MAGS January “Get the Picture” (RESULT)

[CaptainD]

This was actually an incredibly difficult vote!  (Pajama Sam - really sorry but I've not tried your game yet, I very much distrust Mediafire because they don't screen out ads which contain malware - or at least they didn't last time I checked - and I need to update the security software on my PC so taking no chances in the meantime.)

Little Leonardo was a very cute game with nice graphics and animation. I'm always impressed when someone successfully pulls off game with completely non-verbal communication, as this is something I'm pretty sure I could never do. I did get very stuck with one of the puzzles. My daughter enjoyed it too which is probably what tipped my vote, along with (what I perceive as) the difficulty of making a game in this style that does a good job of conveying to the player what they need to do and what the player character is feeling. Very nicely done.

Signal Loss - I actually feel guilty that I didn't vote for this, it's an amazingly accomplished game for one made in such a short time. Nicely done graphics, very tidy design and a puzzle that funnily enough is very reminiscent of on we had to cut from Captain Disaster because it was taking too long to code and we needed to move on. The only thing I didn't like about it was the sudden use of profanity (it's a persona bugbear of mine, obviously many people won't dislike it). Without giving anything away, the ending was suitably grim. Might be an idea to update the language and violence ratings on the AGS games page as they both say "none" atm. I don't want to be negative though, getting a game together with this strong a narrative and as well designed as this in a month is fantastic, I can only imagine what you could do in a longer time period.

Well done to all who entered and I'm kind of hoping for a split decision between two fantastic entries because neither deserves to "lose".

[brewton]

Might be an idea to update the language and violence ratings on the AGS games page as they both say "none" atm

Oops! I've changed it to 'mild', considering it's pretty much a single incidence of profanity and implied violence.

[FanOfHumor]

I guess I didn't know there was any ads because I use an incredibly powerful adblocker. I've been using an adblocker so long I forget how bad ads can get.

[eri0o]

About media fire, I would recommend, when you find time, to make an account in either itch.io or gamejolt, both are fine websites, they are reasonably ok to understand, and you can make your game available without much fuss. Many game jams happen using these websites, so I think this is why they happen to keep such a streamlined upload/store interface.

[FanOfHumor]

Wow I think itch.io might be just what I was looking for to sell my other games.

[CaptainD]

Itch is great, so easy to set up pages for your games, but don't expect to sell much there.

[Racoon]

Finished your game today brewton and enjoyed it a lot. I like the dark humor. I wished it was a little bit longer though, but I know that it is difficult enough to put a game together in a month as it is.

Also i wonder if it has multiple endings because

Spoiler

I did not use the sodacan and wonder if it has a purpose

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[Shadow1000]

I played the three entries and here are my thoughts:

Signal Loss by Breton

Spoiler

Excellent entry. Really creative thinking and story. There seems to be a feel to the entry that it was created with more in mind that had to get chopped because of the deadline. If I'm right, I hope to see a more complete release. The strengths of the game are in the story, world, graphics, characters and gameplay, especially the sine-wave part (for lack of a better word). There weren't really many puzzles to the game, it was more a list of things to complete but a really enjoyable experience.

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Little Leonardo by Raccoon

Spoiler

It takes a special skill to create a complete game without a single spoken word. Instant points for the accomplishment! Outstanding in the graphics, super-smooth, almost professional grade animations, and well-designed puzzles. It took some work to get through the game and I got stuck and needed a hand only on the very last thing to do.

The only negative I want to raise is that because of the non-verbal communication, it was sometimes hard to know what the next goal is. I didn't always know what was being depicted in the thought-bubble. HOWEVER, considering that I was able to work it all out on my own, I don't mind seeing the "what does that graphic mean?" as part of the puzzles in which case I'll say the game was almost flawless, and exceptional not only within the context of this month's MAGS contest but even in comparison to some of the best MAGS entries to date.

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Get the Picture by Pajama Sam

Spoiler

I think I spent more time downloading the files one by one than actually playing. I'd say this is more of a reflex test than a game but maybe the idea can be incorporated into something bigger?

[close]

To me, the vote went to

Spoiler

Little Leonardo. Signal Loss is a really good entry, but weak on the puzzles. Little Leonardo has it all, and gets my vote

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Awesome entries!

[brewton]

Finished your game today brewton and enjoyed it a lot. I like the dark humor. I wished it was a little bit longer though, but I know that it is difficult enough to put a game together in a month as it is.

Also i wonder if it has multiple endings because

Spoiler

I did not use the sodacan and wonder if it has a purpose

[close]

I've yet to play yours, but I'll do so before voting ends.

Spoiler

No, the can is just a junk item. Why are you digging through the bins? :V

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[Cassiebsg]

Being a mediafire user, I too forget that there are ads...
I did however found that you can turn off javascript, before you follow the dwl link. Then the ads won´t show.
Use a javascript blocker, and block Mediafire. Then you can safely download from it with no ads.  You only need javascript on to upload (but I don't get ads when I upload either).

[heltenjon]

Okay, then I've done all the tweaking on my little game that I had the energy to do - for now. I had a plan about adding speech, but we'll see. Maybe, maybe not.

I didn't start until a couple of days before the deadline, so this game isn't part of the MAGS contest, but I feel it belongs in this thread anyhow.

Getting the Picture
by heltenjon, with music by my daughter Ingrid (12)

          

For the most part, this is a quiz game. Get it here: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2599-getting-the-picture/
Enjoy!

I'll post my comments on the main games this month in a bit. 

[OneDollar]

This was a really close vote for me too.

Signal Loss by brewton

Spoiler

Very good game, and I thought it was a really interesting take on the theme. Most of the puzzles are very straight forward and feel quite guided, so the game comes across more as an interactive story than a puzzler. The recalibration puzzle was a highlight though. It was kind of fun that you could drop items on the floor, though I couldn't find any reason why I would need to. The art and presentation gives me 5 Days A Stranger vibes, though that could also be because I haven't played many horror themed point and clicks. If I had one suggestion it's that the jump from "there's something strange in the vents" to "a guy's eyes exploded and now he's dead" happens very fast. If there was a bit more build up (e.g. a character starts acting strange, another character goes missing, you see something weird but don't get a good look at it, that missing character suddenly turns up changed or dead... those kind of tropes) I think it might make the game's atmosphere even better. My two cents on the language - you drop two F bombs close together and PG-13 movies only get one (so I've heard, I'm not American) so maybe bump the language up from mild? Anyway great MAGS entry and great game, congratulations!

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Little Leonardo by Racoon

Spoiler

Lovely little game! Cute story and art style, and it fits really well with the pictorial speech bubbles. Making an almost word-less game seems difficult, but you definitely pulled it off. I was going to mention your easel hint bug but I see you've already fixed it, so no bug reports from me! I got through most of the game fine, but got stuck on the last puzzle for a while. I was on the verge of looking at your walk through when I found the solution. I also really liked that you went to the effort of adding different animations depending how you solved it. Overall fun, interesting little story in a cute package, well done!

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Get the Picture by Pajama Sam

Spoiler

I can see what you're going for, but in its current state it's very limited and buggy. The text is hard to read, but I think it always says 0 percent on a successful picture? Also it felt like the game lets you take the picture a bit early for a lower score, but if you're slightly late it doesn't count - I was expecting to get scored depending on how much of the eagle is on screen, so if I was late but most of the eagle was visible I'd still score something. Also I think I got a total score of -242 at the end? It's not a bad idea, it's just not quite there yet. Also I second other people's suggestions to put all your game files into a single .zip before you host them so that we can just download the one file, otherwise you'll get people downloading the .exe and wondering why it doesn't work.

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Getting the Picture by heltenjon and Ingrid (late bonus game)

Spoiler

This was fun! I clearly don't know my art very well, I got 7 on my first play through and it took an embarrassing number of retries to get full marks. The music's a short loop, but it fits the game well. About half-way through my first run I discovered you'd hidden dialogue for different parts of the pictures which was a fun surprise, then the final bonus points were a nice twist too. I enjoyed it, it was a good little distraction.

[close]

My vote goes to

Spoiler

Little Leonardo. Signal Loss is a very close second and it took me a while to decide between the two of them.

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[heltenjon]

I've played the games, and here are my thoughts:

Get the Picture by Pajama Sam

Spoiler

It's so great that you posted it, even though you hadn't finished implementing all you had planned. It's a massive improvement of the alpha version I sneeked a peek at in the tech threads. The difficulty level is just right, and I took pictures of every "decoy" you sent on the screen instead of the eagle.  Keep the code and use it as a minigame in a larger project...perhaps someone in need of money in a game can earn it by getting cool snapshots of animals/ufos/suspects?

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Little Leonardo by Racoon

Spoiler

Excellent game! I'm very fond of games communicating without words, and you pull it off seemingly without trouble. The puzzles are fun and the animation is very good, too. This one will stay on my "kids friendly" folder for a good while. I got stuck a couple of times. Both times it was due to that because there was no game response to clicking on something in the game, I had defined it in my mind as a non-interactive background. When it turned interactive later on, it didn't cross my mind to try it again. (Well, not until some time had passed, anyway.)

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Signal Loss by Brewton

Spoiler

I've been waiting to see an example of your Kyrandia/BASS template hybrid used in a game, and here it is! And it works magnificently. I imagine it will work even better in games with more items to juggle. I second those who would have liked to see the story more fleshed out, mostly because I like this kind of horror sci-fi very much. The main puzzle is clever and well executed, and the dialogue gives the characters personality right away. Strong entry! I don't really mind the swearing, as the violence level surely makes this entertainment suited for grown-ups anyway.

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Getting the Picture by heltenjon and Ingrid

Spoiler

The main idea behind this was to have a sarcastic game master who comments on the player's choices in the quiz game, but then that turned out to be the one thing I didn't put in there. I put "none" on nudity, even though there technically is some in the art, as it's not visible in the resolution I'm using, and frankly I don't think people will be that annoyed by a naked cherub in a corner of a large fresco. Hope the game can entertain for a few minutes.

[close]

My vote goes to:

Spoiler

Signal Loss. It's a close call with Little Leonardo, but I fell for the storytelling and the outright horror of it all, plus the great Kyrandia interface.

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[CaptainD]

@heltenjon - your game was much trickier than I thought it was going to be! Nice idea 

[FanOfHumor]

That's a good idea heltenjon.Sorry I haven't corrected my download link .For some reason I haven't been able to get into mediafire to fix it.

[heltenjon]

Out of curiousity, did those of you who reached the secret level in Getting the Picture reach it by

Spoiler

finding the hidden point in-game or by getting the second chance triggered by acing all the question points?

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[Ponch]

I voted, but it wasn't easy. Good games this month. 

[OneDollar]

Out of curiousity, did those of you who reached the secret level in Getting the Picture reach it by

Spoiler

finding the hidden point in-game or by getting the second chance triggered by acing all the question points?

[close]

Spoiler

The second chance. I went through the game multiple times trying to brute force my way to full points and spotted the inventory GUI a few runs in. First I figured you'd forgotten to disable it, then I read the descriptions and thought that was the joke. Didn't think about trying to use them on anything until I got the second chance ending.

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[heltenjon]

Out of curiousity, did those of you who reached the secret level in Getting the Picture reach it by

Spoiler

finding the hidden point in-game or by getting the second chance triggered by acing all the question points?

[close]

Spoiler

The second chance. I went through the game multiple times trying to brute force my way to full points and spotted the inventory GUI a few runs in. First I figured you'd forgotten to disable it, then I read the descriptions and thought that was the joke. Didn't think about trying to use them on anything until I got the second chance ending.

[close]

Thanks, that useful to know. I added it because I thought perhaps the first method would be too difficult.

Spoiler

Actually, the inventory bar is helpful in other ways, too. In addition to showing points, there's the obvious kind-of-cheat feature of simply saving your game.  There are descriptions for using the items in most locations, but there are limits for how many gags I could think of. But I'm pleased with the Picasso ladies' responses.

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[Stupot]

Voting is over and the winner is:

Signal Loss by Brewton (not Breton, sorry for the typo)

Well done mate. I’ll be in touch soon about setting the theme for March.