{"author_link":"\/users\/paulloz","author_name":"paulloz","author_uid":"paulloz","comments":[],"epoch":1534365692,"event":"LD42","format":"md","ldjam_node_id":116632,"likes":14,"metadata":{"p_key":"120429","p_author":"paulloz","p_authorkey":"1001372","p_urlkey":"336464","p_title":"Ludum Dare #42, a quick post mortem","p_cat":"LDJam ","p_event":"LD42","p_time":"1534365692","p_likes":"14","p_comments":"0","p_status":"WAYBACK","us_key":"1001372","us_name":"My Sweet Whomp","us_username":"my-sweet-whomp","event_start":"1533859200","event_key":"73","event_name":"LD 42"},"node":{"_collation":{"body_sanitizer":"TextUtils::SanitizeHTML via existing importer","event":"LD42","removed_author":false},"_superparent":97793,"_trust":2,"author":1372,"body":"## And the theme is\u2026\n\nSaturday, 00:00 (12AM for you weirdos using this kind of time system).  \nWhile [ldjam.com](https:\/\/ldjam.com) is offline because a gazillion people want to know the theme, I jump on [Twitter](https:\/\/twitter.com\/pauljoannon) and see it: *\u201cRunning out of space\u201d*. Alone in my home, I'm on Discord with my teammates [Kokonaught](https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kokonaught) and [Noojsan](https:\/\/twitter.com\/Noojsan).\n\nQuickly we have an idea we like: the story of a bodybuilder living in a tiny appartment whose life gets harder and harder while he gets bigger and bigger. Gameplaywise it would have been a game with fast paced minigames, kind of like WarioWare.  \nTo keep things open we're still discussing other ideas, one of which is about people living on floating island and being forced to throw stuff overboard to prevent them from sinking.  \n\n![bodybuilder.gif](\/\/\/raw\/c55\/z\/19cc9.gif)\n\nAfter some discussions we decided to go with this second idea. The first one, heavily relying on a large number of minigames to be fun, seemed less jam-oriented.  \n\nIt is now 02:00 (AM) and I go to sleep in order to get to work early in the morning.\n\n## The doubt\n\nI get up around 07:00 (AM) and start building the foundations for our game: an isometric map with tiles disappearing, a character being able to move around and to grab and throw things around.  \nA little while after my lunch, my teammates are back at work with me (we're in two different time zones so our sleep cycles were offset). Once we're back together something terrible happens: **the doubt** comes in. It doesn't matter how long we think about it, we can't seem to find something fun and enjoyable to do with this game idea\u2026  \n\nSo we're back to square one (please do not pass go, do not collect $200). It's the middle of my saturday afternoon and we don't have anything really started. Everything's alright.  \n\nCome a couple of hours of despair and discouragement.\n\n## A revelation\n\nSaturday, 16:00 (yes, it's 4PM).  \nA new game idea has appeared! Let's say we make a 2D racing game, kind of a tribute to *Micro Machines*, where the available space on the track reduces during the race. Wouldn't it be cool? Wouldn't it lead to something fun and enjoyable? Yes?  \n\nLet's do it then!  \n\n![first-sprite.gif](\/\/\/raw\/c55\/z\/19cca.gif) \n\nStarting up is not that complicated. I'm quickly programming the car movements, nothing too fancy. Every [Godot Engine](https:\/\/godotengine.org) developer out there already know what I'm using as a placeholder for the car.\n\nIn the meantime my coworkers are doing their magic and crafting the first assets.  \nAs a joke, we're saying the music should be some old school techno makina. All of whom have played the game know what is going to happen with that.\n\n![first-thing-moving.gif](\/\/\/raw\/c55\/z\/19ccb.gif)\n\nWe decided that the track was being continuously destroyed by bombs every car is dropping while moving. During the evening we're setting up the autotiling system handling holes made in the ground by those bombs.  \nWhen I'm going to sleep, the basic mechanics and controls are setup. Two days to go.\n\n## Sunday is going to be chill\n\nWhen I get up after a good night's sleep, I'm welcomed on Discord by a cool mockup of what the game is going to look like. I'm making a quick [post](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/42\/$101479\/good-morning-from-the-desert-lands) with that before getting back to work.  \n\nOur Sunday isn't really that interesting. I'm setting up some more things: making the car fall off in holes, prepping some multiplayer controls and camera, etc.  \nGraphics and music are getting done quickly. Noojsan is experimenting with adding some middle eastern instruments to the music to give it somewhat of a *desert vibe*, and we make a list of sound effects we'll need.  \nI also take some time to explain how the animation are working in the engine thanks to a lot of screenshot looking like this:\n\n![animation-explanation.png](\/\/\/raw\/c55\/z\/19ccc.png)\n\nDuring the evening, we also decided we needed to find a name. Unlike every other game we've made, we agreed on a name faster than ever. Here's a complete transcription of the discussion:\n\n> Kokonaught: Do you have any name ideas?  \n> paulloz: Hum, for now it's called **Micro Bombs**  \n> paulloz: but it sucks  \n> Kokonaught: I don't know, it needs the word *blast*  \n> Kokonaught: Like  \n> paulloz: **TRACKBLASTERS**  \n> Kokonaught: yeah  \n> Kokonaught: sold\n\nWith that out of the way, I can work on other things like making our pause menu and some screen transitions. Those screen transitions are done with a simple shader reading a black to white gradient from a PNG file. It's really easy and quick to do and can add a lot of personality to a game.  \n\n![pause-and-fall.gif](\/\/\/raw\/c55\/z\/19ccd.gif)\n\nIt is the end of day two. Before I go to sleep I explain to Kokonaught how to use the tilemaps in the engine so he can create some tracks if he has time. Once again the explanation is backed with a lot of screenshots.\n\n## Dawn of the final day\n\nMy final LDJam day begins with a big package of OGG files: all of the audio files are here and it's time to plug them into the game.  \n\n![music-commit.png](\/\/\/raw\/c55\/z\/19cce.png)\n\nI still have two big things to do: connecting the tracks to one another with a track end screen in between, and making a track selection menu. After that it's going to be polishing time and, if possible, we might add some more stuff.  \n\nThe screen at the end of each track is pretty straightforward: we're using the same screen as the pause menu and just switching its content.  \n\nThe selection menu is totally different but not that elaborated. I need to make a quick shader so the background texture scrolls indefinitely, a grid with all the tracks and connect some input events so we switch to the right scene. Done!  \n\nWhat haven't I done yet? Right! A title screen. It's easy as hell, I'll wait until the assets are done.  \nWe need to display a timer during the race. Also, it might be a cool idea to add a *Tut Tut Tuuuuuut* at the beginning of the races like in any other racing games! Let's do both of those things.\n\n*Side note: that's probably the moment we should have thought of adding a visual marker for the finish line.*\n\nWait!  \nWe need to add a shadow to the car!  \nAnd the music is too loud in comparison to the sound effects, set it to -6dB!  \nWe have some props to add to the tracks!  \nThe title screen is done, we need to put the assets in the game!  \n\nIt is the last stretch and I'm now juggling with two artists wanting to refine their work as long as they can.  \nI can do that. We can do that!  \nIn the meantime we're adding props to the tracks so they don't look and feel boring, obviously.  \n\n## It is done\n\n**M I D N I G H T !**  \nWe've gone through the last couple of hours like they were minutes, my heart is pounding at around 300bpm but it's over. And I think we've done a pretty good job. At least, I'm happy with what we did. That's far from always the case.  \n\n![final-screenshot.png](\/\/\/raw\/c55\/z\/19ccf.png)\n\nWe're uploading the final build on [itch.io](https:\/\/mysweetwhomp.itch.io\/trackblasters), making screenshots and writing a game description while [ldjam.com](https:\/\/ldjam.com) is now imploding and will soon turn into ashes.  \n\nFirst thing I notice once **Trackblaster** is submitted and the final stress has gone away: as usual I don't want to sleep right now, but at least this time it is not 03:00 yet. Thanks for this time change, I hope it'll stay like that.  \nWhat can I extract from LDJam this time? It might not be a good idea to really start your game once more than half a day already passed by. However I'm glad we did not stick with an idea we barely liked just because of the time. And however long or short the jam is, you always can size your game project so it fits the time you have.  \nI'm happy with what we've made, that's not something I say after each jam. And I'm probably going to work on it to release a true version in a near future.\n\n---\n\nIf you've read this far, thank you very much. Please try out and rate [**TrackBlasters**](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/42\/trackblasters), it'll make us very happy.","comments":0,"created":"2018-08-15T12:08:40Z","files":[],"files-timestamp":0,"id":116632,"love":14,"love-timestamp":"2018-08-19T14:09:47Z","meta":[],"modified":"2018-08-19T14:09:47Z","name":"Ludum Dare #42, a quick post mortem","node-timestamp":"2018-08-15T20:41:32Z","parent":101479,"parents":[1,5,9,97793,101479],"path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/42\/trackblasters\/ludum-dare-42-a-quick-post-mortem","published":"2018-08-15T20:41:32Z","scope":"public","slug":"ludum-dare-42-a-quick-post-mortem","subsubtype":"","subtype":"","type":"post","version":347816},"node_metadata":{"n_key":"116632","n_urlkey":"336464","n_parent":"101479","n_path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/42\/trackblasters\/ludum-dare-42-a-quick-post-mortem","n_slug":"ludum-dare-42-a-quick-post-morte","n_type":"post","n_subtype":"","n_subsubtype":"","n_author":"1372","n_created":"1534334920","n_modified":"1534687787","n_version":"347816","n_status":"WAYBACK"},"source_url":"https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/42\/trackblasters\/ludum-dare-42-a-quick-post-mortem","text":"## And the theme is\u2026\n\nSaturday, 00:00 (12AM for you weirdos using this kind of time system).  \nWhile [ldjam.com](https:\/\/ldjam.com) is offline because a gazillion people want to know the theme, I jump on [Twitter](https:\/\/twitter.com\/pauljoannon) and see it: *\u201cRunning out of space\u201d*. Alone in my home, I'm on Discord with my teammates [Kokonaught](https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kokonaught) and [Noojsan](https:\/\/twitter.com\/Noojsan).\n\nQuickly we have an idea we like: the story of a bodybuilder living in a tiny appartment whose life gets harder and harder while he gets bigger and bigger. Gameplaywise it would have been a game with fast paced minigames, kind of like WarioWare.  \nTo keep things open we're still discussing other ideas, one of which is about people living on floating island and being forced to throw stuff overboard to prevent them from sinking.  \n\n![bodybuilder.gif](\/\/\/raw\/c55\/z\/19cc9.gif)\n\nAfter some discussions we decided to go with this second idea. The first one, heavily relying on a large number of minigames to be fun, seemed less jam-oriented.  \n\nIt is now 02:00 (AM) and I go to sleep in order to get to work early in the morning.\n\n## The doubt\n\nI get up around 07:00 (AM) and start building the foundations for our game: an isometric map with tiles disappearing, a character being able to move around and to grab and throw things around.  \nA little while after my lunch, my teammates are back at work with me (we're in two different time zones so our sleep cycles were offset). Once we're back together something terrible happens: **the doubt** comes in. It doesn't matter how long we think about it, we can't seem to find something fun and enjoyable to do with this game idea\u2026  \n\nSo we're back to square one (please do not pass go, do not collect $200). It's the middle of my saturday afternoon and we don't have anything really started. Everything's alright.  \n\nCome a couple of hours of despair and discouragement.\n\n## A revelation\n\nSaturday, 16:00 (yes, it's 4PM).  \nA new game idea has appeared! Let's say we make a 2D racing game, kind of a tribute to *Micro Machines*, where the available space on the track reduces during the race. Wouldn't it be cool? Wouldn't it lead to something fun and enjoyable? Yes?  \n\nLet's do it then!  \n\n![first-sprite.gif](\/\/\/raw\/c55\/z\/19cca.gif) \n\nStarting up is not that complicated. I'm quickly programming the car movements, nothing too fancy. Every [Godot Engine](https:\/\/godotengine.org) developer out there already know what I'm using as a placeholder for the car.\n\nIn the meantime my coworkers are doing their magic and crafting the first assets.  \nAs a joke, we're saying the music should be some old school techno makina. All of whom have played the game know what is going to happen with that.\n\n![first-thing-moving.gif](\/\/\/raw\/c55\/z\/19ccb.gif)\n\nWe decided that the track was being continuously destroyed by bombs every car is dropping while moving. During the evening we're setting up the autotiling system handling holes made in the ground by those bombs.  \nWhen I'm going to sleep, the basic mechanics and controls are setup. Two days to go.\n\n## Sunday is going to be chill\n\nWhen I get up after a good night's sleep, I'm welcomed on Discord by a cool mockup of what the game is going to look like. I'm making a quick [post](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/42\/$101479\/good-morning-from-the-desert-lands) with that before getting back to work.  \n\nOur Sunday isn't really that interesting. I'm setting up some more things: making the car fall off in holes, prepping some multiplayer controls and camera, etc.  \nGraphics and music are getting done quickly. Noojsan is experimenting with adding some middle eastern instruments to the music to give it somewhat of a *desert vibe*, and we make a list of sound effects we'll need.  \nI also take some time to explain how the animation are working in the engine thanks to a lot of screenshot looking like this:\n\n![animation-explanation.png](\/\/\/raw\/c55\/z\/19ccc.png)\n\nDuring the evening, we also decided we needed to find a name. Unlike every other game we've made, we agreed on a name faster than ever. Here's a complete transcription of the discussion:\n\n> Kokonaught: Do you have any name ideas?  \n> paulloz: Hum, for now it's called **Micro Bombs**  \n> paulloz: but it sucks  \n> Kokonaught: I don't know, it needs the word *blast*  \n> Kokonaught: Like  \n> paulloz: **TRACKBLASTERS**  \n> Kokonaught: yeah  \n> Kokonaught: sold\n\nWith that out of the way, I can work on other things like making our pause menu and some screen transitions. Those screen transitions are done with a simple shader reading a black to white gradient from a PNG file. It's really easy and quick to do and can add a lot of personality to a game.  \n\n![pause-and-fall.gif](\/\/\/raw\/c55\/z\/19ccd.gif)\n\nIt is the end of day two. Before I go to sleep I explain to Kokonaught how to use the tilemaps in the engine so he can create some tracks if he has time. Once again the explanation is backed with a lot of screenshots.\n\n## Dawn of the final day\n\nMy final LDJam day begins with a big package of OGG files: all of the audio files are here and it's time to plug them into the game.  \n\n![music-commit.png](\/\/\/raw\/c55\/z\/19cce.png)\n\nI still have two big things to do: connecting the tracks to one another with a track end screen in between, and making a track selection menu. After that it's going to be polishing time and, if possible, we might add some more stuff.  \n\nThe screen at the end of each track is pretty straightforward: we're using the same screen as the pause menu and just switching its content.  \n\nThe selection menu is totally different but not that elaborated. I need to make a quick shader so the background texture scrolls indefinitely, a grid with all the tracks and connect some input events so we switch to the right scene. Done!  \n\nWhat haven't I done yet? Right! A title screen. It's easy as hell, I'll wait until the assets are done.  \nWe need to display a timer during the race. Also, it might be a cool idea to add a *Tut Tut Tuuuuuut* at the beginning of the races like in any other racing games! Let's do both of those things.\n\n*Side note: that's probably the moment we should have thought of adding a visual marker for the finish line.*\n\nWait!  \nWe need to add a shadow to the car!  \nAnd the music is too loud in comparison to the sound effects, set it to -6dB!  \nWe have some props to add to the tracks!  \nThe title screen is done, we need to put the assets in the game!  \n\nIt is the last stretch and I'm now juggling with two artists wanting to refine their work as long as they can.  \nI can do that. We can do that!  \nIn the meantime we're adding props to the tracks so they don't look and feel boring, obviously.  \n\n## It is done\n\n**M I D N I G H T !**  \nWe've gone through the last couple of hours like they were minutes, my heart is pounding at around 300bpm but it's over. And I think we've done a pretty good job. At least, I'm happy with what we did. That's far from always the case.  \n\n![final-screenshot.png](\/\/\/raw\/c55\/z\/19ccf.png)\n\nWe're uploading the final build on [itch.io](https:\/\/mysweetwhomp.itch.io\/trackblasters), making screenshots and writing a game description while [ldjam.com](https:\/\/ldjam.com) is now imploding and will soon turn into ashes.  \n\nFirst thing I notice once **Trackblaster** is submitted and the final stress has gone away: as usual I don't want to sleep right now, but at least this time it is not 03:00 yet. Thanks for this time change, I hope it'll stay like that.  \nWhat can I extract from LDJam this time? It might not be a good idea to really start your game once more than half a day already passed by. However I'm glad we did not stick with an idea we barely liked just because of the time. And however long or short the jam is, you always can size your game project so it fits the time you have.  \nI'm happy with what we've made, that's not something I say after each jam. And I'm probably going to work on it to release a true version in a near future.\n\n---\n\nIf you've read this far, thank you very much. Please try out and rate [**TrackBlasters**](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/42\/trackblasters), it'll make us very happy.","title":"Ludum Dare #42, a quick post mortem","wayback_source":[]}