Post-Submission: What went wrong. What's going to happen.

So.

I'm so embarrassed, but luckily no one noticed the game.
Or, didn't want to hurt my feelings. Or simply didn't know what to say since it's a mess.

I'm not finding excuses but here's
What Went Wrong:

• Reduced dev time: I was both unwell, had to take care of my taxes, had to apply to Settled status (i.e. almost a UK citizen), it was my birthday and had the usual mid life crisis. So adding up all time I barely had 5 evenings to create everything.
• Statistically rare internet outage: I've never had a single outage in 3 years maybe, and it had to happen 30 minutes before the final submission. I panicked. Like, a lot. It felt like a comedy sketch. I was trying to piece missing features as soon as I could, and then I finally set up a mobile data hotspot to make the submission. I'm glad I cut out the text fields in the submission form, as I was able to complete the upload about 30 seconds before the deadline.
• Scope creep: I had a whole physics system in mind with active ragdolls, neat collision/feedback system, IK, card-based power ups, destructibles, and had to scale down everything and cut away features several times as I realized I just couldn't make it.
• Compensating: no, non it that sense. I was aware the idea wasn't shining originality (I had to cut out the original bits), so I tried to focus on other aspects.
• Rust. Yup, I got rusty with Unity. For over a year I had a repulsion even to just open the editor after the "scandal". I have been tinkering with Unreal and other engines while living on my savings.
• No "Last 24 Hours" Playtesting & Iteration
  Because of the internet outage and last-minute crunch, there was zero time for proper testing. That led to a lot of systems being half-functional or broken.
• Underestimating how rusty I was
• Too Many Systems, Too Little Time: even in a best-case scenario, the game had enemy AI, physics-based swordplay, damage systems, procedural weak spots, procedural dungeon, card-based powerups, UI, waves, and narrative. That’s a lot for one person in a jam.
• No time for Polish: even when things worked, they lacked the final touch to make them feel satisfying (sound feedback, animations, camera shake, clear UI cues, etc.).

What Went Right:

• I submitted. Despite all the disasters, I got something in before the deadline. It’s a mess, but it exists. I'm aware it's a stain in my career, I lost my paladinhood, but my goal was to -push something out- Even the jankest of the turds. It had to happen. And I'm proud of it.
• I touched Unity again. After a year of avoiding it, I forced myself back in, even if it was rough.
• I honestly like the sword feel and implementation. It took a few iterations, but I'm glad it feels intuitive and doesn't require an extra key (Arx Fatalis)
• I finished. Embarrassed or not, I didn’t quit. That’s still a win. It was painful making the cuts, but there's something. Horrible, but it's something.
• Not sure if it's a "right": I made what I wanted to instead of trying to shine at all costs with a clever interpretation. I see this is controversial - but I know myself. I was aware it was...basic, but I was tired of having to do something "original".

What now?

• I’ll go through the wreckage. I need to check what is salvageable.
• Fixes? Maybe. If I can muster the energy, I might push an update post-jam just so it’s not entirely broken. Not a full rework, but at least a band-aid patch. Unless someone likes it and can manage to see what was my initial vision and kinda motivate me. Unlikely. 
• Maybe a new jam? It sounds insane, but I actually learned a lot here. I might throw myself into another one soon, just with a way smaller scope.
• I won't let this define me. I feel I need to write it down for myself (actually, most of this is for myself, there are thousands of entries and I didn't dare to promote this mess in any way). This was rough, but it’s not my legacy. It was a messy, forced step forward, but a step forward nonetheless. I'll try not to spiral in self-doubt.

For now, food, sleep, and a long moment of staring at the ceiling.

Thanks for reading, and see ya at another jam.