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 opportunity to make a game, and the wonderful prize is to announce the next month's rules, and all competitors 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 should try not get anyone else to do any part of the game for you.
You are not allowed to (re)use material already created before this competition, you game must be completely new! An exception goes for sounds and music where you can also use free material that is available to the public.
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Topic: Together
December is a month of festivities as well as sharing those moments with family and friends. Yet in most adventure games the protagonist is alone. Well, not this month!
For this MAGS the game must have two controllable characters (or if you wish even more) and some way of switching between them. Each of these character should have some kind of skill, ability or physical trait that the others do not. Optionally, if you want, you can have them exchange inventory items, react differently to hotspots, or have puzzles that can only be solved by a certain character. Examples of this kind of design include Maniac Mansion and Gobliins 2.
Second, choose a festival that takes place in December, such as Christmas, New Year's Eve, the Solstice or Hogswatch Night (and so forth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December)). This festival must be visible in (at least) one of the rooms, and two of the inventory items must be related to this festival.
No further restrictions.
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Since this can be a busy month with all sorts of meetings and events (and as it is possible because of the quick final of the November contest) we're starting pretty early this time but all entries need to be in by late December 26th. Happy holidays!
Please post a download link of your game entry to this thread, best with a screenshot. Thanks and good luck.
And it's officially december now. Good luck people! :)
I have a question:
Do you have to be able to change freely between the different controllable characters (like Maniac Mansion) or could it happen automaticly when it's appropriate for the story (like Still Life) - or maybe you could choose just one character from a number of different ones, thus having more than one way of completing the same story? (like choosing different races/classes in an RPG, but with bigger differences)
I'm not even sure that I will be making a game (or even finishing it), but I would like to know this before planning anything.
i assume by his use of the term "controlable characters" it means that you need to control each of them at some point in the game so your last thought about the rpg style wouldnt be it
I'd also say that (at least) two characters need to be controlable during one game session.
"Some way of switching between them" could also mean an automated switching style, so I see both ways (free and automated) being possible. But let's hear what Radiant says as it is his ruleset this month.
What I originally had in mind was free switching like Maniac Mansion, but doing it automatically would be fine as well, as it fits well with the spirit of "together". Having to choose a race or class like in an RPG doesn't really mean there are multiple characters working together, so that doesn't fit too well.
Ok, thanks for the answer.
Now I just need to get an idea...
This might help: ;)
Random idea generator (http://www.situationnormal.com/randomidea.html)
Random story generator (http://www.the-elite.net/---/story/)
Thanks, Radiant. I think I may have a title now and some kind of plot.
Do any of you know if there is a guide to making a game with more than one controlable character? I tried looking for one, but didn't find anything.
I also need some legally free music. Any ideas?
Having more than one controllable character is actually easy in AGS. Simply create two characters and use the SetPlayerCharacter() function to switch between them. You can e.g. create a GUI button that does this.
if (GetPlayerCharacter () == EGO) SetPlayerCharacter (ALLY);
else SetPlayerCharacter (EGO);
There is some freeware music on the resources section of adventuregamestudio.co.uk; also, there is plenty if you google for free midis.
Woo, I love the topic!Ã, I am sooo in on this...I'm postponing the completion of last month's entry because in one night over this past weekend, I finished my backgrounds, characters, most of the animation cycles and GUIs for this month's entry.Ã, I'm feeling inspired. :)Ã, So my working title is "Console Quest", might change, but I'm in!
UPDATE 12/18/06: Aaaaagh! Why do I do this to myself every month??? :) I even had a great concept going, graphics, chars, alla that, and I probably am not gonna finish in time unless I pull a bender on Christmas weekend. :) I'm going to end up with the hugest collection of half-finished short games...maybe I can zip them together and offer them to beginners as a template pack. ;D
I got one, hope to finish it.
One Malvolio Grunch, who intends to steal Yuletide, but when he finds out he has been beaten to the punch, he resolves to set things right, for after all, "If anyone is going to make little chidren cry at yule, it is going to be me!" AIded by a high minded raven and a rat for whom creature comforts are paramount, Malvolio works to make things rwally bad for whoever did such an awful deed, doing what he wants to do before him.
I'll enter this one. These rules are intressting and I think I have a nice idea - only problem is, I have nearly no time this month. Well, I'll try anyway. BTW my game will be called "Christmas Mouse"
Just a note regarding last month's MAGS. December is a very busy month so it took awhile, but I've fixed Warthogs now. Enjoy :)
Unfortnately this month is going to be too busy for me to make a MAGS game (specially one with multiple playable characters). But I'm hoping for more spare time and easier rules in January.
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night" good luck with your games
I've got a question on this: Must there be two playable characters from the beginning on or can the other one join later in the game or shortly before the end? If yes, I have an entry! If no... well, then not ;)
It's not a problem if one of the characters joins later. So yes, you have an entry :)
Whee ;D
So, you're gonna see Artemis and His Incompetent Sidekick Snobert The Floating Sombrero this December!
Hmm, working on a background now. MAY enter if time allows. 6 days :=
Okay now people - get ready: About two days are left. The deadline will end in 46 hours from now (see timestamp of this posting).
I'm about finished, but before I enter it: Mind if I semi-reuse my GUI (works in the same way and looks similar, that's everything) and some graphics (altered version) or shall I use the last ~30h to completly redo them?
/NOTE: Uh, I won't manage to finish it today. Will submit on the 26th, 11a.m. European time.
Quote from: Akatosh on Mon 25/12/2006 17:31:12
Mind if I semi-reuse my GUI (works in the same way and looks similar, that's everything) and some graphics (altered version)
It's always nicer to see something new but if you're content with your altered graphics it's okay, too. Actually you should start with "nothing" but now as it is Christmas time... :)
Now for those who are still hardly working on a game: 15 1/2 hours are still left (see timestamp of this posting). cu later.
I enter my game
The Title is Christmas42
(http://img141.imageshack.us/img141/1531/image00001rd7.th.jpg) (http://img141.imageshack.us/my.php?image=image00001rd7.jpg)
Download here (Rapidshare)
http://rapidshare.com/files/8995200/christmas42.rar.html
(click free --> wait +- 1 minutes ---> enter code ---> click download)
~1mb
Hereby I prouldy enter Kristmas Krisis:
AGS Games Database:
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/games.php?category=2&action=detail&id=825&refresh1167141671
Screeny:
http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a23/FAMILIAR_QUEST/screen2.png
Download: http://www.uploadyourfiles.de/546a37d1594c37d4d36fed43eedf10f4/a1he8/Download.html
(wait till the countdown reaches 0 - about 15sec - then click on the link behind "Ihr Downloadlink:")
I know it's a bit unusual to use a german hosting service, but it's trust, nearly ad-free, safe and the only one which didn't reject the file.
To illustrate where to click: http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a23/FAMILIAR_QUEST/ajajasja.png
Size: About 3 MB
I really hoped for some more entries but as we reached the deadline already some hours ago now let's start the voting.
For voting please visit the MAGS site (http://www.mags-competition.tk) or make your choice right here:
Kristmas Krisis by Akatosh (http://mags.typo.i24.cc?page=voting&fav=Kristmas%20Krisis)
Christmas42 by Culun_dog (http://mags.typo.i24.cc?page=voting&fav=Christmas42)
Please vote only once and be sure to have played all games before sending your voice! Good luck to all participants.
Yay! Thanks for entering, and I hope you had a merry christmas.
My vote goes to Culun_dog. I enjoyed both games but I like this one better because of its elegance.
So we can vote here *instead of* voting on the MAGS page, or do we *have* to go there for the final vote?
My vote goes to Culun_dog as well. The concept actually made me smile and feel good. :) KK suffers a bit from the "cumbersomeness" I quite disliked in KoffeeKrisis, both in interface and in general style (the 1st room, for instance - I found all those special effects quite annoying).
Quote from: Rui "Trovatore" Pires on Wed 27/12/2006 18:31:31
So we can vote here *instead of* voting on the MAGS page, or do we *have* to go there for the final vote?
It means you can either visit the MAGS site (and navigate to the voting section) or you simply click on one of the links listed in the voting post which will directly call the page on the MAGS site without having to browse the site.
Stating your choice here on the boards is nice for the paricipants and some info why you voted that way is also helpful for further game creations BUT this won't be counted as vote.
Right-o, that's cleared up. I went and voted now, and on the plus side I was nice for the participants and was helpful for further game creations. Joy!
Quote from: Rui "Trovatore" Pires on Wed 27/12/2006 18:31:31
KK suffers a bit from the "cumbersomeness" I quite disliked in KoffeeKrisis, both in interface and in general style (the 1st room, for instance - I found all those special effects quite annoying).
Well, you could have told me that before I did KristmasKrisis, couldn't you :P - I mean, your only comments on KoffeeKrisis were "There is a screenie on the games page" and something about "Brain Meltdown" because of the subtitle thing. There *is* a post comment function... but at least I've got some feedback now. Better late than never.
But hey, MAGS is there for practicing and gathering experience... so if I should lose, be sure to see me again next month! (with another gui and *no* cumbersomeness)
By the time I finished KoffeeKrisis, I didn't think it was worth dragging an already old thread, and I thought, hey, if no one else complained, I'll just let it rest. :)
So let's come to the end of this voting. It's not always the big games that win, this time it is a one room game... The winner of this month's competition is
Culun_dog and his entry Christmas42!
Congratulations! Also many thanks to Akatosh for joining the contest with his entry!
Happy New Year to all of you and see you again in 2007 with a new MAGS contest and the Maggies...
Urgent: Culun_dog please check your PM because of the new rule settings.