The weeks leading up to LD
About two weeks before LD started, I created a modified version of my Voxel Editor capable of creating 2D sprites. I limited sprite resolution to 8x8 due to my lack of artistic skill but the decision led to some other problems (more on that later).
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| The editor caters for different frames (standing, walking and attacking). |
After I was happy with the editor, I created another modified version of it that could be used for creating maps. I kept the file format for both very simple, only serializing the color data into huge char arrays which in effect, actually just makes these editors paint tools.
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| The first level of my LD game. Note the frowney face near the top as well as the artistic manner in which the unibrow forms a part of a much friendlier happy face at the top. |
The advent of LD23
A good friend of mine (also a fellow indie dev) slept over at my house for the duration of the competition. We did the same last year and I found it quite motivating to have someone sitting beside me, partaking in the same hardships, penury and strife as me.
I got up at around 05:30 (Due to our time zone, LD started at 03:00) and jumped straight into producing some content. Last year, my entry lacked quite a lot of variety so I decided to start on that this time around. I spent around 3 hours creating sprites (82 frames of them I believe - since an actor consists of 6 frames).
What went wrong
I'll try to keep the lists short so it can be easily read (and perhaps applied to your own entry next time).
A good friend of mine (also a fellow indie dev) slept over at my house for the duration of the competition. We did the same last year and I found it quite motivating to have someone sitting beside me, partaking in the same hardships, penury and strife as me.
I got up at around 05:30 (Due to our time zone, LD started at 03:00) and jumped straight into producing some content. Last year, my entry lacked quite a lot of variety so I decided to start on that this time around. I spent around 3 hours creating sprites (82 frames of them I believe - since an actor consists of 6 frames).
What went wrong
I'll try to keep the lists short so it can be easily read (and perhaps applied to your own entry next time).
- I didn't sort out all my errands before the weekend.
- I found it hard to create unique sprites with only 8x8 pixels (Think Realm of the Mad god).
- I spent too much time on content and not enough on a proper combat system.
- Didn't set aside enough time for sound effects and music.
What went right
- I slept less than last time. I was so focussed on my code that I could hardly fall asleep when I finally got into bed. Not extremely healthy, but it worked.
- I knew my tools very well and was comfortable with my environment.
- Working 'with' someone was a great motivator. Even though we were each working on our own games; when you get the feeling that you want to stop, think about what that would do to the other person's motivation.
Ultimately, I had a lot of fun doing LD. Unlike last time, I started looking forward to the next one almost the next day. If you didn't take part I can strongly recommend that you do so next time. This was only my second time but I don't see myself ever breaking this particular habit.
Thanks for reading. Check back soon for a post on what I've been working on these last few weeks.
