June MAGS

[Klaus]

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

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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As already announced this month there is a special competition. The very first MAGS competition started on June 2001, exactly three years ago. So with the change of the MAGS host, you remember Magintz left this position one month ago, I now want to bring back something that was tradition that long time ago when DGMacphee still hosted the contest: The winner announcement movie.

Therefore two characters should be created:
Max and Maggy
And that's the topic of this month's competition.

The winner this time won't set the new rules then, butÃ,  his/her characters will be used in every month's winner announcement movie then: They will talk about the entries and finally announce the results of the voting. So the characters need to be given away but not as open soure for everyone only for these MAGS movies!

Now these are the guidelines for MAGS competition 2004-06:
- Create two characters (Max and Maggy) with full walking animation (at least 4 directions)
- The game player must either control Max or Maggy all through the game and meet the other character during the game or act as both of them (think of two timelines or a switching interface like once in "A Better Mouse Trap")

- The game must be about MAGS - you decide on how... For example:
> Max wants to win MAGS and Maggy tries to stop him
> Max and Maggy want to find out about what's "behind" MAGS
> or whatever may come to your mind...

- You may want to include some MAGS stuff like the former entries, participants or even hosts (but it's not a must)

These rules give you a lot of freedom to think about a nice game and individual characters. So good luck for everyone.

All entries need to be in on June 28th.

[rtf]

Cool rules, but I'm a bit confused:



[li] The entry should be sent to you open source, but not open source for everyone else?[/li]



I guess that's it.  I have some great characters in mind. 

[sergiocornaga]

I'm sad to say I've never come across any of these 'winner announcement movies'. Any links? Are they made using AGS?

[HillBilly]

Just take a look in the 'Completed Game Announcements' forum.

[rtf]

Oh, poop!  I just realized!

I am leaving on a trip on June 19th!  I now have 16 days to pump out a good entry.  It will be my toughest challenge yet, but I will not fail.

[Bugalicious]

well i might actually enter this one. So the two main characters both need to have full walk animations, even if one is only gonna stand in the one spot?

[foz]

I think you should leave the MAGS comp as it was with the months winner providing the rules for the following month.

These rules don`t give me enough interest to think of entering.

Maybe i`m alone in this train of thought .......

Maybe our(jaz and me`s) decision not to provide source code .....also minimi`s too has made Klaus re-think the comp........for the worse IMO.

I `ll be surprised if many enter this month......then again i am wrong sometimes.


foz

[Klaus]

[li] The entry should be sent to you open source, but not open source for everyone else?[/li]

The characters won't be used for any game or something else - just for these special movies. Also you don't need to send the whole entry code, just the character sets of Max and Maggy will do it. Or - if you agree to always create the movies yourself and in time - you won't have to give away anything at all.

I'm sad to say I've never come across any of these 'winner announcement movies'. Any links? Are they made using AGS?

Yes they use AGS. Here are two of the old ceremonies:
September 2001
July 2001
But it's not wanted that you already create such an announcement movie! Just develop your game sticking to the rules as usual and perhaps keep in mind that Max and Maggy might change their location later

So the two main characters both need to have full walk animations, even if one is only gonna stand in the one spot?

Yes, that's right as in the announcement movies both characters should be able to walk around.

I think you should leave the MAGS comp as it was with the months winner providing the rules for the following month...
Maybe our(jaz and me`s) decision not to provide source code .....also minimi`s too has made Klaus re-think the comp........for the worse IMO.

Don't get me wrong - it's just for this month! I only want to revamp the ceremonies and thought it to be a good idea to let AGS users create the characters in a MAGS competition. That's all. The rule setting system won't really change.
By the way: You know that it wasn't always "the months winner providing the rules for the following month..."!?

[Minimi]

I didn't really wanted to reply, but now that foz did, I'm going to also.
In first I'm glad we both won, I actually expected coup de cup to win

Second, I hoped for the rules setting, because I had some cool rules i.m.o. inmind, and I guess Foz and Jaz too. I don't like these rules either, but couldn't we just set the rules for next month, because this is a special month?

Greets,
Minimi

[fozbee]

minimi ....I think we threw a spanner in the works by stating we would`nt upload source which was part of the rules so MAYS mags looked like it had no entries...

So klaus has had to rethink the comp....

The appeal of entering the comp is that if you win you then set the next months rules.

If you don`t have this then you are`nt getting anything for winning ...


Minimi...congrats on coming joint first with us....

foz

[Chicky]

I love the rules this month, really open to interperation. Maybe you should add some inventory item restriction though? So you HAVE too use two or so item's in your game.

And Foz... why are you posting with a new account ?

[Bugalicious]

yeah, now that i think about it, some compulsory items would be nice. *hint hint nudge nudge*

[Timosity]

This comp has always had it's ups and downs, you may get no entries or a few on any given month, I haven't voiced my opinions much about MAGS lately as it seemed to have picked itself up and has been going well for the last year.

I didn't get to set the rules when I won in feb 2003, but it was going through a new stage at the time but since then the rules have been set by the winner, and it should  stay like that, unless there are no entries.

and the presentation ceremony thing sounds like a cool idea, I think I got the last one, but doing it with the previous winners characters is a great idea.

good luck to this months contenders

[rtf]

yeah, now that i think about it, some compulsory items would be nice. *hint hint nudge nudge*

No!  I have the best puzzles planned, and it's halfway scripted already.  Don't make me start over!  :o

[Peter Thomas]

not that I enter very often, but I think letting the winner choose the rules is the whole reason MAGS is a success in the first place. No one likes a competition they don't get a satisfactory reward for. And setting these rules from 04-06 is a bit steep ain't it? I mean, if you would really REALLY insist on doing it this way (which doesn't give me any motivation to go to the trouble of scripting a game) wouldn't it be wise to give it say a 3 month testing ground first? Just launching something into a 36-month long trial is a bit extreme, imo. Simply because one or two people like the idea, doesn't mean the community as a whole will enjoy the idea. And ideas tend to run dry very quickly after a while. Prolonging a single idea beyond its longevity simply because the rules said I had to is a bit rough. Maybe popular opinion should decide whether or not a 2-year themed MAGS is a good idea or not?

Maybe I'm alone on this one...

[Klaus]

Hi everyone. You all seem to be very creative: Starting long discussions about things that have newer been said or even thought about.Ã,  So please try to read (again) what is written! Thanks.

[Peter Thomas]

oh... right... yes, indeed, I seem to the master of misreading things.
Okay - everyone can ignore my post

[/idiot]

[rtf]

OK, despite the controversy, I have decided to enter anyway.  I made an entirely new post in that Announcements forum, and I forgot that I had to post the link here.

Anyway, here is the link to the thread.
The thread contains the zipped walkcycle images, and some screenshots.

Also, the direct link to the download (but if you want to play it, I'd reccomend going to the thread first) is :

http://12.22.230.41/MicroTech/Hosted/Games/mm99.ZIP

Have fun! 

[Klaus]

... The thread contains the zipped walkcycle images, and some screenshots.

Thanks for your entry. But as said: The characters don't need to be open source, so you don't need to publish the walkcycles right now. The winner will be asked then to send them by e-mail.

[rtf]

Thanks for your entry. But as said: The characters don't need to be open source, so you don't need to publish the walkcycles right now. The winner will be asked then to send them by e-mail.

I must have misunderstood that.  Oh well.   

Good luck to everyone else 

[Phemar]

Hehe, I don't think anyone else has entered. RTF, you might win!!!

[Klaus]

Okay. Time has come for the final info message: The doors for submissions will close on Monday -Ã,  in about 66 hours from now (see timestamp of this posting). So you still have the weekend to work on your entries. Good luck.

[Klaus]

Time is over now and we remember the words of the wise man:

Hehe, I don't think anyone else has entered. RTF, you might win!!!

As we know the world (or at least a part of it) was afraid:

Wait a second... those things are going to host the MAGS awards?

And both were right... So as there's only one entry we have the winner without voting:
Congratulations to releasethefrogs and the Chronicles of Max and Maggie.

For the two guys that didn't yet reply the PM:
Answer quickly - July is very close and the "third man" already submitted his ideas a while ago...

[Ginny]

Congratulations rtf! Hope to see interesting rules next month . And it was quite a funny game to play.

[Phemar]

Yep, Congrats! Start a new thread soon as I want to enter this time...

I might be able to produce a good entry, as it's two-week holidays here for me...