Adventure Game Studio

Topic: Growing
Set by eri0o

Voting is underway.

Please play the games below and vote using the poll above.

(https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2534_1_thumb_200.png)	Dirandious Kroken (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2534-dirandious-kroken/) by Slasher
(https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2538_1_thumb_200.png)	Breakfast on Trappist-1 (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2538-breakfast-on-trappist-1/) by FormosaFalanster
(https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2543_1_thumb_200.png)	Fhaloness (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2543-fhaloness) by Hobbes

You are always growing, getting old, and so is something in your game. Your character is going from childhood to adulthood, or they have kids. Maybe they live in a city that is expanding, it's just not what it used to be anymore, growing is change too. Or is just a persistent mold in your wall that you can't freaking kill, like, how do I kill this thing, aahg.. Ahem. So. Growing!

(https://i.imgur.com/6RJQk3k.jpg)



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 guidelines 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.

Remember that this is a challenge to see what you can do in a month, so any tinkering you do after that, including fixing minor glitches, is against the spirit of the competition. The exception to this is that you may go in and fix major, game-breaking bugs only during voting. We want you to have a game that voters can actually play and that runs on their machines.

So to reiterate, during the voting period fixing major, game-breaking bugs is okay, fixing minor glitches or making cosmetic changes is cheating.

Tips
Here are some ways to make sure you have a game to submit at the end of the month:
* Make a tiny game. Plan small, then cut it in half. Find shortcuts (e.g. if making walkcycles is time-consuming, make the characters static or have it in the first person).
* Plan to have your game playable and submittable with a week to spare. This way you have a week to fix bugs, add some flourishes and maybe even get someone to test it.
* Plan to submit it a day or so early. This way, if there are any technical issues with uploading, they can be sorted out in time.

This is a great challenge! For the first time since 2003, I might actually commit to finishing something... I'll do my best to put a game together this month!

Quote from: Hobbes on Sun 02/05/2021 01:52:11
This is a great challenge! For the first time since 2003, I might actually commit to finishing something... I'll do my best to put a game together this month!

Good to hear, Hobbes. Looking forward to seeing what you come up with :-)

After an exhausting last few games I'm going to try and summon up enough energy to create a game for this month..

I'v had some ideas and have decided on: Dirandious Kroken

This will be a short game...but hopefully good enough to enjoy.....

Let's get cracking  (laugh)

Nice to hear Slasher! Curious to see what you'll come up with after last month's entry as well!

My game will combine an abandoned/unfinished fantasy novel manuscript and some old Critic's Lounge art to get started with. Managed to spend the day scripting initial game, which is now complete (and finishable). So the rest of the month will be spent making the actual thing: actual dialogs (instead of "I'll reveal my evil plot here" etc), music (might need to resort to some old MIDI files at the last minute here), art (10 backgrounds, 6 characters)... exciting though!

A sneak peak:

(https://www.jaapmarsman.com/img/screenshot1.png)

My game's called Fhaloness and will focus on a gruesome murder that has to be solved. So expect plenty of growing up (as your father has just been murdered) but also for actual growth, since the family's a bit like druids... for the rest, you'll just have to wait and see.  ;) I'm definitely going for dramatic fantasy writing. We'll see how melodramatic it'll turn out to be...

And it all starts at night...

(https://www.jaapmarsman.com/img/screenshot2.png)

Looks good  Hobbes....I hope you pull it off  (nod)

My entry: Dirandious Kroken

Sometimes what you grow does not turn out as expected!

The mechanics have been done and the rooms set up....

Short and sweet game.... Well, maybe not sweet  (laugh)

Going well, so far  (roll)

Thanks for your kind comments Slasher. Same to you! Looking forward to seeing more people join in?

  Dirandious Kroken

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

Comes with full instructions  (laugh)

Slasher, I am curious to what you are building...

Spoiler

giving me vibes...
(https://i.imgur.com/Zd4UirL.png)

[close]

Hobbes, your game looks super ambitious!

And the month barely started!

Just for you eri0o  ;)

Spoiler

(https://i.imgur.com/wj4kXt0.png)

[close]

Testing and pulling hair out time  (laugh)

Looks fun, Slasher. Is the testing phase going well so far? I really like how our entries are so completely different. With May only 8 days old, let's hope there are more people joining in!

I just finished my final background, so all 10 rooms have background art & objects drawn. Scripting is finished, so the game is fully playable... that means there's 23 days left to:

- Write all dialogs and descriptions
- Compose some music
- Draw all 6 character sprites, one full walk cycle + other animations
- Customise GUI
- Any other finishing touches

Onwards and upwards!

Hobbes.... I'm sure you will reach the tape on time..

Nose to the grindstone  (laugh)

My game is basically ready. Just sitting the time out  (laugh)

I'm going to try to have something in time, the subject interests me a lot, so maybe count me in

jump to it WiseFrog  (laugh)

Welcome to the pleasuredome  (laugh)

Dirandious Kroken

Sometimes what you grow does not turn out as expected!
Especially when the book author can't spell!
Short and sweet...Well, not so sweet  (laugh)

https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2534-dirandious-kroken/

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

(https://i.imgur.com/NYAOjF9.png)

Happy growing  (laugh)

Uses a variation of my Slasher Template

https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2534-dirandious-kroken/

Alright, let me present you with our entry:


The girl you love is a refugee from a destroyed planet. She is lonely and desperate and cannot let go of her lost home. If you do not stop her, she will leave and face mortal dangers in her vain quest to clutch to her past. Only you can help her grow out of the trauma and enter a new life with you on Trappist-1.

With a story by myself and art by Lorenzo, the game features:
-11 rooms
-6 non-playable characters to talk with
-A first-person system
-A real exoplanet, check it out (//http:///www.trappist.one/)!
-Lorenzo's art
-My cross-cultural Eastern-Western stories

We are working very well together and doing good progress. Out of fairness I let you know we initiated this progress for the Adventure Jam 2021 (http://gamejolt.com/c/adventuredev/advjam2021) but since we were told it was okay to put it on MAGS as well and it felt in like with the theme we are putting it here. Also, my blog will probably include some insights at how we are dealing with the project together!

You can see already some art:

(https://m.gjcdn.net/game-header/1300/615005-icnqsafr-v4.webp)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E1JOTMEUUAA_Mi_?format=png&name=360x360)

(https://pbs.twimg.com/media/E0-2RNlVUAM5SRJ?format=jpg&name=large)

You need to correct you LINK..

Looks great  (nod)

Quote from: Slasher on Wed 12/05/2021 14:11:57
You need to correct you LINK..

Looks great  (nod)

omg done :D thanks!

And then there were three, great!

I’ll do my best to complete mine on time. However I’ve had to undergo surgery last week and am not as able to focus as usual. Fingers crossed it’ll be all right in a few days, otherwise I might need to postpone for this month.

Our game is ready! You can download it there: https://gamejolt.com/games/trappist1/615005

edit: even better with Lorenzo's cover art:

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

We seem to have a real contest shaping up. Keep those entries coming in.

@FormosaFalanster, don't forget to add your game to ags games database: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/add/v

Quote from: eri0o on Thu 20/05/2021 13:12:51
@FormosaFalanster, don't forget to add your game to ags games database: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/add/v

I would gladly do but is it okay for a MAGS game to be in the database before the end of the month? I thought we had to wait but maybe I'm wrong, I never did a MAGS before.

I don't think there's such restrictions, just mentioned because I like browsing games through the game db. Slasher's Dirandious Kroken from this MAGS is already there: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2534-dirandious-kroken/  :)

Oh well in this case, I just made one  :-D https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2538-breakfast-on-trappist-1/

I'm still here!

I remembered how much fun it is to animate sprites. And I remembered how much time it takes... so, the pressure is definitely on to get this one finished before the end of the month...

Little update:

Spoiler

(https://www.jaapmarsman.com/img/screenshot.png)

[close]

So I've been having breakfast on Trappist-1...

It's a great game. I just wonder what's growing. Is it the colonial expansion that's sort of in the background of the story you think of?

Quote from: heltenjon on Fri 21/05/2021 21:17:02
So I've been having breakfast on Trappist-1...

It's a great game. I just wonder what's growing. Is it the colonial expansion that's sort of in the background of the story you think of?

It's Zheny growing out of her trauma and past life into a new one.

I made it! I'm happy to submit for MAGS May 2021, Fhaloness...

(https://www.jaapmarsman.com/img/poster.png)

I'd love for you to try out my little game! It contains...

- Character growth
- A growing flower
- Weeding unwanted growth

Please give it a try here on the AGS database: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2543-fhaloness (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2543-fhaloness)

I'll now proceed to put it in the Completed Games section as well... :-) I hope you like it! I had a lot of fun making it. And of course, can spot 10,000 things I'd want to do differently...

Hobbes....     There are a couple of issues..

One boy frame no transparency. Restore game not showing Saves...

Hi Slasher,

Thanks for letting me know! And thanks for trying out my game!

Can you remember what frame/animation was missing transparency? I did fix the crying animation on the girl, but maybe I didn't upload the ZIP file everywhere (I think the one on Itch.Io is definitely complete)

However, the save/restore error is very, very weird! As far as I can see, I haven't changed the BASS template at all. But for some reason it's not saving games when you press "Save". But no errors are generated in the Warnings log. And when I check out the scripts, they're all there and tied to the button. Very weird!

I fixed the save/restore error. I was using the open_gui command, which for some reason doesn't render the correct info. show_save_dialog and show_restore_dialog do the trick. Thank you for spotting that one!

Hobbes

looks like fixed frame transparency.. Restore game fixed...

Get water repeats even after you've used it in the potion...

Now at Sister missing....

Finished.... cute game ;)

Been playing Trappist-1...

Cool storyline.... not yet finished...

** Finished...

Last call for entries, folks.

Okay. Time's up and we have three entries. Well done everyone.

Please play the games below and vote using the poll above.

(https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2534_1_thumb_200.png)	Dirandious Kroken (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2534-dirandious-kroken/) by Slasher
(https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2538_1_thumb_200.png)	Breakfast on Trappist-1 (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2538-breakfast-on-trappist-1/) by FormosaFalanster
(https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/images/games/2543_1_thumb_200.png)	Fhaloness (https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2543-fhaloness) by Hobbes

As always, let me know if I've missed anything. Cheers.

Great entries this month!

My comments:

Dirandious Kroken

Spoiler

Creative, fun to play and hits the contest theme right on the spot, more than the other entries. Once you get the hang of the game it gets a bit repetitive but overall short and fun.

[close]

reakfast on Trappist-1

Spoiler

I love when entries create a complete back story, world and environment with tons of detail and then let you play what feels like a chapter of the story in MAGS entries. Crisp graphics, engaging story, inventory and dialogue puzzles, map and most of all, really enjoyable puzzles. This is what I would expect in a full release. My only beefs are that I personally like seeing the game character animated rather than just see the background and that the connection to the game theme is a bit weak

[close]

Fhaloness

Spoiler

Nice graphics and story. Puzzles are a bit simple. Connection to theme of the month is adequate. I think this could be made into a medium or even full length game if you created a previous chapter and a few chapters after to see how the story pans out!

[close]

My vote was for

Spoiler

Breakfast on Trappist-1. It is the most complete entry, and particularly with the puzzle and story design

[close]

Here are my thoughts this month.

Dirandious Kroken

Spoiler

Short and easy game with some typical Slasher humour. Hits the theme good, but the fun is over very fast.

[close]

Breakfast on Trappist-1

Spoiler

The best game this month. Beautiful art and some very nice science fiction ideas that's in the background of the story, like the stuff about low gravity and the planet not spinning on its axis. I also liked that Earth countries have space colonies, not simply "Earth". This in itself gives the characters and their interaction some extra depth, through the meeting of different cultures and habits. Belgium was perhaps an odd choice for a colonialist - I expected atrocities, given the country's horrible colonial history on Earth, but it seems that's not a point, at least not in this chapter. Having given all this praise, there is a big BUT coming: The game isn't really made for MAGS, and the connection to the theme of the month therefore is paper thin. I still think it's great it was entered, so that more people would try it out.

[close]

Fhaloness

Spoiler

Here's another game that acts as an opening chapter in a longer story. It gives me plenty of urge to see more, too. The characters interact nicely, there seems to be some decent world building and mythology going on, and the magic tree makes this game both interesting and a very good fit for the contest. I also felt that character growth was more of an issue here than in Breakfast. Oh, and I liked the music. (nod) I particularly liked the small details like how the sister reacts if you try to rummage through her stuff before talking with her about their loss.

[close]

I voted for:

Spoiler

Fhaloness. Even though I think Breakfast is a better, longer and more complete game, I feel this one delivers better on the premise of the contest.

[close]

EDIT: typo

A really nice set of entries this month!

Dirandious Kroken

Spoiler

Short and funny, I admire how you managed to somehow create a puzzle out of a recipe (laugh) The ending was hilarious. Also, definitely the most clear, strong and straightforward interpretation of the theme.

[close]

Breakfast on Trappist-1

Spoiler

I absolutely LOVED the rich backstory and how you used the features of the real Trappist-1F, like the tidal lock or the size of the habitable zone, in your worldbuilding. The interpretation of the theme is very subtle, but extensive: children growing to be natural dwellers of the planet in contrary to their immigrant parents, other colonies growing faster than the archaic T1F, the first settlement having slowly developed into an industrial centre and so on. The aspect would probably be much better visible if the game was longer and more span-out over time, but it's visible enough (side note, Zheny "growing out of her nostalgia" was probably the weakest (in the context of the MAGS theme) of all the "growing" in the game ;) ). Lorenzo's beautiful, limited colour palette art fit the game perfectly.

[close]

Fhaloness

Spoiler

A quite unique take at a fantasy world, it felt like a wood elves meet Jedi thing. Very interesting! The plot pace and puzzles felt a little bit rushed, but it's MAGS and you can only do so much within a month's time. Do you plan to continue working on the game? It looks like a promising prelude to something that might as well turn into a memorable title.

[close]

I haven't voted yet, still undecided. Will edit the post later... Well done everyone, nice turnout!

Regardless of who wins, thank you all for leaving your thoughts/comments on the entries. It's really nice & helpful to read your thoughts. Thanks for taking the time to do that.

I have to honestly admit I voted for Breakfast since I really enjoyed the story in that one.

Kastchey, the Fhaldirs being a mixture of Jedi & Elves is absolutely the blend I was going for! Nice to hear it was recognised! (I do plan on continuing this one but rather not commit to that and disappoint, but yes, I'm trying out some stuff. The important thing is to keep it small otherwise I'll get overwhelmed I feel! Episodic is the way to go with this one probably)

Heltenjon, I like how you caught the details with the sister. Also

Spoiler

Did you try to go into her room after making the potion? It's a minor detail again, but it felt important to me.

[close]

My feedback on the entries (excluding Breakfast on Trappist-1, obviously).

Dirandious Kroken:

Spoiler

Funny game with typical Slasher's humour. It involves feeding a plant while reading a terribly spelled book. Fairly easy, but fits well the theme. 10 minutes of fun!

[close]

Fhaloness:

Spoiler

Nice, clear graphics and an interesting world. Puzzles keep the plot going at a steady pace. Story-wise, the twist comes and is solved a bit abruptly, but it's understandable since it's a MAGS game.
The game works well as the first chapter of a longer story, I would definitely play the next chapters. ;)

[close]

I managed to complete both Fhaloness and Breakfast on Trappist-1..............

Even with a few pros and cons I found both games enjoyable and put together well...

Fhaloness

Spoiler

Love the way bedrooms are within the main room graphic.... Graphics are good...Music is cool...Just meets topic... Overall a really good game  (nod)

[close]

Trappist-1

Spoiler

Love the unique goto room arrow buttons... Graphics are excellent as one would expect from Lorenzo...Music is cool......Dialog options galore.... Just meets topic....Overall an excellent game  (nod)

[close]

Games just get better guys  (nod)

Less than... a certain amount of hours to go before voting closes! :) If you haven't cast your vote yet, please take a look at our games and click that button!

I think it's safe to say voting's closed and we can rightfully congratulate FormosaFalanster & lorenzo for winning with Breakfast on Trappist-1?

Well done guys & congrats!!

omg  :-D Thanks everyone! For a second game that is a very nice feedback!

big congratulations. That was CLOSE!!!

Well done FormosaFalanster. It was very close but you take the spoils. The spoils being, you get to choose the next theme. I’ll PM you soon about this.

Well done for hitting the number one spot FormosaFalanster (and Lorenzo).... (nod)