but i'm not sure of anything !

Hey folks!

No joke, it's time again for Ludum Dare!

Theme Voting has kicked off! To keep things simple, we're doing 2 rounds (instead of 3) plus a final "best of" round. If you haven't already, sign up and cast your votes!

Invitation code: Time4LD57

Come back Tuesday and Wednesday/Thursday for the next round.

:heart: YOU ROCK :heart:

I owe the LD and GameDev community a HUGE debt of gratitude. Admittedly I've been struggling will bills and finding work. I was terrified by some upcoming expenses and began cancelling the April event so I could focus, but before I could finish announcing the cancellation, many of you showered me with support. It's been a difficult few months for a lot of us, but the communities generosity and love made a world of difference for me. Thank you all so very much! :heart:

I've never been comfortable asking for money for what I do here, but it really is appreciated. Admittedly I've made things harder on myself trying to find remote work that isn't game development, military, or a grift (i.e. crypto, AI debauchery). System development, tooling, graphics coding and low level work is my jam (hacking away at the Webkit browser and buggy Linux GPU drivers has been fun). Fingers crossed I have better luck with my job hunt in the coming days. :fingers_crossed:

I was really hoping for some themes with good game mechanic ideas this time. I'm rooting for side effects, but let's see what happens

seeing a bunch of great and unique themes and then ominously "depths" which already essentially won Ludum Dare 29 (Beneath the Surface) and 48 (Deeper and Deeper), and seeing other posts around like "I like mining!!", I'm having cold flashbacks

I played 200 games across those two jams where you mine down, or dive in water, no exceptions. how many games about collecting crystals or conserving air to get treasure chests do I really need to play in one lifetime. I promise you, the game you want to make in that theme has been done 1000 times. help defeat the Depths scourge so I never have to experience this theme again

I think 'Doors' was one of mine. Maybe. Can't remember.

1. 'Doors' has good possibilities.
2. 'Recharge' is good too. Power ups galore
3. 'Limited Vision' flash light in a dark dungeon kind of thing
4. 'Sanctuary' Go from safe area to safe area to get to next level without dying.

I really need to think on what I can actually make

I guess I am a hater?

this has to rank quite highly in the number of green themes for me and the lack of reds. usually I have like 16 reds 1 green one yellow

there are only 4 that I've not liked and most are pretty neutral, and a few goods, but i can on the spot come up with ideas for most of these.

they (mostly) have an open definition or alternate meaning, - "Plant the seed" could be about propaganda, or rebellion instead of gardening. - "Anchor" will generate a lot of boat themed games but that's not terrible. - "Doors" is a bit weird and i both like and dislike it because it can be super simple or it can go a very dark horror route with it. - "Depths" i've been waiting for a theme kinda like this to make a specific dwarf themed game. - "Recharge" as long as it has batteries it can be recharged, or maybe making a game about recharging social batteries - "Fragmented" lots of places to go with this one my brain goes to either space or ice. - "Overflow" again brain goes to water, like a game about not overfilling a cup of water or like having to carry a bucket somewhere without it spilling. - "Limited vision" we all know where this one will go, lots of games with a lot of black screen, but that in and of itself isn't the end all be all, theres plenty of stories to tell in that vein and plenty of mechanics to work with that others won't think of - "parasite" I actually had a really fun idea in this theme cause i was super sick last week and i thought it would be fun to make a game about spreading sickness in confined spaces like offices and schools and stuff (maybe teach a few lessons) - "Sanctuary" my brain goes fantasy or apocalypse, tower defenses could work, or wave based games of most kinds, or isolated spots of protection in hostile environments - "Garden" i mean it would be fun to just make a farming game - "Fragile" makes me think of the opening scene from ace ventura - "Trade" lots of options here, space trucking, trading with villagers, trading in prison, trading cards, etc - "tiny city" honestly this one is my top pick right now because i would really like to make a tile based city builder/card builder game.

as for the ones im not into

• "Wild Magic" i play a lot of D&d so my brain is tainted and i can't think of simpler mechanics
• "Side effects" i see a lot of medical games with gross oozing stuff
• "Layers" im honestly drawing a blank here outside like in engine layer systems.
• "Other side" I have like 3 ideas for this one sure but nothing really that good, or easy enough to do in 2 days.

I'm in!

I might just be in a good mood but the themes in round 1 are almost all great!

Thank you(1000x) to pov for running it back!

Bonus Wallpaper:

honestly disappointed that chained/separation/united didn't make it through the slaughter, I'm REALLY attached to the idea I have for them which means I either gotta figure out how to modify it for one of these themes, scrap the theme altogether (but where's the LD fun in that?) or scrap the idea in favor of whatever the theme inspires... Big sighing noises lol

I'm working on trying to make my next project Better than my previous one and doing thing better this year I started officially doing Ludum Dare in 2023 towards the end of April I find Stock Vector was a step in the right direction I want to go. I find my 2024 game failed because I scoped to big. and I wasn't focusing on what made Stock Vector was trying to do the year before I was to focus on my channel. that's not the way to go

Maybe this time, is the time for folklore ! (this is not my true vote)

I'll be joining LudumDare again this year. Let's just hope the theme is something I can work with.

I'll be streaming most of the development on Twitch

Tools: - Godot - Gimp

Don't forget to eat, sleep and enjoy the gind!

Presumably, I don't think I'm busy this weekend