{"author_name":"Cosmologicon","cat":"LD #23","comments":[{"author_name":"namuol","time":"April 27, 2012 7:03 pm","epoch":1335571380,"text":"I couldn&#8217;t agree more. This is only my first LD, but I did the exact same thing immediately after the theme was announced: sat on the toilet, then took a shower. I started coding 20 minutes later. Phew!","spam":"N"},{"author_name":"","time":"August 3, 2013 11:56 pm","epoch":1375592160,"text":"Hello!","spam":"N"}],"epoch":1335372720,"likes":2,"metadata":{"p_key":"55987","p_author":"Cosmologicon","p_authorkey":"1151","p_urlkey":"91707","p_title":"Tondie and Zupe postmortem #1: process","p_cat":"LD #23","p_event":"LD23","p_time":"1335372720","p_likes":"2","p_comments":"2","p_status":"UPD5","us_key":"1151","us_name":"Cosmologicon","us_username":"cosmologicon","event_start":"1334880000","event_key":"10","event_name":"LD23"},"text":"<h2 style=\"text-align: center\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><strong>[ <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ludumdare.com\/compo\/2012\/04\/26\/tondie-and-zupe-postmortem-2-back-end\/\">postmortem #2<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ludumdare.com\/compo\/ludum-dare-23\/?action=rate&amp;uid=1151\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">Play the game<\/span><\/a> ]<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n <p>Many posts here give tips on <strong>how to succeed at Ludum Dare<\/strong>, but you know what? Lots of them contradict each other, and lots of them contradict my experience. <strong>Everyone&#8217;s ideal process is different.<\/strong> I know what works well for me, and that&#8217;s all any of us can know. The only way to learn how you can succeed at LD is to <strong>do it!<\/strong> But here&#8217;s what I know about my ideal process.<\/p>\n <ul>\n <li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ludumdare.com\/compo\/ludum-dare-23\/?action=rate&amp;uid=1151\"><img class=\"alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ludumdare.com\/compo\/wp-content\/compo2\/123793\/1151-shot0.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"311\" height=\"311\" \/><\/a>The shower is the best place to come up with ideas. I <strong>take a shower right after the theme<\/strong> is announced, and I have the gameplay figured out by the time I&#8217;m dry.<\/li>\n <li>I <strong>develop on my underpowered desktop<\/strong> (1.6GHz single-core EeeBox). This ensures I have great performance. Getting 15fps for my game is great, because I know that means most people will get 60.<\/li>\n <li>Who needs sleep? <strong>A few power naps<\/strong> throughout the weekend keeps me going.<\/li>\n <li>Focus on your strengths if you want the <strong>best game possible<\/strong> right now. For me, that&#8217;s math, procedural animation, and story.<\/li>\n <li>Focus on your weaknesses if you want feedback that <strong>helps you improve long-term<\/strong>. For me, that&#8217;s sound, music, and menu systems.<\/li>\n <li><strong>Cutting features is not necessarily a bad thing.<\/strong> It&#8217;s like editing a novel. If a feature doesn&#8217;t contribute to the gameplay experience, it shouldn&#8217;t be there. Just try to recognize it before you spend time on it.<\/li>\n <li>There&#8217;s a great moment about halfway through when, in the course of testing features, you find yourself actually <em>playing<\/em> your game for the first time. It&#8217;s really motivating.<\/li>\n <\/ul>\n <p>I&#8217;ve gotten lots of positive feedback so far, thanks! I&#8217;m really happy with my entry. I&#8217;ve come a long way since my first Ludum Dare.<\/p>\n \n <p>Tags: <a href=\"http:\/\/ludumdare.com\/compo\/tag\/postmortem\/\" rel=\"tag\">postmortem<\/a><\/p>","time":"April 25th, 2012 11:52 am","title":"Tondie and Zupe postmortem #1: process"}