itch.io

This is from within itch.io. You need to upload the project files/source code, which is always the same process no matter which engine you're using.

There are 6 separate jams, one for each day; check the overview for the links.

To upload the game files it's quite easy. You can try this right now, just don't hit save.

1. From the top right menu, go to "Upload new project".
2. Fill in everything else, this should be straight forward.
3. Make sure you have all source files (the project, don't export or build the game), and make a .zip file from them. To test just upload any .zip file, it doesn't matter for the process.
4. At the section to upload the files, upload the zip file.
5. There is a selection box that currently says "Executable". Change this to "Source code".

If you're still unsure, try to upload it with enough time left. Then you can ask someone to double check if it's done correctly.

If I can find the time I will try to make a game with Godot day 1. And if there are projects in Godot left at later days when I have time I could continue some, but I have some scheduling difficulties next week so no promises.

Personally I ok with AI generation for code specifically. My reasoning being complex, but can be summed up as:

Generated code doesn't threaten programmers, it only enhances their ability to code. However, AI generation does threaten artists, so I wouldn't feel comfortable using it for art. This extends to things like audio and stories as well.

That said, I will work with the self imposed restriction of not using generative AI at all anyways, for the sole reason that I see jams as a learning experience. And I highly encourage others to do so as well for that reason.

Sorry for the late response, there are a lot of things happening in my life and it's difficult to find the time to sit down for things like this. Now, let's address your points:

We were actually considering if we should remove the movement cooldown while playtesting, but we sticked to how aliens would move in the original Space Invaders (i.e. the less aliens there are, the less cooldown they move). Maybe we should've have more people playtesting with seperate movement versions to see the feedback?

This type of problem is very difficult, and not one you can consistently solve within 48 hours. However, I do have some experience in creating a game based on an arcade classic. Games are build around gameplay loops, and this is even more true for old arcade games which don't have much room to build complex dynamics. As a result, by changing just one element of the gameplay, you'll have to rethink all the decisions that were made for the original. In the case of space invaders, the behavior of the aliens are optimized for simple AI. So, to create challenge, they created an entire swarm. Although I don't think this fits well if you give the player control over that swarm. So I'd say in this case it would've been better to rethink what the swarm really means, and if you can change the movement to be more appropriate for player control. Just to clarify, I'm 100% talking with hindsight here. I'm not sure if I would have caught this soon enough if I were to actually develop the game.

Do you mean allowing aliens to have separate  shooting timers instead of 1 global timer? Or selecting multiple aliens to shoot at the same time using the global timer

Both would address the feedback. Although I should mention that there are a lot of things you could do address this. You could determine which alien shoots purely by some algorithm, for example. Another perspective to take is that each alien is more or less equally powerful, but you can only utilize one at the time. So you don't really lose any value when a single alien gets killed.

Thanks for taking the feedback well, and I with you the best of luck for your next jam!

I'm in the habit of using Git for everything and including an open source license with all of my projects I'm not intending to sell. This leaves me with 2 questions:

• Can I include a Git repository with the project files? Or should I remove it before uploading the project files? For clarity, I don't intend to add any extra information to the Git history, beyond the exact changes that I make.
• Can I include an open source license with the game files? I am not a lawyer, but it seems to me that adding a license is a net addition to rights, as it possibly allows for more rights compared to what itch.io allows. I'd prefer to use a GPL3 license, but I'm willing to use Mit or Apache as well if that is more preferred.

I'm not even sure if I can even make enough time to join, although I'm going to try my best to join day 1 at least. Anyway I'm looking forward to the jam if I manage to join!

I like the idea behind this game, and I definitely see the potential. Changing from controlling a single fighter against a swarm, to controlling a swarm against a single enemy, definitely has some interesting implications. I do have some ideas for possible improvements:

• The many to one dynamic feels like it should be more of a boss fight. Currently I'm just shooting single attacks at the time, which kind of downplays the swarm.
• The movement makes me feel disconnected from the action. I would suggest allowing more freedom of movement. When playing I find myself just waiting for bars all the time.
• If you're feeling extra creative, you could fully revamp the movement logic. For example, you could move around smaller groups of aliens for strategic positioning. Although this is clearly outside of the scope of a 48H jam. Also, it will make it more distinct from the source inspiration, which you may or may not want to do due to personal preference.
• I like the idea if the aliens would just keep coming, maybe depending on how much damage you can do. This would invoke the feeling that you're overwhelming earth, which I feel fits with the theme of both the jam and Space Invaders.

Overall I think you made a good attempt!