This'll be my second Ludum Dare. I'm gonna make a better game than I did before!

I'll most likely use Unity. Animations: Spriter Artwork: Photoshop Audio/Music: Possibly FL Studio Code; Visual Studio 2017

Might as well give it another crack. :)

Life seems to have gotten in the way, during the last few Jams. But this time it is lining up well. Now let's hope to get a decent theme.

• Godot3
• Aseprite
• Real instruments (recorded for music)
• Audacity
• Misc. Items for FX

Here's to grabbing my towel and not panicking! This is my second LD, schedule permitting. I'll likely be joining the comp rather than jam as it fits better for me, though I'll be pushing for the jam. I'm planning on using: - Gamemaker Studio 1.4 - FLStudio for music/sound - Inkscape or Aseprite depending on art style

Here's to another great jam!

Much better this time. I'm not going to post exactly what I put, mostly because I'm still changing them, but overall much happier with them. "Decay" in particular is one of my favourites! I'm slightly more optimistic than I was from the previous round :wink:

Switching from Unity to Godot and now decided to use Game Maker Studio 2. Hope it goes well!

Could someone explain please?

Thanks.

Light is Key (+1): Down voted at first, found out it was pretty clever. Besides the Light is used as a key, or a game with light as main mechanics, this is also a term in photography (key light). So there are quite a few things you can do with this with different directions to think about.

Evolve (-1): We had something similar a couple of years back (Evoland anyone?). It is one of was one of my favourite LDs with many creative entries, although I didn't join that one. But it being a repetition should be a down vote.

You start with everything and end with nothing (-1): Pretty much the reverse of a theme in round 1. Again, everything and nothing are quite hard limitations, so a grain of salt must be added. This has the pro that I don't think we will see a lot of Minecraft clones, but I think we will see pretty much the same as with Decay, which is a better version of this theme for me, that is a bit less sharp on the edges.

Four elements (0): There are actually at least 118 elements, you dummy. But in all seriousness, I think this theme has some potential, but we will see a lot of Alchemy games (I believe another rather large jam had this as a theme.), and maybe some Magicka demakes. So I've got to go with zero points.

Decay (0): The better version of You start with everything and end with nothing, with a bit less strict nothing-everything rules. (Typical clickbait words) But has some Running our of Power vibes, which is the theme we had ~12 months ago. In direct version I think we will see some half-life (scientific, not game) mechanics, which could be interesting and maybe some rotting bodies (potentially walking around). But I fear nothing really special.

Use the enemies to win (-1): I think a lot of people don't want to have enemies in their games... Although if you vote for it maybe you can become my enemy, and I can make a game about themes.

Duplication (0): I think this could be really interesting, however I fear that most games will have really similar mechanics. I do think that such mechanics can have different nuances so it's an okayish theme.

Expanding environment (0): Similar to It's Spreading from round 1, but with a emphasis on the positive side of it and a limitation where "It" is an environment of sorts. Due to these differences I think it's worse and deserves a lower score.

Safe in the dark (0): Safe implies danger, and maybe I don't want danger. But still the light/dark idea has some potential for some interesting mechanics and settings. So I'm not gonna fully dismiss this one.

Tiny machines (-1): So you're still there, eh? You pesky theme. I don't feel we need another Tiny or Small variation and machines are quite limiting too. So I still (after many rounds) don't see potential in this one.

3 Rules (0): I can come up with a lot of really interesting ideas (not sharing, I feel they are quite good). But I do think something with rules in it will scare away quite a few people, we game devs like our freedom.

You can't control the player (0): This either doesn't make sense. You are the player, but you don't control it. Or the main character is not controlled by you, which makes the main character not the player, because you don't control it. Or is this Fate vs Destiny in disguise? Either way I think due to the ambiguity of it, and thus multiple interpretations, I'll just give it the neutral treatment and hope for many creative ideas if it makes it the the end.

Alchemy & Magic (-1): Like a said earlier, Alchemy was a recent theme in another big jam, I don't like people doing direct ports or improving on those ideas during this jam. This is for original ideas and learning (in my opinion). Also I feel that Alchemy is a kind of magic, so the implied equality of the two is kind of weird to me, but that could be a matter of perspective.

Four-colour palette (0): A bit better than the "Colour as gameplay feature" from the previous round. But not enough for a full 1. It can be used for both art and mechanics, so I guess that works. But I feel such a limitation will put off a lot of people. So for artists, just be a bit lenient and use 20 shades of each C, M, Y and K (or whatever your colours are). Or work together with you programmer and designer to make something really awesome with colours. Desigers will probably already use colours quite a bit in their designs, so tweak that a bit.

What you create you must destroy (+1): Being Creative Lesson 1: Do not ever destroy your creations, even if you think it's the ugliest, stupidest, inspirationlessest idea ever, you might regret it later, when you wanted to reuse some of it. Of course if your creations turn against you, it's another story. there are quite a few ways to approach this, so it think it's decent.

One of you is a traitor (-1): Implies multiple entities that are capable of treason. I think that is quite limiting. This reminds me of some old LD "You are the monster!" games where you had to find a murderer in a crowd.

Hi! I'm in for Ludum Dare 42. It's been a while since I've done it, this place sure has changed!

I'll be using Photoshop, Game Maker and FL Studio. Looking forward to it!

Are you on Twitter? What's your handle? I want to follow more people doing LD! Let's be friends!

Here's mine for those interested.

So, I'm the opposite of a musician, but I would like to try to make my own music for a game. Do you have any suggestions for an easy music software? Something for action, ambient but sound effects as well.

Thanks :)

Hi all! Ludum Dare was so lovely the first time around that I've decided to do it again; birdpun is back and working at beak performance! I'll be going at it solo this time as a fun challenge to myself. Very excited to see what everyone is going to make!

That is all

Light is key (0) - Meh. I like using light and there is still enough variety, still it seems oddly limiting and I don't think I would like most games based around this theme.
Evolve (+1) - Usually I wouldn't have given this a plus, but since there are so few themes I like, I guess I gave it a plus.
You start with everything and end with nothing (0) - hm. Sure it's a twist, it leaves enough space... but it's just not terribly exciting.
Four elements (-1) - overused.
Decay (+1) - originally gave this a 0, but actually quite like this.
Use the enemies to win (-1) - too specific. People keep suggesting similar things thought.
Duplication (0) - meh. Expanding environment (0) - meh.
Safe in the dark (+1) - Might actually be a tad too specific, but could be fun.
Tiny machines (+1) - Probably a really bad idea. And yet, I just like these ideas.
3 Rules (0) - Lots of possibilities. Could be mechanical (as in go) or narrative (as in asimovs laws of robotics), but otherwise a bit bland.
You can't control the player (-1) - Themes that make jam games more clunky are just not a good idea.
Alchemy & Magic (+1) - not very original, but I never got around to making a dedicated alchemy game and always wanted to. So yea selfish plus.
Four-colour palette (-1) - nope. almost the same as four elements, but more restrictive and in a way I dislike.
What you create you must destroy (0) - meh.
One of you is a traitor! (0) - Nice idea, sounds like werewolf or mafia, but most ideas are multiplayer based and thus it might not be the most suitable for everyone.

Round 2 is here! Another round of opinions coming up.

Light is Key (+1) : I'm really intrigued to see what ideas may come about with this theme. All it tells us is that light should be the vocal point of your game and I like that. I think we can see a wide Variety of ideas stemming from this theme.

Evolve (+1) : Ideas based around cells or creatures will be plentiful but it gets really interesting thinking how people may implement these ideas into their game, that's definatly where most of the creativity will come from. Though it is slightly vague (as many games have evolving in some form (yes, progression trees count)), great ideas will truly shine with this theme.

You start with everything and end with Nothing (-1) : Too specific.

Four Elements (0) : I'm not sure whether I'm too convinced by the forced "4" amount. I think it would narrow down many ideas into the obvious "Water, Air, Fire and Earth" category. The "Elements" part interests me, as there can be a few ideas around 'what' these elements could be. This is a theme that allows me to incorporate it into a story or into the gameplay, nice.

Decay (+1) : Originally had it as a 0, however when I read it as "decay-ing" my mind was instantly filled with ideas. Maybe a game where __ is decaying and you have to stop it from decaying. How about your character is decaying and you become weaker as the game goes on? How about a decaying world? This is a very good theme imo.

Use the enemies to win (-1) : I think this theme is dumb. This theme doesn't tell me anything it's just forcing me to confine my game idea. Nope.

Duplication (0) : Very much a gameplay theme. I'm not always a fan of that , however this theme can have a good set of ideas based around it.

Expanding Environment (-1) : Too vague. Tells me nothing.

Safe in the dark (-1) : The "Safe" part ruins this theme. I'd rather have "Light is Key" as a light based theme. While Light is Key only tells us what Light 'is' (key), here it's specifically telling us what should happen in the dark instead of letting us fill in that blank ourselves.

Tiny machines (-1) : Automation is an objectively better theme that isn't so specific. I'm not sure why the size of the machines is specified, not like it springs more ideas in my mind, it just pointlessly adds more specifications. Also what is and isn't a "tiny machine" can be interpreted differently on a person to person basis.

3 Rules (-1) : Wow! The very definition of forced game rules on the developer! No!

You can't control the player (-1) : No.

Alchemy & Magic (0) : Again more of an idea that will have different forms of implementations rather than concepts. Sadly Alchemy ruins this theme. Magic could have been interesting though vague, however there could have been a better limiter than "Alchemy".

Four-colour palette (-1) : Stupid, stupid, stupid.

What you create you must destroy (0) : Originally -1 but decided to stay neutral on this one. Destroy can mean "clean", "explode", "kill" some fun stuff here. Also, what am I creating? Bullets, dirt, blocks? I think this can be a fun limitation to mess around with though not one I want to personally work with.

One of you is a traitor! (-1) : Non theme. Murder Mystery Game.

What are your thoughts. (Also, sorry for the probably terrible spelling in some parts, in Germany right now with German autocorrect)

Is anybody to organize a meetup on the East coast of USA? Please write here.

It’d be great if you could comment your twitter or instagram handles; I’m still relatively new to the community and would love to check out the works of fellow devs! - Twitter here - Instagram here

I haven't voted yet but I always enjoy reading everyone's takes on the themes and some of the ways that you like and dislike them. It is always eye opening to hear other takes on themes and sometimes a statement someone makes sparks an idea that I like when previously I couldn't come up with anything.

I'm not one to complain about the theme but there have been a couple in the past that I've had lots of trouble coming up with an idea for. The pre-theme discussion helps to get in the creative zone immensely. Thanks everyone!

I'll be returning from a 4-days metal festival on sunday evening (Brutal Assault, anyone of you there too?), so I'll pretty much only have a hungover Monday to create a game. :)
Still, I'm super excited and it's gonna be a valuable lesson in scoping (all the way down ^^).
I'll be using Unity, GIMP, FL Studio and probably my own little Unity Library, that doesn't contain much yet, but has a few helpful classes and stuff: https://github.com/Erkberg/UnityLibrary (feel free to also use it and / or leave feedback what I could add / improve)
Looking forward to jammin', let's do this!

So first, that's my first 'real' Ludum Dare. So glad I could participate ! Secondly, I just wanted to publish my round 2 list. Nothing much to say appart for the "safe in the dark". If anybody wan't to talk, I'm there ! don't by shy 😘 !

Round 2.png

Light is key (+1): Could genuinely be an interesting theme.

Evolve (0): I dislike it but at the same time I realize it can be a good theme.

You start with everything and end with nothing (-1): Too specific of a theme.

Four elements (-1): Unoriginal and too specific.

Decay (+1): Generally a good theme.

Use the enemies to win (-1): Unoriginal.

Duplication (+1): A good theme with a solid set of ideas.

Expanding environment (-1): Unoriginal and too vague.

Safe in the dark (0): Really just a more specific version of Light is key.

Tiny machines (-1): This idea really just refuses to die doesn't it?

3 rules (-1): Forcing a gameplay limitation on the developer is never a good thing.

You can't control the player (-1): This goes in the unoriginality category.

Alchemy and magic (+1): Fairly open ended and I've never made a game with a magic element so it could be interesting.

Four colour palette (-1): This theme wasn't good when it was suggested in every previous LD as Only 3 colors, why should this one be any different?

What you create you must destroy (-1): It's a bit too specific for my taste. This theme forces pretty much any game to have some kind of sandbox element.

One of you is a traitor! (-1): The overwhelming majority of ideas for this requires multiplayer which is unreasonable for most in a 2 day game jam.

Hi !

We are in again !

It's the third time for @kubenexion and me @tenshi42, and the second time for @corsaire.
We are a french team so the new start time is better for us.

We will try to do a better game than the 2 past but still without graphic artist ^^.

We hope to have great theme !

Have Fun !
tenshi42

PS : As it is the 42th edition, I'm at my f*ing maximum ! ^^

So, I'm in again, but changing my last "I'm in" statement because I plan to use Monkey2 http://monkeycoder.co.nz/

Light is key : too specific, a lot of people will end up doing the same thing i guess...

Evolve : why not, could be cool to be honest

You start with everything and end with nothing : clearly too specific, once again a lot of people wil end up doing the same thing...

Four elements : once again too specific

Decay : I don't like this theme too much but i can be a cool one so why not

Use the enemies to win : meh.

Duplication : why not... But I feel it a little too specific !

Expanding environment : same reasons than duplication, why not but it seems too specific to me

Safe in the dark : It's a bit better than Light is key to me, i'm not too excited by this one but why not.

Tiny machines : to be honest i really like this one !

3 Rules : too specific i guess, and seems a bit boring an restricting concerning the genre of the game

You can't control the player : a lot of themes look like this one and I really don't get the concept

Alchemy & Magic : even if the theme is not about a gameplay feature or restriction as usual i kinda like it

Four-colour palette : it's only restricting the graphism, not the gameplay, and since a lot of contestant won't really focus on the graphisms...

What you create you must destroy : I just really don't like this one

One of you is a traitor! : it seems a bit too specific for me but why not

I'd always wanted to participate in the LDjam, and finally this year I'm having a go at it! I'll be working with @r3nrohan to see what we can come up with!

Looking forward to it, everyone!

Unity. Aesprite. Pyxel Edit. Spriter. Probably Bfxr. Probably some sick tunes from the internet.

Made a game last jam with Ratstail91, and we're releasing an expanded version on Steam in October. This is a welcome chance to do something somewhat different.

The theme -

Safe in the dark.

(randomly selected from round 2).

EDIT: Submission hour (3 -> 4)

Game - https://github.com/Neverik/ld42-test

unity, paint.net, fl studios, blender, audaucity, idek

i'll be using unity , gravit designer , paint.net ,blender

I'll use: Unity C#, Illustrator, Photoshop, Audacity

This is going to be my first Ludum Dare event I'll ever participate in, and I'm looking forward to it! Hopefully it goes well 🙂

Going to be my first game jam, but I've been following LD for years.

I'll be using Python and the Pygame library, GIMP for art, not sure on sound effects yet. I'm working on some boilerplate stuff this week to handle some of the logic like animation and learn the Pygame API.

Looking forward to creating a great crappy game with all the other contestants this coming weekend!

This is going to be my second Ludum Dare

For this 42'd LD, I'm taking a stab at making a Gameboy game for an extra challenge! I've written a gameboy emulator (LuaGB), but haven't done any actual z80 programming since high school, so it'll be interesting for sure. Partnering with @cromo and entering as a jam. I'm crazy, but not 48 hours crazy.

Good luck to everyone, and let's see what crazy stuff we can come up with!

So well! Just a few days left until LD42 - Our second time in!

Of course we are in again but this time with reduced time. Unfortunately Jan only has about 48 hours... We will see what we come around with...

We will be streaming the dev progress starting 30 minutes before theme release on our twitch channel https://www.twitch.tv/firesplashtv Futher we will drop some screenshots and co on twitter: https://www.twitter.com/firesplashtv

Looking forward to seeing you!

The theme slaughter round showed more promise, most of the themes I've seen in the voting round just don't interest me. They're quire boring/generic...

sigh

I've always wanted to participate but never have...this time I'm in!

The moment I get off of work on Friday I'm rushing home to get this thing started. Here is my toolset:

Unity | Visual Studio | paint.NET | Mixcraft 8 | 3DS Max |

Can't wait to lose sleep!

This will be my first time using C++, OpenGL, and my new framework that I made for LD. I'll also be using Paint.NET for graphics and FL Studio for audio.

Hopefully I might get someone joining me. Don't want to fail like last time

So another ludum dare has kept upon me yet again. My last effort was sad this time around more arcade action in in the pages. No idea as usual where this journey will lead me will I end up making another clicking upgrade game I hope not. My goal is to make something fun. Look cool and be easy. I might end up doing 3d this time I think simple 3d looks better than simple 2d. I enjoy all the theme choices this time round but as usual it will be my least favourite. I normally get a vague idea that works with all themes then refine my idea as I make it. I don't plan on design a document I just go gun Ho and make it up as I go along. It's normally why I fail but I enjoy the thrill of trying as my favourite part of game design is starting a project. I'll be using unity. Blender flash and Photoshop with some sort of sound effect generator like bfxr and some crap music program. Music is my downfall. I annoy a genius coder or an awesome artist but I dabble in all aspects of game creation and I thoroughly enjoy it. Bring on ludum dare 42.

3rd time actually entering Ludum dare, hopefully going to release a 2nd game from it but now I am working with people to try and make a better game!!

What are we using?

• Unity (Game engine)
• C# (Programming language)
• LMMS (Free music creator)
• Audacity (SFX and Audio editor)
• Either Photoshop or Gimp (2D art work)
• Blender (3D editor)

Wish everyone luck this time around!!

This is my first LD Jam. I hope to have fun and see what cool games others make!

I'm pretty new to all this kind of stuff, but I think I will be using Unity and Blender. Maybe my voice to make music? (I'm not good at singing, but I have no Idea how to create my own music xD).

Ludum Dare 42 is going to be my first compo. I'll do my best!!

I want this jam to be more about community and social networks, trying to make my name. I've made a dozen of jams before, this sounds like a good exercise to do... and it starts right now with my Moment on Twitter https://twitter.com/i/moments/1026384146082484224

You'll se updates about my game, but also photos, mood posts, gifs and maybe some polls to vote for!
Other networks may be on the way (maybe not 🤷‍♀️). Feel free to have a quick look, it will be frequently updated. If you manage to find some time please give feedback, or just come to say hello 😁

This will be my first Ludum Dare and I am really excited!

What I will be using:

• Game Engine: Unity 2018.2.1

• Code Editor: Visual Studio Code

• 2D Art: Aseprite

• 3D Art: Magica Voxel

• Audio: Bosca Ceoil and Audacity

Wish everyone luck! 😃🎮

In for round 12! Looking forward to it! I'll be using

-Unity

-PyxelEdit

-Visual Studio

-Sleep

I'm doing my first ludum dare with unity! Cant wait!

well I think the title done said it all , hit me up on discord Faker#5061

Looking forward to participating the second time! We'll use libGDX in Eclipse and a full-time running coffee machine :P
Hopin' for some interesting theme!

Good luck everyone!

This will be my 3rd ludum dare.

Hoping to gain experience in game making and stories. =) Hoping all of you the best!

Hope the Theme doesn't turn out that bad! Good luck guys!

I'll have to cut it close on timing, and will be unable to play games after the jam, but I should probably have enough time to at least make something! I know that this way I won't get many views, so I'm mostly doing it for fun at this point!

I'll be using Game Maker as my coding engine, Krita for all the wallpaper backgroundy stuff (depends on what type of game I'll make), bosca ceoil to try and make music before giving up and using some royalty free stuff (trust me, you don't want your ears to bleed), and the pixel sprite engine game maker provides.

I don't know if I'll have time, I don't know if it will turn out good, but one thing is certain... This will be a disaster, and I can't wait!

I've done many previous events but they always burn me out on coding for a while afterwards. At the moment I am working on my first full project and I don't want to risk burnout so I will be passing this time. I'll be working hard on my project this weekend though so I'll be with you all in spirit.

Good luck and have fun all you creators!

let me know what you guys think about my rating system for the games, im trying to get it down almost perfect

-overall (technically based on the average scores of the categorys below)

1. game needs some love
2. (in between)
3. its pretty ok, but with polish it will be good
4. (in between)
5. game is ready to be polished and shipped

-fun

1. board out of my mind
2. (in between)
3. its playable
4. (in between)
5. i cant put it down

-inovation

1. its a clone
2. (in between)
3. a clone, with different concepts and ideas
4. (in between)
5. never seen this before

-theme

1. wheres the theme?
2. (in between)
3. theme mildly used, but i can see it
4. (in between)
5. the theme is used really effectively

-graphics

1. triangles and squares (shapes)
2. (in between)
3. noticable characters, some effects, maybe a little background
4. (in between)
5. nicely done characters, nice backgrounds, very good visual effects, animations are on point

-audio

1. not so great sounds
2. (in between)
3. i can listen to this
4. (in between)
5. amazing catchy tunes and full sound effects for everything

-humor

1. meh
2. (in between)
3. i laughed a few times during the game
4. (in between)
5. i cant stop laughing

-mood

1. i got nothing
2. (in between)
3. i felt something but not sure what it was
4. (in between)
5. wow the feels!!!

and drunk as hellllllllll

I've done other game jams before, some that my school hosted for GGJ. I really enjoyed doing them and learned lots as well.

Ah, I'm IN for the third time. Hopefully this time I'll finish what I'll start...

I'm solo (unfortunately).

Tools: Unity Gimp Paint .net for sound still looking for something.

If you're reading this. Yeah. But who cares?

Unfortunately I this weekend go to my vacation, and I can't participate, for the first time I can't. I participating for 3 years now, so next time at November, I hope.

Give me power to survive this.

Hello Ludum Dare community i am new around here this is my first Ludum Dare that i am participating(sorry if i spelled that wrong).And I wonder if you guys have any sugestions(also sorry if i spelled this wrong). have a good day!! BTW i am only 12

Hiya guys! This is my first LDjam without my friend R4ndomthunder that can't participate, so I'll try to make something alone in a COMPO.

• Art: Photoshop and Wacom Intuos Art

Music: FL 12 + Air Ignite + Audacity and M-Audio Keystation 32

Engine: Unity3D 2018

Have fun guys, and good luck for your works! :smile:

Hi everyone! This is my first time of participating, and I'm planning to go in the compo category, and I'm in the need of some information: I have read something about hosting my game on a website. Now, I'm planning to make my game using SFML, which does not support implementation into a site. Can my game only have an executable file (with the source code of course), or it has to run embedded into a site?

My new webcam is on the way, which means I can actually stream this one! I've streamed a few smaller jams in the past, but without sound they really aren't as interesting. All of the streams on the sidebar are on Twitch, I assume you have to do it on Twitch to get a spot on here?

After a year long hiatus (LD38), I'm finally back to make a game. Compo or Jam, haven't decided yet.

I'll be using: - Unity - MagicaVoxel & Blender - Affinity Photo - Garageband

Progress (hopefully) on Twitter. I'm still looking for a good Time Lapse tool for Windows. Any suggestions?

Heey everyone :D
This is my/our first time, so we are pretty excited. We have some experience with Unity and Photoshop but not a lot with Blender or any Music Programm. We will be complete Noobs but we wanna have fun ....sooo yeahhh !!! Let's do this :D

Yeah, so, my new computer is completely broken along with several peripherals and thus I have no access to any of my tools, projects, code or software. @Mindhead has to attend to a wedding mid-Ludum Dare.

We're still gonna participate.

The computer I'm using for the time being has Arch Linux installed, so I guess it's time to really go deep. I did say I was saving this for a "later time" last Ludum Dare, didn't I.

• @Devastus | https://twitter.com/devastus
• @Mindhead | https://twitter.com/NikoFinsk

• Engine: Godot 3.0 (LET'S GO BOIS)
• Music & Sounds: LMMS (if only I had Reaper...)
• 3D: Blender & Maya
• 2D: PyxelEdit (through Wine) I guess?
• Version Control: Git
• Motivation: St. Elmo's fire

I wish everyone luck in what constitutes our sixth run of this jam. Have fun!

Time to fill my GameJam craving! Good luck everyone!

I would like to add my friend/follow him. I know my friend's name, but I can't find any search tab or anything to even find him.

(Sorry for my nooby question)

Alright, here we go! First jam ever!

This is one of those moments you always feel undeprepared for, I guess...

Tools I plan to use:

• GODOT 3.0 (Oh, what am I getting myself into?)

• Blender for 3D

• ASEprite for 2D

I accidentally created a game and I can't see any way to remove it. Can someone help?

I'm really excited. I only started programming again this week after a year-long hiatus. Tools I'll be using: - Studio One - GameMaker Studio 1.4 - Mouse (hopefully, mine broke just before my first game jam and i had to do it all on my laptop using the very small trackpad and my hand got all cramped up)

Me and @Ayxs will be joining this Ludum Dare! This will be our third time doing this game jam and we hope we get a theme that can be interpreted in various ways so we can get our creative fluids flowing.

We will be using:

• Unity3D
• Blender 3D
• Audacity
• Photoshop

Cannot wait untill the weekend!

So this is the answer then, eh? Guess i am in!

For the second time with Godot, lets see what happens, i really liked it when i took it for a spin during LD#41.

The rest as usual, crappy audio with Audacity, no music, rudimentary gfx with Fireworks or inkscape.

Lets hope i get that old XP image booted up for Fireworks, hehe ;p

Goeth forth and designeth my siblings in arms

Please vote this poll on twitter https://twitter.com/JorgeMcLoud/status/1026772489039503360

Since my last LD entry, I've moved Country, changed careers, had a minor meltdown, and abandoned more side projects than I could care to count - but here we are, almost a year later, and it's high time we pushed out another LD title.

Entering the compo as a one man army. Theme pending, I'm aiming towards something retro-racer style. And similarly, hoping for an excuse to improve my shader programming. As per usual, I'll be using Unity3D and their free compliment of tools (ProBuilder, TextMesh etc).

Good luck all, here's to a good jam!

It's not a bug, it's a feature : this theme is too common i bet there was already a lot of game jams with this theme

You can't save them all : why not, can be fun, but it seems a bit restrictive (since it implies you need to SAVE some)

You are the final boss : I like this one so...

Death is useful : again, too common

Find it, protect it : why not ?

Shadows : a variation of two other themes from the last round

Light is dangerous : a variation of "shadows" and the two other theme from the last round

The game rules change after each failure : a variation of "death is useful" but in better

Floating islands : i don't like this one

the more you use an action the worse it will perform : seems pretty interesting, can be included in both action or simulation game...

You control the environment, not player : seems interesting !

Craft your own magic : a variation of "Alchemy & Magic" but seems interesting too

I have been here before : i don't like this one, it implies that you must rediscover something or a "enigma" game

You are not the main character : then you are nothing, someone made a post about this kind of themes and explain the problem

Shelter : seems fun

Night is coming : a variation of "shadows" and "Light is dangerous" and the two other theme from the last round

Doing break-downs of the themes seems to be popular these days, so I thought I'd take a crack at it too:

It's not a bug, it's a feature Don't vote for this; it's hard enough to tell them apart without people intentionally trying to create bugs...

You can't save them all Nice one: leaves lot of room for people to design ideas around about what to save, how to protect etc.

You are the final boss Meh, this is pretty limiting, and as a player you get lots of gameplay before facing the boss (who is only one facet of gameplay). This theme would clamp down gameplay to only that element.

Death is useful Could be OK, leaves a lot of space for interpretation.

Find it, protect it A bit too broad in my opinion.

Shadows This will push games into a direction where lights/shading is probably necessary and not every engine/homebrew lighting code is up to spliff. Not a fan.

Light is dangerous See 'Shadows'

The game rules change after each failure This could definitely be interesting.

Floating islands I don't exactly know if this is really a 'theme', but it sure leaves room to be creative. +1.

the more you use an action the worse it will perform NO! The rewaring thing about games is that your abilities grow stringer, not weaker. As a theme this idea is extremely limiting, and it chips away player agency.

You control the environment, not player Again, a bad theme if we look at player agency. Feeling in control is a big part of the gaming experience.

Craft your own magic Nice, leaves a lot of room for game concepts and theme ideas.

I have been here before Kinda specific?

You are not the main character Agency. See 'control the environment'.

Shelter Fine. Maybe not the most sparkling theme here, but nice and open to interpretation.

Night is coming Also nice and open for interpretation.

Oh look, the last lot of themes. It's a shame they are all bad. I can't think of anything positive to say about any of them, and I usually try to find a silver lining in everything :sweat_smile: I genuinely hope none of these themes win.

it's not a bug it's a feature: -1. Having to explain that something is not broken is bad for any game, let alone a whole game built around it.

you can't save them all: -1. Too limiting.

you are the final boss: -1. What if you don't want to make a game that involves combat? Too limiting.

Death is useful: -1. Too limiting.

Find it, protect it: -1. No.

Shadows: 0. Not terrible, but at the same time it's a bit boring.

Light is dangerous: -1. Similar to the one above, but more limiting.

The game rules change after each failure: -1. I'd score this far lower if possible, that's just a bad idea.

Floating islands: -1. Boring.

The more you use an action, the worse it will perform: 0. Again, not terrible but pretty boring

You control the environment, not the player: -1. Repeat of "you can't control the player" but somehow even worse

Craft your own magic: -1. too limiting, again

I have been here before: 0. I can't think of any positives or negatives for this one. It just is.

You are not the main character: -1.

Shelter: 0

Night is coming: 0

I spend the last two months watching game jams and postmortem reports, it was so uplifting. Cuz I make games all the time, but never find an excuse to finish them, so it seems futile to resurrect my old projects. Maybe i could for this occasion. This time I'll use:

Blender (for 3D), Photoshop/Illustrator (for 2D), Blender Game Engine, Bosca Ceoil (maybe?)

Good luck to everyone! Happy coding!

I'm super excited, and I can't wait to play everyone's game!

Is it recommended to do LD42 as a team?

I voted for You Can't Save Them All for obvious reasons (see my games tab).

Please write here if you plan any meetups, I think that the official post is a bit late.

Gosh, what an atrocious set of themes. This marks my first voting round where I haven't +1'd a single theme. Well, here goes:

*It's not a bug it's a feature (-1): *Trash.

*You can't save them all (0): *Not, terrible. It adds an interesting twist on the usual "You Won at Everything!" message we get at the end of most games. However, it doesn't give me many interesting ideas or concepts. Bit subjective.

*You are the final boss (-1): *A more specific and even worse version of "You are the enemy". Specifying that you are not only 'a' boss but also the 'final' boss kind of ruins it for me even more. If it was just the previously mentioned theme this is clearly inspired from it would've gotten a 0.

*Death is useful (-1): *Non-theme (rogue lite), also too vague.

*Find it, Protect it (-1): *Too Gameplay specific. I also don't like how it sounds more like an order than a theme, though that's a bit of a personal qualm.

*Shadows (-1): *Vague one-word theme.

*Light is dangerous (-1): *Same as 'Safe in the Dark' from yesterday.

*The game rules change after ea.. (-1): *God, what a sentence, specific, tells me a mechanic. Trash.

*Floating Islands (0): *Floating is a random pointless requirement that ruins an otherwise workable 'place' theme. Otherwise if 'floating' was slashed it could have been a good theme.

*The more you use an action, the worse it will perform (-1): *LAWL TOO FUNNY.

*You control the environment not the character (0): *It got a +1 last time round. Now I realised it could force many games to have unfun game mechanics. Though it is workable otherwise.

*Craft your own magic (-1): *Game mechanic, not a theme.

*I have been here before (-1): *Vague as all balls.

*You aren't the main character (-1): *Someone already made a post on how this theme is physically impossible to implement.

*Shelter (0): *Could be interpreted as "Taking Shelter" or "Protect the Shelter" some interesting stories or mechanics can come from this but it's not my taste.

*Night is coming (-1): *Day and night cycle. Vague.

Let's hope none of these themes go through.

*It's not a bug, it's a feature (-1) *- How is this a theme? This has long stopped being original or funny as a comment, but as a game theme? The only outcome I can imagine, is that every bug (and there are a lot of bugs in jamgames by nature) get's blamed on the the theme in a forced trying to be funny way, so: No, thanks.
*You can't save them all (-1) *- can be a solid gameplay feature, but having hundreds of games based upon this concept? I wouldn't wanna play a dozen of those.
*You are the final boss (+1) *- technically a bit restrictive as in "there has to be a boss", but if interpreted loosely enough, it's easy to stay true to this themes in a bunch of ways besides the obvious. I see especially strong narrative options with these, as in overcoming lethargy, self doubt, etc.
*Death is useful (-1) *- a good perspective for a specific type of game, btu not a good theme overall.
*Find it, protect it (-1) *- to sepecific.
*Shadows (+1) *- probably a bit to vague, but I like it =)
*Light is dangerous (0) * - a strictly worse version of the many light/darkness based themes already in the race, including "shadows".
*The game rules change after each failure (-1) *- nice gimick, but a) not a theme, b)if to be pulled off well not very suited for jamgames and c) too specific.
*Floating islands (+1) *- not original, but I like it.
*the more you use an action the worse it will perform (-1) *- too specific, too restrictive. This can be a good ability-management/balancing feature, but for many games this wouldn't apply very well.
*You control the environment, not player (-1) *- too restrictive.
*Craft your own magic (+1) *- a magic-based theme I actually like. Good job.
*I have been here before (-1) *- ominous sounding stuff can make good themes. But this is just too dull.
*You are not the main character (0) *- why do so many people want to do this theme all the time? Or is just one person suggesting it over and over? It's not really bad (a bit restrictive in regards to gametypes), but not really inspiring either.
*Shelter (+1) *- Solid suggestion. Mechanical as well as narrative options to use this. Many possibilities to build upon it, yet few restrictions. So far one of my favorites.
*Night is coming (0) *- hm. Sounds like a GoT-rip-off. Quite a few possibilities, but meh.

So I guess that is it! My favorit themes from rounds 1-3 are: * Shadows (Round 3) * Shelter (Round3) * Decay (Round 2) * Fragil (Round 1)

I guess I like flavorful, yet unspecific one word themes, huh? I wouldn't have thought that of myself but it kinda looks like it =)

Runner ups for me were: * Dying planet/Ancient world * Two points of view * Craft your own magic * Alchemy (& Magic)

Looking forward to the final round =]

I am very excited about this because this is my first LD.

If you wan to join us add me on Discord bombonjera007#8755

this is actually kinda sad

I was really excited to do my first ludum dare a month ago but these themes are astronomically bad... idk how ill survive

The only one on this list that I would actually maybe make a game for would be floating islands... I mean at least it is a theme and not a restriction like the rest of them. although its kind of a restrictive theme in a way because the only type of game people would make are platformers... which means the only way out is to make a game that isn't a platformer... so actually this theme is restrictive too! please let the final voting be our savior! idk how it can though it seems like everybody is having the same comments as I am

Here are my thoughts on the 3rd round of theme voting:

My favorite was probably "You control the environment, not the player."

Tools: - Godot (main development) - GIMP, Inkscape, Piskel, MagicaVoxel, Blender, and Krita (graphics and animation) - FL Studio, Audacity, BeepBox, and SFXR (audio)

Good luck to everyone!

It's been a long time since my last LD. I was confused for a second when I first opened the new site! (Do people still do I'm in posts?)

Tools: IDE: Game Maker 2 Music: FL Studio and Bfxr Art: Fireworks and Krita

Good Luck everyone!

In all seriousness though, why is there always so much complaint about the theme? It's almost as traditional as the "I'm in" posts before the competition. Remember that even seemingly restrictive themes can have a lot of leeway in their interpretation.

Take, for example, "Shelter": Is the shelter physical, emotional, or something else entirely? Is the shelter one specific thing, or are there multiple? How effective is the shelter? Does it change over time? Are there multiple things that need sheltering? Are there any drawbacks to utilizing the shelter?

Or, "Floating Islands": All that the theme implies is that there should be "islands" and they should be "floating". What are the islands made of? What is on the islands? Why are they floating? What are they floating on? How difficult is it to get between them? Is the floating a problem, or is it desirable? What separates the islands? Do they interact with each other?

Remember that there are "theme" and "innovation" categories for a reason. If the theme seems to point to one specific kind of game, get a little creative with your interpretation. If it doesn't, then what's the problem? You can make your game as abstract or emotional, as intense or relaxing, and as simple or intricate as you want. The theme is just the flavor of the competition, and how you use it is entirely up to you.

Theme voting undefined.

Do you use a Python + JS stack for web development, Mike? That's probably the worst choice ever.

It looks as if the final round of voting will include the most voted for themes of rounds 1-3. Is that right?

Hey, is there anyone who would want to jam in Miami? Just askin'.

My first ludum dare I got 760th place I just barely made it though. My second I got 296th place with around 70 comments giving feedback and genuinely enjoying my game. This one I'm going for top 100. Good luck to everyone entering!

Yeah, I agree that they are very mediocre as Immortan Joe would say - "MEDIOCRE!".

They are lackluster at best and my votes reflected this mediocrity as well. Not many of them are intriguing and feel stale in a stressful way.

My thought processes were:

It’s not a bug it’s a feature - It's possible to get creative with this twist, but it feels like a poor excuse to make a low-quality game.

You can't save them all - Then what's the point of winning? Burn this down.

You are the final boss - I get to be a villain? Sounds cool.

Death is useful - Too vague and boring. It really depends on how do you make death useful. Pass.

Find it, protect it - Basically an escort mission or finding MacGuffin shit kind of story. Pass.

Shadows - May sounds too vague for some, but not a bad idea.

The game rules change after each failure - It gets my vote for sounding challenging, but not entirely fitting for a 48/72 hours game.

Floating islands - I could imagine that most entries were a bunch of Laputa: The Castle in the Sky knock-offs. Pass.

You control the environment, not player - So the environment is the player, not the protagonist. I like that.

Craft your own magic - Sounds good on a paper, but too challenging for me.

I have been here before - I have no ideas for making games that invoke the deja-vu feeling.

You are not the main character - Too similar to "You are the final boss". But it still gets my vote.

Shelter - Like "taking shelter" or "protecting shelter"?

Night is coming - What night? Dark night? Stormy night? M. Night Shyamalan? Is this the Game of Thrones reference? Pass.

Okay. Some of them at least have merits but felt like they have done a gazillion of times before.

This person is depressed by them. And this user hates (almost) all of them. And there are some people who tried to stay optimistic on the themes.

As you can see, I am one of the people who tried to be optimistic but can agree that they should have put more thought into them.

What can the LD theme submission be improved? Which factor that made users submit half-assed ideas? How did we come to this? What are better ways to make people suggest creative ideas?

What's your thought on this?

I was quite excited for ludum dare but due to some unfortunate incidents, I am gonna have to create a game in a unfamiliar Operating System (Linux) and in a new Game Engine (Godot 3). Since i running linux from a USB I don't think Unity will be able to run smoothly, Hell the browser lags like shit.Anyway I hope the theme would be good.