I have got to be honest, I have never heard of [Web Dev Cody](https://www.youtube.com/@WebDevCody) before but when I saw that he had a [hackathon](https://hackathon.webdevcody.com/) in partnership with [Convex](https://www.convex.dev/) I knew I was going to have to carve off a bit of time from [BattleTabs](https://battletabs.com/) development to have a crack.



# Competition Categories & Ideation

![](./categories.png)

The competition was themed around Collaboration and AI so I racked my brain for a bit before coming up with an idea.

I wont spend too many words explaining what I built, instead ill let the video that I used to demo the project do the talking:

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XZ2iCEcW_io" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

# Results

Out of [53 submissions](https://hackathon.webdevcody.com/submissions), I came third in the AI category which im pretty happy with considering I spent less than a day on it.

Watch Cody talk about my project here:

<iframe width="853" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PJjk4Qg_GiU?si=9oUEhACACbj3KxkR&amp;start=186" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>

# Conclusion

I had a ball working on this, its pretty astounding that you are able to build this much functionality in such as short time. I was able to implement and iterate as fast as I could go without any boiler-plate bogging me down.

[Convex](https://www.convex.dev/) really is an incredible technology, if you are looking to do a web app you should definitely check it out!

If you are interested in playing with Chatter Craft yourself the demo is here: https://chatter-craft.netlify.app/

If you want to peek under the covers a bit the source is available here: https://github.com/mikecann/chatter-craft

I started coding when I was 7 years old at a school-holidays computer camp in the UK. We used QBASIC to write a "guess my number game". I remember writing that same program out on the school library computers to the amazement of my mates who insisted that I show them how to do it too.



I think that experience combined with early modding sessions of Quake and GTA is what led me down the path to become a professional computer games programmer.

So when 24 years later and half a world a way I as offered the chance to give back and help the next generation of computer games developer make their start I didnt hesitate to volunteer to help out.

[TechCamps4Kids](https://www.techcamps4kids.com/) is run by an incredible South African lady called Brenda who, fedup with the way computer science was taught in school, decided to start her own after-school club to try to tech kids the actual skills they will need to become the next generation that shapes our technological future.

[![tech-campp-for-kids-judging](https://www.mikecann.blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/tech-campp-for-kids-judging-300x200.jpg)](https://www.mikecann.blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/tech-campp-for-kids-judging.jpg)

I was introduced to Brenda and [TechCamps4Kids](https://www.techcamps4kids.com/) via a mutual friend that I know from one of the entrepreneur meetups I attend here in Perth. She told me she was looking for someone in the gaming industry who could be a judge for a game development competition she was holding for the kids. Knowing how I started out on my career I thought this would be a good opportunity to pay just a small part of my thanks back.

It was a great morning with about 15 kids in attendance ranging from ages 8-14\. I spent some time going around looking at all their games, chatting to them, asking questions and trying to work out how to judge their creations.

The kids were being taught using [Click Team Fusion](https://www.clickteam.com/clickteam-fusion-2-5) and some [Scratch](https://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjYmbvwgrvPAhWEGpQKHZYVAysQFggbMAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fscratch.mit.edu%2F&usg=AFQjCNGW5N9d7PQ3jrU4KekOHZUwNyjKiQ&sig2=RkQvnAt7njJ-D1511P0Yiw&bvm=bv.134495766,d.dGo). I really surprised at the results. I was expecting to see lots of very similar games that had just been taken from the "template games" but what I got instead was an incredible variety of different games and genres. Some kids had really gone to town and built story driven experiences and others had built simple but addictive avoidance games which wouldn't look out of place in this "just one more level" style of endless runner mobile games out there right now.

In the end it was a very hard decision to pick just 3 kids as winners, I would have loved to pick all of them but I guess thats not how competitions work.

I hope that [TechCamps4Kids](https://www.techcamps4kids.com/) continues to grow and develop so that next year I can be invited back to judge once more. I would be great to see the progress made by the kids over the intervening year.

If you live in Western Australia and are looking for somewhere to send your children to teach them some essential skills for this digital age I would strongly recommend [TechCamps4Kids](https://www.techcamps4kids.com/).

Well I took a short break this weekend from Mr Nibbles Forever development to head down the street to [SpaceCubed](https://spacecubed.com/) and compete in the [2015 GovHack competition](https://www.govhack.org/perth2015/).



I had heard of GovHack from one of the [Morning Startup](https://www.meetup.com/Morning-Startup-Perth/) meetings I like to attend every Wednesday here in Perth.

The West Australian government has been running this competition for several years now to try to promote their new open data policy. The idea is simple, get a bunch of nerds together, give them the data and offer some prizes and see what happens.

[![CI-222zUcAAvd7s.jpg-large](https://www.mikecann.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CI-222zUcAAvd7s.jpg-large-768x1024.jpg)](https://www.mikecann.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CI-222zUcAAvd7s.jpg-large.jpg)

Well I turned up on Friday evening not knowing anyone and having no clue what to expect. So I grabbed a beer and started chatting.

Some people were in teams already, some people worked together for a day job but it seemed like there were quite a few other people in the same boat as me, new to it, without a team or project or idea. That made me feel a little better, but I still had no clue what to expect.

[![CI_vYWaUEAA1-_P.jpg-large](https://www.mikecann.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CI_vYWaUEAA1-_P.jpg-large-1024x768.jpg)](https://www.mikecann.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CI_vYWaUEAA1-_P.jpg-large.jpg)

After a few short speeches the participants were invited to stand up and pitch their idea. All in all there were about 20 pitches. Some sounded interesting, some sounded really wacky such as one team wanted to use the data to become evil-masterminds. One team even suggested that they were going to correlate the prizes against the data and see which prizes were the best to go for then work out and idea from there.

![CI_Fh1FUAAAv7yd.jpg-large](https://www.mikecann.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CI_Fh1FUAAAv7yd.jpg-large.jpg)

After the pitches were over, we given 5 stickers to stick posters that had been hastily assembled by the pitchers. I think that the idea of this was to gauge the popularity of the project but im not sure exactly how that affected things in the end.

Also this was apparent the point that you were supposed to be looking to join one of the teams too. I didnt realize this and I spent ages walking around and deliberating while groups of people started separating and disappearing.

The problem was, none of the projects really jumped out at me. The only pitch that grabbed my attention was by a guy that wanted to predict if you are going to win a court case by looking at old case documents, I thought that one sounded pretty interesting but unfortunately I couldn't find him anywhere, and none of the organizers could find him either.

In the end I ended up wandering around for about 30 minutes like a lost lamb as everyone started to form teams. In sheer desperation I started butting into the teams and asking what they were doing and if they needed a developer. After a couple times trying this I was about to give up and go home when I decided to try one more team. These guys were planning on building a app that asked the simple question, should I drive or take public transport to my destination?

I thought this idea seemed simple enough, plus it sounded like something I could help out on, I knew front-end and back-end, had built web and mobile apps before so I signend up.

[![CI_Y6mkUEAAG2fh.jpg-large](https://www.mikecann.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CI_Y6mkUEAAG2fh.jpg-large-1024x652.jpg)](https://www.mikecann.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CI_Y6mkUEAAG2fh.jpg-large.jpg)

I think I got really lucky. They turned out to be a truly awesome bunch of people. There were 7 of us in total: Jake, the team leader and front end developer. Cam, the back-end dude with lots of experience with mapping and spacial data. Kim, the data miner and wrangler. Felix, a young but incredibly bright lad who did a bit of everything (including winning the young-and-up-coming guy to watch out for award). James, and his friend Apara who did the super important job of organizing the project and video. And of-course me, who took the role of tooling / data converter / uploader / production / whatever else needed doing.

It was the right mix of skills, ages and experience and over the next 3 days we had a ball. We were asked at one point by one of the VIPs / guests that was walking around how everything was working, who was deciding what needed doing etc.

Well that was a good question. It all just seemed to come together. One of us would say "oh, wouldnt it be cool if it could do X?" then we would all agree and then one person would go off and get the data while others did others set about converting it and uploading it.

We were told to put a lot of effort into the video as that would be the thing the national judges would use to choose who their winners were (national prizes are separate from the local WA prizes and were worth \$80k). So right from the start we were scripting and planning the video.

It all kind of came together on the Sunday morning when we filmed it all and produced the following:

<iframe width="700" height="500" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hgfu31GtvQk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I am pretty proud that we were able to not only build a working app that uses the various data sets but were also able to produce the video in the very limited time. Hopefully it conveys the purpose of the app well and maybe also shows you a little bit about the team and how much fun we all had.

We weren't quite done tho as we still had to do a live presentation to a panel of judges. We had 3 minutes to show what we had, then a little more time for questions from the judges.

[![2015-07-05 16.52.41](https://www.mikecann.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2015-07-05-16.52.41-1024x1024.jpg)](https://www.mikecann.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2015-07-05-16.52.41.jpg)

Personally I felt that this one probably the worst part of the event. There were 20 teams presenting, we were number 14\.

We had been told that it was supposed to be 3 minutes long however it seemed like the first 3 or 4 teams were going way way over that, 10-15 minutes each.

For some reason they changed their policy half way through so now you had exactly 3 minutes and were clapped off when the buzzer sounded. It seemed a little unfair to us who werent included in the earlier set of presentations.

Also the presentations were plagued with audio / visual difficulties thanks to the fact that we had to continually plug and unplug laptops. Presentation and demos that worked fine on a 15" laptop looked terrible or didnt work when switched to a projector resolution.

So most teams seemed rushed, unorganized and generally let all their hard work down by failing to properly present what they had done. The judges also probably didnt get a good feel for what the projects were about or what the problem was they were trying to solve.

Some teams simply played their 3 minute video then asked for questions at the end. Personally I think this worked much better as there was much less to go wrong, plus you had already spent a whole bunch of time on the video, you may as well let it do the talking instead of you. I wish we had done this.

Nevertheless our presentation went okay, nothing too major went wrong (apart from from projector issues) but we just didn't have enough time to do the project justice.

After all the presentations, the judges disappeared for 45 minutes while they deliberated, enough time to grab a beer, then the awards started.

![CJJboKPUkAE8Wnm.jpg-large](https://www.mikecann.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CJJboKPUkAE8Wnm.jpg-large.jpg)

There were \$35,000 up for grabs in prizes over several different categories. You were supposed to elect which prizes you were going for on your project page, some teams chose to select most if not all of the prizes. [We went for 16 of the prizes](https://hackerspace.govhack.org/content/should-i-drive).

In the end we ended up winning 2 of them including the single largest prize: [Main Roads Keep WA Moving Prize](https://hackerspace.govhack.org/prize_entries/main-roads-keep-wa-moving-prize) of $2,500\. In total we won $3,000 between us which was great, not the best but not the worst.

![2015-07-06_19-07-28](https://www.mikecann.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/2015-07-06_19-07-28.jpg)

For me tho, it wasn't about the prizes (in fact I didn't even know there was any cash prizes when I entered), it was more about getting out there and meeting other like-minded people who wanted to work together and build something new and cool and perhaps learn a thing or two about the WA data along the way.

I think I succeeded in that modest goal 10 fold and am incredibly grateful to GovHack and my team for letting me be a part of it.

[![Team shot](https://www.mikecann.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Team-shot-1024x768.jpg)](https://www.mikecann.blog/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Team-shot.jpg)

![screenshot_02](/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/screenshot_02.png)

Before leaving to go on my trip I entered a competition being run by the NHS called "[Social Innovation in Salford](https://www.nwsocialvaluefoundation.org/competition/)". The intention of the competition is to find people with ideas for how to solve some issues currently facing the NHS in the Manchester region.



The competition is split into several parts with the brief for the first part being:

> How to give older people greater control and enable them to have more meaningful and fulfilling lives and in so doing reduce demand on the health and social care system

Its a really nice idea and a clever way to try to bring in new ideas to solve challenging problems that the NHS currently faces.

To enter you had two write a short (300) word proposal. If your proposal was short listed and you participated in the subsequent meetings you would win £1000\.

My proposal was predictably related to technology and games. I suggested that mobile devices with games loaded on could be given to the elderly so they could keep their minds active by playing games. I also suggested that if tablets were used then other apps could be installed such as Skype that allowed the elderly to keep in contact with relatives.

During the early part of my trip I received an email announcing that I was short listed and invited to attend the meetings in Salford. Unfortunately because I was in North Carolina at the time I couldnt attend physically, instead they asked me to attend via Skype and create a video which details my proposal in more detail:

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/xZM7soA5dls" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

As a follow up, I was asked to create another video that answered some questions:

<iframe width="640" height="480" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/KgBnEq7FV5Q" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The leaders of the competition now have the option to select mine or one of the other proposals to take further and potentially develop it into an actual scheme.

Well the judging is now finally over for the Ludum Dare competition I entered 17 days ago.

So overall I placed #21 which is just outside the top 20\. Not bad for a first time entry but I thought I would of done better considering some of the game ranked higher than me but oh well.



I actually game second in one category.. Community? Not entirely sure how I managed that but oh well :P

I think I may have received the most number of votes out of any of the games, it certaintly seems like a lot take a look:

### Ratings

<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<th>Inn</th>
<th>Fun</th>
<th>The</th>
<th>Gra</th>
<th>Aud</th>
<th>Hum</th>
<th>Ove</th>
<th>Com</th>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">-</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">5</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">4</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">3</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">1</td>
<td align="center">2</td>
<td align="center">-</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<th align="center">3.17</th>
<th align="center">3.45</th>
<th align="center">3.57</th>
<th align="center">4.09</th>
<th align="center">2.64</th>
<th align="center">3.20</th>
<th align="center">3.43</th>
<th align="center">4.38</th>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
So my overall scores in the various categories were:

**Innovation:** 3.17
**Fun:** 3.45
**Theme:** 3.57
**Graphics:** 4.09
**Audio**: 2.64
**Humor:** 3.20
**Overall:** 3.43
**Community: **4.38

The winners in each category are as follows:

**Innovation:** [Switchbreak 4.21](https://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-18/?uid=2645)
**Fun:** [Invicticide 4.17](https://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-18/?uid=2073)
**Theme:** [TomBom 4.36](https://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-18/?uid=2604)
**Graphics:** [NialM 4.63](https://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-18/?uid=785)
**Audio**: [Greasemonkey 4.07](https://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-18/?uid=2396)
**Humor: **[Deps 4.06](https://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-18/?uid=1116)
**Overall: **[Invicticide 4.07](https://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-18/?uid=2073)
**Community: **[HybridMind 4.52](https://www.ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-18/?uid=234)

Oh well, I enjoyed the competition. Im planning on polishing the game a little more now the competition is over then im going to release it to the wider world.

[![](/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ScreenHunter_01-Aug.-22-09.36.jpg "ScreenHunter_01 Aug. 22 09.36")](/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ScreenHunter_01-Aug.-22-09.36.jpg)

Well its been quite a while since my last progress report. I have mostly been sleeping (well 4 hours of it anyways).



So progress is coming along nicely STILL no gameplay tho :S

So far you can shoot and destroy the enemies and then collect thier giblets before they become part of the terrain. The idea is that you can then shoot those giblets back at the enemies. Take alook if you are interested:

<object style="width: 600px; height: 500px;" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="600" height="500" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="src" value="https://www.mikecann.blog/DumpingGround/ld/18/04/LudumDare18.swf" /><embed style="width: 600px; height: 500px;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600" height="500" src="https://www.mikecann.blog/DumpingGround/ld/18/04/LudumDare18.swf"></embed></object>

Oh I just noticed I left some debug sliders on there I was using to try and hone the bloom levels. Have a play with them if you want.

Right. Gameplay.

[![](/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ScreenHunter_02-Aug.-21-23.59.jpg "ScreenHunter_02 Aug. 21 23.59")](/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ScreenHunter_02-Aug.-21-23.59.jpg)

Okay, im starting to get pretty tired. Its not very late (midnight) but I think the lack of sleep last night is catching up with me. Im gonna get a few hours kip now then back up early to start again I think.



As for progress. I have a basic enemy type in, it doesnt do much except bleed, and it doesnt look too good (I really cant draw!) but oh well.

As before I have done a build that you can "play":

<object style="width: 600px; height: 500px;" classid="clsid:d27cdb6e-ae6d-11cf-96b8-444553540000" width="600" height="500" codebase="https://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,40,0"><param name="src" value="https://www.mikecann.blog/DumpingGround/ld/18/02/LudumDare18.swf" /><embed style="width: 600px; height: 500px;" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="600" height="500" src="https://www.mikecann.blog/DumpingGround/ld/18/03/LudumDare18.swf"></embed></object>

So the next task for me when I wake up is to add some sort of scoring mechanism and ofcourse to add the ability to use the "Enemies as Weapons" :P

Okay its 3:31am the competition started 31mins ago. I had originally intended to wake up at 5-6am then start coding but I couldnt sleep so I thought I would get cracking early then catch a nap later on when im tired.



The theme for the competition is "Enemies as Weapons" which is actually a better theme than what I was expecting "Technology in the wrong time period". I havent got an idea yet but im sure something will come to me :)

Anyways, here is where all the magic will be happeneing over the next 48 hours:

[![](/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/photo-1024x768.jpg "photo")](/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/photo.jpg)

I have ChronoLapse setup to capture a screenshot every 60 seconds so hopefully we will get a nice video at the end showing my progress (or lack of :P).

I will be updating at regular intervals throughout, mainly to break up the dev process a little as 48hours is a long time!

Wish me luck!

[![](/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ScreenHunter_01-Aug.-16-20.48.gif "ScreenHunter_01 Aug. 16 20.48")](/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ScreenHunter_01-Aug.-16-20.48.gif)

Dont think I have blogged about this yet, so im doing so now.



Im planning on entering the 18th Ludum Dare compo, starting this sat. This will be my very first entry and im quite excited!

For those not in the know the Ludum Dare competition is a competition for Indie Games Developers. You have 48 to make a game (practically) from scratch. Its a solo competition so I cant call in my partner in crime [olip.co.uk](https://www.olip.co.uk) to do the artwork for me.

Rules are as follows:

<div id="_mcePaste">

1.  You must work alone (solo).
2.  All game code and content must be created within the 48 hours.
3.  Games must be based on the theme.
4.  All libraries, middleware, content creation, and development tools are allowed.
5.  Source code must be included.
    </div>
    The themes for this edition of the compo are currently being voted on [here](https://www.ludumdare.com/compo/2010/08/15/ludum-dare-18-theme-voting/).

I doubt I will be able to come up with much in the 48 hour limit, but im hoping to get at least something remotely playable!