Mouse Potato's log, entry 3, yamdate 54.250.

Last month, I managed to successfully participate in my first proper game jam, having only participated in one non-game jam and a few casual ones. It was a game jam about reflections... and it's time for me to reflect on what I did right and what I can do better next time.

Here's the end result of my efforts, and here are some tips I wish I knew before I started.

1. Scale down to succeed

Actually, if you can, start small. But even if you try starting small, you'll probably realise you need to start even smaller. And if you start really small and work up, it will be more motivating than starting big and being forced to cut down on content.

My first idea was a game about reflecting and refracting sunlight, and it would involve wide sun rays that you would be able to reflect and refract parts of... and this task ended up requiring a lot of complicated geometry and is hardly suited for a game jam, let alone a first-time one.

So I scaled down to using laser rays, but this brought a whole other set of problems.

2. Use tutorials

While easier to handle than a wide light beam, a laser ray would still have to reflect, refract, and do so in real time within a dynamic environment. I tried to do it myself, but experienced one issue after another.

Thankfully, someone else already made a tutorial on this - but I needed to scope down again.

3. If you can, team up with someone.

Honestly, this one is probably going to be tough for me for a while still, but I still want to recommend it. (and I couldn't think of a better #3 at the moment)

Do you have any questions or tips? Let me know in the comments!