Florence Memories

# Florence Memories

Was created with infinite love during Ludum Dare 58 => see https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/58/florence-memories

## A Love Letter to my Baby Girl (from MrBamboo)

This game was made with all the love in my heart for Florence, my beautiful 4-month-old daughter. Every cloud, every memory, every gentle moment is for her — a gift from her papa to celebrate the joy she brings to our lives.

Florence, when you're old enough to play this someday, know that you were loved from your very first breath. This is our family's story: the things we love, the adventures we dream of taking you on, and the memories we're already making together.

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## The Story

On a beautiful sunny day, our little family decided to go hiking together. Mom, dad, and baby Florence ventured into nature, enjoying the fresh air and the warmth of the sun. After walking along the trail, we found the perfect spot — a soft patch of grass overlooking the sky.

We laid down together, Florence nestled safely between us, and simply watched the clouds drift by.

As we gazed up at the endless blue, something magical happened. The clouds began to form shapes — a teddy bear like the one in Florence's nursery, a butterfly dancing on the breeze, a rainbow promising adventure. Each shape sparked a memory, a dream, or a moment of love from our family's journey together.

**"Look, Florence,"** we whispered, pointing at each formation as it appeared. **"Can you see it?"**

This game captures that perfect afternoon — a family lying in the grass, collecting memories from the clouds, and cherishing the simple joy of being together. It's about the wonder in Florence's eyes as she discovers the world, and the overwhelming love we feel watching her grow.

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## Theme: Collection

"Florence Memories" embodies the **Ludum Dare 58 theme of Collection** through the lens of family and shared wonder:

**Collecting Moments Together**: Like any family watching clouds drift by, we're collecting fleeting moments of beauty and imagination. Each cloud shape is a treasure we discover together — mom, dad, and Florence.

**Building Our Family's Story**: Each memory represents something our family loves or dreams of sharing with Florence. From adventures in nature (like our hiking trip!) to cozy moments at home, we're gathering the pieces of the life we're building together.

**Preserving Wonder**: The act of watching clouds mirrors that perfect afternoon lying in the grass with Florence — slowing down, being present, and marveling at the world together. The collection mechanic asks players to be patient and attentive, just like we were with our baby girl.

**Sharing Love Through Shapes**: Through these 12 cloud formations, we're celebrating the world we want Florence to know — from Quebec's beautiful Rocher Percé to the simple joy of strawberries, from cuddly teddy bears to magical rainbows. Each shape is something we hope to share with her as she grows.

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## How Our Memories Were Made

Each cloud formation in the game represents a piece of our family's heart.

As you collect each memory, you're experiencing what we felt that day — pure joy, boundless love, and the magic of seeing the world through a child's wondering eyes.

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## How to Play

### Getting Started

1. Click **Play** to join our family's cloud-watching adventure

2. Read the tutorial screen (it tells our hiking story!)

3. Lie back in the grass with us and watch the clouds drift by

### Collecting Cloud Memories

**Watch the Sky Together**: Clouds drift gently across the screen, just like they did that afternoon. Most are just passing clouds, but some will form into special shapes — the things our family saw and loved.

**Wait for the Magic**: When a cloud formation fully appears, a **glowing outline** will surround it for about **5 seconds**. This is the moment to capture that shared memory!

**Click to Remember**: Click anywhere on the highlighted shape. Watch as it gently fades and the memory flies into your family scrapbook — just like Florence's eyes widening as she notices each new cloud.

**Share Your Collection**: A small book icon sits in the bottom-right corner. Click it to expand and see which memories you've gathered. Each one has a title and a heartfelt description — little love notes about our family's journey.

**Enjoy the Moment**: New cloud shapes appear approximately every 20 seconds. Like lying in the grass watching the sky, there's no rush. The joy is in being present together. There are 12 unique memories to find.

### The Special Ending

After collecting all 12 memories, watch as the clouds form one final, magical surprise — a tribute to the star of our hiking adventure. When the animation completes, click on it to see the credits and celebrate this collection of love.

Click anywhere after the credits to return to the main menu and relive that perfect afternoon all over again.

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## Tips for Players

**Embrace the Peace**: This game is like that afternoon in the grass — peaceful, gentle, and meant to be savored with people you love.

**No Pressure**: Every memory will appear eventually, just like clouds keep drifting by. Take your time and enjoy the sky.

**Read the Memories**: Click the book icon to expand it and read each description. They're little stories about our family and the love we share with Florence.

**Enjoy the Journey**: This takes about 5-10 minutes, but feel free to pause and breathe. The clouds will still be there when you return, just like they were waiting for us that day.

**Share the Experience**: If you're a parent who's laid in the grass with your little one, or if you remember doing this as a child, you'll recognize the wonder in these clouds.

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## Design Philosophy

"Florence Memories" was created during Ludum Dare 58's 48-hour game jam, inspired by a perfect afternoon with our baby girl.

We wanted to create:

- **A moment of peace** — like lying in the grass with your family, watching clouds drift by

- **A celebration of parenthood** — the joy of discovery, the love that overflows, the beauty of simple moments

- **A family keepsake** — something Florence can experience someday and remember: "This was us, watching the world together"

Every detail was chosen with love:

- Clouds drift slowly, like that lazy afternoon when time stood still

- The 5-second collection window creates presence — being truly in the moment, pointing at the sky, sharing wonder

- The memory descriptions are love letters from mom and dad to Florence

- The ending animation celebrates the greatest treasure of all — our baby girl

This game is our family's story of a perfect day, but we hope it reminds you of your own precious moments — lying in the grass, watching clouds, and feeling grateful for the people beside you.

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## Technical Achievement

Built in **Godot Engine 4** using **GDScript** during a 48-hour game jam while caring for a 4-month-old baby (yes, really! Florence was very patient with papa):

- **Dynamic Cloud System**: Realistic cloud movement with depth perception

- **Event-Driven Architecture**: Custom MessageBus for clean, decoupled game systems

- **Smart Spawning**: Collision avoidance ensures cloud shapes never overlap

- **Responsive Design**: Adapts beautifully to any screen size

- **Smooth Animations**: Polished transitions throughout the entire experience

- **Complete Game Loop**: Tutorial, gameplay, ending sequence, credits, and replay functionality

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## Credits

**2D Art & Visual Design**: Maë (aka Ediacara) — A talented 2D artist who spent the entire weekend with me designing these wonderful assets. Thank you for bringing our clouds to life! 🎨

**Music**: Palash Sunvaiya — For creating beautiful, free music and sharing it with the world at [Pixabay](https://pixabay.com/users/p4lash-24520502/). Your work made this game special. Donation sent with gratitude! 🎵

**Game Design & Programming**: MrBamboo — Just enjoying game jam time with friends! 🎮

**Special Thanks To**:

- **Florence's Mama** — For love, support, and sharing that perfect hiking day

- **Our Little Florence** — For being the inspiration