Back to making
One week turned into three weeks, but I feel like I’ve worked that particular digital addiction out of my system (and diving in to Snap has actually helped crystalize an idea I’ve been thinking about, so it wasn’t entirely a waste). OK, back to making stuff.
My current idea for the 20 second game jam is really simple and pretty wonky: a trainer for being able to differentiate times shorter than a second (say, 500ms vs 700ms). Back in 2015 I went to some Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) training where this was mentioned as a useful skill for SRE’s. I didn’t entirely give up, but at that moment my dream of ever being an SRE seemed a little more remote.
There are some optional themes for the jam, but I think time itself is a sort of implied theme, and pondering that brought the SRE training back to mind. Thankfully, this isn’t a judged competition, so nobody else has to necessarily get it. Since the idea itself is so simple, I do want to lean in to trying to make it as fun and engaging as I can.
I’ve also started futzing with a micro.blog client written in Godot. We’ll see if that goes anywhere.
DragonRuby, which usually costs $48, is free right now, as part of the 20 Second Game Jam
I let myself get sucked into Marvel Snap this week, so spent more free time playing games instead making them. I have started experimenting with Godot features I’m not familiar with yet, starting with navigation meshes.
Next on the list is 2D lighting and shadows, maybe this weekend!
Currently reading: Deadly Class Vol. 5: Carousel by Rick Remender 📚
The first four volumes were a pleasant surprise. I was expecting a sort of “Hogwarts for Assassins”, and there’s a bit of that– but the stories being told are much more complex and personal.
On the same day I learn about this gallery of Internet Artifacts, I also come across this bit about the worlds oldest continuously-seeded bittorrent file.
As part of Space Day the kiddo and I got to check out the observatory at George Mason University. 📷 🚀
Probably my last post about Ludum Dare 54 maybe
The results are in, and… it’s nothing to brag about. I do like that innovation is my strongest category again.
I don’t know exactly how many entrees I’m ranked against. The stats say that there were 1597 entries in the “jam” competition, and 66% of all entries (“jam”, and a separate competition, “compo”) met the ratings threshold for getting ranked, so maybe I’m ranked against 1067 or so “jam” entries? That puts me in the top half for most categories, and not far from it on the Overall. In a competition that includes professionals, hobbyists, and teams, I feel OK about that.
I took the plunge– this is now my “home” on the fediverse. I think micro.blog has a healthier vision for social media, and I’m really drawn to the idea of my blog and my social media presence being all one thing. Worst case, I’m not locked in!
The post-jam, cleaned up version of Don’t Get Crushed is now on itch.io rosskarchner.itch.io/dont-get-…
Got a flier in the mail from Chris Decarlo for Sherrif, which reminds me of his history of rapping campaign videos: youtube.com/@CDRapper…
I’m not lazy, I’m just protecting the ecosystem www.nytimes.com/2023/10/1…
Currently listening: Story by Robert McKee 📚
Finished Listening: Think Like a Game Designer by Justin Gary 📚
I’ve never really worn sunglasses, and now I’ve got my first prescription pair. Meanwhile my regular glasses are at the optometrist to get new lenses put in, so the sunglasses are all I have.
One surprising thing is that some screens are hard to read– kind of like when a screen has a polarizing privacy filter, but it’s blocking me instead of the rest of the world.
Even a “bad” Futurama episode is usually pretty good– but the worst are the ones that try to be relevant for the time they were released, “ripped from the headlines”. The new season on Hulu had a lot of those. 📺
Currently listening: Think Like a Game Designer by Justin Gary 📚
Currently reading: Deadly Class - Regan Youth Media Tie-In by Rick Remender 📚
Don't Get Crushed updates 🎮
Here is some weekend progress on Don’t Get Crushed (post-jam version, to be released after the review window closes):
- Fixed the janky vibrations
- improved some art
- The level number now included a decimal component, making it clearer how much progress you’ve made within a level
You can also see the previously reported progress: visible scores, the ability to restart using the up arrow, and the crusher following the player more closely (and no longer leaving a safe area on the bottom of the screen)
