Thank you! First time I heard about this, gonna look into it. I would like to have an android build that can be played on the android handhelds though!

Thank you very much!

Look awesome, congratulations on launching!

Thanks for the suggestion!

I did not think about it yet. I designed the game to be played with a gamepad so there's really nothing implemented for mouse or touch control. Virtual gamepad is less than ideal yes.

Thanks for the question! There was, but I removed it since there is no touch controls yet and a lot of players were asking for it (instead of gamepad). But I think I'll put it back in the next update!

Thanks for the reply!

The game is not released on Nintendo switch yet!

I really love the cozy vibe of the game and soft visuals. Hard game though!

Thanks for the suggestion! 💛 But I really want to make the game I had in mind. So I want to know If I can still get my game into the jam or not (I'm ok not getting prizes, it's mostly for the feedback and motivation of doing it with other devs!)

Hey!
I just noticed there was a theme for this edition of the gb comp. I wanted to do a remake of my current game project, Lueur and the Dim Settlers just for fun! But it really does not fit with the current theme and I really wanted to make a game boy version of it, not a different game.
I'm gonna do it anyway, butthe rules say: "The entry must implement/interpret the jam theme (applies to Game category only)" . Can I still participate to get feedback and have fun with everyone? I'm ok being disqualified for the prizes. If not, that's too bad but I understand! 😊

Good luck everyone!

I am really not sure to be honest! It will depend if I have time to make a version of the game working with the mouse/touch pad. I could also just add a virtual gamepad but that's not what android players usually expect.

Thank you so much for testing that out everywhere! Actually since the game is single player, I changed the code so that any controller connected can play. This way, no problem! (but be sure no one has one of the controllers hidden away to make jokes on you...) It should be in the next demo version very soon.

Thank you! I'm glad you liked it!

🌟 A Journey Fulfilled: A Game Demo Release 🌟

TLDR: Thank you so much for your help! This demo contains one playable level in 3 different game modes for about 3h of playtime. Can you beat all of the challenges? Don't forget to share it with your friends and let me know what you think. ❤️

Dear friends and fellow builders,

Today, I stand before you with equal parts excitement and gratitude as I unveil the long-awaited demo of my game. This moment represents the culmination of relentless dedication and the support of an incredible community. It has been an arduous journey, filled with sleepless nights and daunting challenges, but with your unwavering feedback and bug-spotting prowess, we have made it to this remarkable milestone together.

I want to express my deepest appreciation to all those who have contributed their time and expertise to shape this game into something truly special. Your feedback, enthusiasm, and unwavering support have breathed life into every line of code, every intricate detail. In the face of doubt and adversity, your encouragement has ignited a fire within me, propelling me forward even when the path seemed impassable.

Today, as the demo takes its first steps into the world, I invite you to join me in this adventure. Explore its depths, unravel its mysteries, and let its melodies resonate within your soul. This game is a labor of love. Your continued involvement and passion will guide its future.

Thank you so much, for being an integral part of this journey.

With heartfelt appreciation,

Darenn

Yes I had to close the form to start the playtest.
Send me your mail or discord name on our server and I'll send you everything! Send it at darenn.gamedev@gmail.com

I finally feel ready to share the new version. Next playtest is starting tomorrow. Make sure to register here to participate: https://forms.gle/fuYF4mz4EFuDNy4aA

I finally feel ready to share the new version. Next playtest is starting tomorrow.
Make sure to register here to participate: https://forms.gle/fuYF4mz4EFuDNy4aA

Thank you!

I'm familiar with the changes for godot 4 and the work needed to port the game from Godot 3 to Godot 4 is not worth it for such a small playerbase unfortunately... Maybe I'll run a survey at some point and if there is enough people interested I might make it. Is there any way you can run it in another way? Maybe with steam photon when the game releases?

Hey! Not sure Godot can export to ARM mac unfortunately...

Thank you!

Tale of a Darkened World

Decades ago, titanic obsidian monoliths rained down from the sky with a thunderous impact. A raging tempest of unfathomable darkness gathered around them, slowly crawling across the world and consuming all in its path. I am the ruler of this land, once mighty and resolute, now broken and wounded, but not defeated. I will reclaim the realm and bring back light to the world.  After years of wander, I finally found the Lucor, a mystical creature able to radiate a powerful enough brightness to dissipate darkness. It is time to explore the shadows and rebuild my empire. 

Introduction

Welcome to this first episode of my devlog series about my minimalist survival city-builder game, Lueur. In Lueur, you will establish several cities and ensure their survival against many dangers. The game plays in semi-real time on a classic squared grid. As you might have guessed from the intro, it is setup in a medieval-fantasy world filled with chivalry and magic.

In this first episode I will talk about how the game is born, what influenced its creation, and what are the game's core ideas and mechanics. Feel free to watch the video format instead.

The origins of the game

From AAA to indie

I got a video game school degree in France and worked for 3 years at Ubisoft on the Ghost Recon and Assasin's Creed franchises. I left one year ago to make my own games and become a solo indie game developer. I created a first very small game called Last In Space. It was a simple arcade strategy SHMUP with strong retro vibes. I did not win millions, but it paid the bills and that's already great. I quickly moved on to Lueur after that. 

The Lowrezjam and the different inspiration

I am strongly fueled by 4x and other city-builder games like Civilization, Endless Legend, Frostpunk and many others. A small game called "the settlers" inspired the idea the most though. It is an experimental very minimalist city-builder with no specific goal other than discovering what you can actually do and build something cool. This idea stuck with me and became an essential part of Lueur. Most things are not told, you discover by yourself while playing. The first version of the game was made during the lowrezjam. It is a competition where you have two weeks to create a game within a 64x64 resolution. At the time I just thought it would be fun to try and create a city-builder in such a tiny resolution. It was incredibly challenging but it planted the seeds for what would become Lueur.

The game received good reviews, and I decided to work a few more months to make a small commercial game out of it. While developing it though, I realized I could do something more important with it, and decided to scale up the scope of the game.

Game's Core Pillars and Objectives

1. Minimalist: find the least amount of things needed to build the experience I'm looking for.
2. Easy to understand: Easy enough to be able to play it even without a tutorial
3. Designed for handheld console: I really people to be able to chill wherever they want while playing Lueur
4. Cozy city-builder, but challenging survival
5. Short sessions: a Lueur game session should be about the length of a netflix episode

What's a "minimalist" game

Let me explain a little bit more what I mean by Minimalist game. Minimalism is a way of life that can be interpreted in different ways. But for me it's about removing anything unnecessary from your life. Each thing you do or own must have a clear purpose and ultimately provide you with happiness. It really helped me during a time of depression and left a strong imprint on me that I really want to use in my games. So when I want to make a Minimalist game, I don't imply to make an abstract game with geometry shapes as visuals. It is about finding the minimal amount of stuff needed to get to the experience I wish to deliver. The smaller amounts of mechanics needed, the smaller amount of visual details needed, the smaller amount of information on screen needed and so on and so forth.The game is done not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to remove (sorry I don't remember who said that). Chess or Go are extreme examples of minimalist games.

But I need to be very careful that minimalism does not make the game harder to understand. I might not be able to keep everything minimal, but I think it's an important mindset to have.

Game Mechanics And Systems

Let's quickly describe everything you can do in the game.

• Build structures: But you can't just build them randomly. You want to understand how to build specific buildings on specific terrains. How buildings work and interact with the world. How to make their production as efficient as possible in the tight space you have.

• Interact with the game world directly: Chop down a forest to collect materials and make room for more buildings. Find a treasure and enjoy its reward or destroy a gigantic obsidian monolith. Some of these actions are actually done by playing small mini-games just like you would do in farming sims like Stardew Valley for example.

• Explore: In Lueur space is scarce. The world is plunged into darkness, and to make more room you'll need to explore and illuminate the land using your limited Light resource. Darkness is also the first way you can loose. If your main camp is washed away by a darkness storm, it's game over so be careful!

• Decide: Sometimes, random events will happen in your land. It can happen anytime and will usually ask you to make strategic and tough moral choices to be able to survive.

Outro

Thank you for reading till the end. In the next episodes I will focus on more specific subjects like the balancing of the game, how I added story into the game, how I market the game and tons of cool stuff like that. Make sure to be subscribed to not miss the next episode. Also, let me know what you think in the comments! If you are interested in following along the development each week, you can take a look at my weekly updates. If you'd like to support me, you can do so on Ko-fi. See you next time!

Thank you!

Hey Poppants!
I just made my first devlog about Lueur. I'm talking a little bit about how Lost Settlers inspired me. Thank you again for making this interesting game.

Thank you! I'm glad your like the game. 😊

Love your the concept! The mini games are very cool and I love the progression in difficulty.

Good job Borb! Take your time to finish this and don't forget the physical version. :p

Hey everyone !

I am a solo game dev working on Lueur, a minimalist strategy game with elements of city-builder and survival.  I need some brave players to test the game.

This game is all about simplicity and discovery. Its targeting people getting into strategy/management games but also veterans looking for a game to chill a bit between hour long games on their favorite city-builder, 4x, strategy game. Retro-gaming fans, I hope you will love the retro vibe of Lueur !

To participate, just fill out this form with your preferred way of contact. I will get in touch with the alpha of the game and a feedback form.

Oh did I mention there are a few freebies along with it ? 🎁 You will be credited in the final game as a playtester. You will also get a DRM-free copy of my last game, Last In Space. And of course, you will get a free copy of Lueur at release. ;)

Thank you very much for participating, it really helps the tiny solo dev I am 💖.

Hey everyone !
I'm a full time french indie developer working on a minimalist city builder game.
I need side projects to relax a bit though, and I decided to make a game for the playdate. I won't work more than a few hours on this every week, so progress will be slow, but I'll share the journey on this forum.

Concept

You play as a sniper, and... you shoot things.

The idea is to make use of the crank to zoom in or out. The D-pad is used to move your cursor around.

To reload, you'll need to tilt the playdate towards you (using the accelerometer). Then you'll need to crank up and down several time to reload bullets one by one.

A button is to shoot, B button to pause the game.

Prototype

Here's a small prototype I made to setup the playdate environment and see how I could use the crank to zoom in and out. 

I don't know much about faking 3D in 2D. As you can see the zoom out and in is kind of strange. If you have good resources about this I'm all ears ! Also if your know of someone making a similar game for the playdate, let me know ! 

If you don't want to miss the next devlogs, be sure to follow me on itch (I'll repost over there).

See you next time !

Your welcome !

Your welcome !

Thanks !
I'm actually using a palette from lospec yes. I found out that saturated colors can be hard on the eyes so I choose the Waldgeist very desaturated and nostalgic color palette.
The UI elements do not use it to make them pop out though, and the light 2d modifies the colors so that might be why it looks messy.

That's great to hear ! Good luck with the development.