MAGS June: The Birds

[Klaus]

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 (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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This month's guidelines are set by joelphilippage, winner of the last month's competition.

Topic: The Birds

From time to time we have a ruleset based on animals. Now this also goes for this contest. The storyline is completely up to you but

- the main character must be a bird of some sort
- the movie "The Birds" by Alfred Hitchcock must be an inventory item (may it be on a video tape, a film reel, a poster, ...)
- there must also be a plane involved somewhere

That's all - no further restrictions.

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All games need to be in by June 26th.

Please post a download link of your game entry to this thread, best with a screenshot. Thanks and good luck.

[zabnat]

This month's guidelines are set by zabnat, winner of the last month's competition.

I won without participating? Nice

Or maybe someone forgot to proof read their cut'n'pasted text 

[Gilbert]

Fixed. Happy now?

[Klaus]

Or maybe someone forgot to proof read their cut'n'pasted text 

Oh yes, sorry. Actually someone made exactly this mistake. Sorry.
A nice member of this forums already sent me a PM about this typo right after I posted that entry but now I was too late to correct it. Sorry again for me being so absent-minded... 

[Akatosh]

Bird in the literal sense of the word as 'being a member of the "bird" species'? Or would, say, a "Bird of Prey" work, too? Or, uh, "Admiral E. Byrd" or something?

[Phemar]

Or a bird as in a woman?

[Klaus]

Bird in the literal sense of the word as 'being a member of the "bird" species'? Or would, say, a "Bird of Prey" work, too? Or, uh, "Admiral E. Byrd" or something?

Or a bird as in a woman?

Slang definitions and/or individual names should not be used - please go for "standard" birds:
Any of various warm-blooded, egg-laying, feathered vertebrates of the class Aves, having forelimbs modified to form wings. (answers.com)

[Buckethead]

How must the plane be involved in th game?

Must it have a meaning in the story ot can it also be just flying around in the backdrop? 

[Klaus]

How must the plane be involved in th game?
Must it have a meaning in the story ot can it also be just flying around in the backdrop? 

It's up to you. So a backdrop solution would be okay. The better way of course is to include it in the storyline or in a riddle, but that's not necessary to fit the rules.

[deadsuperhero]

Wow, I think I'm actually going to enter this time!
I've got a rather silly concept cooked up, hopefully I'll actually finish by the end of June. 

[OneDollar]

Ack, I've got about two thirds of the way through my entry, but now I've started a part-time job. Now 'Jim The Pigeon' will never fly...

[Klaus]

Ack, I've got about two thirds of the way through my entry, but now I've started a part-time job. Now 'Jim The Pigeon' will never fly...

Well, just take your time and Jim will fly... It not today or tomorrow then maybe in a month or two.

For all others that want to join the contest please submit your entries within the next 24 hours (see timestamp of this post).

[Buckethead]

Ok I'm a few min late... Hope you don't mind.

here's my game:

Happy ducky Adventure



http://rapidshare.com/files/39435172/HDA.zip.html

Enjoy!

[Klaus]

Great to see the first entry rushing in!

Ok I'm a few min late...

Actually there is still some time left for submissions: about 7 1/2 hours at the moment (see timestamp of this post).

[Jon]

Very enjoyable game Mr. Buckéthead, although plenty of bugs found

Unfortunatly I too have run out of time to show my game, good luck to everyone else though!

[Buckethead]

Great to see the first entry rushing in!

Ok I'm a few min late...

Actually there is still some time left for submissions: about 7 1/2 hours at the moment (see timestamp of this post).

What you cant be serious?  :o I worked my ass off to get it done in time and now you tell I actually have 7 more hours left...

oh well.. Now I have time for some bug fixing. 

[Klaus]

What you cant be serious?  :o I worked my ass off to get it done in time and now you tell I actually have 7 more hours left...

Well, I am really sorry for your body parts but just check the timestamps of the posts... Nothing changed since the announcement yesterday... I refer to the timestamp as it goes along with each user's timezone (if the offset is set correct in the profile).

[Gamer_V]

Of birds and bees


Well, I probably used the wrong preposition, but here is my Mags entry anyway. Featuring multiple endings (sort-of, fallout would be a better example of how they are). Don't stress about the timer, it just leads to a crappier ending. Short and simple, but do replay it or I'll cry.

[Klaus]

Okay - it's time for voting now. Two entries - here we go:

For voting please visit the MAGS site or make your choice right here:

Of birds and bees by Gamer_V
Happy Ducky Adventure by Mr. Buckéthead

Please vote only once and be sure to have played all games before sending your voice! Good luck to all participants.

[Hudders]

Happy Duck Adventure. Definitely.

It rocks and so does the theme tune!

[Buckethead]

Happy Duck Adventure. Definitely.

It rocks and so does the theme tune!

heh! thanks! 

Too bad I had no time for some bug fixing anymore. I got caught up playing Monopoly. I hope my game was playable enough anyway. 

Comments on Gamer_V's game:

A funny little game. Some funny sounds and animations. The puzzles where pretty simple but with the timer I guess it was alright. The graphic were pretty good although some parts seemed better then others.  I liked the different endings too. I think I got them all:

Spoiler

- not being on the roof in time
- missing the plane
- making it in time

[close]

The only thing I've missed was a gui that showed the hotspots. And it would have been nice if the top bar was a little earier or read.



I don't like to comment my own game. Maybe someone else is will to do so?

[Jon]

Too bad I had no time for some bug fixing anymore. I got caught up playing Monopoly.

That has to be, the worst excuse for not fixing your game ever! 

[Gamer_V]

Vote for me! 

Comments on Mr. Buckéthead's (He puts the head in bucket!) game.

Well, it's quite obvious what's better in your game: you actually have puzzles. I liked the first one most, with the sun's attention. Abstract snd likable. And your tune really is quite catchy. The ending was rather .. wrong, but that might just be my interpretation, eh? I liked it nonetheless.

Only the item bar in the gui was a bit annoying, having to scroll to the pick mode first, before being able to use one. Minor problem though. (And I was able to go past the woman with the cat without using the flower, bug?)

Moge de beste winnen.

[OneDollar]

I liked the first one most, with the sun's attention. Abstract snd likable.

Reminds me a bit of a game called Blue Ice where you could grab bits from the scenery like the sun and moon.

Mr Buckéthead, the solution to getting past the fisherman (while hugely illogical) was probably the funniest thing I've seen this week, and I loved Gamer_V's mulitiple solutions for each puzzle.

I've put my vote in on the MAGS website, so I'll not confuse by putting it here.

[Hudders]

How is it that both games involve killing people? 

[Gamer_V]

How is it that both games involve killing people? 

You don't have to kill anyone in my game. If you did, it just means you're an ass. Poor Bob.

[Buckethead]

How is it that both games involve killing people? 

ehm it must be my entirely wicked and sadistic mind. In my other MAGS game you could get hit by a car lol. It's just my wicked sense of humor I suppose.

PS: These are the bugs in my game that I know of:

- You can get the sun's attention again and again although you can also waste it in the first room

- The walkbehinds are badly drawn

- You don't need to use the flower on the woman to pass.

- The music volume in the last 2 rooms is louder then in the rooms before.

That's about it. Please report if you have more so I can fix them and put this little game in the data base.

[Hudders]

- You can get the sun's attention again and again although you can also waste it in the first room

Don't get rid of that! Just stop the sun disappearing from the inventory and add some funny dialogue when you try and use it on other things.

- The music volume in the last 2 rooms is louder then in the rooms before.

I thought that was intentional. Made me think I was getting closer to my objective.

[Akatosh]

Happy Duck adventure was probably better, but as I can't change the settings to something that will make my computer run it, my vote goes to the other game.

[Hudders]

Happy Duck adventure was probably better, but as I can't change the settings to something that will make my computer run it, my vote goes to the other game.

That's a point.

I would rather there were a setup application so that I can run it in a window without sound.

[Gilbert]

But you know, you can always launch setup in an AGS game.
http://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/kbview.php?id=60

[Rui 'Trovatore' Pires]

One hand: there is always a way to launch setup.

Other hand: developers should always provide setup program.

Other hand: I can't count my own hands.

[Abalyne]

Another way to get a good cfg file is just to run the setup for another game, get settings that work on your computer, then copy the cfg file into the folder with the game you want to run. That's what I did to get HDA to run on my computer.

Both games are great! Nice job to both of you.

[Khris]

Using TotalCommander (a tool everybody should use), it's as easy as writing "game.exe --setup" in the command line.

[Buckethead]

Sorry for the inconvience I might have caused. I totally didn't realize that putting a setup in was so important. I'll remember it for next time 

[Klaus]

So time for voting is over now and we have a winner. The lastest discussions here on the boards already showed what people liked... The result of the voting goes just the same:

The winner this time is Mr. Buckéthead and his Happy Ducky Adventure.

Also many thanks go to Gamer_V for entering the contest.

[Buckethead]

Thanks alot  Wow people really liked my game.