{"author_name":"Static 64","cat":"LD #27","comments":[],"epoch":1379352300,"likes":2,"metadata":{"p_key":"37891","p_author":"Static 64","p_authorkey":"22813","p_urlkey":"73507","p_title":"Story O\u2019 Dare Assessment and Last Chance to Rate!","p_cat":"LD #27","p_event":"LD27","p_time":"1379352300","p_likes":"2","p_comments":"0","p_status":"UPD5","us_key":"22813","us_name":"Static 64","us_username":"static-64","event_start":"1377216000","event_key":"18","event_name":"LD27"},"text":"<p>As the voting for LD #27 winds down, I decided I should assess how my entry went, and give some last minute publicity for my game, Story O&#8217; Dare.<\/p>\n <p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ludumdare.com\/compo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Story-O-Dare-Title.png\"><img class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-296513\" alt=\"Story O Dare Title\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ludumdare.com\/compo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Story-O-Dare-Title-300x225.png\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"http:\/\/ludumdare.com\/compo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Story-O-Dare-Title-300x225.png 300w, http:\/\/ludumdare.com\/compo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Story-O-Dare-Title-550x412.png 550w, http:\/\/ludumdare.com\/compo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/Story-O-Dare-Title.png 640w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n <p>If you don&#8217;t know, Story O&#8217; Dare is a collection of minigames, each based on a phase of the Ludum Dare competition.\u00a0 I had planned it to be longer, and might release a post-compo version.\u00a0 Let me know if you want to see that happen, please.<\/p>\n <p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n <p>What Went Well:<\/p>\n <ul>\n <li>Small scope<\/li>\n <li>Development tools (Game Maker 8.1, MS Paint)<\/li>\n <li>Modular level design<\/li>\n <li>Humor<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <p>As this was\u00a0my first entry into Ludum Dare,\u00a0 I wanted to keep my scope reasonable so I could actually finish.\u00a0 I really didn&#8217;t want to make a collection of minigames, but I decided it was probably the best way to finish with a completed game.\u00a0 When I came up with the Wario Ware parody based on LD, I decided I had to go with it.<\/p>\n <p>The &#8220;modular design&#8221; worked well, especially on Game Maker, because I could accomplish my game in chunks, and every feature I added could stand on its own and enhance the game.<\/p>\n <p>Game Maker and Paint, while not the most sophisticated tools,\u00a0served my purposes well.<\/p>\n <p>Lastly, I give myself a thumbs-up for the humor I incorporated into the game.\u00a0 I knew at the outset that the jokes in each level relating to the competition would be appreciated by some and lost on others.\u00a0 And that&#8217;s what happened.\u00a0 I knew my audience, and despite the fact that this approach limits the appeal, I think it helped me achieve my goal.<\/p>\n <p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n <p>What went poorly:<\/p>\n <ul>\n <li>The first level\/minigame<\/li>\n <li>Lack of sound<\/li>\n <li>Few levels<\/li>\n <li>Submission<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <p>I knew the first level of my game would be confusing.\u00a0 Requiring players to click on an onscreen keyboard is strange enough, without the additional challenge of knowing exactly what to type.\u00a0 Some players got the reference to the &#8220;I&#8217;m in!&#8221; blogs, but not as many as I hoped.\u00a0 I still stand by my decision to include this stage, but if I were to do it again, I would put a few stages before it to draw in players more quickly.\u00a0 I&#8217;m sure I turned many away on that first level before they got to the easier parts.<\/p>\n <p>As far as sound goes, I consider my game&#8217;s lack thereof a forgivable, but undesirable.\u00a0 I have never incorporated sound into a game before, and although I had hoped on getting it in, I just couldn&#8217;t pull it off.<\/p>\n <p>I did manage to get a fair number of levels in, but I had more planned that I couldn&#8217;t finish in time.\u00a0 I wanted to include other phases of LD, especially more about<em> making games, <\/em>but I had enough to make the game presentable, and I choose to create the simplest ones first to maximize my efficiency.\u00a0 For better or for worse, quantity trumped quantity in\u00a0this\u00a0minigame collection.<\/p>\n <p>Unrelated to the game, I ran into a big issue when it came time to submit.\u00a0 Not realizing in advance that Ludum Dare did not host the entries, I had to scramble at 9:00 to find an alternative.\u00a0 This won&#8217;t be an issue in the future, but it was agonizing at the time.<\/p>\n <p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n <p>Again, let me know if you want to see more of what I planned in the form of a post-compo release.\u00a0 Thanks for reading!<\/p>","time":"September 16th, 2013 12:25 pm","title":"Story O\u2019 Dare Assessment and Last Chance to Rate!"}