Finished the game!

The developers of this project, Erto Pena and I just got done with our second Ludum Dare together, our first project was from 6 years ago from Ludum Dare 31. So many years passed by since then, and now we no longer live in the same city, but with the COVID-19 pandemic and all, we decided to jump on this opportunity.

One of the most difficult part of a 48 hour game jam is creating a scope that leaves you with a satisfaction that you enjoy both the process and the result. What you don't want to do is focusing on the details of tech, but do your best to create the best experience for the player. 

What went well

• Scope - We knew early on what each of us was capable of doing and being able to self-assess clearly of our capability, we were able to stick with the type of game mechanics that will allow us to finish the game on time.
• Fun - We not only were able to finish the game, but were able to improve the fun aspect, figuring out the core loop, move,  jump and draw which is not as easy.
• Design - This game was originally designed as two players, but it turned out that it is actually fun playing by yourself too. It may actually be more challenging playing with another person being in charge of a mouse! We probably brainstormed over 15 different game designs which I am very glad we settled on this among the ones we pitched.
• Time management - This is the first game jam where I felt that I had the time to take rests and get plenty of sleep. I actually got a full 6-7 hours of sleep each night, and had a sense of well-being.
• Respect - This is what I treasure in game development - a sense of respect for your team member. If you don't have that from the beginning, you will have an awful time being able to gel and produce something that you will feel great about.   Erto and I certainly had that for each other.
• Discord - Discord is awesome for collaborating online. It lets people to share their screens synchronously so it is almost like you are working next to each other. The downside is that the voice connection can be a bit finicky and you have to take your turn to speak otherwise you won't hear each other.
• Music - Using Adobe Audition and Freemusicarchive.org, I was able to find the right music which I sliced and put together to create a looping music (main music) from a much longer version. I also had to add scratching sound to scrub a language that was pejorative.  Special thanks to Sara Rigdon for catching it.

What could have been better

• Choosing the theme early - it took several attempt, but eventually it evolved as we play-tested. If we had decided early on, there could have been a different approach to the art assets that will bring it together better.  It went from kids drawing on the whiteboard to military idea to eventually settling in with what we have now.  This is mostly my fault as I tend to find new muse in
• Having one more team member - don't we all wish that? Though I wish we had one more person who could have helped Erto, as I felt bad at times he was under a lot of pressure.  But the upside of it was being able to stay agile and put the decision to action quickly.
• Working in person - Although Discord provided a nearly perfect solution for working remote, but nothing beats working in person.  The experience we had 6 years ago built the bond that made us believe in each others' capability to carry our own weight. We among 4 other team members worked on a game (Ludum Dare 31) at one of the devs places clearly built the additional bond and a human part of the game development experience.

Overall, I have a very little complaint. This is one of the most fun I had during the jam feeling the FLOW state that Csikszentmihályi mentioned.  I feel clear and energized without drinking a single drop of caffeine due to the highs of game development.