Post-Jam and Submission
Post-Jam and Submission
Submission Checklist
- Export the final build and test it on a clean machine
- Write the game description (itch.io or Ludum Dare page)
- Upload screenshots or a GIF
- List controls clearly
- Add credits for assets and tools used
- Check the platform’s file size limits
- Submit before the deadline. Don’t optimize the last 10 minutes.
Submit early. The site often slows down as the deadline approaches and people rush to upload.
The Post-Mortem
Write one after every jam. It is how the best practices in this playbook were discovered.
What went well?
What would you repeat? Be specific. “Good teamwork” is not useful. “We locked the concept at hour 4 and never revisited it” is.
What went wrong?
What would you change? Again, be specific. Look for root causes, not symptoms.
Key lesson
One sentence you carry into your next jam. Write it somewhere you will see it before the next one starts.
The clearest example of this working: JorgeGameDev identified late design decisions and neglected audio after Colossorama (LD36). Both were fixed in Hyper Holomayhem (LD37). Read your previous post-mortem before the next jam.
After Ratings
- Read player feedback and look for patterns across multiple comments
- Decide whether you want to continue development or move on
Retrospective for Next Jam
Before the next game jam, try to review your post-mortem and ask yourself some questions, for example:
- Did I run into the same problems again?
- Did my scope estimate improve?
- What is one practice I should add or drop next time?