Well, in my case, this jam was a very draining period.
The person I was supposed to make the game with left the team just after we finished our planning phase. As a result, I had to make the whole project myself from scratch, fighting with scope creep.
Still, I'm very happy what I was able to achieve, because despite (or maybe thanks to) all the problems, I learned a lot making this game. Maybe these sleepless nights were worth it xD
Congrats on your first jam, by the way!
That sounds really tough, but it’s impressive that you still managed to finish the game on your own. Soloing a project after planning for a team is definitely not easy. That was actually my first game jam experience as well.
My suggestion is to always plan a scope that you could realistically finish alone if necessary. That way, if something unexpected happens with the team, the project is still manageable.
It also helps to establish consistent communication early on and get a sense of everyone’s availability and skills. I’ll keep it real: sometimes people leave without saying anything. If someone becomes unresponsive for a couple of days during a short jam, there’s a high chance they may have dropped out, so it’s usually a good sign to adjust expectations and plan around that.
Either way, finishing the game under those circumstances is a big achievement.
