Ludum Dare results: these curtains are really on fire

The Ludum Dare compo is a game jam with more than 700 participants.

Based on previous results, I expected to be in the top 100 for some of the categories, maybe even 15th for one of them. Turns out that was the case, I reached 15th place. At least. For all categories. And second place overall. Wow.

So how did it got there?

• I reused many of the techniques of Ace of Rope, my game that was 5th place overall last year. Buildings in tilemaps, rope physics, etc.
• The "chunky pixels" art style was perfected over two years of regular practice, with a good and colourful palette, this time with an even better font I kind of stumbled upon. Same kind of practice for the music. And it's been more than three years of Godot Engine for me, and ten years of game making in general. So practice is key.
• Preparation of the theme. In the final round, two days before the jam starts, you have a list of themes. I wrote a short paragraph for each theme, and those game ideas can even be reused for future projects.
• It's October. I'm apparently more productive in autumn than during the rest of the year.

Currently there is a bug on the web version: you can't move the dog in fullscreen. That likely comes from the engine. I'm waiting for Godot (heh) version 3.4 to reupload a bug-free version, with the rest of the expansion.

Expansion?

Yes! I'm currently considering expanding the game. The current idea has three levels and three bosses.

1. The Town (that really needs a name at some point I guess). I'll put some collectibles (coins for Old Roger, bones for the dog?). Maybe some phases where the dog is alone, searching for items in little underground passages. And pigeons/rats as well, maybe. All is good and well in town until you meet Butcher, the first boss.
2. The Forest. After some snack at the market, Old Roger wants to gather some mushrooms in the forest for his omelette. Butcher could help you. How weird, this is late morning, but the forest is very dark. Oh well, mushrooms grow well in the dark, Old Roger shrugs as he and his dog make their way between the trees. But this is the hunting season…
   1. I have some ideas for the boss. No, I won't tell you.
3. The Factory. As Old Roger tries to come back home, rain falls down and he's forced to find shelter. An old nuclear fusion power plant is discovered, with enthusiastic engineers that have converted it to an ominous factory. There's some kind of flying machine in there. Also, birds are involved (yeah, how will Old Roger make an omelette without eggs?)
   1. The end will be an omelette. Hey, maybe the final boss fight will involve omelette preparation.

Ideally, I wish to finish the game for Christmas, but nothing is guaranteed.