Ludumdare 25 Update #2 - Some Sort of Progress...

Last night was terrible. I didn’t get to write any code as I had to finish a dumb English essay. This morning I woke up around nine and just started programming. Since this is my very first LD and I am working with a language / framework that I am largely unfamiliar with I am going with a very simple idea. Basically you play as a giant monster and all you do is kill a bunch of cute bunnies. If I have time perhaps I’ll add some mega-bunny boss or something. Anyways here is what I got so far:

Got a monster Waxabie drew to move around the screen!

Oh no, poor bunny! (place holder graphic)

Read this post on ludumdare.com:

Ludumdare 25 - Update #1

It's Friday night and I haven't got any real programming done. At this point I am missing Java and I will return to my original love once this is over. I do however have a solid idea of what I am going to make and I am going to hit it hard tomorrow morning.

Preparing for Ludum Dare 25 - Final Update!

Ludumdare 25 begins in less than an hour. You know it's official when you buy energy in a can!

Just thought I would list my team and our roles:

Dmitrix (Code!)

Andersmith (Code!)

Freewithoutwalls (Art!)

Waxabie (Music!)

Meanwhile, I'm working like mad to finish an English essay that is due at midnight while rocking out to some awesome chip tune!

Preparing for Ludum Dare 25 Update - Löve 2D

This may sound crazy, but 2 days before Ludum Dare I decided to go from Java to Löve 2D!

Anyways, I am able to write basic programs in a minimal amount of code as opposed to Java, so hopefully this will go well. Also, I will be entering the Jam with 3 other friends: 1 programmer and 2 artists / music people. Plus I get 72 hours as opposed to 48!

EDIT: Click here to see my Ludum Dare blog posts.

Preparing for Ludum Dare 25 Update

Hopefully I will be able to enter Ludum Dare 25 next weekend. Ludum Dare is something I have been following for quite some time and I have always wanted to enter. Even though I am not skilled enough to make some super awesome game in 48 hours I am going to give it a shot anyways. This could be a good learning experience and is a great opportunity to do some serious programming! 

Since the last post I have moved away from creating a Super Mario Brothers clone and I am now working on some game that involves this buffalo a kid at school drew. I spent an hour or two in the back of a mini van yesterday animating the buffalo, he now walks and jump and stuff! just pay no attention to the lack of proper gravity and all the glitches.

Super Awesome Sprite Sheet (Still Needs Work Though):

Todo:

Improve Animation

Implement Gravity

Simple Enemies

Auto Tiling

Collision

oops

oops, I almost forgot to post this mistake I made earlier today. Turns out that re-sizing is import and easier to do in code than in paint.net!

Preparing for the Ludum Dare!

I'm taking a huge leap here and I am going to try to enter Ludum Dare 25. I recently ditched C++ and went back to my beloved Java and I made some significant progress.

I began by following The Cherno's Java Game Programming series but found it a little too slow. I got to about episode 16:

While bored at school without access to the internet I went through one of the examples in the book Programming Video Games for the Evil Genius. The program was supposed to take a multidimensional array of string variables and draw tile on screen to form a level. The example code didn't work properly so I heavily modified it and got it working.

After posting that screen shot to Facebook a friend of mine pointed out that the map looks like Super Mario Brothers! So I added a ? block and Mario into the game,  everything is still static at this point.

Bored at school, again, I wrote a proper buffer to allow thing to move and I even added sound! At this point, the user can use the arrow keys to move Mario around the screen and pressing the space bar will make Mario jump (kinda).

Anyways, I'm pleased with the progress I have made in the last few days, especially if you compare it to that of last week. Hopefully in 8 days and 20 hours I will feel confident enough to enter Ludum Dare 25. If I do I will post a video time lapse of the development process.

C++ and New Game Project

I am about to attempt to start a new game and write it in C++ rather than my usual Java. My idea is to take an aspect of real life that is quite pedestrian, such as your daytime job, and turn it into a fun and exciting game. I like Java as a language but many people hate it for games since it sometimes requires more computer power to run properly. Updates will follow.

Ludum Dare - Evolution

Ludumdare is a 48 hour rapid game creation competition. Ludumdare happens about every 3 or 4 months and the last one was in August. Here are two games that caught my attention:

Evolution is the Key

An interesting take on evolution. You play through the different ages of computer gamming and end up in a full 3D environment. I thought this game was lacking a bit of a challenge but I was impressed for it being created in a little over 48 hours. Also the game is written in Java!

Yellow Dog

In this game you start off with a small puppy and raise it until it's full grown. I thought this game was well designed and had good game play mechanics.

Roots of Motive Power Event

Last weekend I went to an event in Willits, Ca. So many steam machines! There were donkeys, tractors, 2 steam engines and a steam shovel.