1. (WebGL) When working with custom shaders, test in a browser as early as you can

We used a custom curved world shader that looked great in the Unity editor, but when we deployed to itch.io around 7pm Sunday, we realized each browser rendered it differently and incorrectly! We had to nix that but if we detected it earlier we could've swapped out the shader.

2. Add difficulty options to your game

I know this is something we all want but never have the resources to achieve, but with an audience as diverse as LD you get a wide range of responses in terms of difficulty, especially in action games. You want to hold everyone's attention so make sure to set aside the time or even add some surge support at the end to add difficulty options.

3. Hold the player's attention through novel environments

In the past we've always relied on upgrades and a single game loop to hold the player's attention which is a bit of flash game design influence (launch games that just keep repeating). This time we dedicated more effort towards making new art and music per level to drive the player forward and found we didn't have to rely on that upgrade crutch as much anymore. This freed up further game design decisions as we weren't tied down to a single experience.

A survival dodge em up - Meteor Jam

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/38/meteor-jam

Does anyone have programmer art to share? It's one of my favorite things to see in projects.

Before:

After:

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/39/how-i-met-your-great-great-grandmother

1. Consider a tips screen on death

Every single one of us knows how difficult onboarding is for LD players. People are either impatient and don't read the tutorial, or they'll skip it outright if you allow them to. This time around we added an additional layer of protection in the form of a tips screen on death for common pitfalls encountered during testing. Yes of course a game should have visual elements that obsolete the need for a tutorial, but in lieu of that this is another option I haven't seen used much in LD.

2. Intentionally force conflict in design sessions

If I had my entire way with the design process and just did it solo, we would've had a much less interesting game than the one we came up with. Because my teammates turned down a lot of initial ideas, it forced us to dig deep and find something that really stood out. Revel in the chaos and see what comes out of it.

3. Try a turn-based game if you haven't yet

Our team has done about 6 action games in a row and we've always had trouble balancing a game for both casual and hardcore skill levels. We've noticed a lot more positive feedback in terms of difficulty now that we've tried a turn-based game. It gives players more time to think and evens the playing field for raters.

A 4D puzzle dating sim - How I Met Your Great Great Grandmother

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/39/how-i-met-your-great-great-grandmother

Check out our faction based stealth game! If you like Monaco mixed with uh, Mrs. Doubtfire, you'll love this.

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/40/poser

Typer + Deckbuilder

Build your army then unleash hell with your WPMS!

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/41/keyboard-army

If you are concerned with global warming you should play our game and then send it to your local senator to warn them of the dangers of climate change.

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/42/polar-panic-at-the-disco

Wanna test your APM and divinity at the same time? Give our game a shot!

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/43/jesus-take-the-wheel

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/43/jesus-take-the-wheel

Check him out at https://www.twitch.tv/timruswick https://ldjam.com/users/tim-ruswick/

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/43/jesus-take-the-wheel

Ever wanted to be on the other side of the adventurer-mimic interaction? Check out our game!

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/44/blood-chest

Looking for something different? I got just the thing.

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/45/survivor-slots

Looking to set a world record? The current WR for my game is beating it on Day 6 (tbh I can't even get close to that). If that sounds like a challenge for you, come spin some reels!

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/45/survivor-slots

Bust-a-Loop tests your creativity and execution in how you can beat up some poor guy. You get a random set of moves and have to figure out how to loop them all together into an epic combo.

Players have been getting real creative and pushing the limits of my engine. I'm going to be highlighting combos submitted throughout the week. These are combos that are either hard to do, unusual, or just plain stylish!

In no particular order: Submitted by Morkalb

This is an INSANELY tough combo to land. The spacing and timing required to follow up after blazing heart is incredible.

Submitted by Fangor

A rare 3-card combo that was submitted. 3-card combos have less going on in them, but Fangor makes it interesting by doing VERY late hits on his Arcana Punch and Landmine

Submitted by Rockdan

Even though I built this game, players have discovered interesting combos I hadn't thought of. Here we have a cool Ice Spike into Landmine. Very a e s t h e t i c.

Think you can come up with better stuff? Play Bust-a-Loop and send your gifs my way!

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/bust-a-loop

Bust-a-Loop is a puzzle game mixed with a fighting game where you have to make a cool, looping combo out of the random moves you're given. Players have been showing off their execution and creativity by submitting combos.

Submitted by Morkalb

Mork is back at it again with this diverse combo. The enemy is combo'd onto the mine a couple ways here, showing the flexibility of the combo system.

Submitted by @xelphyre

Not all combos need the fancy attacks you unlock later. @xelphyre shows off the possibilities of just the basic moveset.

Submitted by @peachtreeoath

One from my personal collection. I love passing a fireball under the dummy before kicking them onto it. Stylish and practical!

Think this is up your alley? Give Bust-a-Loop a shot and send any cool gifs my way!

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/bust-a-loop

Bust-a-Loop is a game about creating cool combos through creativity and execution. As a fighting game player I wanted to pay homage to all the games I've loved playing over the years.

The art style is inspired by https://store.steampowered.com/app/1344740/FOOTSIESRollbackEdition/. It allowed me to churn out sprites very fast, while keeping the character's move recognizable to genre veterans.

Here are some attacks and their origin:

(Mortal Kombat) I wanted a few well-known visuals in my game. Mileena's tele-kick was a good candidate as it also creates interesting variety when placed into my game.

(Guilty Gear) Sol's dust loop is the most infamous looping attack of them all. My whole game concept was based on this in the first place.

(Arcana Heart) The Earth arcana attack from Arcana Heart was brought in because I wanted something that could spawn anywhere with a large delay. In Bust-a-Loop it is the only attack the sends the opponent flying backwards at a high speed.

There are more attacks to unlock over time and add to your repertoire. See them all at https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/bust-a-loop !

Bust-a-Loop has you creating and performing flashy combos out of the random set of attacks you're given. It's a test of creativity and execution and players have been submitting some of their best combos to show off. Here are some of them:

Submitted by Rpix

Rpix goes coast to coast with this combo, knocking the player to the extreme corners of the screen. Excellent use of late hits.

Submitted by Morkalb

Shoutouts to Mork for recording dozens of combos and really pushing the game to the limit! Here he attempted to do the dreaded glitch combo which requires 1 frame timing. He pulls it off 2 times but understandably can't get the 3rd one to land. Regardless, an amazing show of timing and dedication.

Submitted by @peachtreeoath

This is not a complete combo but I wanted to leave this idea here for anyone up to the challenge. You can knock someone directly into a mine without them hitting the wall first. I found Arcana Punch -> Landmine to be a viable. It's extremely hard to time though and I can't get it 3 times in a row.

Try your hand at this at https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/bust-a-loop !

Bust-a-Loop gives you a chance to show off your high flying combo ability by coming up with looping combos. I haven't found a creativity or execution ceiling yet, so if you got the skills, come test them out!

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/bust-a-loop

What an honor to have an art-piece drawn by the prolific @moski!

Looks like a pretty darn good interpretation to me.

If you wanna beat up these dummies yourself, give it a shot at https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/bust-a-loop

If you haven't played @moski's game yet, check it out at https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/47/woofice-chair

The space marines are looking for a squad of brave, young soldiers who are willing to enter the heart of the enemy base and end the alien invasion. Do you have what it takes? Then suit up for humanity!

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/48/one-butt-alien-corridor

My game can be on the hard side unless you're already an expert in fending off alien invasions. I whipped up a high level gameplay video to give some hints on how to kick butt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDwcrZARxCM

https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/48/one-butt-alien-corridor