Python, as a language, is pretty great; it uses pretty intuitive syntax, has thorough documentation and support, and is overall versatile and easy to pick up. However, one thing that it absolutely sucks at is exporting to an executable, especially if you use external assets and libraries.

This was my first Ludum Dare, and I chose to program Seven Pillars in python (using pygame). After finishing the Compo on Saturday, I started researching ways to actually distribute so that people wouldn't have to literally download Ubuntu, python, and pygame -- and clone my GitHub repository -- in order to play my game.

If anyone else has this problem, there is a very useful walkthrough here: https://irwinkwan.com/2013/04/29/python-executables-pyinstaller-and-a-48-hour-game-design-compo/. It was made by a participant of LD26 and is the only reason my game is now reasonably playable outside of my computer.

Overall, it was a useful experience, and while I almost certainly will avoid using python/pygame in the future (in favor of a more cross-platform-friendly engine like Unity), I'm glad I managed to find a way to compile Seven Pillars for Windows before judging began.

You can check out my submission here: https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/seven-pillars