Development Story and Goals

Ludum Dare 57 arrived with the theme depths, presenting our team with another opportunity to showcase our evolving game development skills and creative problem-solving abilities. After the lessons learned from previous Ludum Dare entries, we approached this jam with refined processes and ambitious creative goals.

“Treats for Charybdis” emerged from our brainstorming around environmental themes and internet culture, specifically the meme about throwing car batteries into the ocean. We decided to embrace the absurdity through an engaging physics-based game.

Technology Stack and Technical Evolution

Primary Technologies:

• Godot Engine - Continued use of our preferred engine for 2D/3D hybrid development
• GDScript - Godot’s scripting language for rapid gameplay implementation

Systems Implemented:

• Throwing Mechanics - Throwing minigame reminiscent of existing video games like Dead By Daylight
• Ocean Simulation - Dynamic water effects and underwater environment rendering
• AI Players - Simulate a couch co-op experience by having 3 computers compete against the player.

Rationale Behind Technology Choices: Building on our previous Godot experience, we focused on pushing the engine’s physics capabilities to create satisfying throwing mechanics. The engine’s integrated physics system allowed us to achieve realistic object interactions without external dependencies, maintaining our rapid development workflow.

Technical Challenges and Environmental Design

Physics Implementation:

• Projectile Dynamics - Creating satisfying throwing mechanics with proper arc calculation
• Speed Control - Speeding up the game during AI turns without loosing precision of the physics simulation
• Object Nudging - Gaining slightly more depth by allowing the players to nudge the car battery, applying a small amount of force.

Lessons Learned and Technical Growth

Physics Programming: Developing Treats for Charybdis provided deep experience with physics programming and environmental simulation. Working with Godot’s physics engine taught valuable lessons about optimization, realistic object behavior, and creating satisfying player feedback through mechanical design.

Technical Skills Development:

• Advanced proficiency with Godot’s physics and rendering systems
• Experience with dynamic environmental effects and particle systems
• Improved understanding of audio design for immersive game environments
• Better coordination of visual and mechanical design elements

Project Impact and Jam Results

Jam Results:

• 397th Overall
• 189th in Innovation - Showcasing the uniqueness of our game idea
• 23rd in Humor - Humor remains a critical piece of our game development process

Technical Innovation Recognition: The physics-based gameplay and environmental simulation techniques developed for Treats for Charybdis demonstrate the potential for game jams to explore serious themes through engaging mechanics. The project showcases how entertainment and environmental awareness can be effectively combined in interactive media.

Future Applications: The physics simulation and environmental storytelling techniques developed for this project have applications in educational games, environmental awareness campaigns, and physics-based puzzle games. The technical solutions continue to influence approaches to meaningful game design in subsequent projects.