MAGS August: "Sub-par Hero" (CLOSED)

Started by Atelier, Sun 03/08/2014 22:20:45

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Atelier

Topic: 'Sub-par Hero'

This month's guidelines were set by Ghost:

The game's main character is a superhero with superpowers. But those superpowers aren't exactly... super. Maybe they can only talk to the creatures of the sea. Or they can only turn invisibile when nobody watches. They can grow an awesome moustache... but nothing else. You get the idea: They are low ranking and they know it.

Got your sub-par hero? Now give them a chance to really shine, or at least fail in the most impressive of ways.

For references, just watch Mystery Men ;-D

Ending 3rd September



__________________________________________________________________________________________

What is MAGS?

MAGS is a monthly competition for amateur adventure game makers. The idea is to create a game in under a month, following the rules set by the previous winner. It aims to help you work to a deadline, improve your skills, or provide a kick-start into making adventure games. Regardless of skill, MAGS is for everyone. Voting is based on "favorite" 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.

You may get help for the competition, although you must end up doing something yourself. You should however be warned that it proves difficult to organize a big team within thirty days. You are not allowed to use material already created before this competition. Your game must be completely new! Music and sound is an exception; you can use free material that is available to the public, if you wish. Modules and templates are also allowed.

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

âÅ"“ A working download link
âÅ"“ The title of your game
âÅ"“ A suitable in-game screenshot

At the end of the month, voting will begin, usually lasting for fifteen days. The winner chooses the next month's theme, and their name and game is immortalised in the MAGS Archive. For more information, please visit the Official MAGS website.

Armageddon

QuoteThey are low ranking and they know it.
Does this mean you have to make the player character know they have a superpower? I can't do an Unbreakable type story of Superman not knowing he's Superman?

Ghost

Quote from: Armageddon on Mon 04/08/2014 00:32:30
Does this mean you have to make the player character know they have a superpower? I can't do an Unbreakable type story of Superman not knowing he's Superman?

No, sorry. There's nothing stopping you from creating an "origin story" with a hero that discovers his powers at some point. But if I read you correctly you want the main character never realizing that he is super. Also, being unbreakable or being super-everything is not exactly a weak power- the point is to make a story about a character with a really bad "superpower" still finding some use for it.

Armageddon

I was talking about the movie 'Unbreakable'. Obviously the superpower would be weaker. :P And from your first response it sounds like I can have it start with the character not knowing he has a superpower?

Stupot

Coincidentally I've just come across this while watching some All Time 10s on YouTube.
All Time 10 Superheroes With Completely Useless Superpowers.
http://youtu.be/ceou4wof4bY

I'm planning to have a go this month and have so far come up with a basic plot, couple of puzzles and this fantastic character design: https://twitter.com/stuartforbes/status/496190748396507136

Ghost

Quote from: Armageddon on Mon 04/08/2014 05:26:23
I was talking about the movie 'Unbreakable'. Obviously the superpower would be weaker. :P And from your first response it sounds like I can have it start with the character not knowing he has a superpower?

Ah, okay, I misread you then. That's absolutely okay then, looking forward to it (nod)

Stupot

Who wants to be in my game?
Instead of finding chicken sounds on the internet I'm inviting YOU to star as a chicken in my game.
Just record yourself saying 'bock' or 'bukkurr' or however chicken noises are onomatopoeicized in your tongue. Just one noise, no more tgat a second or two. PM me the link so as not to derail this thread, and hopefully there will be a few of your bocking voices in a pivotal scene. :-)

Fitz

Stupot, where do I send my demo reel?

Also, I think I have an idea for a little game of my own! Can I make it a story of a superheroine with a superpower that is only seemingly useless? If applied directly, it'd only make things worse -- but it'd turn out pretty effective if used in some unorthodox way. I'm yet to decide on the details, but I'm thinking of something similar to McPixel.

Fitz

#8
Doodled a bit today (then erased everything furiously, re-thought some ideas and doodled some more) and I think I might be on to something. I present to you:

MAGENTA
...a girl with the power to turn everything she touches pink (laugh)

The character herself is not brand new. I invented Magenta -- and drew a little comic about her -- two years ago, but the story never really got off the ground. This month's MAGS, however, gave me an idea: a silly story of a superhero underdog who's trying to help despite her power being either useless or downright detrimental to the cause. I re-imagined Magenta as more cartoonish and drew her from scratch just this morning -- so technically all assets for this game are new.

Also, given the color-themed superhero, I thought it'd be fun to use some crazy color palette. EGA looks like fun:

Miez

Quote from: Fitz on Wed 06/08/2014 11:33:49
Also, given the color-themed superhero, I thought it'd be fun to use some crazy color palette. EGA looks like fun:


I approve of this :D

Ghost

Quote from: Fitz on Wed 06/08/2014 11:33:49
...a girl with the power to turn everything she touches pink[/color] (laugh)

Way to go, looks cool as hell! And EGA can only add to the fun  (nod)

Fitz

Thanks! :cheesy: The character design is still a work in progress -- I'm thinking of adding a mask, for example, to make her look a bit more superhero-ish. I thought about a unitard and high-heels, but decided against them -- as well as the 36-24-36 standard for female superheroes. I want her to be cartoony -- also because that's easier to draw :P

TheBitPriest

Maybe her magenta-powers stem from a childhood spent in a past painted, not in sepia or black-and-white but in CGA.  (laugh)

Fitz

#13
There's actually a background story to it that'll be featured in the intro. The character is actually based on my girlfriend, who works as a graphic designer for a textile printing company -- where her job is to draw and split designs into CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) stencils. The origin story will be a nod to good ol' 60's Marvel comics and their preoccupation with radiation ;)

Also, here's an updated, masked version of Magenta:



And this handsome fella is Magenta's arch-nemesis:



His power is to turn things black -- which makes him infinitely cooler. I'm yet to think of a suitably suave name for him. I'm thinking KromatiK? MonoKromatiK? Mono-Krome?

TheBitPriest

Keying off the Greek "Chroma" you could mix "Airo," which can have the sense of something being carried off "by force."   Kromairotor?  :-\  Mmm... How about aKromatik?  aKromatikator?

Changing subjects back to lame superpowers:  How about The Obfuscator?  His evil power is to make all simple things complex.  Buahahaha!

I have a good list of lame superpowers, but I'm stalling on coming up with a good script.  Hmm... 

Miez

Quote from: Fitz on Wed 06/08/2014 13:28:43
His power is to turn things black -- which makes him infinitely cooler. I'm yet to think of a suitably suave name for him. I'm thinking KromatiK? MonoKromatiK? Mono-Krome?

Maybe use the word black in a foreign language? Black in Russian is 'Cerny', for instance...

Ghost

Quote from: Miez on Wed 06/08/2014 16:00:02
Black in Russian is 'Cerny', for instance...

"Schwarz" in Germany. Now mix that up and make him... Schwerny! Or, I dunno, SCHWARZenegger. :=

selmiak

I'm the secret evil mastermind, I inverted all your colors



also I changed the colorspace to RGB! (laugh)

Fitz

TheBitPriest: Yes! Or KromantiK - to underline the lovable nature hidden under the brutish exterior? KromerotikatorK! (laugh) Orrr, since we're exploring the love-related features of this character, we could try the Romance languages. French? How about Noir Man -- Noir being an anagram of Iron, which is a fun coincidence, as I conceived the character to be an evil, tech-savvy billionaire moonlighting as a supervillain.

Miez, Ghost: SchwarCERNYgger!

Selmiak: That is EVIL! Nay! Wicked! I was thinking of calling the character something with a capital K at the end, like the above mentioned Kromatik, or DemoniK, but it has dawned on me now: the only name that'd truly convey the twisted, wicked, vile nature of the character is... SelmiaK! (laugh)

selmiak

Quote from: Fitz on Wed 06/08/2014 19:47:52
Miez, Ghost: SchwarCERNYgger!
this is wrong on so many levels! If he only were black and more muscular... :-D but he looks stylish with white clothes.

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