MAGS April “Finish Your MAGS Game” (VOTING)

[Stupot]

Finish Your MAGS Game
Set by: OneDollar

Voting is underway,
Please vote using the poll above.

	Barn Runner: Fashionably Late (MAGS Version) by Ponch
	Steeplejack by GOC Games
	Sherwood by Radiant
	In Our Midst by OneDollar

If you're anything like me your hard drive is full of half-finished, abandoned MAGS entries gathering digital dust. Well time to open up the vault and actually release something!

Find one of your previous MAGS games that you never completed and get it to at least a playable state. Let us know which MAGS it was for (if you can remember) and how far you'd got before you stopped working on it.

If you don't have any suitable games but you want to take part anyway, make a game about finishing something. Or ask if anyone has an old MAGS project they'd like to donate to you.



What is MAGS?
Started in 2001, MAGS is a competition for amateur adventure game makers. The idea is to create a game in under a month, following the guidelines set by the previous winner. It aims to help you work to a deadline, improve your skills, and provide a kick-start into making adventure games. Regardless of skill, MAGS is for everyone. Voting is based on "favourite" games, and not the most artistic, or the best coded. If you have bad art skills, use it as a chance to do some graphic work. If you're sub-standard at coding, use it as a chance to give scripting a go. Ultimately, people will vote for the most enjoyable entry.

Rules
Entering MAGS is simple. First, conceptualize your game following the month's criteria (see above). Second, create your game fuelled only by coffee. Finally, post your game in this thread, including:

* A working download link
* The title of your game
* A suitable in-game screenshot

At the end of the month, voting will begin, usually lasting for fourteen days, and the winner chooses the next month's theme.

Remember that this is a challenge to see what you can do in a month, so any tinkering you do after that, including fixing minor glitches, is against the spirit of the competition. The exception to this is that you may go in and fix major, game-breaking bugs only during voting. We want you to have a game that voters can actually play and that runs on their machines.

So to reiterate, during the voting period fixing major, game-breaking bugs is okay, fixing minor glitches or making cosmetic changes is cheating.

Tips
Here are some ways to make sure you have a game to submit at the end of the month:
* Make a tiny game. Plan small, then cut it in half. Find shortcuts (e.g. if making walkcycles is time-consuming, make the characters static or have it in the first person).
* Plan to have your game playable and submittable with a week to spare. This way you have a week to fix bugs, add some flourishes and maybe even get someone to test it.
* Plan to submit it a day or so early. This way, if there are any technical issues with uploading, they can be sorted out in time.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Need a little help with graphics? Perhaps The AGS Trove has something you can use.
Don't want to go it alone? Try the Recruitment board.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[Kastchey]

Yess! Thank you, Brian Eggs! 

[eri0o]

Uhm, I have something I made for the Desert theme that was going somewhere, but I couldn't figure it out and I would like to scrap the desert parts of it and redo as a completely different game. The original was about investigating something that happened in the past long before it got all covered in sand, but I couldn't figure the what.

I think I want to scrap all that and instead make a metroidvania and use survival instead of combat... Been playing survival kids in the Gameboy and want to try a simplified version of that crossed with the first Zelda that takes place somewhere that is maybe a mix of florest and some ruins... Will try to overscope something and cut it back. Don't know much yet.

Here are my random notes in case someone drives by and is feeling particularly gamer designery

Spoiler

You will eventually at some point early find an old car which can drive faster than you can walk but it can't go must places and you yourself get tired if you walk very big distances. I am going to abstract how the car fuels itself, maybe it has top notch solar panel magical tech, it's nuclear powered or just it magically has a lot of gas so it doesn't matter...

Consider making time only pass when you move.

Swamp is unpassable by person but not by car? Things that could block a car but not a person and vice-versa.

Moving at night requires some device that produces light - upgrade to fix car headlights? Can I impose this naturally somehow???

Resting during day requires some way to block light? Can we make a cottage???

Can some additional way of seeing the world be given to the player? Maybe a dog that sniffs things... Alternatively something is only visible at night

Carrying things limit in player vs car vs cottage?? Should the car be a moveable cottage?

Does making the car being somewhere that you can rest requires some upgrade?

Zelda like -> full life you can jump higher?

Is there a way to constrain the world on rooms? Maybe there are caves, and then you can obtain things from caves - you use "abilities" to navigate the world and survive, and pick up new abilities in caves.

Need to figure the objective, I was thinking of flipping I rented a boat as you would now control Julie and need to find whoever was the main character that is lost and then emit some signal to trigger a rescue for you both.

Edit: have an idea for objective, you come looking for whoever is the main character of I Rented a Boat and the helicopter goes down in a strong rain, both you and the pilot survives, the pilot is injured and he guides you on a few survival skills until the day passes and it's morning, he contacts the base using a radio and a new helicopter appears to pick him up. As he is being rescued you decide to stay to keep the search he gives you the knife and the radio, and says he will be back to look for you on the next day with clear wheater.

Now that you have the knife you can exit the place you are by clearing some foliage and begin exploring. Stats will only start to constantly update as you exit this initial area for the first time.

[close]

[DBoyWheeler]

Ooh!  Very interesting theme!  It'll be interesting to see what comes out of this!

[OneDollar]

I should say the theme was outright stolen from inspired by the MAGS discussion thread where it seemed like something people would be interested in.

I've been looking through a couple of my old projects this morning. There's two obvious ones that had a fair bit of work put into them before I ran out of time, but I'm struggling to find the game designs for either of them. It's going to be a memory test to figure out which one is closest to being finished and how the game was supposed to work.

[Cassiebsg]

Ooooh... maybe this will get me out of the stagnation.
I have a at least 2 I would love to finish, one of them is at least realist to finish (Stable Pete) since most is done (the end is already even programmed into the "demo", just no way to see it). It wouldn't take too much to finish this one... specially since I even still remember all the puzzles and story that I had in mind.

The second one is That day, though this one would require a bit more work and rattle my brain heavier, since I don't remember the puzzles, just the rough story line.

Then I do have 2 other projects, but they would need more work to make them realistic for this current time frame.

I'll probably put Stable Pete in the "let's give this one a try" and That day in the "If I manage to finish Stable Pete and I'm in a roll, I'll try for 2 in one"...

[TheFrighter]

The second one is That day, though this one would require a bit more work and rattle my brain heavier, since I don't remember the puzzles, just the rough story line.

That could be very nice, I vote for this! 

_

[Kastchey]

I got this little thing collecting dust since May 2019:



I gave up on this one pretty quickly, because I realized I wasn't going to get enough time that month, and because I couldn't think of a story and a puzzle sequence that made enough sense. Maybe I can give it another go.

[eri0o]

I have a car that you can enter and exit: >>surviving v1<<

I will try to share to force me to finish something but don't guarantee...

[Durinde]

Ahh, all my old abandoned projects are on a long dead laptop! Maybe I have some files for something somewhere.

[newwaveburritos]

What if you submitted a super buggy obviously unfinished game for MAGS??  Uh, asking for a friend...

[OneDollar]

I think if it was originally submitted in a state where it was obvious to players that it was very unfinished that's fine. Fixing a couple of bugs or adding a bit of polish to something that was already fully playable would go against the spirit of the theme though.

[newwaveburritos]

Oh, I was mostly joking.  I think in this context it would absolutely go against the spirit of the theme lol.

[eri0o]

Added placeholder map, basic stats and time that only progress with movement: >>surviving v2<<

Edit: added an edit on the top spoiler with some ideas. I will keep refreshing the top spoiler as a way to note down my ideas.

[cat]

I checked my AGS projects folder and only found two unfinished MAGS games:
- Chekken (raeff is not sure if wants to continue this)
- a project I started together with Ghost where he did the graphics 

[eri0o]

Chekken is a curious name :0

[cat]

We released a demo but nothing more back then:
https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/competitions-activities/mags-october-genre-shift-results/

[TheFrighter]

 What about the Ghost's project?

_

[heltenjon]

I am swamped in work and will probably not make anything this month. I basically have two projects where I have some graphics, which usually means that I will eventually finish it. And I think I have a few puzzle charts/half-baked stories lying around somewhere. (On paper, so I would have to take an hour to look for it if anyone needs it.)

What if you submitted a super buggy obviously unfinished game for MAGS??  Uh, asking for a friend...

Eh, my friend would like to play your friend's game when it is finished...

Otherwise, lots of interesting game projects going on here. Hope to see them cross the finish line! 

[eri0o]

What if you submitted a super buggy obviously unfinished game for MAGS??  Uh, asking for a friend...

If it's the game I think it's I would like to play and would say yes please.


To update... At the end of the day, there is a chance it rains: >>surviving v3<<

[heltenjon]

To update... At the end of the day, there is a chance it rains: >>surviving v3<<

Hmmm...a bit strange that the hydration level decreases when it rains?

[eri0o]

Good catch. You won't be able to drink rain water directly, you will need to find something to collect the water to drink.

I am trying to come up with the available items and the systems they will work, how to combine things and all. Trying to think about having a few items that just go bad with time or just cease to exist when used and which they are. Additionally some items will be placed in specific places and some will be randomly put every time you sleep.

Edit: on second thought I think you are right and you should stop getting thirsty when exposed to the rain.

[eri0o]

Wasted the two hours I had trying tile editors, concluded they all suck... Quickly created a tile from one of my old tiles. Ended up just using Aseprite.

I didn't made anything beside changing the map, but the map has night and day (it's just inverted colors for now): >>surviving v4<<

[Radiant]

Ok, I didn't have enough time in this March to finish the MAGS game ("Cut In Half") so I'll see if I can finish it in April. I'd say that's fitting 

[OneDollar]

I managed to find the puzzle chart for "In Our Midst" which was supposed to be an entry for MAGS September 2022 "Sometimes Evil Wins", so I'm working on that this month.

• There were two 'puzzle goes here' holes in the design which I've now filled in. One miiiight be a pain to program, and I don't know how fun or logical it will be for players. We'll see.
• A lot of art was already done - I've got 5 backgrounds and walking animations for the characters - but there's still a lot of random objects and animations to do.
• There's not a lot of code written. A couple of graphic-less objects to pick up and some bits of unfinished unconnected puzzles.
• I wanted it to be wordless but originally I didn't have time to make that work, so there's some sticking plaster text descriptions that pop up for some actions. I'm going to give this another go and see if I can make it work with as little text as possible. That probably means more animation and sound effects though.

[Ponch]

Sweet biscuits! Why did I wait a week to check this forum?!? 

Not to brag, but I have so many games to choose from!

I'll need to dig through the hard drives to settle on just one. I can remember several projects I'd love to finish, but I have to see how much of each project I actually preserved before choosing. If memory serves, my most completed ones are probably "Under The Sea", "Dressing Up", "Glass of Water", "Rescue", or "Monsters". I'll dig through the archives and see if I can find something finish-able. 

[eri0o]

Spent the last little hours I had in both days playing with the idea of the map... I am using the beta of Aseprite now, which has a tiled mode!

Spoiler

[close]

I set up two layers with two different tile sets so I can work on the map and the walkable area there too.

So, made a new version with nothing but the map and also the world gets a bit harder to see at night now : >>surviving v5<<

[Ponch]

Okay, after much delving into the ancient fragments of the past, I've decided to finish my MAGS from February 2019, theme: "Dressing Up"

As I said here: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/competitions-activities/mags-february-dressing-up-result/msg636602982/#msg636602982

I loved this theme and gave my best effort in ages at actually finishing a game in time. I didn't announce it because my track record is so terrible lately. Ultimately, I ended up with about 5/6 of a game when the deadline caught me. No surprise there, I suppose, but it was fun to try my hand at AGS again after a long time away from it.

... [a few posts later] ...

The first room is nice, but it gets very crude very quickly as you progress from the starting point. It's practically an MS Paint game by the end. It would need a lot of work to make it presentable... 

I might rework it at some point in the future when I have the time.

That time is now!   

The untitled game is about 1/3 done. The menu, the intro scene, and 2 mini-games work. 1 more mini-game kind of works, but with placeholder art. Judging from the notes I could find, there are at least 2 more mini-games I have to make along with several different possible endings. I hope I can cobble this together in time for a second chance at finishing it. 

[glurex]

Wow! Unintentionally, I jumped ahead of the theme of this MAGS The Last One is a game I started for the November MAGS (Worlds Collide), but due to a series of family health issues, I couldn't finish on time (I only had a couple of things left to do). Obviously, it doesn't count, but I'm looking forward to see what out of this month's theme.

[eri0o]

Been thinking on how to give a feel to the stats, so I added running : >>surviving v6<<

Now if you top your fatigue, you won't be able to run.

Spoiler

There is no way to rest or eat or drink yet, so no recovery of the stats. I am trying to think about the items, I think I want an inventory that can hold items individually, but multiple, and also to have a limit - divided into arbitrary item limit vs carry capacity, but leaning to arbitrary limit. And then some mechanic that you could store the items on the car and retrieve. This will be a complex work week for me, so not sure when I will be able to experiment and keep grinding at this game.

[close]

[VampireWombat]

Well, this definitely seems like a sign that I should actually try again with MAGS.
I'm slowly getting used to life again with internet after over a year without, and today is the day I returned here.

I'll definitely have to look at my other hard drives since this hard drive only has the last game I attempted, which I remember nothing about.

[cat]

Great to see you again, @VampireWombat ! I have been wondering where you have been. Welcome back

[VampireWombat]

It looks like I have 3 possibilities. Currently copying the files and will look over them this afternoon to figure out which might work best.

Great to see you again, @VampireWombat ! I have been wondering where you have been. Welcome back

Thanks. Yeah, I hadn't planned on being away from home and the internet for so long. What was meant to be a month or so ended up like 15 months.

[VampireWombat]

After going through all of my hard drives, I have chosen which game to work on...

Alien Tailgate Party. I was going to make it for February 2019, for the Dressing Up theme. I didn't get very far with it and ending up doing the graphics for someone else's game. I don't remember a lot of what I had in mind, but I do remember the main thing was that gameplay would be somewhat based on Dropsy. And the second thing is the alien understanding American football and tailgate parties only slightly less than I do.

[Ponch]

So, made a new version with nothing but the map and also the world gets a bit harder to see at night now :

Night falls fast in that forest! And that weather! I assume it takes place in Canada. 

[Blondbraid]

I might as well dig up an old MAGS I started years ago, hopefully I'll finally get it finished this time!

[Cassiebsg]

Rats, haven't had time this week to even touch it, and this weekend won't be gold either. :/
Too much overtime at work, atm.

[Ponch]

Rats, haven't had time this week to even touch it, and this weekend won't be gold either. :/
Too much overtime at work, atm.

[heltenjon]

Rats, haven't had time this week to even touch it, and this weekend won't be gold either. :/
Too much overtime at work, atm.

Then we're going to need another MAGS theme called "Finish Finishing Your MAGS Game".

[OneDollar]

Then we're going to need another MAGS theme called "Finish Finishing Your MAGS Game".

The MAGS participation thread talked about doing this regularly. I'm told that in the sewists community they have a 'Finish it February'. If we did a fixed thing like that though we'd have to delay e.g. December's winner to setting the rules for March.

This weekend is my last clear block of time this month so I'm hopefully on the last stretch of my game, otherwise it'll continue to be unfinished. I'm firmly in the "I'm fed up of working on this, why did I design puzzles that are so complicated to script, is this game even any good?" part of the development cycle.

[heltenjon]

Then we're going to need another MAGS theme called "Finish Finishing Your MAGS Game".

The MAGS participation thread talked about doing this regularly. I'm told that in the sewists community they have a 'Finish it February'. If we did a fixed thing like that though we'd have to delay e.g. December's winner to setting the rules for March.

Not necessarily, if it was a regular event. Although I guess the participation for main MAGS would go down the set month, if both were going on at the same time.

Personally, I'd think it was cool if there was no set time for the Finish It theme, but a year-long slot that would be voted over once a year. Don't know if it would work, though. Or maybe, if you knew it was "Finish it February", people would complete their games when they had the time and release them in that month. Yeah, yeah, forever the optimist, I know...

[Cassiebsg]

But we already have year-long "Finish your MAGS", after all we can finish a game anytime. Having a deadline is the point, at least for me.
Having no deadline, means the old projects always stay in the back-burner, because we tend to do stuff that "need" to be finished first.

[TheFrighter]

Sometimes a deadline is a push for forgotten projects...

Let's say a "FYG" event every 7 months? But I don't think it should be a MAGS, more an extra event.

_

[Ponch]

I like the sudden announcement of the theme. I wish I had checked the thread earlier than I did.

However, I think I will be able to finish this game in time... hopefully.

[VampireWombat]

Hopefully when finish your finish your mags game happens I will be able to finish my game. My allergies the last week or so have been too bad for me to feel like working on it much. I wish those still working on their games good luck.

[Ponch]

Cutting is shipping and I have cut the hell out of this thing to make the deadline!

Barn Runner: Fashionably Late
(MAGS Version)



Help the Chief of Police get ready for various events in her life by making sure she is dressed for success.
Features include:
Several outfits (I had to cut four just to make the deadline!)
A different subplot for each outfit
A tremendous variety of underwear! 
Finally experience the world of Barn Runner from the point of view of The Chief
Learn more about the goings on behind the scenes in the halls of power of Arcology 19
Made with AGS 2.72 (there wasn't time to upconvert this old thing to AGS 3.x) 

DOWNLOAD HERE

Once MAGS voting is done for the month, I'll upload the complete version of this game with all the content I had to cut. 

[ddavey1983]

Steeplejack
By GOC Games



Fred and Albert are steeplejacks trying to demolish a chimney.

Does everthing go to plan? No. No it doesn't.

A traditional point and click adventure game made by GOC Games in one month for MAGS April 2024. Originally intended for MAGS August 2023 - Distance/Separation.

https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2755-steeplejack

[cat]

GOC Games is back, hooray!

Did you notice that "The Devil's Teeth" got second place in last year's MAGGIES?
https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/adventure-related-talk-chat/maggies-2023-play-and-vote/

[Radiant]

And minutes before the deadline, here's Sherwood.



A stealth roguelite where you sneak through the forest of Sherwood to rescue Robin from the Sheriff of Nottingham.

• Enemies can see, hear, and/or smell you!
• Stun soldiers with rocks and steal their stuff!
• Procedurally generated areas!
• Bribe common enemies with gold and/or raw meat!
• Invisibility potions!
• Probably contains bugs!
• Rescue the gang of Merry Men!
• Art and music courtesy of OpenGameArt dot org!
• Sound effects pending!

https://radiant.itch.io/sherwood

Control your character with the cursor arrows; mouse doesn't control anything in this game.
Press Z to switch between stealth and sprint mode.
Press X to use items once you've got them. For instance, you can throw rocks at enemies to stun them, or at trees to make noise (attracting enemies).
Press C to switch between different items once you've got more than one.
Other than that, it's a roguelite; so normal gameplay is to die a bunch of times while you figure out how it works.

[OneDollar]

In Our Midst



"In Our Midst" is a short point'n'click adventure game paying homage to a certain popular multiplayer game. You play an alien being that has infiltrated a space ship, disguising itself as one of the crew members. Now you have to eliminate the remaining crew so that you can seize control of the ship.

Originally intended as an entry for September 2022's Sometimes Evil Wins theme.

Download and web version here


That whole finishing the game two weekends ago plan didn't happen. Still, I've managed to scrape enough time to pull something together just in time for the deadline.

Known issues in this version:
 - Loading from the main menu uses the default dialog.
 - There is no confirmation prompt when overwriting a save game.
 - There is no confirmation prompt when loading a game.
 - Quitting the game uses the default dialog.

Any other bugs or comments, let me know!

[Ponch]

Lots of very interesting looking games. I was afraid I was going to be the only entry! \o/

[Stupot]

Nice batch of entries guys. Well done. I'll have the voting set up soon.

@eri0o Your last post about your game was v6. Is this officially a finished entry?

[eri0o]

No, that wasn't finished at all. Count me out of this one, I did find time to yank a new module and a little ags, but unfortunately couldn't fit a game, too many things happened outside of ags this month.

Spoiler

setting up a nursery here.

[close]

[Stupot]

No, that wasn't finished at all. Count me out of this one, I did find time to yank a new module and a little ags, but unfortunately couldn't fit a game, too many things happened outside of ags this month.

Spoiler

setting up a nursery here.

[close]

Thanks for letting me know.

Spoiler

and congratulations

[close]

[Stupot]

Time to vote.
Please use the poll above.

	Barn Runner: Fashionably Late (MAGS Version) by Ponch
	Steeplejack by GOC Games
	Sherwood by Radiant
	In Our Midst by OneDollar

As always, please let me know if I've missed anything.

[jwalt]

Stupot, those links don't seem to work for me?

[Stupot]

Stupot, those links don't seem to work for me?

Thanks for the heads up. I'll sort it out in the morning. I think the forum butchered them when I ran them through the 'preview'.

[heltenjon]

No, that wasn't finished at all. Count me out of this one, I did find time to yank a new module and a little ags, but unfortunately couldn't fit a game, too many things happened outside of ags this month.

Spoiler

setting up a nursery here.

[close]

Spoiler

Sounds like you are the winner, anyway! Huge congratulations!

[close]

[Kastchey]

No, that wasn't finished at all. Count me out of this one, I did find time to yank a new module and a little ags, but unfortunately couldn't fit a game, too many things happened outside of ags this month.

Spoiler

setting up a nursery here.

[close]

Congrats =]

[cat]

Congratulations, @eri0o !
Too bad this means less time for games 

[eri0o]

Thanks guys! I am both curious and excited and a bit scared. The due date is August I am just getting things prepared here. The future will be interesting.

[OneDollar]

Congratulations, that's a good reason for not finishing a game!

[Ponch]

Congrats, EriOo!

[WHAM]

The links in the edited opening post don't work for me, I think the forum is trying to add a https:// to the start of the URL's that already have it.

[cat]

I've fixed the links. Thanks for reporting them.

[Stupot]

I've fixed the links. Thanks for reporting them.

Thanks cat.

Not sure how that happened, but I think it's somehow related to me doing the table in my iPhone's Notes app and pasting it from there.

[jwalt]

Stalled out on In Our Midst. Been stalling out a lot in these MAGS games, lately. Little help OneDollar, if you please:

Spoiler

I have scissors, blue cup of goo, card, key, and rope attached to space toilet. I'm also aware of airlock opening and closing. From that point on, I seem to be dead in space. Those pictures in crew's quarters seem clickable, but nothing in inventory seems to do anything to them. Same thing for the various floor grates, except for the one below the engine drain and filling the cup.

[close]

Sherwood is also giving me troubles, but doubt hints would help me for this type of game. Got through the other two games without major problems.

[OneDollar]

Stalled out on In Our Midst. Been stalling out a lot in these MAGS games, lately. Little help OneDollar, if you please:

Spoiler

I have scissors, blue cup of goo, card, key, and rope attached to space toilet. I'm also aware of airlock opening and closing. From that point on, I seem to be dead in space. Those pictures in crew's quarters seem clickable, but nothing in inventory seems to do anything to them. Same thing for the various floor grates, except for the one below the engine drain and filling the cup.

[close]

Sherwood is also giving me troubles, but doubt hints would help me for this type of game. Got through the other two games without major problems.

Hint 1:

Spoiler

There are two control panels, have you found them?

[close]

Hint 2a:

Spoiler

One is next to the freezer in the kitchen, but the controls are locked.

[close]

Hint 2b:

Spoiler

The card can be used to unlock the freezer controls.

[close]

Hint 3a:

Spoiler

The other is in the hallway, behind a loose panel (hanging at an angle).

[close]

Hint 3b:

Spoiler

The hallway panel has something to do with the vents and something that can go in them.

[close]

[jwalt]

@OneDollar Thanks. I'd missed one of the control panels. Had fun with the game.

Edit: I also voted. Not an easy choice.

[Radiant]

Sherwood is also giving me troubles, but doubt hints would help me for this type of game.

Spoiler

Start by staying in stealth mode so enemies can't hear you, and avoid the "sound" symbols that indicate when you hear them.

[close]

Spoiler

Throw a rock against a tree far away, and enemies will hear the thud and chase that.

[close]

Spoiler

Use gold near an enemy to bribe them into looking away. Predictably, this doesn't work on dogs, but something else does.

[close]

HTH! There's a lot of little details like that in Sherwood.

[jwalt]

Sherwood is also giving me troubles, but doubt hints would help me for this type of game.

Spoiler

Start by staying in stealth mode so enemies can't hear you, and avoid the "sound" symbols that indicate when you hear them.

[close]

Spoiler

Throw a rock against a tree far away, and enemies will hear the thud and chase that.

[close]

Spoiler

Use gold near an enemy to bribe them into looking away. Predictably, this doesn't work on dogs, but something else does.

[close]

HTH! There's a lot of little details like that in Sherwood.

Thanks for that. This is a very professional looking game, but not my cup-of-tea. Also, I did lever into Level 3, and found myself unable to move out of the entry slot, penned in by the wall and surrounded by foliage on the other three sides.

Edit: Just discovered the two-arrow combo that allows diagonal movement, so... Never Mind.  ;-)

[WHAM]

I'm planning to play all the games this weekend, likely on Saturday, and will be streaming and recording the attempts as well.
For the devs it might be a chance to see someone play their game live, and for people who are "too busy" to play for themselves, they might be able to see the games, get a feel for them and maybe even provide additional votes.

I'll post a link and time in the AGS discord later.

[Ponch]

Whoops! WHAM has reported a terrible, awful, no good bug. It is fixed now.

https://www.barnrunner.com/games/MAGS_04-24-c.zip

Please ignore the earlier, broken build. 

[heltenjon]

Please ignore the earlier, broken build. 

Too late, already completed it. 
Was the bug that pressing the right mouse button broke the game?

[Ponch]

Please ignore the earlier, broken build. 

Too late, already completed it. 
Was the bug that pressing the right mouse button broke the game?

That was the one, yeah. Oh well. that's what I get for doing virtually no playtesting. The perils of a full calendar and a looming deadline. The bane of all MAGS. 

[WHAM]

I tried all the MAGS games and you can find videos of my attempts here. While I'll happily recommend you play them all yourself, if you just can't be bothered then this might be an option for you:

Barn Runner: Fashionably Late
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e-x97iBLaJk

Steeplejack
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6m2IQ2T5Wuc

Sherwood
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CF2IFEmAs4E

In Our Midst
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK1kE7oOdHA

[Ponch]

WHAM, you described me as "middle aged." I am outraged, good sir! I'm barely 51 1/2 years old. I'm still young and hip! I'm "with it," as the kids say. 

Sorry the game was too buggy to finish. Like most of my MAGS efforts, the budget schedule didn't allow for playtesting. 

Thanks for giving it a try, even if my build was a bit "wack" (as the kids say).

[heltenjon]

Here are my thoughts this month.

Steeplejack:

Spoiler

This author is very good at finding original material to make games out of. My brother worked on some brickwork for a high chimney many years back, so I kind of knew about this type of scenario at the very back of my head, but still...it's not what I'd expect someone to make a game about. The two characters are very nicely portrayed, with flaws or mindsets that actually make the plot work. The giant pigeon is a funny opponent, and the puzzles are nice, but become easy because there aren't many items available. I liked the idea for sending up the rope, but I'd done most of it before I understood what my character was planning to do. Good game!

[close]

Sherwood:

Spoiler

I'm not really familiar with the rogue or roguelike games. This one is technically very impressive. I ran around, not bothering too much about stealth, but trying to run into hiding instead. When spotted, I hit the action keys in a panic, often hitting the wrong one, like bribing a soldier, then chucking a rock at him, trying to rob the gold back. I managed to rescue Robin Hood and Little John. I thought it was a nice touch to be able to continue the game as Little John after Much was defeated. I didn't really use the diversion tactics Radiant has made possible. Bottom line is that the programming is very good, while the game suffers from being from a genre I don't play much.

[close]

Barn Runner: Fashionably Late:

Spoiler

It's a kind of adult soft porn dress-up game. BUT it still manages to tell a story and gives insight into the player character. Granted, much of the insight is still NSFW, but I have to give credit to the funny and resourceful writing. The game has lots more content than its genre normally allows. Still, it is a dress-up game.

[close]

In Our Midst:

Spoiler

Great done parody (or perhaps homage is a better word) of Among Us. I knew right away what I was supposed to do, but unlike the original game, I had time to think about how to do it. Good puzzles, "free" characterization from the original, and a logical and still large enough map to keep the game challenging.

[close]

I voted for:

Spoiler

In Our Midst. Even the title is excellent.

[close]

[WHAM]

WHAM, you described me as "middle aged." I am outraged, good sir! I'm barely 51 1/2 years old. I'm still young and hip! I'm "with it," as the kids say. 

Sorry the game was too buggy to finish. Like most of my MAGS efforts, the budget schedule didn't allow for playtesting. 

Thanks for giving it a try, even if my build was a bit "wack" (as the kids say).

It was a fun one, though for a moment there I was wondering if my Twitch account was going to get some sort of strike for inappropriate content. (Insert the non-existent suggestively eyebrow waggling blue cup emoji here)

And yeah, it was hella wack but also bitchin', no cap, fo'rizzle!

[Radiant]

I tried all the MAGS games and you can find videos of my attempts here. While I'll happily recommend you play them all yourself, if you just can't be bothered then this might be an option for you:

Thank you, I've enjoyed watching that!

To answer some of your questions:

• Yes, the diagonal movement is intentional, including slipping between trees.
• Rocks can be
  Spoiler

  thrown against a tree to make noise (which sends enemies there), or directly at enemies to stun them.

  [close]
• Traps will
  Spoiler

  stun enemies for a long time, if you lure them over the trap. You can also rob stunned enemies.

  [close]

I'll go fix the crash and upload a new version. I'd also like to replace the font by something more legible, but I'll do that after the voting concludes.

[WHAM]

Thank you, I've enjoyed watching that!

Good to hear it! I know from experience that seeing someone else play your game can give a lot of context for feedback and help figure out how players think differently than the developer does.

Aside from adding some guide or tutorial to help the player understand what items really do, I feel I have one piece of feedback in hindsight: add a slide to the movement when moving diagonally against an object. Currently it seems that if you approach an obstacle diagonally and don't hit the corner, you just stop, have to adjust sideways and then start moving again. Having the player character slide along the edge of the obstacle until they reach either a dead end or a corner they can slip through would help make the movement feel a lot nicer (though it might also alter the balance too much).

Just my two cents, Sherwood was an impressive outing for a MAGS effort in any case!

[Radiant]

Ok, I've updated Sherwood to fix two game-breaking bugs (the crash when an object has an invalid view, and the hang when dying in the first room). Also, as suggested by Crimson Wizard, the acsetup.cfg now uses "full screen as borderless window" to prevent the game hanging when quit, on certain systems. Finally, there's now a readme file, which restates the info from this thread.

I think these changes are valid per MAGS rules; I have a list of other fixes that I've put off until later (such as showing the intro text for long enough to be read). Download link is still https://radiant.itch.io/sherwood - Enjoy!

I have one piece of feedback in hindsight: add a slide to the movement when moving diagonally against an object.

I like that idea, and some enemies already do that. I'll add this in the future.

[Shadow1000]

I played the entries and voted. Here are my thoughts:

Barn Runner: Fashionably Late

Spoiler

Dress up doll game for adults! Nice cartoon graphics and the reward for each "dressup" is a bit of story. I don't know if I had trouble with the otherwise-simple controls, but if you select an item and then right click, the item disappears and you can't click anything else. Since there's no save, it's game over at that point. Once I figured that out I played till the end.

The highlight of the game is the cartoon graphics (and to some players, the nudity); no puzzles, plot or challenges.

[close]

Steeplejack

Spoiler

I love the graphics and characters and the interaction between the two! I spent most of the 10 minute playtime laughing because the humour is spot-on. Well-designed, nutty and solvable puzzles make this game an enjoyable experience

[close]

Sherwood

Spoiler

Great idea to make a tile-based, medieval-theme combat quest in AGS! I found that the tiles were a bit small to see what's going on and I had trouble using items using the keyboard controls to use items in inventory. I tried the strategy of just bolting for the exit which worked for a few screens. I realize that part of the gameplay is to figure it out after being defeated and having to start over enough times, but after about 10 minutes of this I felt that I was just not enjoying it enough to continue.

[close]

In Our Midst

Spoiler

My experience with this game will be somewhat different than that of players who realized that this is a take-off of an older game. I knew the spaceship was invaded because of the intro but I thought I had to SAVE the crew. Once I realized that I was the alien, THAT'S when the game started! The puzzles are awesome, logical and a lot of fun. The graphics and the humour give the player a real sense of reward in solving the puzzles. I have to admit that I got stuck at the puzzle getting rid of the captain and I needed a few hints to complete it, but once I got past that, the ending was epic. In terms of game design, the absence of text gave the gameplay a different twist where you have icons at best to figure out what's going on. This must have made the design a lot more challenging, running the risk of having the player clued out, but it was pulled off perfectly

[close]

My vote

Spoiler

In Our Midst is the most complete entry, excellent in all areas from graphics to puzzle design to overall polish and player experience.

[close]

[cat]

Barnrunner

Spoiler

Great to see a late addition to the "dressing up" theme :-)
The graphics are very nice and I liked the scenes, settings and writing. The dressing up itself could have been more challanging. I was expecting that I have to choose from various items the correct ones for the occasion, but actually the challange was only in the style of "socks before shoes".

[close]

Sherwood

Spoiler

Not really my cup of tea and very buggy. The font was almost impossible to read for me, so I didn't understand the controls. The whole time I didn't really have a clue what I was doing. I was running around, trying to escape other persons. When I died, I sometimes respawned at locations I haven't even been before. Some of the waypoints would put me somewhere in the middle of another map, not at the border. When an archer hit me, I couldn't do anything. Only wait until he would get one field closer and hit me again. At one point, I was suddenly a dog???
I found two different persons that I rescued.
I liked the graphics of the tiles, but I didn't like the portraits (they didn't fit the rest of the game at all). The music was nice.

[close]

Steeplejack

Spoiler

I liked the personalities of the two characters and that you have split gameplay between up and down. The graphics are a weird mix of pixel style and photos, especially in the "down" part. The puzzles were okay, but I didn't understand why I couldn't just put the spicy nuts somewhere on the bricks, go away and wait for the bird to eat them.

[close]

In Our Midst

Spoiler

This was super fun and the no-talking mechanic worked unexpectedly well. I like the implementation of "can't do it" with showing X. The puzzles were really clever and I only needed a small hint. The game manages not to feel like a classic P&C adventure, even though it has all the features except for dialog. It was weirdly satifiying to strike someone from the list.
My only complain would be that the character sprite was really huge and always standing in front of what I wanted to interact with. Making the PC non-clickable (i.e. click through) might have worked better in this case.
I have to admit, I've never played Among Us, I only found out that this was a homage to it after I finished the game and googled the company mentioned in the credits.

[close]

I voted for

Spoiler

In Our Midst

[close]

[Ponch]

Voted! 

[tbook]

Also voted

Barn Runner: Fashionably Late - well...  I respect your style Ponch. I like how you draw the characters. Your games have that specific kind of humor which I like.

Steeplejack - I liked the humor and the feel of the game. Short but good. I liked the characters too.

Sherwood - a roguelike game made in AGS, impressive! I did not comple it but had some fun

In Our Midst - good puzzles, good game, strong contender

My vote went to

Spoiler

Steeplejack - I had the best overall experience. In Our Midst was close but I did not complete it. I did not get past the vent puzzle.

[close]

[Shadow1000]

Spoiler

... In Our Midst was close but I did not complete it. I did not get past the vent puzzle.

[close]

 

Spoiler

I also got stuck there. I will note that it was the only part of the game that I couldn't solve. I had to get a few hints and I was able to proceed. I recommend that you ask for some help and finish the game; it's worth it!

[close]