First time on LD.
For the code I’ll be using聽 a very conventional HTML5/JS/CSS tool-chain.
Art/Graphics: There may actually be be some of those.
Music/Sounds: We’ll have none of that, thank you.
The over here looks like it’s going to be horrible this weekend. This is a big plus. 馃榾
After 9+聽 pomodoros there is now a hero that is a cloud and a threat that is global warming gasses. The next logical step tomorrow is to actually equip the hero with that unconventional weapon.
(My brain wants me to do more, but my neck and back tells me it’s time so stop for today)
8 pomodoros into the second day and I’ve finally gotten the main control mechanic in place.
Finishing in time is still possible, but it will not be very polished.
After over 25 pomodoros the little game is finally finished (or at least playable ^.^;;).
I hope the mechanics make sense because there was not time to make a tutorial.
(For a first Ludum Dare I thing this went pretty well. Now to see what everyone else has done. :D)
I don’t like the word “Post mortem”. It indirectly implies that something is dead on delivery. A game comes alive first when it is played. That said, here are a few key observations from creating Fjuffy teh kloud so that others can learn from my experience.
The silence is falling
Audio programming in general has always been my blind spot. The DIY compo rule makes I even trickier because sites like Open game art can not be used. The fact that there is no audio feedback at all makes time spent with Flyffy dry and stiff. Just a few “pings” and “swishes” would have made a lot of difference. I will have to put some extra effort into this part skill set before the聽 LD33.
Pomodoro? More like Pomodorocks!
The “Pomodoro technique” is a way of keeping focused. The rules are simple: Divide work into smaller task and work on one task at in intervals of 25 minutes (aka a “pomodoro”) with 5 minute breaks between them. Take a longer break after 4 pomorodos. Count your pomodoros. That is all.
Using this technique not only helped me keep focus. Counting the pomodoros also alerted me when something was taking to much time and this helped me re-plan when needed. This is something I will do again on LD 33 and I do recommend everyone who wants to be more efficient to try it.
Plan A and B
As the genius DevOps Borat puts it :
“Make of sure you have strong plan C. Plan A and B are never work.”
My original Plan A was to make an non-geometric game. By non-geometrical I’m referring to games that do not value positions, collisions, updates per second etc. Examples would be text-adventures, VN:s, some simulators and RPG:s. I was prepared fr this! But the first (and only) good聽 idea I came up was an action game, plan A failed.
Plan B was to make a game about encircling particles. You would fly around as a little cloud and make rings and other cool shapes. Unfortunately I have not dabbled with vector mathematics in over a year so having to quickly reboot those brain parts was not easy. Detecting what is inside a (possibly concave) shape is a hard problem. With only very basic vector code to reuse it was hard enough to just detect two lines intersecting.聽 This is why fluffy cleans the air near the jet stream intersection, not inside the loop. I think it works sort of well, even it it was not my original intent.
Minimal playable product
The day after LD was a regular 8:30-17 work day for me, so staying up coding untill the last minute was never an option. I did manage to cram stuff like a score and a “game over” screen in my very last pomodoros, making it an actual game (and not just unchallanging interactive art). I should probably have done this part sooner in the development process.
Firsts times a Charmander?
This was my first LD and my third Game Jam ever. I usually miss events like these and it always annoys me. Actually participating on the other hand was really a lot of fun! The time limit makes you scope down, and that means you finish your game. It got me fired up! I had ideas! I had to implement them all!
If you never been in LD before and you’re reading thing thinning “darn it, I missed it again.. oh.. well.. I might not have enjoyed it anyway.. Q-Q” then take this as my final advice for this time: The next Ludum Dare is in AUGUST, burn this into your MIND and CALENDAR.
This will be my second Ludum dare.
I will be using the flowing libs:
For graphics editing I intend to use Pixelmator and for sound editing I intend to panic because I have no idea what to use.
A game-like thing will appear somewhere around here as soon as possible.
I started out by estimating the task I would have to do to get to some sort of minimal viable something. The task (having a playable character) was estimated to 2 pomodoros, but has so taken 7. This is going to be tight if my remaining estimates are relatively correct (it. they are correct relative to each other, but not in absolute time).
(Click image to “play”)
Going into this Ludum Dare with mostly unfamiliar js-libs and build tools has so far proven not to be the brightest of ideas. 馃槈
I’m 12 pomorodos and collision detection works (it just does not do anything yet). However, my neck and thinky-thinky-parts both insist聽 that I should not be coding any more today, so I guess it’s art time.
(Snoopers can try it the fruits today’s labour here)
Finally at the point where the game is can be won or lost. Phew..
Snooping is encouraged:
http://www.superattack.se/games/ld-35/latest/game.html
(it gives me some performance benchmarks. Load time optimizations have not been done yet)
Reading the LD-blog, it’s hard not to be humbled by the vast amount of talent, effort and creativity.
Keep it up everyone. We have almost 9 more hours !
I’m in.
Actually really digging the theme this time. One text adventure/social simulator coming up.
GLHF everyone!
I have a disputably working elevator going, with the notable bug that it will silently break if聽 you travel beyond the available floors.聽 
As usual I’m overwhelmed by how hard Literary writings actually is. About half of the (very short) story is now in place. Luckily I’ve found a workaround in my “borrowed” UI that makes it more usable, so thinks will turn out ok even if I do not have the time to replace it.
(Warning: Game may, but is nor guaranteed to, contain some really cheesy jokes)
Ok. This is enough for today.
I had originally intended this to be for the compo, but I’ll give it one more pass tomorrow and submit it to the jam.
The pacing needs to be polished better, most plot threads (if you can call them that) are currently left dangling, and a throughout spell check is still to be had and.. lawd jezus dat css color scheme! 
The game got a lot darker than I thought it would be (in an odd sort of Coen brothers-way). There are some things I want to sleep on before considering this one done.
That’s it. I’ve take this as far as other practical obligations allow me. This was originally intended for the compo, but the original ending was so bleak that I contemplated not submitting it. After sleeping on it I decided to add an alternate ending and make it a jam entry instead.
This is probably my strangest LD-entry so far. I await your reactions with a mixed sense of curiosity and dread. 
(The image above聽 is a link to the entry page)
I'm 6 pomodoros in in and making some small progress. By now the game world is in a sort of walkable state, except that there are still a lot of descriptions missing.
As proper searching and filtering is not in place yet, here are a few very different games all playable right here in your browser.
A relaxing planet building toy.
Fun little CBB (celestial body brawler).
Cartography is dark and in first person. Probably one of those games that requre a bit of patience.
Aaaand.. since you've red this far. Might I interest you in some browers based textadventure/CYOA?
A university student oversleeps hurries to get ready for class in an apartment where every room manifests a continent and the door is on the other side of the Atlantic.
The variety of different games (and "game like things") that the LD communit can create out of seaming any theme never ceases to amaze me.
Here are a bunch of mostly very different games that can all be played (or at least "experienced") right now in your browser.
Command line Terraforming.
Great immersion thanks to the exellent use of sound.
A weather simulator. Keeps playing without your interference.
Look out for the space debris (don't tell me I did not warn you).
Raise the oxygen level by planting flowers.
Excellent wind down. Let this one take the time it needs.
More of an experience and a game. Time passes. What happens happens.
Fill your world with cute little turfs of grass and even cuter little things that eat the grass.
Feed in animate statues with fruit. You know you want to.
A sweet story about friendship (that may or may not be magic).
Bioenginered super pets eat hot dogs to reach the next stage in evolution.
Slice of (office) life.
Aaaand.. since you've red this far. Might I interest you in some text-adventureing?
A university student oversleeps hurries to get ready for class in an apartment where every room manifests a continent and the door is on the other side of the Atlantic.
If you missed it, you can find a lot of browser games by using the right magical combination of tags at itch.io.
People seem to enjoy these posts. And I've gotten tips of several cool games by posting them, so here is another list. Ten (10) more games, all playable in browser (verified with the latest Firefox).
Additively short game loop. May therefore be illegal in parts of Europe.
Murder mystery nr 2, can you solve it?
Two player games are a rare bread in LD.
Getting your head around the practicalities of living on a sphere can be confusing.
It's not hard to see why some people insist on the earth being flat. It's so much simpler that way!
No LD is complete without at least one hard-as-nails minimalistic plattformer.
This one has been sitting at the top spot at the itch.io search for web games from Ludum Dare38 for quite a while now so chances are you've already played it. But if you haven't then you should.
Seriously old school dog fights. Reminds me of several games I had on my first computer.
A both tricky and forgiving puzzle game.
Work, Eat, sleep and build a ..(you'll see). Puzzle-oriented Speed runners should may want to check this out a bit extra.
A 'game of life' like game that is actually a game.
Aaaand.. since you've red this far. Might I interest you in some browers based textadventure/CYOA?
A university student who oversleeps must hurry to get ready for class in an apartment where every room manifests a continent and the door is on the other side of the Atlantic.
If your entry works in a browser, put a comment below with a link to it.
When I ride the buss to work every day I go by a fence where someone has written the following: "Life is not the days that pass, but the days you remember." This makes me think of the latest LD and how..
Get on with it (Ok, ok)
During today lunch I though back to this LD and these where the first five games that came to my mind. They are not necessary my favourites (although are all very strong contenders), but they are the ones the ones that somehow managed to be most memorable to me.
I really was not prepared for this.
It's funny because it's true.
Just one more time!
My inhabitants where science larps.
Right in the feeeeels!
Yeah. Of course I remember this one to. Except it does not count, does it?
I will remember having lots of fun making this one. I hope you enjoy it.
You know what would be cool? You doing the same thing.
I'll be looking forward to it.
Cheers, J
Ok, I'm a litte late to join. Should not be a problem though. Can't really see why you need 72 hours just to make some JAM.
