MAGS December "Pickpocketing" (RESULTS)

Stupot · Wed 30/11/2016 23:59:55

Voting has finished and the results are as follows:

â€¢ Night Work by Funkpanzer - 4 votes
â€¢ Pickpocket RPG by - 7 votes

Well done Mandle. You will be contacted soon about choosing a topic for February.
Thanks to all the participants and voters.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

	Pickpocket RPG by Mandle
	Night Work by Funkpanzer

Click on the game title to download.

Voting

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR VOTE
Send the title of your favourite game under the subject MAGS DECEMBER

Remember:
* try all the games before you vote
* vote only once
* vote for your favourite
* don't forget to leave a comment and rating on the AGS games database

Voting Ends: Jan 18th

__________________________________________________________________________________________

Topic: Pickpocketing
This month's guidelines were set by Slasher.

Some people have their pockets picked at least once. It's an awful but real crime that happens. In this game you play as the pickpocketer.

How successful can you be as a pickpocket? Can you use tried and tested skills to carry out pickpocketing successfully or will you get caught and sent to prison?

Must include:
1: A variety of pickpocket objects such as wallet, phone etc.
2: Use whatever is at hand to pickpocket.

Points to be awarded for the most novel pickpocketing ways...

Ending: December 31st

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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 "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.

Rules

â€¢ You may work in a team to produce an entry.
â€¢ You are not allowed to use any material created before the competition. Your game must be completely new! An exception is music and sound; you can use any audio that is freely available to the public.
â€¢ Any modules and templates featured in this board are also allowed.

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

Ã¢Å"â€œ A working download link
Ã¢Å"â€œ The title of your game
Ã¢Å"â€œ A suitable in-game screenshot

At the end of the month, voting will begin, usually lasting for fifteen days. The winner chooses the next month's theme, and their name and game is immortalised in the MAGS Archive. For more information, please visit the Official MAGS website.

DBoyWheeler · Thu 01/12/2016 16:50:19

For some reason this has me thinking of Yahtzee's Trilby.

Anyway, best of luck to those who enter.

MiteWiseacreLives! · Fri 02/12/2016 06:37:34

This ones got my wheels turning... lets see if I can follow through...

Mandle · Fri 02/12/2016 06:58:44

Here's a story I heard in an interview with a famous pickpocket:

He said that his team of four would go to the target area in the middle of the night before and paste up a bunch of "BEWARE OF PICKPOCKETS" posters all over the place.

Why on earth would they do that?!

Well, I'll hide the answer as it is quite clever, so in case you want to think about it yourself first...

Spoiler

He said that the most important step of pickpocketing was finding out where the target's wallet/purse/etc. is. Watching them buy something and seeing where they keep their money is one way: But it can be suspicious and risky.

So the signs are there to make people do a nervous check of their wallet to make sure it's safe, giving away its location. Once a skilled pickpocket knew that one thing: the rest was easy...

[close]

Pretty cool!

Blondbraid · Fri 02/12/2016 10:04:41

This sounds like a fun theme, I'm holding my thumbs that someone will make an homage to The thief and the cobbler!
https://youtu.be/bggDbbKyuXk?t=2532

Funkpanzer · Sun 04/12/2016 03:42:26

Got a simple idea for a game called 'Nightwork'.

For some reason MAGS always makes me want to force timers on players so they get a sense of what I'm going through.

xBRANEx · Sun 04/12/2016 08:17:10

That looks fantastic!

Cassiebsg · Sun 04/12/2016 08:38:35

Looks great

Got one question though: Where on earth is this happening? Not that many places on the world that 3:41PM is night time...

Funkpanzer · Sun 04/12/2016 09:00:16

The sun goes down at 4pm in Montreal right now.

Cassiebsg · Sun 04/12/2016 09:16:12

Here too... It just looks odd to me.

Danvzare · Sun 04/12/2016 11:31:19

Ooh, that looks interesting, especially the graphics and the timer.
Good luck finishing it on time.

tor.brandt · Mon 05/12/2016 14:26:07

Quote from: Funkpanzer on Sun 04/12/2016 03:42:26
Got a simple idea for a game called 'Nightwork'.
For some reason MAGS always makes me want to force timers on players so they get a sense of what I'm going through.

Really like those graphics, especially the palette!

selmiak · Mon 05/12/2016 20:22:45

Absolutely cool pixels. I really love that SquareEnix Mickemouseglove cursor

Blondbraid · Mon 05/12/2016 20:31:15

Yes, I like the colors in the screenshot, looks nice!

Mandle · Wed 07/12/2016 09:28:04

I think I might be in with a FMV pickpocket RPG...

Or maybe I'm just crazy for walking up and down the middle of the road outside my house this afternoon filming with a camera...

I'm sure my neighbours think me a bit loopy, as probably also does the driver of the car that almost hit me (and, yes, that moment will be in the game)

Cassiebsg · Wed 07/12/2016 16:21:39

Yeah... I also had a idea for a little game (or maybe not that little), even have some of the puzzles thought and entire story...

But alas! I need to finish my BSG up to point of next beta (before I go mad and all my helpers run away - or forget they even offered to help

).

So... unless someone wants a partner in crime, I'll stay out.. for now anyway.

MiteWiseacreLives! · Thu 08/12/2016 06:50:20

I've got this bad habit, I seem to think that making a MAGS game with the newest version of AGS is a great way to put it through its paces

Got some decent ground work laid, trying out some more difficult coding and design challenges.. but fighting these odd crashes I've never seen before is pretty maddening

(Does Win 10 hate AGS or is it v3.4?)

Mandle · Thu 08/12/2016 15:23:05

Well, I have a basic RPG game structure figured out, and a few twists on it that I hope I'm good enough to implement...

I've built the character creation GUI and have a working version of level 2 (still lacking gameplay though, but that's my next goal)...

Once I have level 2 (The Suburbs) working it will pretty much only be a matter of copy/paste, changing the cosmetics, and balancing gameplay, to produce levels 1,3,4, and 5...

Now that I know how the level-grinding is going to work, I must think on how to make the boss battles a bit more interesting...

MiteWiseacreLives! · Sun 11/12/2016 23:02:16

Did a bunch of coding this morning, overcame some hurdles to the concept and no more crazy crashes (thanks CW)
Now to dive into the artwork and resolve some metrics.
Excited to see the games the others have hinted at in this thread!

Hobo · Tue 13/12/2016 20:02:12

Quote from: Mandle on Wed 07/12/2016 09:28:04
I think I might be in with a FMV pickpocket RPG...

An FMV pickpocketing game? What?! Are you actually filming yourself pickpocketing people and making a game about it?
You're one smooth criminal, Mandle

Mandle · Wed 14/12/2016 12:26:13

Quote from: Hobo on Tue 13/12/2016 20:02:12
Quote from: Mandle on Wed 07/12/2016 09:28:04
I think I might be in with a FMV pickpocket RPG...
An FMV pickpocketing game? What?! Are you actually filming yourself pickpocketing people and making a game about it?
You're one smooth criminal, Mandle

Not exactly, but I did get a lot of progress made on the coding for the game today. Still not enough to show anything, but I'm pretty pleased with it.

And, as of Dec 18th, I'm off from work until mid-January, so hopefully my full vision of this game should be realised...

Funkpanzer · Sun 18/12/2016 13:56:17

I was hoping to share a video of my progress but I can't get FRAPS to record AGS without stuttering like crazy. In lieu, here is a screenshot of a pickpocketing in progress!

I leave for the in-laws in six days so chances are this is going to be a mess!

Is anyone doing a straight up adventure game this MAGS?

Cassiebsg · Sun 18/12/2016 16:45:59

If I had the time I would, even have 3 puzzles already thought of... but no free time, so... no game this time.

DBoyWheeler · Sun 18/12/2016 17:20:44

Quote from: Funkpanzer on Sun 18/12/2016 13:56:17
I was hoping to share a video of my progress but I can't get FRAPS to record AGS without stuttering like crazy. In lieu, here is a screenshot of a pickpocketing in progress!

I leave for the in-laws in six days so chances are this is going to be a mess!

Is anyone doing a straight up adventure game this MAGS?

May I recommend Loilo for recording stuff?

Also, hope you have a safe trip visiting family.

selmiak · Mon 19/12/2016 02:04:44

this thug looks groovy sÃ³mehow funkpanzer!
obs is also nice for recording.

MiteWiseacreLives! · Mon 19/12/2016 04:29:59

Quote from: Funkpanzer on Sun 18/12/2016 13:56:17
I leave for the in-laws in six days so chances are this is going to be a mess!

Is anyone doing a straight up adventure game this MAGS?

Have a good trip

What I've been working on isn't going to be straight up adventure, but not too out there either..

Mandle · Mon 19/12/2016 08:57:51

Got some work done on the game today... Hopefully it is progress, but it could also be regress back into a hole I might have to dig myself out of..

Mandle · Tue 20/12/2016 09:51:08

Oh shit!

I just got caught by the cops!

[IMGZOOM]https://s29.postimg.org/h1sqfn4qf/Caught_By_Police01.png[/IMGZOOM]

Still working on the game engine but hopefully I can mash it into something playable by the deadline...

Creamy · Tue 20/12/2016 11:06:58

Promising games here. May you find the time to finish them between the turkey and the pudding.

Slasher · Tue 20/12/2016 11:57:35

Quote from: Mandle on Tue 20/12/2016 09:51:08
Oh shit!

I just got caught by the cops!

[IMGZOOM]https://s29.postimg.org/h1sqfn4qf/Caught_By_Police01.png[/IMGZOOM]

I'm innocent I tell you!

Good luck to everyone who enters...

Let's see some nifty picking

This is what quick thinking off the cuff is all about...

MiteWiseacreLives! · Wed 21/12/2016 03:24:37

Are those fuzzy

They don't make them like that in North America...

Mandle · Thu 22/12/2016 15:01:55

I fought the law and I won!!!

[IMGZOOM]http://i63.tinypic.com/2h57fp2.png[/imgzoom]

(The huge fist doesn't look so weird ingame when it's moving fast)

Funkpanzer · Fri 23/12/2016 04:16:11

Quote from: Mandle on Thu 22/12/2016 15:01:55
[IMGZOOM]http://i63.tinypic.com/2h57fp2.png[/imgzoom]

This is looking awesome!

Thanks for the capture advice, obs ended up running best on my machine.

Here's a quick tour of the game world!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7CzSs1cPOVk

I'm bringing a copy of the game with me so I can avoid any political discussion with the inlaws and hopefully fix some of the bigger bugs. Not shown: Johnny Law who will investigate your suspicious activity and liquify your insides should he catch you in the act.

Danvzare · Fri 23/12/2016 10:54:03

Wow, Funkpanzer. That looks great. I honestly can't wait to play it.

It never ceases to amaze me how quickly everyone here can make such professional looking games.

Mandle · Sun 25/12/2016 02:03:09

Well, my Christmas present to myself was staying up until 4AM this morning working on my game:

I got rid of the "Roger" placeholder sprites for characters and implemented my own male and female sprites and, after quite a struggle, got them working properly.

I'm quite happy with the way things look now, and also very happy to not have to look at that white and red eyesore anymore...

MiteWiseacreLives! · Mon 26/12/2016 17:36:23

Man, I'm going to give it a go this week, but between working and doing things with the family and being tired

I have not put the time in I'd normally devote in the past.
Anyone up for an extension?

Edit:
aaaaaannnnndd, here's what my game looks like so far

Mandle · Tue 27/12/2016 03:24:27

Jesus mate! That looks amazing!

If anyone needs an extension I'm totally on board for it!

I blocked off yesterday to work on my game and got a lot of real work done on the gameplay. But then a workmate called up and needed a long drinking session to let go of some stress, and after that I drunkenly worked on my game's title menu screen because I couldn't trust myself to mess around in my code. I knew I would just screw everything up.

I have a blurry memory of the menu screen being awesome, but I'm still too scared to boot up the game and check it out for fear of the "beer goggles" effect having worn off the morning after.

Anyways, an extension until January 3rd or so could be great for everyone I think, what with it being the festive season and all.

Stupot · Tue 27/12/2016 05:52:15

Here's a Happy New Year extention.

January 4th at 23:59 GMT (Jan 5th 08:59 JST)

Note: January's MAGS will kick off as normal on Jan 1st.

Mandle · Tue 27/12/2016 06:03:24

Sweet! Thanks Stu!

And here's a shot of my title menu. Still lacking a decent background. I don't think the background is going to stay that gray colour: A tad too dark I think.

The hands are animated and duck in and out of the various pockets on the title letters. It's kinda cool I think:

[imgzoom]https://i.imgsafe.org/202f963cd3.png[/imgzoom]

MiteWiseacreLives! · Tue 27/12/2016 06:36:58

Thanks alot guys!
And Mandle, that's some pretty good drunk ags'ing.. I was expecting obscene and obscure after reading your story

Coffee goes much better with coding than beer doesn't it

Danvzare · Tue 27/12/2016 10:14:06

Well it looks like your beer goggles didn't lie, because that title menu DOES look awesome.

Mandle · Thu 29/12/2016 06:30:30

Quote from: Danvzare on Tue 27/12/2016 10:14:06
Well it looks like your beer goggles didn't lie, because that title menu DOES look awesome.

Thanks so much for the good word: I have improved it since then to take care of the walkbehinds blocking the sprites.

And here's a look at the game in FMV mode:

[IMGZOOM]http://i68.tinypic.com/jshgk3.png[/imgzoom]

ANd now I head off on my bicycle to film a few more locations before the sun goes down!

Mandle · Thu 29/12/2016 08:42:15

Well..DAMNIT!!!

I can't figure out how to get the filmed data into my damn computer. Even though it worked last time, my computer doesn't want to recognize the camera's USB drive anymore as something it likes shoved in its slot...

FUUUUUUUUUUU....

cat · Thu 29/12/2016 09:42:52

"Have you tried turning it off and on again?"

Mandle · Thu 29/12/2016 12:07:09

Quote from: cat on Thu 29/12/2016 09:42:52
"Have you tried turning it off and on again?"

Yeah, that was my first go to fix...

Didn't work...

Tried on another computer as well...

Didn't work...

I've continued working on (read as: breaking) the game in the meanwhile, but I think I'm just gonna go to bed and sleep on all the issues...

A fresh mind can work wonders (I hope)

EDIT: Well, my wife figured out a workaround, and now I have the video, except weirdly it's in massive widescreen HD quality, but the last one I filmed on the exact same camera was in nice neat 320x240, and I'm pretty sure I didn't change any settings...Well, it probably doesn't help that the camera is all in japanese as well...

Mandle · Sat 31/12/2016 05:48:20

Yay! All camera issues have been solved and I went around on my bicycle for a very fun couple of hours today scouting and filming locations for the remaining four levels of the game.

Our scumbag pickpocket main character can now work his way up in the world through five different environments, each a bit more challenging than the last.

So yeah, progress is happening and thank god for the extension!

Back to work...

Mandle · Sun 01/01/2017 11:59:17

Well...after about 5-6 hours of video issues today I have solved (with the help of my wife for which I bought her a bottle of champagne) all of them and now the game truly has 5 levels...

Now I will just relax and make some extra graphics...

Never mind that the coding is a bit broken... I will fix that when I feel in a more serious mood...

EDIT some hours later:

I have drawn up some characters that fit better in their zones...

And now I sleep as I must wake up early to go see Rouge One tomorrow...

Cassiebsg · Mon 02/01/2017 20:33:09

Good Job Mandle!

looking forward to try these masterpieces!

Mandle · Mon 02/01/2017 22:15:22

Thanks Cassie!

How's everyone else coming along? I'm confident of having the game in a playable state over the next two days. It will be more of a beta version because time will probably not fully allow tweaking the game balance to the max. So the game will probably be either too easy or too hard or, most likely, a combination of both (read: abuse of the system for an easy win, but those are fun to find for the astute player).

Also, I doubt I can implement all the features I originally planned, but we will see how things go...

MiteWiseacreLives! · Tue 03/01/2017 04:30:05

Good work, Mandle buddy.
As for myself, I just can't seem to get it together. To much irl stuff and lacking the energy for late night pushes. At this rate I'll need another month (might not be a very interesting game outside of the MAGS context). Sorry guys, looks like two great games left.

Mandle · Tue 03/01/2017 06:21:28

Quote from: MiteWiseacreLives! on Tue 03/01/2017 04:30:05
(might not be a very interesting game outside of the MAGS context)

But...it's within the MAGS context, mate!

Just release whatever you can get done for the contest and then another version later!

(I believe you have done this before with amazing results)

Slasher · Tue 03/01/2017 17:26:30

I like it when people try to do something a little different or try out new techniques for themselves despite what anyone thinks.

Mandle is a brave guy and hats off I say

Good luck to those that enter...

Mandle · Tue 03/01/2017 17:52:57

Quote from: slasher on Tue 03/01/2017 17:26:30
Mandle is a brave guy and hats off I say

"Brave" can also be termed "foolish" depending on the eventual outcome...

Tomorrow is crunch time...I got a lot done today and I think I can deliver the game after a full day's work tomorrow...

Let's see though if the brave was too foolish or the fool was too brave...Erm...

* Mandle sets his alarm clock for 4 hours from now

Mandle · Wed 04/01/2017 03:33:15

Wow....I am having a hard time getting motivated today. I should have been working on the game but have just been messing around online for the last few hours.

Someone say something to get my ass into gear, please. You can be harsh too. I think I need a drill-sergeant to yell at me a bit.

Slasher · Wed 04/01/2017 05:05:08

"Get your act together you stupid boy!"

MiteWiseacreLives! · Wed 04/01/2017 06:25:37

OIY! Get in in gear Mandle!!!111!11!!111
You can't go around motivating people like me and then proceed to peruse cat pics and ancient alien blog posts you loafer!
Put that keyboard to work! and get that mouse back on the pad! Sit up straight and CODE you maggot!
Blah, blah, bleeeh, blah, so-one and so forth.

Oh crap.. I'd better get working on my "game"...

MiteWiseacreLives! · Wed 04/01/2017 07:03:17

Can you believe this?

I was just getting into a drive to make this game somewhat presentable as a tech-demo, and then I start getting this crash again that I thought was no longer an issue.
Crap.
3.4 after importing sprites I go to save and get an error message.

Slasher · Wed 04/01/2017 09:28:13

Quote from: MiteWiseacreLives! on Wed 04/01/2017 07:03:17
Can you believe this?
I was just getting into a drive to make this game somewhat presentable as a tech-demo, and then I start getting this crash again that I thought was no longer an issue.
Crap.
3.4 after importing sprites I go to save and get an error message.

You'd better tells us what the crash problem message is so you can make it well again

MiteWiseacreLives! · Wed 04/01/2017 09:52:39

Your laughing at me aren't you

Mandle · Wed 04/01/2017 11:36:14

Quote from: slasher on Wed 04/01/2017 05:05:08
"Get your act together you stupid boy!"

Quote from: MiteWiseacreLives! on Wed 04/01/2017 06:25:37
OIY! Get in in gear Mandle!!!111!11!!111
You can't go around motivating people like me and then proceed to peruse cat pics and ancient alien blog posts you loafer!
Put that keyboard to work! and get that mouse back on the pad! Sit up straight and CODE you maggot!
Blah, blah, bleeeh, blah, so-one and so forth.

Oh crap.. I'd better get working on my "game"...

SIRS, YES SIRS!!!!

Mandle · Wed 04/01/2017 18:35:41

PICKPOCKET RPG

[IMGZOOM]http://i68.tinypic.com/jshgk3.png[/imgzoom]

[IMGZOOM]https://s29.postimg.org/h1sqfn4qf/Caught_By_Police01.png[/IMGZOOM]

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE GAME

Well here we go with my entry into the December 2016 MAGS contest:

The game features full-motion video backgrounds (filmed wonkily by myself) and five levels of stat-based RPG-style pickpocketty goodness (or you could build a character that just beats people up and nabs their cash.)

The game features planned are not 100% implemented yet, but the game is playable from start to finish and, as I found myself, is quite challenging and may require quite a bit of strategy to win. I have won the game once myself and it took me about an hour to do so.

A Short Game Guide

The goal of the game is, through your criminal activities, to move up from level to level. There are five levels so if you can complete level 5 you will win the game.

The main stats (also explained ingame) :

Perception: This mostly helps you spot where a potential target is carrying the goodies, but also might give you some information about their stats etc. A more vigilant NPC is harder to perceive.

Pickpocket: The name says it all really. How good you are at your craft. Sensible choosing of both target and pick-location will aid in success (for example: the front pockets of a target walking towards you are an easier target than the back pockets, and vice versa.)

Vigilance: Before pickpocketing (or attacking) a target you can look around to try to get an idea of the local police pressence. Vigilance helps with this, and also helps you to run away from the cops in the event you are caught (or run from a mugging target if the fight isn't going well for you.)

Violence: This stat helps you to hit your target in a fight, whether it be against the cops, or against a target you are trying to beat up and mug. The countering stat is your target's own Violence stat so choose targets carefully. There is no way to see what the cops' Violence stat is, so be extra careful in fights with them.

Oh, and you can ignore the Charisma and Creeping stats for now. These stats are not yet implemented.

A few other useful hints:

* "Move Up A Level" button. Once you have enough money to move up to the next level this button will appear. Plan carefully before pushing this button! Make sure you have enough stats and money to survive in a harder level. The difficulty of NPC targets and police increases with each higher level as does the cost of living (food and rent). Don't be shy to click on the:

* "Retreat A Level" button. If a new level is too hard for your character it is probably best to retreat to the previous level and regroup your resources. You will lose the money you paid to move up to the current level though. An extra advantage of moving is that police pressence will have reset to the default level when you move between levels. Which brings us to the:

* "Lay Low" button. This button causes your character to end the current day and halt their criminal activities to give the local police pressence a chance to cool down a bit. You will have to pay for rent and food for this day starting from level 2. In level 1 you are homeless and scavenge through garbage for your food so there is no cost for laying low on level 1 (so you can SPAM IT! hint-hint)...

WARNING: The game is a "roguelike", by which I mean: If you die you will not be able to restore. You must start again. The autosave is only for if you have to stop playing the game partway through and wish to continue later. Click the ingame "Quit" button to autosave your game and return to the title menu. Be very careful to click on "Continue" on the title screen to continue playing next time or your autosave may be overwritten. If you DO mess up here, and hit "Play" by mistake, then use Alt-X to force the game to shutdown.
DO NOT use the ingame "Quit" button or your saved game will be overwritten!

Cheers and enjoy (fingers and toes crossed)!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE GAME

Please also remember to vote for your favorite MAGS entry in the MAGS thread in Competitions And Activities forum if you play all the entries. Cheers!

Cassiebsg · Wed 04/01/2017 18:47:38

Wow

Nice Mandle! Congrats on the release.

Will wait and try it tomorrow though.

Funkpanzer · Wed 04/01/2017 22:10:23

Due to a poor understanding of time, here is nearly a game.

Nightwork_v0.1.1.zip

WASD for movement, mouse for inventory management. It has been added to my nice little collection of unfinished MAGS games.

Very clear warning that I haven't worked on this at all since the 22nd...

Shadow1000 · Wed 04/01/2017 23:49:41

Quote from: Mandle on Wed 04/01/2017 18:35:41

Well here we go at the 11th hour for my entry into this MAGS:

If you do happen to play it mostly ignore the ingame hints as to what stats do as most of them are not currently doing their jobs.

You can ignore Charisma and Creeping. These stats are not yet useful at all.

Loving it so far! I got to level 3 then got caught by a cop and died. How do you save so next time I play I don't need to start over when dying?

SHADOW

Stupot · Thu 05/01/2017 00:30:38

Thanks Mandle and Funk. Can't wait to play these entries.

Any more for any mote? I'm aboutsta shut this down. Any stragglers are welcome in the time it takes me to warm the laptop up and have breakfast.

Stupot · Thu 05/01/2017 01:46:49

The competition has now ended and voting is underway.

Whose pocket will you pick?

	Pickpocket RPG by Mandle
	Night Work by Funkpanzer

Click on the game title to download.

Voting

CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT YOUR VOTE
Send the title of your favourite game under the subject MAGS DECEMBER

Remember:
* try all the games before you vote
* vote only once
* vote for your favourite
* don't forget to leave a comment and rating on the AGS games database

Voting Ends: Jan 18th

Mandle · Thu 05/01/2017 02:43:43

Quote from: Shadow1000 on Wed 04/01/2017 23:49:41
Loving it so far! I got to level 3 then got caught by a cop and died. How do you save so next time I play I don't need to start over when dying?

SHADOW

Thanks for the kind words, mate, on what is a very unfinished game.

And yeah, about that whole save/continue issue:

Erm....it's a roguelike..

Well, it actually is intended as a roguelike (by which I mean that once you die it's over and you have to start again) but also I couldn't get the autosave function working for some damn reason. I had it working once and then it broke out of the blue. The good news is that the autosave was only meant to be for if you quit the game while playing a character and wanted to come back later and continue. As the game is pretty short at the moment I hope that's not a huge problem.

Mandle · Thu 05/01/2017 03:29:20

Urgh! I was just playtesting my game and I found a nasty bug that pretty much means the game cannot be won:

If you start starving and being homeless the game forgets to remove this status even when you have enough money to afford food and rent. It's an easy fix and I believe bug fixes are allowed after deadline as long as no new content is added to the game.

Am I good to go with a bug fix?

Stupot · Thu 05/01/2017 04:29:22

Yeah yeah. Any gane-breaking fixes aren't a problem. Go ahead.

Shadow1000 · Thu 05/01/2017 05:35:27

Quote from: Mandle on Thu 05/01/2017 02:43:43
Quote from: Shadow1000 on Wed 04/01/2017 23:49:41
Loving it so far! I got to level 3 then got caught by a cop and died. How do you save so next time I play I don't need to start over when dying?

SHADOW

Thanks for the kind words, mate, on what is a very unfinished game.

And yeah, about that whole save/continue issue:

Erm....it's a roguelike..

Well, it actually is intended as a roguelike (by which I mean that once you die it's over and you have to start again) but also I couldn't get the autosave function working for some damn reason. I had it working once and then it broke out of the blue. The good news is that the autosave was only meant to be for if you quit the game while playing a character and wanted to come back later and continue. As the game is pretty short at the moment I hope that's not a huge problem.

I spent a lot of time playing and I don't think that in its current state that I'll try again.

Essentially, what happens is that I will keep progressing nicely, adding money and stats and occasionally running from cops and then I'll hit ONE cop that I just can't get away from and it's basically all over. I've played again and again and every time I get somewhere I end up getting stuck on ONE nasty cop.

If I'd be able to save after levels or knew how to get out of cops you can't defeat then I'll try again...

SHADOW

Mandle · Thu 05/01/2017 09:51:15

@Stupot: Cheers! I'll try to get a bug fixed version up ASAP.

@Shadow: Yeah, the cops are a pain in the butt. Some tips I can give are:

Spoiler

The police pressence in an area fluctuates up or down every 5 seconds or so. If you have some vigilance stat you can "Be Vigilant" before picking pockets. If you are lucky you will get some information. Vigilance should also increase with use.
Getting caught by police and beating them up or running away increases police pressence (the former more than the latter). These means more cops and a greater risk. Laying low will decrease police pressence a bit. Leaving an area and coming back resets police pressence to the default (but can be expensive).
Fighting police can train up your violence stat if you don't get hit too often. Police get increasingly tougher the higher the level you are in, so training a lot on the countryside cops before moving up to higher levels is a good idea.
Running from the cops depends on your creeping and vigilance stats, but as creeping has no other use in this version yet, it's better to put those points into vigilance instead.

[close]

But yeah, I'd advise waiting for the bug fixed version if you care to try again.

Slasher · Thu 05/01/2017 10:43:27

Hi Mandle,

Spoiler

Sometimes i would need to punch like 30 times or so which i felt was far too many times..

[close]

Shadow1000 · Thu 05/01/2017 19:44:49

Quote from: Mandle on Thu 05/01/2017 09:51:15
@Stupot: Cheers! I'll try to get a bug fixed version up ASAP.

@Shadow: Yeah, the cops are a pain in the butt. Some tips I can give are:
Spoiler
The police pressence in an area fluctuates up or down every 5 seconds or so. If you have some vigilance stat you can "Be Vigilant" before picking pockets. If you are lucky you will get some information. Vigilance should also increase with use.
Getting caught by police and beating them up or running away increases police pressence (the former more than the latter). These means more cops and a greater risk. Laying low will decrease police pressence a bit. Leaving an area and coming back resets police pressence to the default (but can be expensive).
Fighting police can train up your violence stat if you don't get hit too often. Police get increasingly tougher the higher the level you are in, so training a lot on the countryside cops before moving up to higher levels is a good idea.
Running from the cops depends on your creeping and vigilance stats, but as creeping has no other use in this version yet, it's better to put those points into vigilance instead.
[close]
But yeah, I'd advise waiting for the bug fixed version if you care to try again.

Cool! I didn't realize that the vigilance button helps detect cops. I have clicked it a few times and it said "no Idea" and I didn't know what that meant. Using it to increase its stats sounds like a great idea to get me out of the cop rut I was in. Is there a stat that makes it easier to run from cops?

Honestly, this game is so awesome in its originality, the game play is seriously addictive, I really like the way the player moves on "rails" like the older Resident Evil games. There's a lot of strategy in assigning your skill points and moving levels, as well as careful timing so it has a lot of replay value. The fact that it was done under time constraints for a MAGS entry just makes it all that much more impressive. I've always been addicted to games where your stats increase because you want to keep playing to see the numbers rack up.

I think that for now, I've played it enough (over an hour and a half) and although I did not complete it, I have enough of an educated opinion to vote once I play the other entry and then make a decision. Once it's been touched up, I'll definitely give it another spin! And likely another and another

Cheers

SHADOW

Stupot · Fri 06/01/2017 02:23:48

Man. I absolutely love both of these games. Both of them are pretty difficult and quite rough around the edges, but they are both addictive as hell and super fun. I will have to play them both again before deciding which to vote for. Well done, guys.

Mandle · Fri 06/01/2017 17:26:35

Sorry all but the download link to my game is broken at the moment.

I'm uploading the bug-fixed version but it is taking forever so I will have to probably sleep on it and relink it when I wake up.

The new version fixes several bugs I found while playtesting, but I haven't added any new content as per the rules of MAGS. I have only fixed bugs.

I hope this is okay, and hope I can beg for patience during this downtime for the link.

Mandle · Sat 07/01/2017 01:00:27

Okay the bug-fixed (fingers crossed) game is relinked from the AGS database page so clicking all the old links will lead to it.

I have (once again fingers crossed) fixed all the major bugs that pretty much made the game impossible to finish. I played it through myself and managed to get to the end. It still was not easy and took about an hour.

Oh, which reminds me, I also seem to have fixed the autosave feature. If you die however you will not be able to restore. You must start again. The autosave is only for if you have to stop playing the game partway through and wish to continue later.

Be very careful to click on "Continue" on the title screen to do so or your autosave may be overwritten. (If you do make a mistake here then use Alt-X to force the game to shutdown. Do not use the ingame "Quit" button!)

Cheers and enjoy (fingers and toes crossed)!

EDIT: I also updated the game release post above to include a short guide to playing the game, explaining a bit deeper what the stats and a few other game mechanics do. You can find the same guide in the Completed Games post also.

MiteWiseacreLives! · Sat 07/01/2017 15:39:03

I am going to give these babies a play this weekend. These look like fun

Then maybe begin finishing mine, so much to do...

Riaise · Mon 09/01/2017 13:14:48

I agree with Stupot, I'm having a really tough time deciding which game to vote for. I think I'll have to play them both a bit more before I can decide.

Shadow1000 · Mon 09/01/2017 15:23:51

I commented on Mandle's game, now time for the other entry.

AWESOME pixel art, sound and effects! GREAT gameplay system. It took me a while to figure out what was going on and what the different icons indicated but I think that was part of the fun: discovering and progressing to beat the successive challenges.

In many ways it's quite similar to Mandle's game but that's expected considering that they are following the same theme.

So as far as my vote:

Spoiler

I voted for Mandle. As others have said, it was not easy because they are both great games. However, I went by which game kept me playing longer, so this is kind of intuitive.

I think my one problem that I had with Night Work was that once you are caught by the cop, you don't just lose the money on hand. You lose WAY more than you've made in the game so there's a feel that it would be easier to just restart the game than to try to progress. I kept experimenting between continuing and restarting and when I saw I was down $2000 after I had only made about $400 in the game I felt that I understood the game well enough to vote but just didn't feel compelled to keep at it.

One small tweak that would improve the game would be to lessen the penalty of getting caught. Maybe if you lost half your money or at LEAST the loss would be limited to all the money you have then it would be more compelling.

I realize that it was a MAGS entry and the art is impressive considering that, but if there's time to add to the game, maybe progressing levels can unlock new areas or neighbourhoods, new NPCs to rob or challenges. As I said, once I was down $2000 and running around the same few blocks robbing the same people of the same items I felt "ok this is just deja vu, rinse and repeat with no progress" and stopped playing.

Overall a REALLY good entry with great potential.

[close]

SHADOW

selmiak · Mon 09/01/2017 15:48:35

@ shadow: I managed to not get caught by the cop at all after some playing. You can hide in the dark by pressing up. But in level 4 or 5 suddenly noone had any more of these funny stuff items anymore so it was gameover for me there

Shadow1000 · Mon 09/01/2017 16:06:08

Quote from: selmiak on Mon 09/01/2017 15:48:35
@ shadow: I managed to not get caught by the cop at all after some playing. You can hide in the dark by pressing up. But in level 4 or 5 suddenly noone had any more of these funny stuff items anymore so it was gameover for me there

I do realize that. I got to level 4 before giving up because it seemed that i would just rob one item and the cop went on high alert and hiding didn't lower the panic level anymore.

SHADOW

Funkpanzer · Mon 09/01/2017 20:07:07

Thanks for playing!

Quote from: Shadow1000 on Mon 09/01/2017 15:23:51
Spoiler
I think my one problem that I had with Night Work was that once you are caught by the cop...
[close]

When you are caught by the cop the game is supposed to start you at the beginning of that day/level. The same should be true for quitting to the main menu and selecting "Continue". I'll take a look to make sure that's working! I realize it's also not clear at all that once the player's cash starts flashing that they are to go back home to complete a level. I put a big effort into not holding the player's hand but maybe a bit too much of an effort...

This is what the police is supposed to do at maximum alert: https://twitter.com/defomort/status/812350348773982213

At least half of the characters had mechanics similar to how the dancing woman and the man on the bench behave where you would need to interact with them in some specific way to receive an item from them. Also, the reason you run out of items on Level 5 is it's supposed to go to World 2 at that point.

I wish I'd had more time to finish the game but I didn't want to fail a fourth MAGS in a row! On the 2nd to last day I had free the police script completely broke and I was never fully able to get him going again.

Shadow1000 · Mon 09/01/2017 20:46:05

Quote from: Funkpanzer on Mon 09/01/2017 20:07:07
Thanks for playing!

When you are caught by the cop the game is supposed to start you at the beginning of that day/level.

In a way it does in the sense that you start from home and then are given the task again. However, my problem was with the amount of money you lose. I quickly found myself below zero and then into the thousands of dollars below zero.

QuoteI realize it's also not clear at all that once the player's cash starts flashing that they are to go back home to complete a level. I put a big effort into not holding the player's hand but maybe a bit too much of an effort...

Yup...I figured that one out. I agree with not holding hands too much because as I said, it took me a while to figure the game out and I think that was part of the fun. If you do continue with the game, maybe have the game detect if the user seems to be struggling and then a hint can pop on the screen or something.

SHADOW

Funkpanzer · Mon 09/01/2017 20:57:48

Quote from: Shadow1000 on Mon 09/01/2017 20:46:05
In a way it does in the sense that you start from home and then are given the task again. However, my problem was with the amount of money you lose. I quickly found myself below zero and then into the thousands of dollars below zero.

Oh no! I definitely put something in the wrong order there. Thanks for specifying!

Shadow1000 · Mon 09/01/2017 21:57:35

Quote from: Funkpanzer on Mon 09/01/2017 20:57:48
Quote from: Shadow1000 on Mon 09/01/2017 20:46:05
In a way it does in the sense that you start from home and then are given the task again. However, my problem was with the amount of money you lose. I quickly found myself below zero and then into the thousands of dollars below zero.

Oh no! I definitely put something in the wrong order there. Thanks for specifying!

If you change that aspect of the game I will definitely give it another spin.

What is supposed to happen to your money when the cop catches you?

SHADOW

Danvzare · Tue 10/01/2017 10:22:21

Quote from: Shadow1000 on Mon 09/01/2017 20:46:05
QuoteI realize it's also not clear at all that once the player's cash starts flashing that they are to go back home to complete a level. I put a big effort into not holding the player's hand but maybe a bit too much of an effort...

Yup...I figured that one out. I agree with not holding hands too much because as I said, it took me a while to figure the game out and I think that was part of the fun.

Same here, I rather liked how the game didn't hold my hand whatsoever. I felt proud of myself for figuring out even the simplest of things.
I just wish there was a bit more to do. Because it started to feel like I was simply pick pocketing, then waiting for the alert meter to die down, then pick pocketing again.

Stupot · Fri 13/01/2017 21:47:31

Come on guys. Get voting.

MiteWiseacreLives! · Sun 15/01/2017 06:39:47

I've tried both games.. but need to really dig into them, they're both cool.

Mandle · Sun 15/01/2017 08:00:43

I finally got to try out Night Work and:

It's an AMAZING looking game. I love the graphics so much, backgrounds, character sprites, inventory sprites...freakin' everything!

Also really digging the music and back-story with the phone calls and all.

The gameplay looks very solid so far. I couldn't understand everything that was going on but from reading the comments of others I understand that this is part of the challenge.

Unfortunately I had to give up on playing when I hit the same issues that Shadow1000 mentioned: I got caught by the cops and went so far into negative money that I didn't feel like it was worth continuing the game... Restarting was the better option, but then I would just run into the same issue again...etc.

I understand that this is an unintended bug, and I wish that this had been fixed after being mentioned in this thread, as bug-fixes are allowed after the deadline (a ruling I took advantage of or my own entry would have been unplayable from start to finish).

Despite all this: A very solid entry with intriguing potential and of course gets my vote!

Stupot · Thu 19/01/2017 00:01:55

Voting has finished and the results are as follows:

â€¢ Night Work by Funkpanzer - 4 votes
â€¢ Pickpocket RPG by - 7 votes

Well done Mandle. You will be contacted soon about choosing a topic for February.
Thanks to all the participants and voters.

Shadow1000 · Thu 19/01/2017 00:14:02

Both great games...congrats to Mandle!

Looking forward to seeing what he'll come up with for the February MAGS...

SHADOW

Danvzare · Thu 19/01/2017 12:58:31

Congratulations Mandle, I can't wait to see what the February MAGS will be.

Mandle · Thu 19/01/2017 22:58:10

Wow! Quite an honour to win out against a gorgeous game like Night Work. I suspect that if Funkpanzer had had just a little extra time over the Christmas/New Years season the positions would be reversed.

Anyways, I'm thinking hard on the next theme, trying to choose from several ideas I have.

Thanks for the votes and good words, folks!

Slasher · Fri 20/01/2017 07:34:08

Yarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr well done Mandle.........

Riaise · Fri 20/01/2017 13:23:35

Congratulations, Mandle!

Cassiebsg · Fri 20/01/2017 15:13:04

Congrats Mandle!

Mandle · Sun 22/01/2017 22:29:18

Cheers!

After quite a bit of thought I decided on the February theme and have sent to Stupot. It was a tough choice between three options I had in mind, but in the end I chose the one that I thought would appeal to a larger field of participants...

Seeyas there in February!