Adventure Game Studio

The winner of MAGS August is:

A Prelude to an Adventure by Hobo.

Well done, sir.

(https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2464_1_thumb_200.png)	Stuck on You (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2464-stuck-on-you/) by Slasher
(https://i.ibb.co/G9tMzT0/1381-EEAB-D85-A-4-ABB-B894-3-EDEE93-C01-D1.png)	The White Elephant (https://gofile.io/d/9lHBfJ) by milkanannan
(http://tulevik.eu/ags/mags/Prelude/HammockJump.gif)	A Prelude to an Adventure (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2466-a-prelude-to-an-adventure/) by Hobo

Topic: White elephant.
Deadline: August 31st

White elephant (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_elephant): a possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of.

You may use previous graphics to create your game.

(https://i.imgur.com/k4Pd78Z.png)

What is MAGS?
Started in 2001, MAGS is a competition for amateur adventure game makers. The idea is to create a game in under a month, following the rules set by the previous winner. It aims to help you work to a deadline, improve your skills, and provide a kick-start into making adventure games. Regardless of skill, MAGS is for everyone. Voting is based on "favourite" games, and not the most artistic, or the best coded. If you have bad art skills, use it as a chance to do some graphic work. If you're sub-standard at coding, use it as a chance to give scripting a go. Ultimately, people will vote for the most enjoyable entry.

Rules
Entering MAGS is simple. First, conceptualize your game following the month's criteria (see above). Second, create your game fuelled only by coffee. Finally, post your game in this thread, including:

* A working download link
* The title of your game
* A suitable in-game screenshot

At the end of the month, voting will begin, usually lasting for fourteen days, and the winner chooses the next month's theme.

There are two games in the previous months thread, so a contest is actually needed this time!

Quote from: KyriakosCH on Mon 03/08/2020 08:42:48
There are two games in the previous months thread, so a contest is actually needed this time!

I'm on it. Got a lot on my plate at the minute and trying to find bits of time to do this. Should be ready soon.

Done

Nah, you're not a white elephant StuPot ;)

But I have to think of one....

Look at some novelty gift website and go with the tackiest thing you see.

Well..... I had a think and this i what I have titled so far:

'Stuck on you'

Marge: "Well, you're not sleeping with me with that thing stuck on you, Fred Fumble!"

Awesome concept~

Not quite the meaning of tackiest I meant. But it works.

I have a pretty well formed idea for a game, but it's possible it may require more programming than I'm up to with the continued heat. I'll do some kind of test today or tomorrow to see if the way I have in mind of doing the programming will even work.

Hi,

I have planned out my game ....easiest part  (laugh)

Fred wants to regain his youth and hide his baldness so he goes out and buys a trendy wig...

His wife Marge is not impressed and says it is a white elephant and says he will have to sleep on the sofa until he takes his ridicules wig off!

Of course, getting the wig off is not so easy when you have used too much glue!

Will Fred be forced to sleep on the sofa with his white elephant wig?

Quote from: Slasher on Wed 05/08/2020 10:02:09
Hi,

I have planned out my game ....easiest part  (laugh)

Fred wants to regain his youth and hide his baldness so he goes out and buys a trendy wig...

His wife Marge is not impressed and says it is a white elephant and says he will have to sleep on the sofa until he takes his ridicules wig off!

Of course, getting the wig off is not so easy when you have used too much glue!

Will Fred be forced to sleep on the sofa with his white elephant wig?

(laugh) (laugh)

Hi

I have made a good start..

With this game I did the end first and then the beginning..

Now i'm filling in the middle  (laugh)

Anybody else got any ideas brewing? 

My game is playable up to this point...

Curdling, perhaps. I failed to do the programming test as planned. But I have gathered graphics assets. I will do the test sometime this week to determine if the research element will remain or not.

Stuck on You

This game uses a variation of my Slasher Template...

(https://i.imgur.com/uiCYBRY.png)

Stuck on You

Can Fred find anything useful that will get his green wig off and please Marge?

(https://i.imgur.com/ky8HH97.png)

My game is almost done....

Will Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear be making an appearance?

Quote from: VampireWombat on Mon 10/08/2020 14:04:48
Will Matt Damon and Greg Kinnear be making an appearance?

(laugh) (laugh) (laugh) (laugh)

Stuck on You

My entry is done and now testing / tweaking time.... (roll)

Stuck on You

Fred is a middle aged, balding man who one day decides to buy himself a wig. Feeling young and virile again he decides to surprise his wife, Marge. His wife however, is not impressed that Fred has got himself a green wig and refuses to let Fred into her bed unless he gets rid of the wig and she calls it a 'white elephant'. Trouble is, is that Fred has used to much glue and the wig refuses to come off!

Fred try's various ways of getting the wig off, including asking his friends to pull it off! Can Fred get his green wig off or will he be banished to sleeping on the sofa?

Uses a variation of my Slasher Template that includes: Left Click to Interact and Right Click to Look.

https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2464-stuck-on-you/

(https://i.imgur.com/uiCYBRY.png)

(https://i.imgur.com/ky8HH97.png)

https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2464-stuck-on-you/

I think that if I make a game, its title will just be "White Elephant"/"The White Elephant". It is good enough as a title...

I'm kinda working on my own stuff... but I'd chuckle if someone made a game that starred a literal white elephant (anthro or otherwise).

Stuck on you

Game updated with some amendments/tweaks..

https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2464-stuck-on-you/

Quote from: Slasher on Wed 12/08/2020 05:59:52
Stuck on You

Game updated with some amendments/tweaks..

https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2464-stuck-on-you/

This game was so brilliantly random. (laugh) My son and I finished it, but we're wondering:

Spoiler

do the little X's in the top left corner of every room do or mean anything?

[close]

Also:

Spoiler

my son's the biggest fan of Butcher's Dog now - air guitar all over the place when that came on (laugh)

[close]

Hi milkanannan

The little X's in the top left corner of every room returns cursor to arrow when clicked on and removes active inventory cursor image..

Glad your son enjoyed Butcher's dog  (laugh)

Thanks

Quote from: Slasher on Wed 12/08/2020 05:59:52
Stuck on you

Game updated with some amendments/tweaks..

https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2464-stuck-on-you/

I played it. It was really fun and funny and unexpected. Really original theme. Congrats...

That was hilarious, Slasher!  (laugh) (laugh)

Thinking of a more creepy first person style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tDZRyJxITI

The 3d bit in the end may not actually be in the game. It would link it to my This is the Way.

Come on guys.... we need more entry's...

I know you can do it... I have seen some good games and ideas so let's have more.....

Still have almost 2 weeks. No need for anyone to have anything finished yet.

My game has progressed at least. I should be able to have something finished by the deadline no problem. But the amount of content still is undecided...

I did actually complete a game (https://tulevikeu.itch.io/prelude) this month for the Lowrezjam 2020. If I have enough time next week, I might spruce it up a bit and adjust it to fit the MAGS theme.

I mean, I've done two games with pink elephants, a white one sounds very enticing...

I’ve got something very small in the works, too!

With a week to go has anyone got something to show?

Of course I don't. My game would be kind of boring to post screenshots of at this point. Assuming it ever does reach a point beyond boring...

Quote from: VampireWombat on Mon 24/08/2020 14:31:00
Of course I don't. My game would be kind of boring to post screenshots of at this point. Assuming it ever does reach a point beyond boring...

I think you should seriously find someone to work with... inspiration etc etc

Quote from: Slasher on Wed 26/08/2020 09:33:06
I think you should seriously find someone to work with... inspiration etc etc

I've tried. More often than not, something goes wrong.
But it's unlikely that even having someone to work with would change things much at this point since it's headaches and heat that are my main enemy.

Quote from: Hobo on Thu 20/08/2020 16:54:46
I did actually complete a game (https://tulevikeu.itch.io/prelude) this month for the Lowrezjam 2020. If I have enough time next week, I might spruce it up a bit and adjust it to fit the MAGS theme.

I mean, I've done two games with pink elephants, a white one sounds very enticing...

What a sweet game! I love the graphic style, non-verbal communication and music. Well-designed puzzles. My only problem playing was that while I realize that being pixelated is part of the art style, it was hard to see some items or identify what they were as a result. Overall a nice experience. I know it's a bit off topic in this thread because it's not an entry in the August MAGS but there's nowhere else to post my comments!

I've had to make a tough decision. There's no way the game I've worked on would be fun, especially with the time left. So... I'm starting a new game. It won't be the most original, but it hopefully will be more fun.

So, anyone else have any kind of update?

Start a new game with only 24 hours to go? I like your spirit!

I’ll publish mine tomorrow. I just hope I can get a few last tweaks in.

24 hours? Wait. What? I'm pretty sure I have like 52 1/2 hours until the deadline. The deadline is almost always the end of the last day of the month, right before midnight in England. Which should give me 3 afternoons and 2 evenings to work.

Quote from: Shadow1000 on Wed 26/08/2020 15:21:12
What a sweet game...

Thanks for the play and kind comments, Shadow1000. I do agree with you about the readability, but the jam restriction of 64x64 pixels was pretty limiting and in hindsight I made some poor coloring choices. I did make the hotspots slightly larger for most things, so hopefully that helps a bit. And I think it's fine to comment in this thread, since it's basically a MAGS game in production and I didn't want to post it in the database before I it's MAGS ready.

But otherwise, the game is pretty much done, so I'll post it tomorrow for sure. Didn't have time to add a proper fishing mini-game, but managed to polish it up and add some white elephants.

[imgzoom]http://tulevik.eu/ags/mags/Prelude/Fishing.gif[/imgzoom]

That'll be sweet! I'll looking forward to fishing up those white elephants... hope the line doesn't break.  (laugh)

Oof...well, it's finished. (laugh) It's simply titled 'The White Elephant'. I'm working with a five year old, so we did more of a literal take on the theme.

Here's a download link (I think you need to wait a few seconds for the link to become active): This link should work! (https://srv-file22.gofile.io/download/9lHBfJ/thewhiteelephant.zip)

Thanks for hosting these competitions, Stupot!

For reasons I won't bring up, I didn't get as much done yesterday as I hoped. Is there any chance of like a 3 hours extension? I might not need it, but I'd hate for an hour before the deadline to realize I need like an extra hour to make things work...

Quote from: milkanannan on Mon 31/08/2020 12:37:59
Oof...well, it's finished. (laugh) It's simply titled 'The White Elephant'. I'm working with a five year old, so we did more of a literal take on the theme.

Here's a download link (I think you need to wait a few seconds for the link to become active): http://www.filehost.pt/gmsW (http://www.filehost.pt/gmsW)

Thanks for hosting these competitions, Stupot!

Nothing downloading / error / wants me to reg...  :(

Hey! Come and jump in and out of the hammock with me!

[imgzoom]http://tulevik.eu/ags/mags/Prelude/HammockJump.gif[/imgzoom]
A Prelude to an Adventure is a little interactive experience with light puzzle elements, tons of animations and catchy music.
So, if you got about 5-10 minutes, then come and help an adventurer to prepare for a mysterious trip to the Land of the White Elephants. Have fun!

AGS Game Page HERE! (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2466-a-prelude-to-an-adventure/)

Looks like I won't be finishing the game today after all. Sorry. Congratulations to those who did finish.

Quote from: Slasher on Mon 31/08/2020 13:59:02

Quote from: milkanannan on Mon 31/08/2020 12:37:59
Oof...well, it's finished. (laugh) It's simply titled 'The White Elephant'. I'm working with a five year old, so we did more of a literal take on the theme.

Here's a download link (I think you need to wait a few seconds for the link to become active): http://www.filehost.pt/gmsW (http://www.filehost.pt/gmsW)

Thanks for hosting these competitions, Stupot!

Nothing downloading / error / wants me to reg...  :(

Sorry - I’ll fix this when back to home WiFi! Thanks for trying.

Thanks to those who have managed to finish a game. Unlucky to anyone who didn’t make it.

I’ll set up the voting in due course. Milkanannan, do you have a picture I can use for the voting post?

(https://i.ibb.co/G9tMzT0/1381-EEAB-D85-A-4-ABB-B894-3-EDEE93-C01-D1.png)

You can use this. I’m sorry for the delay. I’ll have a working download link up in the next few hours.

(https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2464_1_thumb_200.png)	Stuck on You (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2464-stuck-on-you/) by Slasher
(https://i.ibb.co/G9tMzT0/1381-EEAB-D85-A-4-ABB-B894-3-EDEE93-C01-D1.png)	The White Elephant (https://gofile.io/d/9lHBfJ) by milkanannan
(http://tulevik.eu/ags/mags/Prelude/HammockJump.gif)	A Prelude to an Adventure (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2466-a-prelude-to-an-adventure/) by Hobo

As always, let me know if I've missed anyone or anything. Good luck everyone.

Don't forget to rate and comment where possible.

Awesome! I'll try the other games out later today.

OK I updated the link to my game in my above post. You can also get the game here: https://srv-file22.gofile.io/download/9lHBfJ/thewhiteelephant.zip (https://srv-file22.gofile.io/download/9lHBfJ/thewhiteelephant.zip)

Quote from: milkanannan on Tue 01/09/2020 12:13:51
OK I updated the link to my game in my above post. You can also get the game here: https://srv-file22.gofile.io/download/9lHBfJ/thewhiteelephant.zip (https://srv-file22.gofile.io/download/9lHBfJ/thewhiteelephant.zip)

Direct link is: https://gofile.io/d/9lHBfJ

A Prelude to an Adventure
by Hobo


What part is the 'White elephant' even though it may be only a short game.

Quote from: Slasher on Tue 01/09/2020 18:42:53
What part is the 'White elephant' even though it may be only a short game.

To be honest, the idiom "white elephant" is something I had not heard of prior to this competition and it didn't really feel inspiring because of that, so I instead decided to put literal white elephants in the game. The whole game is about preparing to go on an adventure to the Land of the White Elephants and there are a couple featured in the credits scenes depicting said adventure.

Spoiler pics of those below:

Spoiler

[imgzoom]http://tulevik.eu/ags/mags/Prelude/WhiteElephants.png[/imgzoom]

[close]

Also, I thought that this would tie in well with couple of my other games featuring pink elephants. If you or any other voters feel that the game does not fit the MAGS theme, then I urge you to vote for other entires.

Quote from: milkanannan on Tue 01/09/2020 05:56:48
(https://i.ibb.co/G9tMzT0/1381-EEAB-D85-A-4-ABB-B894-3-EDEE93-C01-D1.png)

You can use this. I’m sorry for the delay. I’ll have a working download link up in the next few hours.

I'm not sure if it's buggy or if I just haven't figured out the game yet:

Spoiler

I basically ended up on top of a white elephant and no interactions really do anything, other than looking at myself which takes me back to the same place

[close]

Am I doing something wrong?

Spoiler

I’m sorry - the game is really just a few interactions. If you click an item from your inventory on the elephant you win.

[close]

My thoughts at this time:

Hobo

Spoiler

I found the game quite cute with some really good animations (loved the fishing) and the music was fab. I did however, find the graphics a little chunky and unclear, maybe this is just on my computer. However, I don't think it really fits the theme... If you had the boat sink and a picture of a white elephant 'thought' then that would have covered it....
Shame really.   I do look forward to a longer game if you do one.

[close]

milkanannan

Spoiler

I liked the bright colours and the way you narrated it. However, it felt a little incomplete with lack of some basic responses...
Overall a good effort and great to have an entry from you ;)

[close]

Thanks Slasher. Yeah it was a rushed job. More just happy to participate. := Hopefully I’ll find time in future months to pull something more complete together.

Stuck on You by Slasher

Spoiler

Another solid MAGS entry as it is every month. Loved the pipe building puzzle, although going in and out of the inventory for each piece felt a bit cumbersome. Also, personally I would have preferred a slightly faster walking speed, it took quite long to get across the rooms with those tiny steps. Liked the ending as well - after all that fruitless effort, what a way to get rid of the wig...

[close]

The White Elephant by milkanannan

Spoiler

Not a lot here, the game can be completed with a few clicks. I accidentally skipped the old dude completely on my first play and ended up somewhere way outside the walkable area :) But the overall abstract feel has potential and those character expressions were priceless. And I do like the concept that only way to win is to not play.

[close]

My thoughts:

Stuck on You by Slasher:

Spoiler

Long and funny story, quirky characters and some great dialogue. I laughed from start to finish. The pipe puzzle was cool, if easy.

[close]

Prelude to an Adventure by Hobo:

Spoiler

I played both the Lowrez version and the MAGS version to compare, and really liked the bigger window here in MAGS. This was very cute and kid friendly, and the graphics are very good for the style used. (Though I probably would have liked a highrez version even better...) Very nice setup with the diary and task list, and the thought bubbles worked very well. The White Elephants indeed are added on to nail the theme with some nice pictures in the end sequence. Edit: My six-year-old played this two times in a row, the second time to see how many fish he could catch or how many bottles of water he could collect.

[close]

White Elephant by Milkannanan:

Spoiler

Joke game. While somewhat funny, it can't really compete with the others. I also ended up in the endgame by accident, always trying everything in the first room. Edit: I let my six-year-old try this, and he thought it was very funny. Especially that the character had no hands.

[close]

I voted for:

Spoiler

Stuck on You. While I quite liked Prelude to an Adventure, there was more to do in Slasher's entry, and it was the best fit for the theme of the month.

[close]

A Prelude to an Adventure has some seriously well-made gfx/animation... Well done!

I am going to reiterate my thoughts/comments on this month's entries:

Stuck on you

Spoiler

I really enjoyed this game in the sense of the humour and entertainment value. A completely silly (in a good way) and fresh objective that lends itself to a lot of laughs. The theme of the competition is met, but only as a peripheral element rather than being at the core.

[close]

Prelude to an Adventure

Spoiler

What a sweet game! I love the graphic style, non-verbal communication and music. Well-designed puzzles. I played it both before and after the retrofit to make it meet the competition's requirement. As others have commented, this game really has potential to expand. The theme was clearly an afterthought rather than being central.

[close]

The White Elephant

Spoiler

I think this game has the elephant being closer to the core of the game than the other two entries. However, it's quite unfinished and the experience of playing was just not engaging and somewhat underwhelming

[close]

My vote went to

Spoiler

Prelude to an Adventure. I think that the lo-res graphics and animation are so endearing and the gameplay and puzzles just gave me the overall "awww" effect the most.

[close]

Prelude to an Adventure

Spoiler

I've just downloaded and replayed this game... A lot better and I enjoyed the game...However, only reference is at the very end and then only elephant graphics... I'm disappointed and that is a shame....Otherwise a great game ;)

[close]

Quote from: Slasher on Sat 08/08/2020 08:18:27
Hi

I have made a good start..

With this game I did the end first and then the beginning..

Now i'm filling in the middle  (laugh)

This makes so much more sense after having played the game!

The votes are in and we have a winner.

A Prelude to an Adventure by Hobo.

Well done, sir. You’ll be contacted soon about coming up with a topic for Ictiber

WOW, that sure is close! Congrats, Hobo. We'll see what you come up with for your theme.

Congrats Hobo! You really should flesh that out into a full game.

Thanks to everyone who participated, played and/or voted and thanks to Stupot for hosting. I've taken part in bunch of MAGS over the years and it's always been fun and enjoyable. Also, it's a good place to get feedback for quick bite sized projects and gauge interest for potential bigger games. Glad to see that it's still alive and kicking after all this time and still relevant and engaging to both first-timers and experienced AGSers alike.

Hopefully I can come up with a simple but effective theme that'll draw in the crowds and allow their creativity to flourish.

Quote from: milkanannan on Thu 17/09/2020 03:17:42
Congrats Hobo! You really should flesh that out into a full game.

Thanks! Full game is such a big commitment for a hobbyist like me, but we'll see, maybe I'll return to this in a year or two, when I've finished up some of my other lingering projects.

Nice game Hobo.. Make the next MAG  a good one ;)

Is 'The White Elephant' game still available for download?  I go to the game link, but it says there is no upload files there

I’ll try to re-upload it somewhere a bit later today.

Thanks!  I will keep an eye out

Sorry for the delay, lakerz. This should work: https://filebin.net/thh83j9bwlbdqd89/thewhiteelephant.zip?t=j682ujgp (https://filebin.net/thh83j9bwlbdqd89/thewhiteelephant.zip?t=j682ujgp)

It's honestly something I started as a bit of a coding project with my son. We only finished three screens when the deadline hit and just decided to share it anyway (it does have both a literal and metaphorical white elephant though!)

My son and I didn't vote for ourselves, so I am assuming the one vote our game received was from someone with an agenda? (laugh)