Adventure Game Studio

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It's MAGGIES time again.

Massive thank you to everyone who has entered a MAGS game throughout 2019. And to those of you who voted each month. We now have a complete shortlist of all the most highly voted games for each month of the year.

All that's left is to choose the best of the best.

Things are a little simplified this year. Instead of giving point values to your top three choices, you simply have to choose a best three in no particular order. The game with the highest overall vote tally will be crowned winner of MAGGIES 2019.

A few requests before you proceed:

1) Please make sure you have played (or at least sampled) as many of the games as possible (preferably all of them). If you really don't have much time to play every game, some of them have videos you can watch instead.

2) Only one submission per person.

3) Please vote for games based on their own merits (visual, enjoyment, puzzles etc.). Don't just vote for your friend or fellow countryman's games.

4) You do not have to be logged into a Google account but you will be asked for your AGS forum name for verification purposes.

Click here to vote (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdN4ApYQGcPaOMIYq2oF5MIKVZteL3RAAeZuEMSnAL1F1pEQ/viewform?usp=sf_link)
Deadline: Saturday February 29th

January "Crossover" (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2325_1_thumb_200.png) Space Cross: The BSG-Team (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2325/) by Cassiebsg and Morganw Watch video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIQiRHoutkw) Read interview (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=57718.msg636615386#msg636615386)	February "Dressing Up" (https://i.imgur.com/HUxxDST.png) Thrymly Disguised (http://www.mediafire.com/file/6ohiha72azgrg39/Thrymly_Disguised_v1.01.zip/file) by Blondbraid and Cassiebsg Watch video (https://youtu.be/TY_DzbIf90Q) Read interview (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=57718.msg636615455#msg636615455)	March "Hydrate" (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2335_1_thumb_200.png) Hydrate (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2335/) by Retro Wolf Watch video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAzkXqvDsns) Read interview (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=57718.msg636615526#msg636615526)
April "End of an Era" (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2341_1_thumb_200.png) TRAVELERS (Prototype) (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2341) by LostTrainDude Watch video (https://youtu.be/j-f3xABre6Y) Read interview (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=57718.msg636615639#msg636615639)	May "What Are They Doing In There?" (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2348_1_thumb_200.png) Cave of Avarice (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2348/) by Blondbraid, cat and Slasher Watch video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWdLDMihPR4) Read interview (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=57718.msg636615839#msg636615839)	June "Little-Known Traditions" (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2359_1.png) Mamma Mia! (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2359/) by fernewelten Watch video (https://youtu.be/ACvz9pSnjX8) Read interview (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=57718.msg636615770#msg636615770)
July "Animal Protagonists" (https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/606049130971660309/606371059016531968/unknown.png) Hopping Homeward (https://kiwinugget.itch.io/hopping-homeward) by NuggetSeb Watch video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRkUKt2Dyhs)	August "Huts or Hats" (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2369_1_thumb_200.png) Mr Bear Teaches English (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2369/) by cat, Marcin K and CaptainD Read interview (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=57718.msg636615907#msg636615907)	September "Magic" (https://i.imgur.com/BQYBSz6.png) Escape Literature (http://s000.tinyupload.com/index.php?file_id=52861253875773859348) by Reiter Read interview (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=57718.msg636616430#msg636616430)
October "Kids" (https://i.imgur.com/yDn7fAy.png) Desmond: The 'Thing' from Another World (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2376/) by Slasher Read interview (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=57718.msg636616046#msg636616046)	November "Cloud" (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2387_1_thumb_200.png) Jake's Very Last Journey (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2387/) by fernewelten Read interview (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=57718.msg636616121#msg636616121)	December "Create Your Own Christmas Adventure" (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2398_1_thumb_200.png) A Christmas Nightmare (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2398/) by Alan v.Drake Watch video (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KnJlczxbZfY) Read interview (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=57718.msg636616160#msg636616160)

Click here to vote (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdN4ApYQGcPaOMIYq2oF5MIKVZteL3RAAeZuEMSnAL1F1pEQ/viewform?usp=sf_link)

As mentioned in the other thread, I am looking for people to volunteer to make a gameplay video for some of the titles above.

If anyone can help out, I would be really grateful.

These are the games that still need a video:

Space Cross: The BSG-Team
Hydrate
Cave of Avarice
Hopping Homeward
Thrymly Disguised
Mamma Mia!
A Christmas Nightmare
TRAVELERS (prototype)
Mr Bear Teaches English
Escape Literature
Desmond: The 'Thing' from Another World
Jake's Very Last Journey

Oh. And as always. Please do let me know if I've made any mistakes, forgotten some detail, miscredited somebody or anything else like that. Thank you.

So here's a gameplay video for Mamma Mia Winter Ice Cream Mayhem.

So, here's a playthrough for Thrymly Disguised.

@fernewelten :) Thanks, the video for Mamma Mia doesn't work though, as it says "null: If the owner of this video has granted you access, please sign in."

Thanks Fernewelten. Although Cassie is right. The Mamma Mia is not loading. Any more for any more?

Oops. Had been “private“ instead of “unlisted”. I hope I've fixed it now.

Thanks again Fernewelten:-)

By the way. I'm sorry I didn't know the full title was Mamma Mia Winter Ice Cream Mayhem. Do you want me to change the information in the voting table and form?

Never mind, let's just leave it the way it is.  :)

The download for "Space Cross: The BSG-Team" does not work, it says it is private.

Sorry, cat.

Don't know what happened, the sharing for the files was off. Though it was on when I uploaded it.  :-\
Fixed.

It worked now, thanks!


To bad there is no database entry for Escape Literature to leave a comment. It was a very interesting concept for a game.

As a way of drumming up interest in the MAGGIES and encouraging more voters, I'm putting on a series of short interviews with the creators behind the 12 entries. We'll try to cover as many as possible but one or two of the devs haven't logged in for a while, so they might not get interviewed.

Anyway. Let's get to it. If you have any follow up questions for any of the interviewees, feel free to ask them here in this thread.

First up, Cassiebsg and MorganW, for their work on Space Cross: The BSG Team.


What was your role in the development of the game?
Cassiebsg: Story idea and all the graphics.
morganw: I was mostly assembling the pieces that Cassie had already made, into a game. So scripting, dialogue, plus enough of a design to accommodate a short story.

Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea?
C: I brain stormed with Morgan via IRC. I wanted to do another Galactica (1978) game and the theme crossovers just seemed perfect. I was planing something more like Galactica-Stargate, with Starbuck crashing into another planet (as like in the show, he took turns with Apollo to get us the "crash of the week") and I thought it would be funny if he was so close to Earth (via the Stargate) but never realized it. Then Morgan threw in the A-Team and taking advantage that Starbuck and Faceman were played by the same actor in the 2 tv-shows, which we turned into the recurring joke in the game.  (laugh)
M: I think Cassie had been making the graphics for a week or two, but there were only about 10 days before the end of the month, so I offered my help to try and make the deadline. I forget exactly how the original story was meant to work after the suggestion to use two Dirk Benedicts, but this was cut down significantly in order to get the game completed.

What are you most proud of about the game?
C: That we managed to make a little fun game (at least I hope it is) also for non-fans. Of course, if you at know all 3 franchise it might be extra fun.  :-D And Morgan did such a great job writing the A-Team's dialogues! I just made sure the Stargate and BSG facts made sense. since he had little knowledge about BSG and Stargate.
M: Probably that it was completed in not a lot of time and some people found it fun. The dialogue was fun to write.

What challenges did you face during the development?
C: Time, I guess. Would have loved to made the game a bit longer.
And the fact that Morgan had little to none knowledge about BSG and Stargate, meant that I had to ask him to fix a few dialogues and character motivation, so that it made sense. But in the end, I can't really remember any of it being a big deal or major problem.
M: Time. I think it was 5 evenings and 1 weekend to go from nothing to a playable game. Also, I hadn't told Cassie that I'd never seen Stargate, and then went on to write lots of dialogue about using a Stargate...

If you'd had more time, what else would you have liked to have included in the game?
C: Probably a final cutscene, with the working Stargate and Hannibal coming to get his "lost" team. Which of course would have included more puzzling, since they first needed to fix the Stargate.
M: Some of puzzle elements were kind of forced due to the time constraints and background layouts, although these restrictions also steered me in writing the story. I guess the most obvious answer is the chance to play as the other Dirk Benedict...

Any final words?
C: I'll be back! Oh wait, wrong sci-fi franchise. (laugh)
I had a lot of fun doing the game and working with Morgan, and hope we can do it again one of these days.
M: It was fun to work with Cassie, we made something, some people liked it, and it doesn't crash (as far as I know). I can't really ask for more.


And there it is. Our first interview. Thanks very much to Cassie and Morgan. Again, if you have any follow-up questions for either or both of them, fire away.

Click here to vote (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdN4ApYQGcPaOMIYq2oF5MIKVZteL3RAAeZuEMSnAL1F1pEQ/viewform?usp=sf_link)

now it gets interesting. a fun to read interview and good and insightful answers. What a great idea to start this @stupot

Next up in our series of interviews are two frequent MAGSers Blondbraid and Cassiebsg (again:)) for their game, Thrymly Disguised.

What was your role in the development of the game?
Blondbraid: I mainly came up with ideas, some of the dialogue and drawing the graphics.
Cassiebsg: Basically coding it, tried to introduce as many puzzles as I could and did a few missing graphics (mostly buttons).

Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea?
B: I had read the original legend of Thor dressing up and thought that it was a funny story.
C: I didn't, Blondbraid did. I just offered to code it, so the game would became one.  :)

What are you most proud of about the game?
B: That the project drew in so many talented people and that we even managed to get voice acting on so short notice.
C: Learning Dynamic Sprites and using them to create the intermission fade-in/fade-out and the Jewel box puzzle.

What challenges did you face during the development?
B: It was mostly getting everything done on time and finding voice actors, but my part was probably the least challenging of it.
C: Getting the jewel puzzle to work and figuring out where the bug was. Also coding the chariot mini-game, as I'm more of an adventurer and not so much into arcade or mini-games. I'm sure it could be improved.

If you'd had more time, what else would you have liked to have included in the game?
B: That's a good question, more unique animations probably.
C: More puzzles!  :-D

Any final words?
B: I was very glad to finally win a MAGS competition after making so many entries.
C: MAGS rule!  (laugh) Looking forward to doing more of these.

Thank you both. And can I just add that I really appreciate your frequent support of MAGS and look forward to seeing more of your entries in 2020.

Click here to vote (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdN4ApYQGcPaOMIYq2oF5MIKVZteL3RAAeZuEMSnAL1F1pEQ/viewform?usp=sf_link)

On a side note. I'm still looking for people to make some gameplay videos of the remaining games, if anyone thinks they can help out. Cheers.

Time for another interview. A solo affair this time with Retro Wolf for his game Hydrate.

What was your role in the development of the game?
Everything.

Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea?
I'm a sucker for science fiction, I'd been watching a lot of Star Trek: The Next Generation (Poor Tasha Yar!) and wanted to do something in that genre. I'd also been messing around in 3D design software making alien heads and thought they would make good characters. 90% of the artwork is based on something made in Blender, I outputted an image and hand traced in GraphicsGale.

What are you most proud of about the game?
That I was able to complete a project not having done anything creative in such in a long time. It's been a long time again, oh dear!

What challenges did you face during the development?
Time, I have kids and work 50 hours a week half of the year so it is hard to get motivated on games development. I figured that in order to complete the project I would have to make it easier on myself, so I did not make any animations, everything is a static image.

If you'd had more time, what else would you have liked to have included in the game?
Animated characters and voice acting, I've never made a game with voice and I like doing funny voices, at least when there's no on else around. :)

Any final words?
I found Blender especially useful in creating the backgrounds and characters, I've always struggled to draw characters in different angles but in Blender you only need rotate the camera. Hand tracing is tedious but I get better results than drawing something from scratch.

Special thanks to CassieBSG for doing the testing, her input gave me that extra little push to make it the best it could be. I very nearly released a version that had no character portraits, and no item sprites (just a list box).

Click here to vote (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdN4ApYQGcPaOMIYq2oF5MIKVZteL3RAAeZuEMSnAL1F1pEQ/viewform?usp=sf_link)

Thanks Retro Wolf and I do hope to see some more entries from you in the coming months.

Our next Q and A is with LostTrainDude for his work on the experimental prototype TRAVELERS.

What was your role in the development of the game?
I was the only developer, so I did basically the non-graphics, the programming and the very little writing there is in it.

Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea?
I had recently started playing King of Dragon Pass (1999, remade in 2015), a game that mixes interactive fiction and resource management by putting you in charge of a clan of people over an amount of years. At the end of each year, you can review everything you managed to go through. I was inspired by this and by the feeling of "playing a small role in a larger scheme of things that I had no complete control over" that it gave me.

What are you most proud of about the game?
First of all I didn't imagine it could win that month's MAGS, and I'm both surprised and happy that it did!
Also - something a little technical, although probably far from sophisticated: I was very happy when I was able to store the game grid in a 1D array and make the player navigate it through binding simple math operations (huge personal accomplishment (laugh)) to the movement!

What challenges did you face during the development?
I had to learn how to handle text parsing correctly, as the game reads and writes from text files it uses to "write down in history" the "memory" of players' actions.

If you'd had more time, what else would you have liked to have included in the game?
An actual gameplay (laugh). In other words: less randomness, more authored content and a way to make players' actions more meaningful in the long run.

Any final words?
Thank you for playing and also thanks to MAGS, for being an endlessly inspiring source of ideas and community :)

Click here to vote (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdN4ApYQGcPaOMIYq2oF5MIKVZteL3RAAeZuEMSnAL1F1pEQ/viewform?usp=sf_link)

Thanks LostTrainDude. I look forward to seeing what you've got coming for us in 2020.

Voted! (I needed 4 votes, but I made due with what I had to work with)  :=

Our next interview is with Fernewelten for his game Mamma Mia: Winter Ice Cream Mayhem

What was your role in the development of the game?
Sole developer: I made the music (on keyboard), drew the sprites and backgrounds, designed the story and puzzles, and scripted the game.

Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea?
The theme was "little known traditions". In the theme giver's neck of the world, there's a custom of forward-paying an espresso for people in need, and the giver wondered what other similar customs existed around the world.

Well, I'm German, and I was stumped: A quaint and endearing custom such as that simply doesn't exist over here AFAIK. Then I suddenly remembered a blog that I read ages ago. An American expatriate broached on the quirks and peculiarities he found in Germany that differed very much from his home life in the USA. For instance, one of the posts was headed,  (In Germany, road signs specify what the speed limit isn't) When a speed restriction is lifted in Germany, the corresponding sign shows what the limt _had been_, instead of telling what the new speed limit _is now_. When he pointed that out to his German friends, they had many justifications, but the American found those to be far-fetched and the system to be circuitous and absurd.

So in another post the expatriate was baffled to see Germans queue up for ice cream whenever the sun happened to shine no matter what the thermometer actually reads. That was the inspiration for my game. I basically asked myself, So let's say it is freezing and everyone is queuing up at an ice cream stand "what ramifications could possibly arise?" and I took it from there.

What are you most proud of about the game?
I'd never managed to assemble a credible walkcycle animation for humans before. Jake does somewhat better. Still tense when walking straight upstage, still too effeminate, but better.

What challenges did you face during the development?
I found it very hard to come up with puzzles. For lack of alternatives, I put in _two_ minigames, which in retrospect is too much for a game of this size. As a consequence, I needed a lot of time to get the minigames scripted at all, and then I lacked the time to calibrate them properly.

If you'd had more time, what else would you have liked to have included in the game?
Better graphics: A more harmonious background for the 'street" room in particular.

Any final words?
MAGS game writing is much akin to improv: Trust your first instincts. If you constantly re-think your ideas, you won't come up with better alternatives and you lose valuable time. Instead, say "yes, and..." and build on the ideas you do have. Don't try to be perfect, it'll only block you.

Thanks very much for your informative answers, Fernewelten.

If anyone has any follow-up questions, be sure to ask away.

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I like those interviews, but what happened to ours about Cave of Avarice?

Quote from: cat on Thu 06/02/2020 08:42:53
what happened to ours about Cave of Avarice?

Yes, that's what I've been wondering, too. I've been looking forward to that interview.

Quote from: cat on Thu 06/02/2020 08:42:53
I like those interviews, but what happened to ours about Cave of Avarice?

It’s coming next. I was waiting for all the responses, which are now in the can and will hopefully be posted tomorrow.

Next up, we have Blondbraid, Slasher and cat for their piece, Cave of Avarice.

What was your role in the development of the game?
Blondbraid: Mainly doing the graphics and coming up with ideas.
Cat: Puzzle design and coding
Slasher: My role in the game was mostly to give ideas and come up with suitable puzzles that we all agreed on.

Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea?
C: I didn't, Blondbraid did and asked for help with puzzles and coding on the forum.
S: I had some time on my hands so I offered to help make the game with Blondbraid who's idea it was.
B: My main inspiration was reading about the real historical Dahomey Amazons on Wikipedia, but also old adventure comics with heroes like like Tintin and Tarzan I've read as a kid.

What are you most proud of about the game?
B: That it brought so many people together to work on it, and while everyone had their own ideas that got added into the game, the final result felt like a good and coherent experience.
C: The atmosphere in the cave with the lamp light and random sound effects.
S: I'm proud of the fact that we completed a good game on time and Blondbraid's  graphics and Cat's implementation of the scripts.

What challenges did you face during the development?
B: Mainly coming up with good ideas for the ending of the story, but that's when the others stepped in with their own ideas and proposals.
C: Coordination in the team was often hard.
S: The challenges I found were to come up with feasible ideas and puzzles.

If you'd had more time, what else would you have liked to have included in the game?
B: More polished animations mostly.
C: A puzzle that takes advantage of the lamp light.
S: If we had more time I'm certain we would have added more rooms and puzzles.

Any final words?
B: It was a fun experience working with so many people at once, that way, there was always someone else to step in whenever we'd get stuck on how to construct a puzzle or write the story.
C: I think it turned out quite well!
S: We made a great team.

Thanks, guys and gals for your answers. I hope you will team up again in the near future.

Click here to vote (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfdN4ApYQGcPaOMIYq2oF5MIKVZteL3RAAeZuEMSnAL1F1pEQ/viewform?usp=sf_link)

I was rather hoping these interviews would get people talking about the games and eventually lead to people voting. Neither of those is really happening.

Remember that just because there isn’t an official deadline yet doesn’t mean that time isn’t running out. So please vote sooner rather than later.

We may not be talking but I'm enjoying reading them!  ;-D
So don't feel like it's wasted effort, it's not!

Besides, I already voted long ago. One of the perks of following MAGS, is that I had already played all of them.  ;)

Quote from: Stupot on Fri 07/02/2020 21:01:28
I was rather hoping these interviews would get people talking about the games and eventually lead to people voting. Neither of those is really happening.

I've really enjoyed reading the interviews, they were pretty interesting! ;-D And I've already voted!

Also, congratulations for such great entries everybody! It was a really tough choice.

Could one maybe add the text "Remember to vote for MAGGIES as well!" on the forums top warning about the awards? With the link to the voting page on the word MAGGIES?

Not everyone does read every post in the forum, and/or they may not realize it's not the same as nominations.

Just a though to try and create more awareness...

Our next interview is with cat, Marcin K and CaptainD for their educational game, Mr Bear Teaches English.

What was your role in the development of the game?
cat: I came up with the idea and coded it.
Marcin K: My role was mainly providing and artwork yet during my discussions with cat I had some small input like creating lead character (Bear the Magician).
Captain D: I voiced "Mr Bear".

Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea?
C: I wanted to make a simple English learning app for my daughter. The MAGS topic "Hats" then set the theme. In the forum introduction thread I found a post by Marcin who offered help with graphics and I asked him if he wanted to join. He also came up with the mascot and the title.
M: The theme was "hat" so the "magician" was the first thing that come to my mind as the most versatile solution for a game of that type.
CD: I can't - it wasn't my idea!!

What are you most proud of about the game?
C: That my kid loves to play it and she already knows all the words.
M: I'm proud of the bear character. His articulation is very limited in this game but I think he's nice.
CD: Though it's not my game in any way, having only voiced the character, I've long been an advocate of how well computer games can be used in education, so it was a real pleasure to work on this.

What challenges did you face during the development?
C: It was hard to find a voice actor, but luckily CaptainD kindly offered his help.
M: The challenge was deadline (even shorter then official) so I could only "recycle" artworks from my archive.
CD: While I clearly sound nothing like a bear (!), it also didn't help that we had a break-in which, while not resulting in much material loss, did include the theft of my Snowball mic!  So I had to record on my phone which wasn't great quality.

If you'd had more time, what else would you have liked to have included in the game?
C: Maybe one more category? The quiz was also not part of the original MAGS entry and only added later on.
M: If I or rather we all had more time, we would include more words, some quiz and, in my case, more animations and "bells and whistles". Yet still I think we did a decent job.
CD: Cat has already released an updated version which is great.  For myself I would have liked to have access to a decent mic and possibly spent extra time getting the voicing itself and sound quality much better since I was really pushed for time when the game was being made.

Any final words?
C: It was a pleasure to work with Marcin and Dave. And I'd love to hear if other kids like the game as well.
M: As someone who works with kids and for kids I'm happy I was invited to this project at my very first days on this forum. I'm very busy and learning AGS is going slowly so before I'll manage to make my own game it was great experience.
CD: In terms of gamedev 2019 was a really tough year for me, for various reasons I struggled for time and even when I did have time my motivation or inspiration was sorely lacking.  Being able to lend a hand on a MAGS games has helped me not feel completely out of the loop.

Thanks, team, for taking the time to answer the questions. Let's hope to see more educational MAGS games in 2020.

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I wasn't aware you want us to discuss the games here. I didn't want to say too much and influence other people.

But regarding the interviews:

I was surprised to learn that Retro Wolf traced the graphics from 3D renders. It was well done!

Next up. A short one with MAGS regular and saviour, Slasher for his work on Desmond: The 'Thing' from Another World.

What was your role in the development of the game?
I did every role in the game development.

Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea?
Well, I thought about doing a parody of a horror film, then I thought I would make it with kids..

What are you most proud of about the game?
My proudest moment would be winning that month's MAGS.

What challenges did you face during the development?
The main challenges were incorporating the singing and the dance moves.

If you'd had more time, what else would you have liked to have included in the game?
Given more time I could have added an extra puzzle.

Any final words?
I specifically wanted to make this a kids horror game.

Thanks for your answers, Slasher. And thanks for all your many entries over the past couple of years, even while working on a bigger project.

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Up next, another one from Fernewelten for his game Jake's very last Journey.

What was your role in the development of the game?
All of them ;) this was a one person project.

Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea?
The theme of that month was "Cloud", and one of the first associations I came up with was a famous chorus by the German singer Reinhard Mey: "When you're on top of the clouds, your freedom must probably be without bounds. They say that the clouds will keep all your anxieties, all your troubles covered up, and all the issues that you had thought to be so big and important will become void and petty ..." So I imagined someone to literally stand on top of clouds, in a sort of dream world. To justify them standing there, I got the idea of them having died and making their way to the pearly gates of heaven.

What are you most proud of about the game?
The background music does part of the work of voice acting (which my game lacks): Each NPC has a leitmotiv, and when the protagonist talks to them, the music changes to that. So the music characterizes the moods of the protagonist and the nature of the NPCs they interact with, it doesn't primarily characterize the room.

What challenges did you face during the development?
The examiner ghost turned out to be much harder than it looked. The frontal scene of Jake driving turned out to be a big hassle; I had to prepare and export three sprites for each house whizzing by. Simply zooming didn't cut it, so I ended up rearranging the houses and realigning the perspective distortion for each shot.

If you'd had more time, what else would you have liked to have included in the game?
More puzzles, more rooms. At the moment, there is just one room between the place where Jake's journey starts and the place with the pearly gates.

I'm indeed considering to extend this game significantly, sending Jake through several wild and wonderful locations that are populated by strange, cloudy beasts. Stay tuned for updates!

Any final words?
A big thanks to you for having kept MAGS running for such a long time, month by month by month! The AGS ecosystem would be a far cry from what it is now if there weren't so many dedicated volunteers, quietly working behind the scenes to keep everything up. Also, a big shoutout to the administrators of the AGS GIT project.


Thanks for your kind words, Fernewelten. And Keep the games coming :-)

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In likely our last interview, we have Alan v. Drake for his debut MAGS entry, A Christmas Nightmare

What was your role in the development of the game?
Pretty much everything, except music and the arcade sequence that will come out when the last part is released.

Can you tell us a bit about how you came up with the idea?
It was December, I had nothing to do and I thought it was past due time I attempted a MAGS, since I never had. So I spent two and a half days thinking about the story which pretty much wrote itself. I liked the idea, so I started working on it.

What are you most proud of about the game?
I'm glad I managed to stay close to what I had imagined, even though I had to cut several corners here and there.

What challenges did you face during the development?
Animating, my greatest weakness. And time constraints. It usually takes me forever to do anything, it must have been the magic of Christmas that gave me a boost. I also underestimated how long it would take to get all the puzzle rooms working properly.

If you'd had more time, what else would you have liked to have included in the game?
The final part, which is the best part, and some mechanics and polishing I had to postpone to make it in time.

Any final words?
I'm working on the last animations and dialogues, so I can show you what Crimson and my musician friend had prepared for this little game. I got slowed down by work stuff but it won't be much longer.


Thanks, Alan. We look forward to the final version of this game. I hope you decide to enter more often.

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And that concludes this little series of interviews, unless Nuggetseb and Reiter come out of hiding. Thanks to all those who answered the questions. And to everyone who has read the Q&As. I hope you've enjoyed them. Feel free to discuss the interviews.

Don't forget to vote. There isn't much time left! Best to do it now before the AGS Award voting officially starts.
And please do the devs a favour and rate/comment on each game's page, if you are able.

I played the last MAGGIES game tonight and voted. Two of them where easy choices, the third one was harder to decide.

There were some really great games made last year!

Thanks to anyone who has voted so far.

Voting will remain open for one more week.
You have until the end of Saturday February 29th.

As a bonus, we have one more surprise Interview for you. From Reiter, about his game Escape Literature

No. 1: Why, all of it, truth be told. I think that the simplicity of AGS is its chief beauty; it is quite possible for an amateur to string something entertaining together. Not to mention, I could likely have done the same on my oven. With no facilities or skill to make my own music, however, I had very much help from Mr. Eric Matyas of Soundimage.org. It is a vast library of music, and with some patience, it is possible to find something that will fit quite splendidly.

No. 2: Well, the theme was 'magic', which is a vast topic with endless possibilities. For a beginner, it was a very generous topic to approach. I am also quite fond of the idea of a spell-book gaining self-awareness, as well as the troubles and risks of magic artefacts and their containment. All of that could be neatly contained in a tidy, combination 'alchemy' inventory puzzle system, that complements the point & click gameplay. To me, it is important to find and stick to scenarios where the practicalities and vagaries of point & click adventure gameplay is not a hinderance, but an asset. I am still quite intrigued by the possibilities of the adventures of a rogue spell-book. It gives me an idea for future projects.

No. 3: I am still quite proud of having made my own little video game, and having released it, and it being good enough to gain a little award, too. Finishing games is the difficult part, but it is very reassuring that you can, in fact, do it. Making, finishing and releasing games makes you an official and bona fide creator, and that is a very reassuring feeling. 'Escape Literature' is the littlest trifle of a game, but I jolly well made it and released it.

No. 4: Since it was a very simple beginner's project, at a puny resolution and only a handful of rooms, it proved quite simple to make. Learning the basic scripting was rather fiddly, for someone who does not have the 'head' for proper coding and scripting. It is a mark of AGS as a robust, simple and useful program, when even I can use it. Further, art assets are quite difficult, and animation is excrutiatingly so. Having the main character be a floating book relieved me of a lot of animation difficulties. I will no doubt learn more of it in the future, but it took quite a few hours, slaving over a red-hot Windows Paint, to slap together such a relatively Spartan title as 'Escape Literature'. I know now, however, to better manage that time.

No. 5: I would have liked it to be longer, with more puzzles and Sierra-esque deaths, to discourage brute force puzzle solving. Sound effects and more detail would have been splendid, too. Further, I would have liked to explore the mystical aspects of the scenario a bit more. There is a lot of fascinating themes there that went unexplored for want of time. I also wanted to include a boss-battle, of sorts, and I would have made a better fictional alphabet and given it more meaning. As it stands, I simply used the Dwemeric alphabet from the 'Elder Scrolls', and wrote various Lorem Ipsums with it. It would have been fun to use it in the puzzle design, rather than 'merely' set dressing. All of which are relegated to my ever expanding archive labelled 'Next Time'.

As for final words, well, I must say that gaining a very pleasing deal of recognition for my very first publicly released project is terribly reassuring. With my health returned, I feel quite ready to make more games in the future. I know now that I can. AGS is a magnificent little program, and the AGS community is a fantastic place to be. Thank you all for playing. There will be more.


Thanks Reiter. Glad you were able to answer the questions. I look forward to your next entry :-)

In case you missed it you only have until the end of Saturday to vote.