MAGS July: Sci-Fi (Game Making Round: Winner Announced)

Dualnames · Thu 01/07/2010 00:14:30

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.

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 "favorite" games, and not the most artistic. You may get help for the competition, as long as you end up doing something yourself. You should however be warned that it should prove hard to organize a big team within 30 days.

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. Modules and templates are allowed.

Please do not just enter the competition with a rushed entry (a game created in just some hours)

This means that you can make a game and rush it, but don't do it to just win by default.

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Topic: Sci-Fi

This month's guidelines were set by markbilly:

There isn't enough sci-fi around these days and I don't mean big spaceships and time machines. Classic sci-fi often revolves around one fictional discovery or advancement in science and tries to envisage how this would affect society.

For this month's MAGS, base your game around a discovery/technology/idea that changes the course of the human race. Obviously this can be approached in a very plot centric fashion but don't forget, a vastly (or even subtly) changed world could also enforce some very different game play rules.

Thread Rules:

1) Comments are allowed at all times. Anyone can comment, critic and express his opinion about an entry, the MAGS, and the host's mother, without being obliged to hide it! As long as the critic isn't like "You suck", something more elaborate could be more useful because after all this is a test for all developers to see if they can really make a game within a month, therefore feedback is crucial. [/i]

2) Participators are allowed to patch their games even while the voting but I should be informed via pm or here, and only IF the game has a serious bug that makes it crash. Due to the inability of keeping track of versions of the games, I've settled to this.

3) It would be wiser to add the game to the AGS database, so you can easily do changes to the game, while the voting is going on, without having to inform me at all.

So you can patch your game, if it crashes or if it can't be completed.

Have fun this month too!!
All games till the END OF ~~JULY.~~2nd of August

Winner: tzachs

CHANGES
From the first of May, some changes will occur on the MAGS competition, hopefully for the best of developers and for the attraction of outsiders to this community.

MAGS A (January, March, May, July, September, November)

It starts on 1st and ends on 30/31st.

The winner sets up the theme of the next MAGS A
Voting and playing lasts whilst MAGS B is going on. (2 weeks each)

MAGS B (February, April, June, August, October, December)

It starts on 1st and ends on 28/29/30/31st.
The winner sets the theme of the next MAGS B.

Voting and playing lasts whilst MAGS A is going on. (2 weeks each)

The winner of this month if not deadly obvious from this post, will set the rules of September. MAGS A and MAGS B are just a way to clarify and indicate condition of the competitions.

To sum up, there will be constantly a 30 days game making month, and a 30 days voting and playing month for that, whilst on the second process another game making month of 30 days will overlap.

Summing up: Every month one new game making month round, one game voting month round.

Captain Lexington · Thu 01/07/2010 22:09:35

This is an excellent topic! I'm too busy working on my regular game to do it, but I'm really excited to see what people will make.

evenwolf · Thu 01/07/2010 22:39:58

I'm busting out my Vonnegut!!

markbilly · Thu 01/07/2010 23:19:58

Wish I could enter this myself. Too much work to do on TLG, though!

Crimson Wizard · Fri 02/07/2010 17:23:02

I just had a thought, I may actually join someone, who needs background artist.
More info here: http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/yabb/index.php?topic=30351.msg546272#msg546272

straydogstrut · Sat 03/07/2010 13:50:49

Very interesting theme!

I like all kinds of sci-fi, including those with all the big ships and special effects, but the thing I like about stuff like Cowboy Bebop/Firefly etc is how down to earth things are: the same societal problems exist despite the advance in technology, and the characters are not hopping on transporters or firing phasers at everything (though I like that too). Instead the technology is very low tech and gritty.

This theme's right up my street, but I won't promise an entry yet. Will see though.

Calin Leafshade · Fri 16/07/2010 19:08:41

expect a poorly drawn/thought-out/animated entry from me.

I might make this one in *4* days. ooOOOooOoOO

markbilly · Fri 16/07/2010 19:28:40

Wish I could enter myself (if that's even allowed) but I'm too busy trying to finish off a certain other sci-fi title I'm working on...

Dualnames · Wed 21/07/2010 15:37:58

Come on people!! No interest?

Wonkyth · Thu 22/07/2010 04:05:23

The OROW might be attracting some of the possible entrants at the moment...

tzachs · Thu 22/07/2010 08:46:39

Well, I'm working on a game which I want to enter both here and the TIGSource competition, I hope that's ok (I'm meeting the requirements of both comps)...

Dualnames · Thu 22/07/2010 13:16:58

It's fine by me tzachs.

Crimson Wizard · Thu 22/07/2010 17:03:40

I was invited by Nsmn to join making his MAGS game, but 2 weeks later he said he forgot about that

Dualnames · Fri 23/07/2010 06:30:13

Quote from: Crimson Wizard on Thu 22/07/2010 17:03:40
I was invited by Nsmn to join making his MAGS game, but 2 weeks later he said he forgot about that

One death coming up.

Armageddon · Sun 25/07/2010 02:25:36

So this ends on the 31st this month?

Dualnames · Sun 25/07/2010 07:58:57

Quote from: Armageddon on Sun 25/07/2010 02:25:36
So this ends on the 31st this month?

This ends when all the timezones are in August the 1st.

markbilly · Thu 29/07/2010 12:39:50

I'm assuming the scores of participants are just waiting until the very last minute to declare their entries?

Chicky · Thu 29/07/2010 17:46:46

Hopefully two days will be enough.

tzachs · Sat 31/07/2010 00:39:45

Extension pretty please?

Dualnames · Sat 31/07/2010 06:56:58

Quote from: tzachs on Sat 31/07/2010 00:39:45
Extension pretty please?

Define amount of extension please.

Calin Leafshade · Sat 31/07/2010 08:00:48

4 weeks should do it

tzachs · Sat 31/07/2010 09:32:10

What Calin said....

Or, two days...

straydogstrut · Sat 31/07/2010 10:22:34

I could probably finish mine in a week - yes, i have an entry, i've kept quiet as i didn't want to let anyone down - but considering how busy i've been and how little i've done so far, it's doubtful.
Don't hold the door open on my account, but i'd try to get an entry in if there is an extension going;-)

Dualnames · Sat 31/07/2010 10:31:05

Okay 2 days should be cool? It ends on 2nd of August. That means. When your calendar shows 3rd of August, you hand over your entries. Hope the extension makes everyone happy.

tzachs · Sat 31/07/2010 10:39:39

Very happy indeed

Thank you master.

straydogstrut · Sat 31/07/2010 10:47:20

Happy happy joy joy=)

straydogstrut · Sun 01/08/2010 23:20:04

Not gonna happen, sorry, just far too much else going on right now=S I look forward to the other entries though, this is a great theme=)

Dualnames · Mon 02/08/2010 20:46:28

Quote from: straydogstrut on Sun 01/08/2010 23:20:04
Not gonna happen, sorry, just far too much else going on right now=S I look forward to the other entries though, this is a great theme=)

Awwww. To the rest of you working on an entry, get it done youth.

tzachs · Tue 03/08/2010 00:03:32

Robolution!

The game is about a world in which all humans were killed by robots.
I would tell you more, but I really need some sleep...
The game hasn't been through enough testing, so expect a bug here and there, should be playable all the way though.

Download here.

markbilly · Tue 03/08/2010 17:46:24

Ah, the classic "robots take over" theme. Downloading now!

tzachs · Fri 06/08/2010 11:30:50

Thanks for giving it a try

I've uploaded a new version with bug fixes (and some other enhancements: a new tune for the title screen, compiled with a filter which make it looks nicer, new icon, etc), I'm guessing the other competitors wouldn't mind.

Dualnames · Fri 06/08/2010 14:34:42

Quote from: tzachs on Fri 06/08/2010 11:30:50
I'm guessing the other competitors wouldn't mind.

What other comp..HEY!

Okay sorry for announcing this late, but okay here goes.

tzachs you're the ultimate game maker of July, you've been given the honor along with a PM and my own personal telephone number. Use them wisely.