted the space station of hover. I wanted to use particles. Again, more time would’ve let me do these things.
Overall
I learned a ton. I thought quickly and on the spot. My original idea for astronauts spotting the player didn’t work (Line of Sight behavior), so I came up with another. With more time, I would’ve had it working perfectly. This weekend definitely helped me think logically and focus on immediate problem-solving. I also made a game. My first game! How friggin’ cool is that!
