I am so ludicrously, ridiculously, awfully terrible at writing a journal. Whoops.

Anyway, game’s done.

Here it is.

Enjoy it.

So I’m sure it’ll come as no surprise to anyone that, once again, I shall venture forth into the creatively random domain of a Ludum Dare event. Usually, I’d make an “I’m in!” video, in which I’m naked, but this time around, it’s just this post. If it helps at all, you can just imagine I’m naked while I’m writing it.

As usual, I’ll be using a combination of Paint.net, Multimedia Fusion 2 and PROBABLY FL Studio/Audacity for sound/music. Expect something, as usual, slightly off-beat, almost certainly with a narrative focus and HOPEFULLY this time not a platformer.

Good luck, folks.

I realise it actually ‘began’ about 10 hours ago, but I just woke up, so it’s still the morning, because I said so.

Anyway, I’ve got a playable build for you. Check it out here. Feedback, bug reports, compliments etc welcome in the comments.

Lots to do today, so now I’m going to stop writing a blog post and go, y’know, make a game.

Good luck everyone!

Aaaand that’s the halfway point. 24 hours left. [insert Majora’s Mask reference here]

…Oh, hang on. I really CAN insert a Majora’s Mask reference here! I love blogs!

There. Ha!

Right, with that out of the way, here’s how things stand for ‘Mini-Worlds and Monocles’, with 24 hours to go:

• Gameplay mechanics: 99% (Bugs. I’m sure there’s bugs. Of course there’s bugs.)
• Graphics: 75%-80%, depending on whether I do full visual cutscenes or not
• Sound: 0%
• Game features (saving/loading etc): 100%. Yes, folks, I faffed about with such things as data management and a level select before I finished all the art. I am AMAZING like that…

Tonight’s goal, before I head off for some sleep, is to get ALL of the artwork finished. All of it. At the time of writing, I’ve got one level background, and four levels’ worth of platform tiles, plus stuff for the title screen, level select, etc. I’ll probably be rolling into bed around 5AM again… Ah well.

Here’s a screenshot, to tide you over:

Oh! And if you don’t already, follow me on Twitter. @dedhedzed. I ramble a LOT during Ludum Dare, so it’ll give you something to laugh at. And if you’re a game designer/developer, I always follow back, in case you’re the kind of person who cares about that sort of thing.

Whew!

Alright, so here’s where I stand with what I’m now calling ‘Mini-Worlds and Monocles’:

• Graphics – 20%
• Gameplay mechanics – 99% (It’ll never be 100%… There’s probably always going to be bugs)
• Sound – 0%
• Game functions (level select, saving, crap like that) – 75%
• Cutscenes – 0%

Here’s a screenshot:

It looks better in motion, I promise.

Right, back to work!

So, Tiny World, eh? I can dig it.

Immediately set to work on a script (of course I did – I’m a writer) and have a plot all sorted. Then I figured “Hey, since it’s a game, it probably needs some gameplay”, so I did what I always do – Made a platformer.

The finished game will have five levels of varying sizes, with a small amount of replay value if you’re a score-hungry perfectionist.

For a look at the kind of art style I’m working with (art’s never been my strong point…), play with this.

Right, on with the show. Saturday is GO!

No “I’m in” video collection this time, so no reason for me to get naked. Still, that doesn’t stop me doing SOMEthing… different. Although not as flashy (hahah, gettit? Made in Flash? ‘Flashy’? …I’ll get my coat) as the keynote, I decided to make something a little bit ‘interactive’ for my “I’m in” announcement, as presented by a very… ‘special’ guest:

I’m In

So, I did it. In 48 hours, I made a game about a bunny escaping from an animal testing laboratory. It’s called “It’s A Bunny Story, Actually…” and you can check its competition page here.

It doesn’t quite have everything that I was hoping to add, but it has ‘enough’, I think. If it gets a positive reception, then I’ll most likely go back to it, maybe even tidy it up and add enough content to warrant a commercial release (I’m thinking $2 for 20 levels, or something).

So play it, enjoy it, rate it, and I’ll see you next time.

Alright. Quick post before I get down to all the ‘hard work’. The theme has been live now for… what, 45 minutes? In that time, I have created… this.

As you can see, it’s a bunny. And a fox. And a… I don’t know, horse, or something. Let’s say horse.

The game is called “It’s A Bunny Story, Actually…” and centers around a genetically altered bunny, trying to escape from a scientific research laboratory, while being pursued by the various monstrous experiments of said laboratory (hence the red horse). It’s a platformer. Of course it’s a platformer.

I’m HOPING to get quite extravagant with this, and put in some… dun dun DUUUUN… voice acting. I know. Bold, isn’t it? We’ll see, anyway. Here I go…

So. After entering mini-LD 27 and netting myself a gold medal for ‘fun’, I think it’s about time I took on the ‘big boys’ in a main LD. I’ll be making my ‘I’m in’ video when I get home today, as well as squeezing in some gamejam practice.

For those who don’t know, I’m Zed. Hi. I make games in Multimedia Fusion 2, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. My graphics aren’t the prettiest, but I pour all of my creativity into the game. I’m primarily a writer, so expect something plot-driven, no matter what genre it is (I’d give a narrative to Tetris if I got the chance).

I’m Zed, and I’m in.

Evening, LDers (Is that a thing?). I’m Zed, I’ve never entered Ludum Dare before so I figured this ‘mini’ one was as good a time as any, and this is my entry, ‘Adventures in the Public Domain‘.

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