We came, we saw, and we didn't quite conquer. LD32 is the first of the LD compos that we've participated in where I can say --without any bad feeling-- that we failed to deliver something cool. So instead I'll list some lessons learned:
Lesson 1: Define an MVP early
An MVP is a "Minimum Viable Product." By not defining one we went forward with a half-formed concept that had no boundaries. The end result was a half-formed game that had no real playability. Oops.
For our last two entries we spent about an hour up-front on a whiteboard tossing out ideas and storyboarding some of the screens. That whiteboard remained a constant reminder of what it is we were going for. This time around we thought we had a solid idea between us and decided to skip that phase in lieu of getting down into the code.
Lesson 2: Make sure everyone knows what their role is
The team consisted of three folks, one of whom was new to our little cabal of aspiring game devs. Taking the time to set goals and expectations up-front would have kept all of us busy, and not looking for things to do or improve that may not have been necessary.
Lesson 3: When everything looks like a nail...
Our last two games were physics-based, and our idea this time wanted turn-based combat. All of us thought "well hell, we've built games before -- this can't be much different," and went right on ahead. Turns out different types of games want different architectures. Again, some time spent planning up-front could have saved us in the end.
My partner in crime says:
"'Blockman and Tuna' was a very important (if not very successful) project for us. The last couple of Ludum Dare jams we've made games that we knew would be well within our capabilities instead of trying concepts that we were actually excited about. I'm glad we spent the time we did and I'm sad that our vision won't be on display for this round. It was a great learning experience and has made me even more excited for the next jam."
All-in-all I agree. We learned a lot, and maybe some of the better ideas will go into LD33!
for what its worth, I think this is actually a really good attempt if it was your first time making a turn based game. turned out much much better than my first attempt (also just in LD32) at least
I really have no idea. It has some good elements. I think the graphics are acceptable, but look at the pixelsize of everything.. A great rule of thumb is, that you keep all the pixels the same size. Good.
Yepp, turn based games have their own mechanics :D I've learned that too a while ago. Anyways, the game works for me. Of course the sprites need some polishing and of course my first can of tuna also locked the game but I really love to see you guys working on another turn based next LD. Keep it up! Good job!
LOL! this game was very weird! Couldn't figure out whether the cans were good or bad, i think they killed me a bunch of times. But you've got a pixel art guy riding a cat so big points for that!
I like the cat animation, but I'm a little sad I don't get to see the whole thing since it plays so slowly and the encounters are so close together. I laughed the first time I opened a can and bricked the game. "what they say about what curiosity did to the cat" ;-)
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Nice to see that you learned a lot, that's the most important thing!
Don't be ashamed! This is a great attempt for your fist time :)