What is MAGS?
MAGS is a monthly competition for all amateur adventure game makers. The idea is to use AGS to create a game in under a month, following the rules set by the previous winner.
For more information please visit the Official MAGS Website (http://www.mags-competition.tk)
Why should I enter MAGS?
We're not here to tell you that you should enter MAGS, but merely allow it as a creative opportunity to help you work to a deadline, improve your skills, and generally as a good kick-start for the new comers (a.k.a n00bies).
MAGS is the perfect opportuninty to make a game, and the wonderful prize is to announce the net month's rules, and all competitiors get the game placed on the MAGS website.
MAGS is meant to be fun and is aimed at everyone, despite their skill. If you have poor art skills work on graphics, and vice-versa, as the voting is based on "favourite" games, and not the most artistic, you may get help for the competiton, but must not get anyone else to do any part of the game for you.
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Topic: Hotel
The game must take place in a hotel.
It should be based upon one or two of the following genres:
- Crime
- Horror
- Western
- Sci-Fi
No puzzles should involve any sort of keys. Keyholes are fine.
At least 4 rooms. This can include a bar, reception, and/or any other sort of room which might fit into your hotel.
The main character could be good or bad. At least 3 other characters, and both genders should be represented.
Any resolution.
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All entries should be in by February 25th.
Please post a download link of your game entry to this thread, best with a screenshot. Thanks and good luck.
No lockpicks either?
I take that to mean that the whole game must take place in the hotel.
I said to myself at the end of the last mags that i WOULD take part in the next, I'm not entirely in love with the idea of the whole game taking place there, but I will enter so as to be true to myself. This will also be my first game with AGS.
Thanks - Rich
[edit] What doesn't come across in the post is that i was asking whether it MUST all take place in a hotel.
Quote from: DontTreadOnMe on Tue 01/02/2005 16:58:24What doesn't come across in the post is that i was asking whether it MUST all take place in a hotel.
The answer is yes. The idea is; since a hotel is neutral ground, more will depend on the characterization and plot to make the game shine. (5DaS does this nicely - strong characters and plot on neutral ground.)
QuoteNo lockpicks either?
Finding ways to open locked doors is probably the first idea popping into many heads when the setting is a hotel. And the first idea is 99% of the time a cliché. If you can avoid it and think up other types of puzzles; then that's great. Look at my zoo game. 80% of it is pure cliché.
QuoteI will enter so as to be true to myself.
That's the spirit! :)
*edit*
I had to pull out of this months, social stuff.
How about swiping key cards (like modern hotels)?
Ill give it a go, don't expect anything amazing. I have come up with a style and basic idea for the game. It will be set in the land of lego (because it gives me some easy to work with characters for animation, a cool style, but most of all alows me to play with the 2 crates of lego i have in the loft)
[edit] I also have a good idea for some horror... taken from a video made by a friend with lego 3 years ago, "MY GOD! LOOK AT HIS ARM... HIS ARM!!! HE HAS NO ARM!!!"
[edit] And now im piddled off cuz i cant find it. That was to be the basis for a whole plot...
Can the player character HAVE a key, provided it doesn't have anything to do with solving any puzzle?
Now this sounds very interesting. I AM gonna take part in this.Ã, :D
That's the spirit guys! Great rules neil! :D
QuoteCan the player character HAVE a key, provided it doesn't have anything to do with solving any puzzle?
Sure.
Does it have to be a hotel hotel, or does a little motel type off-town place do?
Quote from: Ishmael on Wed 02/02/2005 10:58:41
Does it have to be a hotel hotel, or does a little motel type off-town place do?
Quotemotel nÃ, hotel for motorists, with space for parking cars near the rooms.
Yes it'll do.
Good. :)
Hmmm... sounds interesting. Might have a go at this one. (seeing as I'm probably one of the few people who hasn't entered the ATC ;D)
Hmmm, maybe i'll give it a try too
Are areas that are actually outside but really part of the hotel grounds allowed? e.g. Car Park (underground maybe?) Rooftop, Open air pool, Forecourt...
Can we maybe have a little bit outside the hotel as part of an opening/closing cutscene or a flashback?
Quote from: SSH on Thu 03/02/2005 12:48:13Are areas that are actually outside but really part of the hotel grounds allowed? e.g. Car Park (underground maybe?) Rooftop, Open air pool, Forecourt...
Can we maybe have a little bit outside the hotel as part of an opening/closing cutscene or a flashback?
I'd say they're allowed, as 5DaS was referenced, and it had outside areas... but that's just my interpretion of the rule.
Sure, any part of the hotel is allowed... even the outside parts :)
What if the keys are not used as keys, but rather:
Spoiler
The player needs to get someone in the car park's attention, and they use their car keys to remotely unlock and lock their car, thus making the car go "beep-beep" and so the person turns around...
SSH: Neat idea, but it would be "a puzzle where a key is involved", so it's against the rules. You may however call the main character Mr. Key. It could be set in Key Hotel. You can have a woman with a dress made of keys. And so on, just keep the keys out of the puzzles :)
If anyone else can think of original puzzles involving the use of keys, make up a list and you'll be all set for the eventual "MAGS - Keys only" competition :=
I'm gonna take part in this month's MAGS, too - but because it's my first adventure I'm still struggling with a few technical problems and I don't know if the story isn't too long to manage it in just four weeks.
But I'll give my best and hope that I can finish it before the deadline :).
I hope that to get the spoiler thing you use the hide tag, if not im sorry for the spoiler.
Spoiler
Would using the room numbers off keys that are hanging off a board be considered as using keys in a puzzel? otherwise i need to find another way to conceal the safe code but i would like to use that way
Also i have just remebered im on holiday for a week so finishing this might be a close call, i may not even finish, but i should be fine as i am making good speed so far. Im counting on all the votes of those hardcore LEGO fans
DontTreadOnMe:
Hmm... like SSH's idea, it is good, but still it includes keys and is a puzzle..
Spoiler
Couldn't you use another type of board, some mail-system or something... just a thought
Can't wait to see the LEGO in action :)
everyone else: Keep it up! :D
I`m working on a MAGS game now too. It will be my first game, and i really hope to finish it.
And for the others who participate, good luck with the game :D.
Edit:
I have a question, the rules say the puzzles may not contain any sort of keys, but are keypads allowed?
The rule about the keys was meant to make people think of other type of puzzles, and not tons of "locked door - gotta find/steal the key" which would be the obvious cliché in the setting.
A keypad isn't by definition a type of key, so that would be a way around it.
BTW, there's nothing in the rules saying you need to unlock doors in the game... but as long as you follow the rules, you can of course do as you wish :=
If I win (hah!), the March MAGS will be to try and have the most original use of a key in a puzzle.... looks like people have lots of ideas. Your ban on keys is like if someone tells you NOT to think of an elephant.... you can't do it. ;)
I will have a key in my game but not a key key... ;)
Do you mind if my game don't have a plot?
...
...oh, right...
I'm sure I'm not gonna take part in March MAGS no matter who wins, so here is my key puzzle:
Spoiler
Take a large iron key that is hollow inside, pour some powder inside, warm it and it will shoot. Buy the key will be ruined after one shot.
By the way, Klaus, the otherwise excellent MAGS site still has the old agsforums.com addess for AGS and the forums...
One last question about use of keys...
Spoiler
Can there be a spiritual key?
its kinda stupid, but i might use it near the end of the game, but it probably wont show up in a puzzle, other than as a reward.
My game is coming along wonderfully. If i wasnt going on holiday for a week and a bit i would have it finished by the16th without too much hassle, as it is i will only have from the 19th to the 24th to finish it and im leaving on friday. I still shouldnt have any problems but there wouldn't be as much time to iron out creases. ::)
The graphics are rather simplistic, but i really like the way it looks, ive attached a pic at the bottom of the post. What ive really leaned though is a lot about story making (not that this story will be amazing, but im hoping people will find the characters interesting as well as the relationships between them) and how to use a single cursor, which was a steep learning curve.
If this picture is offensive to any LEGO lover and i have included custom LEGO pieces then I appologise. I've loved working with them, and may even to do so again.
(http://www.rjtwilton.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/LEGOscreen1.png%3Cbr%20/%3E)
Quote from: SSH on Wed 09/02/2005 17:14:19
By the way, Klaus, the otherwise excellent MAGS site still has the old agsforums.com addess for AGS and the forums...
Thanks for the compliment and yes - I know about the old address: I hoped for "agsforums.com" to return one fine day but it seems as if the "bigbluecup" is more than a workaround now...
Man, someone should TOTALLY make a game with actual LEGO someday, building all the sets and stuff and then taking photos. That would be SO ubersweet.
And.. um... my game's coming along okay too (I say "MY", but there are others working with me). Hopefully I'll even get it in by the deadline. What? It could happen.
Since I just KNOW someone else is going to go and snatch it up otherwise, my working title for the thing is "NO VACANCY".
...
please don't eat me. :P
I am really getting worried about finishing my game on time :(. I hate deadlines.
(dont say: Welcome to ags, it is not original ;))
I''ve been working on a game for this mags too. Really digging the rules. Don't know how it will go, got the plot figured, and some swanky puzzle ideas....just can't decide on the bg's. Since I've started I've made a few isometrc ones and some iso characters, then decided I didn't like it, and have folled around with many flash-made bg's and about three "normal" 2d bgs....I just can't finish any I like.....
Mine will be called "DeadWood Hotel"
/me waits for lame dead wood jokes
@DontTreadonMe: That looks really LEGOesk, I'm looking forward to see the finished game.
My own game is making progress, too. Up to now I've included two NPCs, six rooms and much dialog. It'll be in a comic style (I can't do anything else :-\) and the story will be something between crime, mystery, history and SF. My working title is "Missing since Midnight" but mabe I'll change that to another alliteration.
@Squinky: When did the wood die ;D?
I got worried of my schedules.. but in case I make it, and as the title reservation is up, mine's "Hotel Holocaust" (or the other way around, I don't remember....)
Since everyone else is announcing their titles, mine will be called "Pixel Hunt" and will concentrate on plot, characters and gameplay rather then graphics (in other words, the graphics suck bigtime). I am also using this game to check the development of a game using AGS 2.7 beta object-oriented scripting and plan to publish the game as open-source, so that others can see how it might be done.
Game has 9 characters, 10 locations, and will have at least 4 different endings. Everyone else's games look really interesting, so it looks like a bumper crop of MAGS games might be on the way...
My game will be called "The Dream Hotel". It's a horror-crime mix. I'm just not sure if I can get it finished before the deadline because I'm pretty slow in this game making thingÃ, :(. But I'll try.
And mine will be called....
Ha! I ain't telling until its done! :P
But, at the moment, I've done a few backgrounds, and I'm working on the character sprite (man I hate doing walkcycles). I've got a rough-and-ready plot, and I'm just trying to sort out some puzzles to fit it. It shant be terribly long because I'm trying to improve my scripting skills by playing around with the GUI. I don't know if I can compete with the lego though!
DontTreadOnMe:
Spoiler
Sure, if the key - spiritual or not - is a reward and used to solve a puzzle, it's good
Everyone:
Can't wait till the end of the month! Looks very promising! Wee!
I am claiming (since everyone does) the name Hotel Horror. Progress is good.
Progress for mine (well, OURS now... I've assembled a team) is going okay, but I'm iffy about the deadline. If not, we'll just get it out when it's done, I guess.
Sorry about starting this whole name claiming fiasco. :-\ I was just worried that someone else might take such an obvious title, I guess.
I wonder what the largest number of entries for a single MAGS was?....
Quote from: ozwalled at work on Mon 14/02/2005 18:02:52
I wonder what the largest number of entries for a single MAGS was?....
Oh a question for some statistics :)
Actually the second MAGS competition in June 2001 made the most entries with 6 games. Sad but true: Most of the games are no longer online. The topic was "One room".
This record is followed by 4 competitions each with 5 entries: 2003-06 Film, 2003-09 Classic Mythical Beast, 2004-02 Zombie Nightmare and 2004-09 Fantasy. These are themes that probably some of you (hopefully most of you) can remember.
More information about the passed competitions you can find on the official MAGS website (http://www.mags-competition.tk).
By the way: Often there's an announcement of many entries and in the end we only see about two games entering the contest. Hopefully this won't happen this time...
I'm afraid my game won't probably make it, the plot is falling apart, so the last of it which reminds of an adventure game seems to be drifting away. :-[
Heh, I've started mine over from scratch about twice, but I think I may be done in time, depending on when the real work comes down the shoot on the atc game on on...
Quote from: Klaus on Wed 16/02/2005 18:48:03
What is MAGS?
MAGS is a monthly competition for all amateur adventure game makers.
Squinky, are you a amateur? :P.
Hell yeah, my brotha
Well, i would have entered this MAGS (looks very good)
But i can't do any characters :-\ that is the worst part, which i have already tried befour and finally gave up, i like creating Bg's but, i can't create characters....
Right, just got back from ski trip (which was amazing) and am about to get back to work on the game, it should be ready by the deadline, but it MIGHT be a close call. The plot still needs a little work, but all the rooms and most of the room scripting are complete, most animation is complete, there are still one or two charatcer sprites to complete but they take 5 mins each based on a simple template. The big job is scripting the story because at all times you have free roming of the hotel and the story will take place in acts and at the end of each act people move about, new things apear and things change, this will be the hardest part of the game to create.
Other than that still going well, reviewing all that makes it look less work. I did however leave out the music, im no musician so there might not be any music, if your lucky you might get a few chords outa a keyboard, but i have no clue of how i would turn that into midi or mp3. If you can point me in the right direction that would be nice.
@Goél: Characters were my problem which was why I made the game with lego because all characters are the same shape, as well as being easy and fun to animate. I didnt copyright the idea or anything, next time you try a game why not do something like that?
Good luck and godspeed to all other contestants (not that i dont need it) - Rich
Some of these are good for writing music:
http://www.sonicspot.com/sequencers.html
I've heard Fruityloops and Logic are quite good. Myself, I use a program from a '96 coverdisc that still doesn't seem to be up for download anywhere, so I couldn't help you with that :(
There's just no chance that I could get my game ready till the deadline, but will it still be in the list of the months entries if I send it later?
I hang my head in shame :(
I have failed to meet the deadline, this being the first story line i have ever got around to scripting (all other attempts never reached this stage) has shown me that making the story work in game is much harder, especially when using act based scripts where characters have free roaming abilities. So i will not be meeting the deadline, and the extra work i have discovered will take at least a week to get finished (i should hav eremembered i was going skiing before i started).
The project ahs been fun, but as i have already missed the deadline i will be slacking work on it as it was taking up a lot of time and i have exams in about a week.
My apologies for not finishing, and sorry to all fellow enthusiasts. I will probably finish the game within a few months... depending on wether i remember or not.
This has taught me a lot (not least about the importance of deadlines). So it has been a helpful experience none the less.
Thank you everyone for the support and help, and sorry for letting you down.
Good luck to any remaining entries! - Rich
It's the END of Friday it has to be in by, right?
Quote from: SSH on Thu 24/02/2005 17:39:30
It's the END of Friday it has to be in by, right?
Usually it's WITHIN Friday as the END is not the same all over the world. So let's set the final deadline time: All games need to be in 24 hours from now - see timestamp of this posting.
Quote from: Pablo on Tue 22/02/2005 17:26:25
will it still be in the list of the months entries if I send it later?
If you do not hesitate too long I can still add it of course. As MAGS also means "within one month" you shouldn't go over the deadline for too long. Perhaps you can finish the game next week? That would be fine. But better take your time and create a good game and don't just publish it too early because of the MAGS list. Okay.
As much as I hate to say so, I've not been able to finish something good enough for release in time (not even next week). I've had a touch of the flu, which hasn't helped. :( Sorry. It'll get out it eventually, though.
too bad, but here is the same story. I am afraid that i cannot complete it in time. I guess i should have sheduled it better.
I'm coming along with my game, and although nearly all the graphics are completed, all the story details are planned and most of the quests are complete I don't know if I'll manage to finish the game within the next 5 1/2 hours, because there are still some minor things missing - including the Outro . But I'll give my best :).
My game is finished! Please see the game announcement http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=19379 or the game page http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?action=detail&id=506 or my web site http://www.ssh.me.uk/pixelhunt.html
For a quick taste, it has a voice pack, you can download the source and here's some screenshots:
(http://www.ssh.me.uk/phss2.jpg).(http://www.ssh.me.uk/phss3.jpg)
and download it direct from:
http://www.ssh.me.uk/pixelhunt.zip
Voice pack at:
http://www.ssh.me.uk/phspeech.zip
Emm... I'm still finishing off a few bits and bobs. I'll probably be done in about a half hour. Will it still count?
Edit: Well, here it is, if a little late:
(http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/game-haven/screenie.png)
Hotel Hijinks (http://mysite.wanadoo-members.co.uk/game-haven/HH.zip)(click to download)
It's a rather short game, with a simple plot, but as you can see, I spent most of my time experimenting with a custom GUI. I find MAGS a good opportunity to improve my skills, so this time around I was making a custom GUI from scratch to improve my scripting skills. I was also trying to improve my character art, with mixed results!
Well good luck everyone! I had a good time doing this, and I hope everyone else did.
Quote from: Pelican on Fri 25/02/2005 17:57:18
I'll probably be done in about a half hour. Will it still count?
Sure it counts...
Just in general: Just some hours won't matter at all - if you ask for some extra time before the doors are closed. That's why the deadline usually is posted some hours before the end - to give you time to say "just some more minutes".
Some of you now said it's not possible to finish the entries in time at all, so for these the voting will start without them. But there's also some request to wait for just some hours and that's okay. So after this entry is posted the voting will start...
Finally I've managed to finish my game - and I'm finished, too :D.
You can find "Missing since Midnight" at http://www.voigtmann-online.de/Arne/games/msm/msm.zip (about 4 mb)
(http://www.voigtmann-online.de/Arne/games/msms/screen1.jpg).(http://www.voigtmann-online.de/Arne/games/msms/screen2.jpg)
The game includes eight characters, the same number of rooms, sound effects, more than 50 animations, three different musics and especially very very much dialog.
Oh, by the way: This is the first game I made with AGS.
Just looking at the screenies makes me feel inadequate...Ã, :'(
Why did I waste all my time on that darn GUI? ???
Don't worry Pelican. Everyone get's a chance and now that we are "complete" let's start the voting.
I think it's very interesting this competition as all entries are posted at about the same time:
For voting please visit the MAGS site (http://www.mags-competition.tk) or make your choice right here (only use one of these two ways of voting - nothing else allowed):
Pixel Hunt by SSH (http://mags.klaus-schlichter.info?page=voting&fav=Pixel%20Hunt)
Missing Since Midnight by Maxileen (http://mags.klaus-schlichter.info?page=voting&fav=Missing%20Since%20Midnight)
Hotel Hijinks by Pelican (http://mags.klaus-schlichter.info?page=voting&fav=Hotel%20Hijinks)
Please vote only once and be sure to have played all games before sending your voice! Good luck to all participants.
I forget: are the authors allowed to vote? (for their own games?)
Also, Klaus, you've linked to the source code on the MAGS site, not the game: http://www.ssh.me.uk/pixelhunt.zip
Quote from: SSH on Sat 26/02/2005 07:40:30
I forget: are the authors allowed to vote? (for their own games?)
Also, Klaus, you've linked to the source code on the MAGS site, not the game: http://www.ssh.me.uk/pixelhunt.zip
Authors are also allowed to vote - if they want for their own game. But they don't have to and they - and anybody else - may only vote once!
The download link is set correct now. Oops, sorry.
will new mags come today?
Quote from: Remco on Tue 01/03/2005 06:59:43
will new mags come today?
Yes, the rules will soon be online... Please allow just some minutes. :)
The voting just stopped some minutes ago. During the weekend not that many votes rushed in and so as February was such a "short" month the time for voting was extended - until some minutes ago.
So let's come to the winner (sorry, there's no video this time - let's say also due to the time issue...):
Congratulations for Febrauary MAGS go to
SSH with his entry
Pixel HuntActually the two other entries by Pelican and Maxileen also made a nice number of votes and were pretty close behind the winning game. Anyway the result is clear... We'll see what happens in March then :)
Congratulations to the other authors, too, becuase all the games were good this month... maybe next time you guys enter try getting more testers and voice actors in your credits, as they will tend to vote for you ;) I really enjoyed both of the other games, and would not have felt hard done by to lose to either of them.