MAGS April "Frame" (OPEN)

[Stupot]

2025 - THE YEAR OF MAGS!

Theme: Frame
Set by: Soulstuff | Deadline: April 30th

A game inside a frame of some kind that is smaller than the actual screen resolution of the game on all sides, could be a small frame or big frame.

You can use all the other space to show information about the room, dialogue trees, inventory or nothing at all and be just a piece of art surrounding it as long as the main "view" of the game is in that smaller space.





What is MAGS?
Started in 2001, MAGS is a competition for all AGS users. 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 and more. Regardless of skill, MAGS is for everyone. Voting is based on "favourite" games, and not the most artistic, or the best coded. If you want to improve you 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, 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 walk-cycles 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.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Need a little help with graphics? Perhaps The AGS Trove has something you can use.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Need a bit of help with music?  Check out Eric Matyas' huge stock of free music resources.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Don't want to go it alone? Try the Recruitment board.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[VampireWombat]

I'm getting a few possible ideas. I will at least attempt something less traditional, possibly first person.

[RootBound]

This is a great theme - I don't think I've seen a prompt before that was not about the content of the game but rather about the form. It's creative and feels really different. I doubt I'll have time to enter but I'm really curious to see what projects it inspires.

[jfrisby]

Great theme!  Babar and I had our unfinished mags mall game that was first person in a frame that we can maybe finish out of competition or something for this.. 
.. and good luck with everyone fighting with 4+ guis (remember you could cheat and bake parts into the backgrounds )

[Kastchey]

Great theme!  Babar and I had our unfinished mags mall game that was first person in a frame that we can maybe finish out of competition or something for this.. 

Or maybe you could make a new game using parts of the previous code and enter with that one?

Normally, using pre-made modules or templates is allowed and encouraged. In this case, Stu would probably have to make a call on whether it is acceptable to make a new game with a pre-made frame UI, since this month specifically, the code is part of the theme.

[Stupot]

Anyone got anything in the frame?

Great theme!  Babar and I had our unfinished mags mall game that was first person in a frame that we can maybe finish out of competition or something for this.. 

Or maybe you could make a new game using parts of the previous code and enter with that one?

Normally, using pre-made modules or templates is allowed and encouraged. In this case, Stu would probably have to make a call on whether it is acceptable to make a new game with a pre-made frame UI, since this month specifically, the code is part of the theme.

I think it depends on how much of the unfinished game you plan on using and how much of a head-start that gives you. As Kastchey points out, seeing as frames are the theme of this month, it could be seen as an slightly unfair advantage to enter the contest with the frames already made.

If you do decide to enter, please be upfront about exactly what was made before this month, so that the voters may take it into consideration.

[Repi]

If you do decide to enter, please be upfront about exactly what was made before this month, so that the voters may take it into consideration.

This theme had the perfect timing. I don't usually follow MAGS, but since I finished my own game recently, I decided to explore if I could use some of my ideas on a smaller project. I've been thinking about creating suspense via frame, like Alone In The Dark did back in '92, when the unclipped nails grab the window sill in the beginning.

I have an unfinished "The Twilight Zone" game. The problem is that I have somewhat developed background art, and a character walk cycle (left and right). The theme just inspired me completely, and I think the frame would be perfect for this.

Would this be a big no no?

[Repi]

Here's a little something. This is about the lost screenplay of The Twilight Zone episode and the showrunner and creator Rod Serling must find it.
 
The TV frame and CRT scanlines are completely new, and I added some things into the room, like the typewriter, Rod's wife Carol, coat and rack, a mirror, and something else...

I also made a menu, and wrote a completely new plot. There are many things I'd like to implement, but let's keep this simple and get this done.

[soulstuff]

I finally have something tangible to show in here with 90% of the code done but I still don't know if i will be able to make all the graphics and sound by the end of the month.

The game is a proof of concept of a half adventure game half dungeon crawler. I've been having a blast making it.

[VampireWombat]

I have nothing to show yet. I didn't have a specific enough idea until this morning. Last night I rewatched the Into The Dalek episode of Doctor Who and this morning my brain decided something like that would be the basis for my game. So, I'll be using a combination of that episode, the movie Innerspace, and Final Fantasy Legend 2 as my primary inspirations. It won't be scientifically accurate at all.

[OneDollar]

Did someone say this was
The Year of MAGS?


The Year of MAGS is a MAGS game about making games for MAGS competitions, which isn't confusing at all.

It's a management simulator where you enter monthly adventure game making competitions over the course of a year, building your skills to create bigger and better projects each month, while trying to balance the needs of your work and personal life against your development time.

Can you create a new game each month and complete an entire year of MAGS?

Play in a web browser or download here!


I'm going to call this one a prototype, as it's definitely not finished. This was one of those projects where everything seemed to take 5 times as long as I thought it would, so there's several planned features that didn't make the cut, and the game is sorely lacking in testing and balancing. Still, hopefully it's interesting (and maybe even fun?!) in its current form. Let me know what you think!

[Repi]

I'm so close to finish my game, but I'm not sure if I want to let it go, if I don't polish it properly. Damn you deadline, what are you doing to me!

Great work btw, @OneDollar and @soulstuff, very creative. Nice, clean graphics and an excellent choice for the color scheme on The Expedition.