AskQuestion(ludumDare)

Hellooo game developers again, this is my second post ever, and I wanted to ask a question. Are we allowed to think of game ideas prior to the composition? For example, if someone was planning an action-puzzle game and started sketching out some gameplay elements- not that I was doing that..-would that be allowed? He would plan out some gameplay elements and use the plot and adapt some of the gameplay to fit the theme afterwards? Is that allowed? Not that I would want to know, it’s just that I have a friend named John Doe who is poor.. and homeless.. and has cancer… and has 7 children to feed.. And has 5 little puppies… That are orphans.. And have cancer..  that I think might need an answer REALLY quick.

EDIT: I also wanted to clarify that no coding would be done whatsoever until the compo.

Comments

matthewj234
12. Aug 2012 · 14:13 UTC
As far as I am aware, you could be coding the LD24 now, as it is all honour based. However, I personally am thinking of Ideas that would fit with multiple themes and making small prototypes of these ideas, just to get the hang of making a game in such a small timeframe.
pythong
12. Aug 2012 · 14:17 UTC
NO! You cannot do that! If you do, we will crack your brain and pull out all the ideas again!! And we will chose a completely different themas what you planned out! Mwahahahahaha!
12. Aug 2012 · 14:24 UTC
I think so, yes, aslong as you don’t make any actual content.
FelipeTavares
12. Aug 2012 · 14:30 UTC
You can plan the type of your game, some game mechanics (Although you probably will modify them to fit the theme), code a lib to do the tedious work (if you share it) and sketch some characters. But you CANNOT code the game mechanics or write down a history (you can think it, but cannot write (this is game content)) or model your characters. Resume:

You can sketch all things but cannot create them.
12. Aug 2012 · 19:26 UTC
It would be against the spirit of the rules to submit a game you have been working on for the past month which just to happens to fit the contest theme, but I can’t see any way we could stop you. Also since there is no money at stake most people wouldn’t care.
dr_soda
12. Aug 2012 · 23:46 UTC
As the others say, it’s not really a problem to have some ideas that you really want to work on assuming you make the theme work with them.