MAGS November: "Novel" (CLOSED)

[Atelier]

Topic: 'Novel'

As it is national novel writing month, the task for November is to make a game based on any novel/story of your choice.

But it must:

(a) be a published novel, and
(b) at least loosely stay true to the novel. In other words, the plot can be simplified, abridged, characters added/removed etc - but generally it should follow the novel's story-line.

Have fun guys!



Ending 8th December



What is MAGS?

MAGS is a monthly competition for all 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, or provide a kick-start into making adventure games. Regardless of skill, MAGS is for everyone. Voting is based on "favorite" 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.

You may get help for the competition, although you must end up doing something yourself. You should however be warned that it proves difficult to organize a big team within thirty days. You are not allowed to use material already created before this competition. Your game must be completely new! Music and sound is an exception; you can use free material that is available to the public, if you wish. Modules and templates are also allowed. Please do not enter the competition with a rushed entry (a game created last minute). Sure, you can make a game and rush it - but don't do this just to win by default.

Entering MAGS is simple. First, conceptualise your game following the month's criteria (see top). Second, create your game fueled only by coffee. Third, finally, and most importantly, post your game here, including:

âœ" A working download link.
âœ" The title of your game.
âœ" A suitable screenshot.

At the end of the month, the all-important voting will begin! This period usually lasts fifteen days. Should you win, along with announcing the next month's rules, your name and game will be immortalised in the MAGS Archive. Yet hopefully, at the end of the month, the accomplishment of finishing a game will be your greatest prize. For more information please visit the Official MAGS website.

[Radiant]

That's a <puts on sunglasses> novel idea for a game! 

[Ponch]

Hmmm... I think I have an idea... It's poorly thought out and probably not good enough to really build a game around...

It's perfect for MAGS! 

[Radiant]

Hmmm... I think I have an idea... It's poorly thought out and probably not good enough to really build a game around...

It's perfect for MAGS! 

You're... going to write an OSD novel and then make a game about that?

[Ponch]

You're... going to write an OSD novel and then make a game about that?

Shits! Now I will must do the new plan makings! Teh forums has caughts on to my teh cleverly plot!

[Ghost]

Shits! Now I will must do the new plan makings! Teh forums has caughts on to my teh cleverly plot!

You could *make* that game, write a *novel* about how you made the game, *publish* it, and then *make a new game about it*!
You have four weeks!

[Jaffles]

Oh man, what a cool theme! I'm taking a Mystery and Detective Fiction course right now, and we just read a book that would be perfect for this! But alas, since I can't use my already-made Reon assets, I don't think I'll have time to enter.

Props for the theme though!

[Ponch]

You could *make* that game, write a *novel* about how you made the game, *publish* it, and then *make a new game about it*!
You have four weeks!

You're right! That's exactly what I could do!    This is going to be even easier than I thought!!

[Ghost]

You're right! That's exactly what I could do!

Go ahead. Meanwhile, I will write a novel about you doing all that- and that's going to make me obscenely rich! Any favourite celebrity that should act your part in the obvious "movie-based-on-the-novel-inspired-by-the-game-affected-by-the-novel-about-the-game's-movie's-author"?

[Ponch]

Any favourite celebrity that should act your part in the obvious "movie-based-on-the-novel-inspired-by-the-game-affected-by-the-novel-about-the-game's-movie's-author"?

The only celebrity who could play me is Sam Elliot. Or possibly Wesley Snipes. They're sort of interchangeable really.



UPDATE:
I am officially MAGSing the month. I started work on my game this evening and have most of the voice roles cast. 

And I'm really going to finish this time! Pinky swear!

[Ghost]

Do novels based on movies/games count? "Labyrinth" (Labyrinth), for example, or "Knee-deep into the Dead" (Doom)?

[Atelier]

Do novels based on movies/games count?

I guess so! The rules only require it to be a published novel. But the game would obviously have to be based on the written rendition rather than the original movie/game.

[Ponch]

Do novels based on movies/games count? ... "Knee-deep into the Dead" (Doom)?

You must have huge guts to ask that question! 

[TheBitPriest]

I'll throw my hat... (er... two hats?) into the mix...

Meet an old man named Santiago and his apprentice Manolin. 



Santiago is salao.  Can Manolin help The Old Man regain his confidence and face the Sea?  Will the old man (not to be confused with Ernest Hemingway) come home victorious?

BP

[Ghost]

I guess so! The rules only require it to be a published novel. But the game would obviously have to be based on the written rendition rather than the original movie/game.

Alright, that's cool.
*steps over to bookshelf*

You must have huge guts to ask that question! 

Rip and *tear*, sir! RIP and TEAR!

[Radiant]

Maybe I'll make a "Waiting For Godot" game that shows a loading screen for ten minutes

Spoiler

and then nothing happens.

[close]

[TheBitPriest]

Maybe I'll make a "Waiting For Godot" game that shows a loading screen for ten minutes

Spoiler

and then nothing happens.

[close]

Too funny!   Someone should make a game about chapter three of The Grapes of Wrath.  Maybe a Frogger clone?

[Ponch]

I could make a "Little House On The Prairie" game where everyone dies of dysentery. Oh wait... it's been done already.

Look like it's "Story of O" for me... unless Dualnames has already called dibs on it. 

[Atelier]

So there's Ponch, BitPriest and possibly Ghost - is anybody else interested?

Remember the deadline is the 8th December not 30th November.

[Ponch]

Surely there must more entries than just two (or three). I need competition! I need a challenge! I work best under pressure! I can't finish this adaptation of an erotic masterpiece unless I feel other AGSers are also in it to win it! Get in the game, AGS Community!!

[Atelier]

There's just over a week left guys.

[Ghost]

There's just over a week left guys.

Cloudy with a chance of Wilhelm Busch here. Should have screenies end of weekend!

[Ponch]

There's just over a week left guys.

Very sick. Work progressing slowly. 

[pharlap]

I can't finish this adaptation of an erotic masterpiece unless I feel other AGSers are also in it to win it!

Mwahhaha!! I really must enter one of these competitions at some point when I find the time

[BunnyShoggoth]

Ok, not really an entry, but... I've used a bit of my imagination and a lot of Photoshop to imagine what a game based on Burroughs' "Naked Lunch" could have looked like. More movie based, though...

[Radiant]

There's just over a week left guys.

I have a question about that. Would it be possible, starting with the december MAGS, to have MAGS contests end at the end of the month? It strikes me that the december MAGS should take place in december, ending on december 31st, and not continuing into the first week or so of january. Of course the occasional extension can be granted if people need it, but normally I think aligning it to the month would be more appropriate. I see that the december thread already lists the 31st, I hope this is a planned change that is there to stay

[Atelier]

Of course, there was no official change in the first instance, it's only been that way for the past 3/4 months as I've posted the contests late, and I still want people to have at least 30 days. I'm genuinely annoyed with myself whenever I don't keep to the established deadlines. I know it doesn't take long, but most of the time things get in the way.

Sort of impromptu but a good opportunity: there was no Maggies for 2011. The thread has been written since the summer and the entries collected together (there are a couple missing - the authors having gone AWOL) so everything is all ready to go. But in people's opinion, is it worth posting it when there is about a month until 2013? Of course, voting would be open for a couple of months as usual.

The thing is, I don't want to break the tradition! Also, Maggies 2010 was posted in May(?) last year and it seemed to do ok.

I just thought it better to ask instead of being lambasted after posting it.

[Ghost]

I'd say an early/earlier announcement is a good thing- maybe you can get the "headline space" to raise awareness? I always felt the Maggies are a bit too easy to miss.

[Perspicacity1]

My MAGS entry based on House of Leaves. It didn't turn out exactly how I wanted but I'm just glad that I managed to complete MAGS (on time) two months in row. Plus, I learned a few things.



Exploration A

[Ponch]

I lost a week and a half to the flu, so this game isn't nearly as interactive as I wanted it to be. Sadly, I ran out of time before i could finish the new battle system from scratch. It's only barely a game, really, but so many AGSers pitched in with voice acting before I got sick, I just couldn't let the deadline pass without getting this game out there -- what I could salvage of it, anyway.


AGS Community Theater Presents:
From Hell's Hart, I Is Stabbings
(An Oceanspirit Dennis Tale)

http://www.barnrunner.com/OSD/MAGS_Nov_2012.rar

Thanks to Baron, Frodo, Ghost, Kconan, Tabata, and ThreeOhFour for their fantastic voice work. They added so much to this game. 

[CaptainD]

Just a quick note - The Bit Priest did have his entry up and running in time for the entry but has had trouble getting the game added to the database and also now is having trouble with the forums - I can vouch for the fact that he's made the game, I helped a little with testing. If he still can't get the game added I'll see if I can put it up myself (if he's happy with this - but hopefully he'll get things working soon).

His game was based on The Old Man and the Sea.

[TheBitPriest]

The Old Man and the Sea

It's a story about a Cuban fisherman named Santiago and his agonizing battle fishing in the Gulf Stream.   It was the last novel that Hemingway saw published.  There are many interpretations of this fable-style story.  Is it a parable?  Who is Santiago?  Who is Manolin, his devoted apprentice?  The book seems to drip with symbolism, but as far as I know, Hemingway denied many of the interpretations. 



Database Entry

Ok, so I'm a noob.   In my noobified attempt to post this game yesterday afternoon, I was locked out of my account.  After spending almost of month of consuming coffee, scribbling on a Wacom tablet, reading The Old Man and the Sea until my eyes bled, and learning the ins and outs of AGS scripting, I was ready to shoot my computer -- you know the drill.  But then!  This morning I discovered that I was logged in on my Linux box.  God save the Penguin.

It felt like I was an old man, out to sea, and then...  Well, you'll have to play the game.

If you know the book, then it's not too hard.  Some of the puzzles are unique to the game but in the spirit of the book.  Some of them are easy with a passing knowledge of the book.  At least one requires a more intimate knowledge of the book.  Despite my provocative handle, I am not a Catholic priest.  All such references in the game are true to interpretations of the story.   Special thanks to Spark's Notes (which, by the way, makes a good hint book).

I wanted to use the MAGS to complete a project from start to finish on my own.  I learned a lot, and am hoping to improve with future AGS projects.

The broken English and strange idioms are true to the characters.

I was inspired by this amazing animated rendition.  The interior of the cabana is almost identical.  The music is a Creative Commons piece by Redmajik.  Other references are cited in the readme.

[TheBitPriest]

One more thing:   Despite the appropriately labeled and tantalizingly named "Load" button, there is no save/load mechanism.  Sorry...  The good news is that the game can be completed in well under an hour.

[Radiant]

Wow, good participation here. I've got all three entries on my hard drive, despite not having read any of the novels

[miguel]

The database for the old man and the sea doesn't look right. 0,0MB...
Played the other 2, it's great to see Ocean Spirit Dennis!

[CaptainD]

The database for the old man and the sea doesn't look right. 0,0MB...

It links to the files on Google Docs.  If you have a Google account, you should be able to just click the Download button (not sure if you don't have a Google account thought).  Right-clicking and Save As won't work in this instance.

[miguel]

Got it, CptnD, thanks!

[Ponch]

it's great to see Ocean Spirit Dennis!

Thanks. It was nice to dust him off and get him involved in a little community theater. I only wish I'd had time to finish the game properly. 

[MAGS Host]

The MAGS site doesn't seem to be working right now - it won't let me upload screenshots or add anything to any databases. As a result, voting this month will have to be done via PM.

• Please play all three entries before making your decision.
• PM this account with your vote, before Mon 17th December.

Click on the titles to download.

Exploration A by Perspicacity1
From Hell's Hart, I Is Stabbings by Ponch
The Old Man and the Sea by TheBitPriest

Good luck everybody and thanks for the great entries.

[TheBitPriest]

The database for the old man and the sea doesn't look right. 0,0MB...
Played the other 2, it's great to see Ocean Spirit Dennis!

The site reported an error in a PHP file both yesterday and this morning.  I don't know if I posted in an incorrect way, or if there really is a back-end problem with the database.  In either case, the details are corrupted, and there isn't any link to correct them.  Nevertheless, it would seem that the download link works.  It takes you to another page from which you can download the game. 

[Radiant]

Exploration A by Perspicacity1
From Hell's Hart, I Is Stabbings by Ponch
The Old Man and the Sea by TheBitPriest

My vote goes to The Old Man And The Sea, for I find it has the best gameplay of the three.

[selmiak]

got the coffee in TOMATS (lol) and

Spoiler

filled the tuna into the carboy but somehow can't give it to Santiago

[close]

[Ponch]

My vote goes to The Old Man And The Sea, for I find it has the best gameplay of the three.

Gameplay? That gives it the edge over my game. 

[TheBitPriest]

My vote goes to The Old Man And The Sea, for I find it has the best gameplay of the three.

Gameplay? That gives it the edge over my game. 

I think "community theater" was a creative idea! 

[TheBitPriest]

got the coffee in TOMATS (lol) and

Spoiler

filled the tuna into the carboy but somehow can't give it to Santiago

[close]

Did you also try...

Spoiler

marinating the marlin?

[close]

By the way, I'm not sure if this is within the boundaries of the MAGS rules or not, but I updated the link with a version that includes a load/save mechanism. 

[MAGS Host]

I updated the link with a version that includes a load/save mechanism. 

It's ok to update a version which fixes large bugs but I'm not too sure about this one.

I think it's unfair on everybody else to improve gameplay or cosmetics when voting has already started, no matter how transparent you are about it, which I appreciate The cynic in me wouldn't be surprised if people make little changes all the time without ever saying anything.

Please could you switch back to the original version that was uploaded?

[TheBitPriest]

Will do!  No intention to cheat... After voting is done, I'll put up another version with fixes.  I'm still learning the customs, etc. of the community.   

[Radiant]

• PM this account with your vote, before Mon 17th December.

So who won?

[MAGS Host]

Well we only got 4 votes but all were for The Old Man and the Sea. Congratulations BitPriest!

I'll PM you shortly.

Edit: Hmm... maybe the low turnout was because I didn't change the topic title to VOTE?

[Ponch]

Once again, I'm denied my moment in the MAGS spotlight. 

Congrats BitPriest. A well-deserved win. 

[TheBitPriest]

Wow!  Thanks...  Four people like it!  Now to upload a version with the spelling fixes (oi... I should have gone back to check that first...  ), a few animation tweaks, and load/save implemented.   After playing through a few times, these things really started to bug me.  I'm sure they bugged others too! 

Personally, I really liked Ponch's idea.  A much more manageable approach to the theme...  My thought process was: What novel has very few characters, is very short, and can be conveyed with only a few backgrounds?  Of course, even with these constraints I had to make some cuts for the deadline.  Even so, I really enjoyed getting into "The Old Man, etc."  Reading and re-reading it was a great experience.  I'm convinced that it's a deep and highly symbolic book.  But who knows...  Hemingway left us an enigma for his final work.