February MAGS: Armageddon Margaret

Started by ElaineMc, Mon 23/02/2004 19:07:35

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ElaineMc

My submission can be downloaded here: http://overactivei.net/ags/am01.htm

General plotline: Homicidal robotic zombies, under the command of Margaret Abbott, have overrun the quiet English countryside. It's up to Felicia Delgado to figure out what's going on, stop her nefarious scheme, rescue the captive Lord Bright, and, ideally, not die.

It's my very first complete game, and I really, really hope there aren't any outstanding bugs.
1. Never make unnecessary noise.
2. Never use unnecessary light.
3. Never expect a rescue.
Outrider - Zombies exist. Deal with them.

Bluke4x4

What do I do next? I have the axe, and I've seen the dead robot, the clown die, and the manse, (and the painting). Please tell. I like the storyline a lot so far.

ElaineMc

Spoiler
You need to search the office, the room with the sinks, and the room *next* to the office-- that ought to get you all the things and the info you need.
[close]
1. Never make unnecessary noise.
2. Never use unnecessary light.
3. Never expect a rescue.
Outrider - Zombies exist. Deal with them.

Squinky

I had the pleasure of beta-testing this game and I wa greatly impressed. I loved the setting and mood, and how you somehow managed to mix in zombies....

All in all good job, and so far this game has my vote....

Looking foward to seeing more from you.

Peter Thomas

This game be cool.

Hooray for Elaine!!

(I like the ending. It made me feel like the story was....complete)
Peter: "Being faggy isn't bad!"
AGA: "Shush, FAG!"

big brother

Great game so far!

Spoiler
I opened the panel that houses the green button and the two vials. What do I do now?
[close]
Mom's Robot Oil. Made with 10% more love than the next leading brand.
("Mom" and "love" are registered trademarks of Mom-Corp.)

ElaineMc

Squinky: Thanks! I learned a lot about how to put a game together with this project, and feedback and commentary from you, MrMasse, and several others really helped.

Peter Thomas: Glad you liked the ending. I really, really wanted some kind of closure, since I've been frustrated in the past (Bureau 13, I'm looking *right at you*) with games that had a rotten ending.

Big brother:

Glad you're enjoying it! I had a lot of fun-- sometimes a lot of aggravation, but still, a lot of fun-- putting it all together.

Spoiler
Check out the panel closely-- there should be something there that tells you which inventory item needs to be used next.
[close]
1. Never make unnecessary noise.
2. Never use unnecessary light.
3. Never expect a rescue.
Outrider - Zombies exist. Deal with them.

big brother

Yea, I must be missing something.

Spoiler
The book doesn't help me, and when I use the axe on the panel, it tells me I have to find something to open it.
[close]

When I use the lantern on the panel it says "I have *barely*" enough light to see, but if I use it with the empty slot it says "I have plenty of light already."

Sometimes I can walk through doorways, while other times I must "use" them.

Spoiler
When I talk to the guy trapped in the room, he tells me a lot of info and hints, but once I open the panel with the metal card, it won't let me talk to him anymore. Hope he didn't have anything important to say.
[close]

Also, in the beginning, I can't open the desk lid with the key, I have to use the key with the desk to open the lid.
The lack of interaction can be frustrating at times. For instance, after spilling the blood out of the bowl, nothing I do to either the blood or the bowl elicits a message. If there isn't supposed to be any interaction, why are both of these things hotspots???

Does this game feature a clown or a famous person?
Mom's Robot Oil. Made with 10% more love than the next leading brand.
("Mom" and "love" are registered trademarks of Mom-Corp.)

nope!

#8
Argg, I'm also stuck!

Spoiler
I think that I need a vial to put in the empty slot...but I can't open this damn' out-of-order zombie
[close]

Big Brother: Yes, this game features a clown: the guy who is dying/in coma (screen between the village and the field that leads to the mansion)

ElaineMc

Big Brother:

Spoiler

> The book doesn't help me, and when I use the axe on the panel, it tells me I have to find something to open it. <

That might be a text clarification issue. If you look at the panel, you'll note that there are two blood vials, and one empty slot. You need a vial of blood to allow the machine to be deactivated.

Maybe that needs a rewrite-- something to specify that the other two vials are filling slots already?
[close]

> When I use the lantern on the panel it says "I have *barely*" enough light to see, but if I use it with the empty slot it says "I have plenty of light already."<

Ooops. Okay, that's an editing error, which will go on my list of things I need to correct. Originally, I was using the flashlight plug-in, but initial beta-testers said it wasn't so much atmospheric, as just plain dark.

> Sometimes I can walk through doorways, while other times I must "use" them. <

I tried to set it up so that you could walk through doorways, but had to actually interact with closed doors. I'll do another run-through to make sure that I'm doing that consistently throughout play, though.

Spoiler
> Hope he didn't have anything important to say.<

Nope! Once you're done, you're done. That's why I went on ahead and coded it that way, so you don't waste time trying to get him to say something else.
[close]

> Also, in the beginning, I can't open the desk lid with the key, I have to use the key with the desk to open the lid. <

Damn. I thought I'd fixed that. Originally, I'd been using a locked desk drawer, but that seemed like a waste of the roll-top itself. That'll *also* go on the corrections list.

> If there isn't supposed to be any interaction, why are both of these things hotspots??? <

In that case, spilling the blood *is* the interaction. It was intended to give a clue as to what the room was used for [which Lord Bright explains], and suggest just how the blood is collected from victims. I'll see if I can't fine-tune that a bit.

Thanks very much for your comments-- they'll help me make a better final release, and hopefully I'll be able to keep this stuff in mind as I work on others.

nope!:

Spoiler
>I think that I need a vial to put in the empty slot...but I can't open this damn' out-of-order zombie <

You can get a full vial from Lord Bright's office.
[close]
1. Never make unnecessary noise.
2. Never use unnecessary light.
3. Never expect a rescue.
Outrider - Zombies exist. Deal with them.

Totoro

This is really really good, it has very nice story elements, a nice main character, good graphics... hard to believe its "only" a mags-game. I hope we can see more great games from you in the future :)

miryoku_81

This is a really great game so far.  The atmosphere is amazing and there are a fair number of rooms considering you didn't have very long to put this together.

I need help, though.

Spoiler
I can't find the vial in Lord Bright's office (or what I think is his office). All I can really look at of importance is the book and the torso
[close]

ElaineMc

Totoro: Thanks for the kind words. I do plan more games-- very short ones, like AM. I've had a lot of encouragement and excellent feedback from the AGS community, and I think I'll improve as I go along.

miryoko81: Thanks! I've always been fond of the Gothic genre, and that's partly what this game draws on. I was thrilled by how many rooms were listed in the room editor... right up until I realised that something like eight or nine [if you count the semi-easter egg I included] were non-interactive. Ah, well. *g*

Spoiler
can't find the vial in Lord Bright's office

There's a cabinet to the right of the EBot torso-- poke around it a little  bit, and you should find what you need. :)

[close]
1. Never make unnecessary noise.
2. Never use unnecessary light.
3. Never expect a rescue.
Outrider - Zombies exist. Deal with them.

tootsie69


Creed Malay

This is just lovely. Reminds me of some of the sega games I wasted my youth on, for some reason. Only got a little way into it, but you've already got my vote. Fantastic piece of work.

Davy
Mobile Meat Machines - Comics of Animals and Education! - http://meatmachines.livejournal.com/

MrColossal

i enjoyed the game very much also.

i'd love to have seen the ethrobots in action, they could be quite scary
"This must be a good time to live in, since Eric bothers to stay here at all"-CJ also: ACHTUNG FRANZ!

ElaineMc

tootsie69: I can't download

That's odd. I believe my ISP was doing some adjustments earlier, though, and it might have disrupted things a bit. I checked just now, and the download worked fine.

Creed Malay: Thanks, that's very kind of you. I really did have a lot of fun with it.

MrColossal: i'd love to have seen the ethrobots in action, they could be quite scary

I actually had a whole confrontation scene written out, but I scrapped it; I'm still learning how AGS works, and I thought it'd be smarter to keep things nice and simple.

I would like to do a second part, though, sort of a siege approach, with the few remaining living humans holding off the EBots, while the PC tries to find a way to put a stop to them / goes for help / something like that....
1. Never make unnecessary noise.
2. Never use unnecessary light.
3. Never expect a rescue.
Outrider - Zombies exist. Deal with them.

Creed Malay

Completed this now - fantastic. Love the gothic setting, and the fact that the character isn't a hero - she gets scared. The bit when she runs out of the house is a very nice touch - really involves you with the character. Very nice ending, too - wraps up the story nicely, but give you the feeling that it's the start of something epic.

And - semi-easter egg? Where? Where?

Davy
Mobile Meat Machines - Comics of Animals and Education! - http://meatmachines.livejournal.com/

Gord10

Nice game! And it is very long for a MAGS game. I think it might be the winner of the competition (though I've voted for Escape From The Zombie City ;D  :) ).
Games are art!
My horror game, Self

ElaineMc

Creed Malay: The bit when she runs out of the house is a very nice touch - really involves you with the character.

Thanks! That took way, way too much time to put together-- I had to figure out how the various elements work. At one point, I almost scrapped the whole concept, but when it was over, I was glad I kept it.

> And - semi-easter egg? Where? Where?

Well, it's an easter egg in the sense that it's hidden, and it's a little extra something. It was *almost* an out-take, or a behind-the-scenes parody, but I didn't have quite enough time to polish anything.

Spoiler
When the game is over, you'll come to the credit screen again. When the credits are done, there should be a brief pause-- just long enough to allow you to click on Felicia. You'll be zapped to a a room with a view of the manse in daylight, which is also a jukebox sort of thing-- by clicking the golden notes, you can play the various midis used during the game.
[close]

Gord10-Ahmet -- thanks! And I voted for Squinky's game, myself. *g*
1. Never make unnecessary noise.
2. Never use unnecessary light.
3. Never expect a rescue.
Outrider - Zombies exist. Deal with them.

rtf

Yay!  Congradulations! You win!  Good job!

I of course voted for myself, knowing that your game was supirior to mine in every way possible  ::)  hehehe.

great job, elane!
I fail at art.

Kediri

Loving your game - I have to admit I was getting a bit worried around the robots   :o
I'm a little stuck on what to use against Margaret  ???
Spoiler
I broke the axe - getting through the door
[close]

ElaineMc

#22
Once you use the axe on the door, you should have only have a few things
Spoiler
(a lantern and a book)
[close]
left in your inventory-- one of those things should work on Margaret.

I'm glad you're enjoying it; I really had a lot of fun putting it all together.
1. Never make unnecessary noise.
2. Never use unnecessary light.
3. Never expect a rescue.
Outrider - Zombies exist. Deal with them.

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