MAGS March “Uplifting” (RESULT)

Stupot · Sat 04/03/2023 21:50:56

This month's theme is:Uplifting
Theme set by: Stupot

The winner is Elevation by Rootbound. Well done.

	The Gift by 4KbShort
	Elevation by RootBound

Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to lift off! We're here to announce the most uplifting MAGS contest of the year, so pack your bags, grab your metaphors and similes, and get ready to take flight on the wings of creativity. This time, we're not just aiming high, we're reaching for the stars, and we won't stop until we've crafted the most uplifting games the universe has ever seen. So whether you're as light as a feather, as strong as an ox, or just love puns about helium, this is the contest for you. We're looking for games that will lift our spirits, tickle our funny bones, and leave us feeling like we're floating on cloud nine. So what are you waiting for? Let's soar together and create some truly uplifting games!

^{(Description powered by ChatGPT - I asked it to include metaphors and similes. I think it's actually taking the piss 🤦)}

tbook · Sun 05/03/2023 06:59:00

Count me in

Although my idea for a game is about lifting movement, I'm not so sure about the tone, haha
We will see I guess

adanior · Sun 05/03/2023 23:51:07

I'm working on something.

Intense Degree · Tue 07/03/2023 07:51:53

OK, it's been too long since I've managed one of these. I've started a few over the last couple of years but then life kept happening. Well this time i'm going to say up front that I am going to release something this month even if it's only a title screen!

I haven't even got an idea yet, but i'm hoping that making this pledge will motivate me to get something done and released for the first time in ages.

Will anyone else join me in the March MAGS At Least A Title Screen Pledge?!

tbook · Tue 07/03/2023 12:06:07

@Intense Degree That seems like a good place to start

I promise to have at least the title screen aaand menu music (I like to start with the music

)

Intense Degree · Wed 15/03/2023 09:22:12

Quote from: tbook on Tue 07/03/2023 12:06:07@Intense Degree That seems like a good place to start
I promise to have at least the title screen aaand menu music (I like to start with the music )

I like your thinking. If I get time I'm going to try and knock up some music too.

So far life has got in the way a fair bit, but I have 2 character sprites and the beginnings of a background on the way so I am feeling good about getting something done, even if I haven't managed a title screen yet!

cat · Wed 15/03/2023 11:31:08

@Intense Degree No worries, we will accept games without title screen, if the rest is fully playable

RootBound · Fri 31/03/2023 16:00:29

So I'm working on something, but odds that I'll finish it today are slim, and it definitely won't have been play-tested beyond my own playthroughs. Is anyone else planning to post an entry? If not, there's no need to extend the deadline just for me--it would be bittersweet being the only entrant. I'm planning to release the game eventually either way.

Stupot · Fri 31/03/2023 17:54:43

@RootBound
I hope someone else is planning to enter, but if not, one entry is still better than no entries, so I'm happy to leave the door open a little while. Is three extra days enough?

RootBound · Fri 31/03/2023 19:25:38

@Stupot Yes, I think I can manage to finish in three extra days. Here's hoping we get a few other last-minute contenders as well.

4KbShort · Fri 31/03/2023 19:26:27

Hey everyone! I did the best research I could and I *think* this is where I post my entry?

The game is "The Gift" and it's my first AGS game and I did it in about a week (I only heard about AGS on the 22nd or so...) so it's a very rough and short game. I may fix it up later, but I'm out of time due to work so here's the best I can do in a week of work!

Edit: It's downloadable now! I forgot to actually publish the page. XD

The Gift:
https://4kbshort.itch.io/thegift

Stupot · Fri 31/03/2023 23:22:26

Hi @4KbShort, welcome to MAGS. This is indeed where to post your entry. Well done on making a game in just one week.

~~It seems the link you have provided is broken though. Could you check the link and edit the post if necessary? Cheers.~~

4KbShort · Sat 01/04/2023 04:07:56

Quote from: Stupot on Fri 31/03/2023 23:22:26Hi @4KbShort, welcome to MAGS. This is indeed where to post your entry. Well done on making a game in just one week.

It seems the link you have provided is broken though. Could you check the link and edit the post if necessary? Cheers.

Fixed! Thank you!

Intense Degree · Sat 01/04/2023 07:59:44

OK, I totally failed this month. Not even a title screen!

The best I can do is one screenshot with 1 background and 2 characters on their way to being finished.

I'm going to try again in April though. Well done to those who got something out.

Stupot · Sat 01/04/2023 10:14:35

Unlucky Intense Degree. Real life has a habit of getting in the way.

April's topic is up if you want a look: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/competitions-activities/mags-april-hiking-open/

tbook · Mon 03/04/2023 05:43:05

Same stuff for me, ashaimed to admit, I havent even made the title screen

See you in the future!

RootBound · Mon 03/04/2023 22:18:01

I'm closing in -- ran into a game-breaking bug yesterday and had to read through 1700 lines of code today to figure what was causing the game to freeze. I fixed it though! I'll do my darndest to finish this thing by the end of today (at least, by midnight Eastern USA time). Not bowing out just yet!

RootBound · Tue 04/04/2023 05:20:23

EDIT 4/5/23: changed the downloadable files to reflect a very quick bug fix (cursor not showing up on save/load dialogs, restartgame not working, one crash, one unintentional dead-end) - the gameplay itself remains unchanged.
------------

BY THE SKIN OF MY TEETH.

Holy cow. I managed to finish a draft of the project. Definitely beta, no testers but me, so I apologize for the very high likelihood of bugs and at times unpolished puzzles & gameplay. It is definitely playable, though, and should have no dead ends.

After this MAGS round is over, I'll be continuing to update and refine it and fix issues for a while before I post it in the Completed Games thread.

First time I've actually completed a game! Feels amazing.

ELEVATION is a short mini-adventure where you help a robot climb up an elevator shaft. Art, music, story, everything by me. I hope you enjoy it and find it uplifiting!!

Builds for Windows and Linux available here:

https://rootbound.itch.io/elevation-beta-version

Stupot · Tue 04/04/2023 08:43:43

Well done to 4KbShort and RootBound for making these two brilliant-looking games.

Now it's time for everyone to play the games and vote for the best one.

(Please vote using the poll above)

	The Gift by 4KbShort
	Elevation by RootBound

RootBound · Wed 05/04/2023 15:23:39

Hey @4KbShort, it looks like your downloadable archive doesn't actually contain a game executable file. Am I overlooking something? Thanks.

eri0o · Wed 05/04/2023 15:58:32

Spoiler

maybe it's 4MbShort

[close]

4KbShort · Wed 05/04/2023 23:44:04

Quote from: RootBound on Wed 05/04/2023 15:23:39Hey @4KbShort, it looks like your downloadable archive doesn't actually contain a game executable file. Am I overlooking something? Thanks.

Nope, not just you. Don't know how it wasn't included in the ZIP, but it has been re-compiled, re-zipped, re-uploaded and I downloaded the file to test it and it's in there now. So sorry for everyone who downloaded the game with no way to run it.

Thank you for letting me know!

lanchong · Fri 07/04/2023 04:48:37

I like the game concept in Elevation but I'm stuck. I've posted my question in the Hints & Tips board.

RootBound · Sat 08/04/2023 20:21:07

Hey @4KbShort I played and enjoyed your game - it's interesting how opposite our approaches to the topic were. Yours was upbeat and positive the entire way through. Meanwhile I'm over here trying to write a tearjerker with some literal lifting-up.

I had fun. Hope to see more AGS games from you in the future!

4KbShort · Mon 10/04/2023 05:34:45

Quote from: RootBound on Sat 08/04/2023 20:21:07Hey @4KbShort I played and enjoyed your game - it's interesting how opposite our approaches to the topic were. Yours was upbeat and positive the entire way through. Meanwhile I'm over here trying to write a tearjerker with some literal lifting-up. I had fun. Hope to see more AGS games from you in the future!

Thank you! I enjoyed your game as well. Great music, very atmospheric. It did get a little difficult at the end, but it wasn't enough to make it frustrating and the ending was very uplifting! Great work!

RootBound · Mon 10/04/2023 16:00:37

Quote from: 4KbShort on Mon 10/04/2023 05:34:45I enjoyed your game as well. Great music, very atmospheric. It did get a little difficult at the end, but it wasn't enough to make it frustrating and the ending was very uplifting! Great work!

Thanks so much! So glad you played it! This is my first time submitting a game to this contest, so it's great to hear someone liked it.

Creamy · Sat 15/04/2023 11:21:41

I finished both games and had a good time:

The Gift

Spoiler

A straightforward and relaxing game where you go donate your blood plasma. Fitting with the theme. Some people find it stress-inducing but as an occasional blood donor, the game is pretty close to my own experience - except that we're given a meal after the donation. I didn't know you get paid to donate your plasma in the US. Selling human elements is forbidden in France.

[close]

Elevation

Spoiler

A polished survival game where you use various tools to help 2 robots escape a broken shaft in space. The experience is more emotional than the pitch could suggest. Your buddy feels alive and the rescuing pilot treat you like actual persons.
Visually stunning for a MAGS game.

I found 2 bugs:
- the game crashes if you use the refined laser with one of the objects in the right maintenance panel. Here's the output:

Quotein "room1.asc", line 640

Error: AnimateCharacter: invalid loop number specified

-You can use the refined laser on the alarm light several times.

[close]

RootBound · Sat 15/04/2023 16:43:39

@Creamy Thank you so much--so glad you connected with the characters and had so many positive things to say. Extra thanks for reporting the bugs, too--I think it's too late to upload a fix before voting ends, but I've made sure this won't be a problem in the revised stable version (coming soon, after more playtesters). Very, very much appreciated.

Stupot · Sat 15/04/2023 19:01:56

Quote from: RootBound on Sat 15/04/2023 16:43:39I think it's too late to upload a fix before voting ends,...

If it's game-breaking and something you think most players will encounter, then I don't think anyone would have an issue with you giving it a quick patch-up.

RootBound · Sat 15/04/2023 22:03:41

Good news, looks like I may have fixed those two bugs in the patch I already uploaded in the first couple of days -- at least, the bugs aren't showing up for me in the current download version.

If this is correct, then kudos to Creamy for being enthusiastic enough to download the game in the first couple of days before I fixed anything.

If anyone else finds these issues in the current version, I'll take another look, but I'm hopeful they've now been addressed.

EDIT: unrelated, I have a protocol question - I'm planning on releasing a revised/polished edition of this game later on, and that's the version I'll put in the AGS database and in the Completed Games forum when it's done. Should I keep the MAGS version available too for the purposes of things like next year's Maggies? I'm assuming yes, but I'll be making enough changes that I don't really want the MAGS version to be the default edition. What's the etiquette for handling that?

Thanks.

Ponch · Sun 16/04/2023 02:04:01

Voted!

4KbShort · Sun 16/04/2023 06:18:11

@Creamy Thanks for playing The Gift I really appreciate the feedback! It's also illegal to sell human elements within the United States or to pay for them, but Plasma centers get around this by stating they're paying you for your "Time". It's a loophole, but the services are regulated by federal agencies so it seems to be a legitimate thing. I've worked in Plasma for a very long time and it can be very stressful for people, but in most cases people don't realize you can earn money and help others by donating plasma as direct blood donations are not compensated like plasma.

4KbShort · Thu 20/04/2023 08:17:15

Congrats @RootBound for winning the month! It really is a great game and you deserve it!

RootBound · Thu 20/04/2023 13:20:58

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for playing my game! I appreciate you putting in the time to play and vote, and I'm happy this tiny game that I made very suddenly turned out well enough that people like it.

And @4KbShort your game was a great entry too. If you'd won, it would have been well deserved too.

Stupot · Sat 22/04/2023 18:18:58

Thank you to both 4KbShort and RootBound for your wonderful first entries to the MAGS contest. The games are as cool as your usernames and I hope you continue to enter.

The winner of MAGS March is Elevation by RootBound.

Well done. I'll be in touch soon about coming up with a theme for May's contest, so start thinking.

DBoyWheeler · Mon 24/04/2023 00:12:55

Congrats to RootBound!

MAGS March “Uplifting” (RESULT)

What is your favourite game of MAGS March?