Topic: MAGS March “Death Defying” (RESULT)

[TheManInBoots]

Shadow1000:

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For some clarification of problems you described:
The character speech is probably quite small to read everything, but as Fatman says, in the bat cave you only fight the male bats (the ones with a slightly blue dot on the front). The others don't attack.

Have you played the debugged version of the game?
Just so you understand, you have to take ALL 5 lifes from the dragon to beat him, that's probably why you weren't able to do it.

There is some good stuff coming after the dragon!

And you're right, it's better if the autosave is after the tutorial in a future version of the game.

[Shadow1000]

Shadow1000:

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For some clarification of problems you described:
The character speech is probably quite small to read everything, but as Fatman says, in the bat cave you only fight the male bats (the ones with a slightly blue dot on the front). The others don't attack.

Have you played the debugged version of the game?
Just so you understand, you have to take ALL 5 lifes from the dragon to beat him, that's probably why you weren't able to do it.

There is some good stuff coming after the dragon!

And you're right, it's better if the autosave is after the tutorial in a future version of the game.

I didn't know there was a debugged version of the game. Does it allow you to save and load?

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When I play, there doesn't seem to be a way to get past the dragon. He fireballs a few times and it's easy to shield, but then he extends his head and it's game over, right back to the beginning tutorial. I'd be willing to try again if I didn't need to start from the bat cave again

I did see the part that says that only male bats will attack but I did not see the part that they are marked with a blue dot. I played again and I do see that some have a blue dot but realistically it's close to impossible to tell because they are moving.

[JackPutter]

Thank you very much to Shadow1000 and TheManInBoots for your kind words about my game! Your feedback is really appreciated and super encouraging!

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Shadow1000 I am so incredibly flattered that you would vote for my game, especially with such stiff competition! I'm very glad you enjoyed it so much and I'm happy I could put a smile on your face.

I have played all the other games for this month, here is a quick run-down of my thoughts.

Sandi Knievel: Stunt Rider by Slasher

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I loved the concept for this game, and there was a great variety in the different levels. There was a cheeky sense of humour running throughout, and the visual style had a nice charm. Especially impressive as I'm pretty sure you finished this game in a little over two weeks! I have no idea how you programmed such a varied amount of mechanics (speed, equipment, etc) in such a short space of time. One aspect I didn't particularly enjoy was the amount of trail-and-error involved. I had the most fun with levels where there was a bit of a puzzle to solve (e.g. There was a level where it was raining so I could work out for myself that I needed wet weather tires) otherwise I was just trying every option and hoping it worked. Overall I had fun playing it and it definitely helped me live out my stuntman dreams!

Brothers and Wreckers - Episode 7 by Creamy

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What a great little reaction-test game! I loved that it was challenging, and especially that none of the challenge resulted from wrestling with the controls. Everything was smooth and intuitive! There was a great mood and atmosphere, the art was lovely, and the animations were all super! I thought that there was great variety when it came to the enemies, as they came from all sides (even above!) and the curses that get placed on you as you progress mixed things up in a really fun way. This being the first Brothers and Wreckers game I've played, I didn't really understand much of the overall story, but I got enough of a taste to enjoy myself and the gag at the end was a great reward for finishing the level. I definitely want to go and check out the other episodes now!

Barn Runner: Pucker Factor by Ponch

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There was a lot that I really loved about this game. I thought the art was really lovely throughout, particularly the facial animations. There were small details I thought really added to the style, like the green console in the car/ship lighting up with a display when they started it. I liked that the arcade sequences never repeated themselves, so I was always excited to see what kind of gameplay was in store after each dialogue section. Those sequences also had fairly responsive controls and must have been very tricky to programme! There was plenty of storytelling in the dialogue (so much for just a month's work on top of everything else!) and each character had their own distinct voice. Unfortunately I am not personally interested in dating sim/visual novel style games, so the long sequences of dialogue weren't exactly to my taste. I enjoyed them more in the second half, where I had the goal of filling the heart-o-meter (fantastic mechanic!) but I will admit to speed-reading most of it. Perhaps being unfamiliar with the world and characters was a factor. In my opinion if the first conversation with the Chief was a little shorter that would really have helped. We're given a goal (retrieve equipment and seduce hunky man along the way) pretty early, but then the plot stands still so we can have a conversation with the Chief for another five minutes. I really wanted to get going and was excited to explore! Anyway, overall I enjoyed playing through it and I think you really crammed a lot in considering the limited time period you had for development!

The Mind by HanaIndiana

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This game had a really fantastic atmosphere, there was a great sense of cohesion between the graphics and sounds, and they all tied together around the theme and sucked me in. The tutorial was very clear and I felt I had a good grip on the game after only reading it once. I did play on easy mode, so I may have missed out on some of the challenge. I managed to save our souls after about three tries, so it passes the test of "Do I hit retry or quit?" I got a lovely sense of character from the dog through the cute design and all the woofs and yips, which really made me want to succeed! I enjoyed playing the card game itself, and I appreciated how the difficulty slowly grew. It must have been a headache to programme but I think it turned out great! This one gets a thumbs-up from me!

Whack-a-Soul by PlayPretend

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This game was just SO charming from beginning to end! Fantastic visual style, from the menus and backgrounds all the way through to the character sprites and animations. I had a big goofy smile on my face from beginning to end, I liked that the game wasn't afraid to poke fun at itself and I chuckled at pretty much all of the voice lines from both Death and the souls. I blitzed through it in less than 5 minutes without missing a single soul, but I enjoyed every second of it thoroughly! You should be very proud of the work you have done, I thought this game was extremely polished and a real achievement for something made in an adventure game engine in just over four weeks!

Fatman - The Survival Tale of Jim Woods

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This was a really ambitious one, and I really wish I could have played more of it! Unfortunately every time I made it through the bat cave, I was killed by the dragon and the game would glitch. I would get bitten, then after I was dead I would be hit by a fireball and the "You're Dead" text window would keep reappearing every time I closed it. This was a real shame, because I liked the combat system of swinging the sword, and I enjoyed that it was increasing in complexity as the game went on by adding new elements like the shield. However I found many of the same issues as Shadow1000 did, namely I thought it was incredibly difficult to spot which bats could harm me (I eventually figured out that the dangerous ones moved faster, I never noticed that they had a different colour on them) and having to go through the tutorial every time I died. I was also killed by a single bat multiple times, which seemed a bit unfair... I had to kill 15 of them but if I let a single one through I died and had to start over again. So I really enjoyed the concept and I am definitely longing for more, but in its current state I just couldn't stick with the game to make it through to the end.

I consider it an honour to be placed alongside such talented game developers in this competition, best of luck to everyone and I congratulate you all on what great things you achieved in the month of March!

[TheManInBoots]

Shadow1000

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I read what you said and I just checked it out and it's actually another bug.
You already play the debugged version, don't worry.
But when you die you should always restart in the same room where you died and not at the very beginning.
I see that this doesn't work when you play from the very beginning, and I didn't really have to time to test it thoroughly enough, I mostly only tested every room by itself.
I fixed it now, let's see if it's good to post here.

I really appreciate your feedback though, so I sent you a fixed version to your inbox! Just so you can have some fun playing it to the end!

Stupot

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Hi Stupot.
I noticed from some feedback that there are some bugs that when the character is killed off he does not restart from the beginning of the current level, but the player is forced to start from the beginning or restart the game when it bugs.
So I fixed it.
I created a game profile of the game on this website in the meantime.
Is that considered an official bug for re-post, so I can post the link?
Else I wait for after voting deadline I don't mind, it's just for fun anyways

[Shadow1000]

Shadow1000

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I read what you said and I just checked it out and it's actually another bug.
You already play the debugged version, don't worry.
But when you die you should always restart in the same room where you died and not at the very beginning.
I see that this doesn't work when you play from the very beginning, and I didn't really have to time to test it thoroughly enough, I mostly only tested every room by itself.
I fixed it now, let's see if it's good to post here.

I really appreciate your feedback though, so I sent you a fixed version to your inbox! Just so you can have some fun playing it to the end!

Stupot

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Hi Stupot.
I noticed from some feedback that there are some bugs that when the character is killed off he does not restart from the beginning of the current level, but the player is forced to start from the beginning or restart the game when it bugs.
So I fixed it.
I created a game profile of the game on this website in the meantime.
Is that considered an official bug for re-post, so I can post the link?
Else I wait for after voting deadline I don't mind, it's just for fun anyways

Still no go...

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The character does regenerate after dying, so you're getting there.
but:

- Still no functioning Save/Load
- Still no way to harm the dragon. You can spend an infinite amount of time shielding fireballs but there's no way to attack or hurt the dragon. I tried with the sword but got torn to pieces.

Good luck!

[heltenjon]

Fatman:

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 It's working now. There is indeed a way to harm the dragon with the sword. And there are two more fun segments after that. 

[Shadow1000]

Fatman:

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 It's working now. There is indeed a way to harm the dragon with the sword. And there are two more fun segments after that. 

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Maybe you know that, but the dragon didn't get the memo

Kidding aside, not in my version. I tried every position with the sword when he lunges forward and always get torn. Maybe you're using a different version?

[heltenjon]

Fatman and the dragon: I'm using the version where you regenerate on the level you died, but with no save/load options. Here's what I did (full spoiler):

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 After the dragon starts attacking, walk back to the cave opening. You have to stand in the right spot where his head does not reach you when the dragon lunges, while you just reach his head with your sword. I started far left and advanced in small steps until i found the right spot. Even then I didn't notice right away, as there is no sound effect when you hit him, but one of the hearts in the corner will disappear.

[heltenjon]

Perhaps I'd also post one that's only a hint and not the solution to the problem.

Still Fatman vs dragon:

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 It's not the position of the sword that matters, but where Fatman is standing.

[Shadow1000]

Fatman and the dragon: I'm using the version where you regenerate on the level you died, but with no save/load options. Here's what I did (full spoiler):

Spoiler: ShowHide

 After the dragon starts attacking, walk back to the cave opening. You have to stand in the right spot where his head does not reach you when the dragon lunges, while you just reach his head with your sword. I started far left and advanced in small steps until i found the right spot. Even then I didn't notice right away, as there is no sound effect when you hit him, but one of the hearts in the corner will disappear.

I appreciate the explanation. I would not have gotten that one on my own.

I did complete the game.

[TheManInBoots]

Thanks for explaining it, heltenjon!
Well done for surviving every level!
You must have been singing "I'm still standing!" when reaching the end!

[Shadow1000]

I updated my comments for Fatman V2.0.

[TheManInBoots]

Thanks Shadow1000, I'm really glad you enjoyed the debugged version!

For the fun's sake of everyone playing here's the debugged version:
https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2428-fatman-the-survival-tale-of-jim-woods-demo/

I removed the glitches (nothing else changed), so you can just have fun till the end even if you need a few attempts!

JackPutter,

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I appreciate your feedback.
Regarding the bats, you cannot swing your sword at it after it attacked you...but maybe there is something else you can do to loose the bat?

[Ponch]

For the fun's sake of everyone playing here's the debugged version:
https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2428-fatman-the-survival-tale-of-jim-woods-demo/

I removed the glitches (nothing else changed), so you can just have fun till the end even if you need a few attempts!

Thank you! I was stuck! 

[heltenjon]

After playing all the entries, here are my thoughts:

Sandi Knievel: Stunt Rider by Slasher:

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 Quite unexpected, but well fitting with the theme. I really liked the guesswork when choosing the right equipment, because the save system made it easy to go back. Very user friendly. I ended up not mastering the event where you push a ball into a hole and will need to go back to figure that one out to eventually win the tournament. A bronze medal won't cut it.  Good variation in the events.

Whack-a-Soul by PlayPretend

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 Very funny arcade style game - had me laughing. Short and easy, so I had my fun and probably won't replay unless more levels are coming. Hilarious voices!

Brothers and Wreckers - Episode 7 by Creamy

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 There aren't any episodes 2-6 yet, are there? Anyhow, another arcade style game. This game me a great retro c64 feeling, reminding me of Black Knight or Aztec Challenge. Short, but sweet. And a joke at the end.

FATMAN - The Survival Tale of Jim Woods by TheManInBoots

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 Quite ambitious, with great background graphics. A bit buggy and unpolished on realease, but rewarding. The first level is an action game, while the following are more arcade adventures, where you have to solve a puzzle. I guess this change may cause some players to get stuck. There is a serious undertone to the dark humour here, what with the Corona virus and all. I liked the game, but I think level two and three take too much time. When the player has solved the puzzle, he has to wait until he can do the same again several times. Two hearts for the dragon and two zombies would be plenty.

The Mind by HanaIndiana

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 I like card games, mind games and AI, so this one was right up my alley. Great atmosphere, good graphics and moody music, and I really liked that I played the dog! This one even has the advantage of being replayable, so it might stay on my hard drive for a while. I haven't played the card game before, and while I agree that card games are better with other people, this one will do the trick instead of a solitaire game.

Barn Runner: Pucker Factor by Ponch

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 The game crashed on me a couple of times, and there is LOTS to read. This may be a plus or a minus, depending. I for one like the feeling (romeo) of a larger world and a deeper (if silly) continuity. It made me want to play the rest of the series, which I guess means it did the job. There are several game types in one here: visual novel, arcade sequences, dating sim and a maze. Amazing depth for a MAGS game. I would have liked to see more of how it turns out in the ending, but there is very much packed into the game already.

Dangerous Derek's Livestream by JackPutter

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 The only point and click adventure of the bunch, so perhaps it should win by default? Great humour and funny responses to almost everything I tried to do. Easy and short, but that's to be expected in MAGS. Very good entry.

I voted for

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 Barn Runner:Pucker Factor. There is so much to do there. Although this one was close with The Mind and Dangerous Derek.

[Ponch]

Barn Runner: Pucker Factor by Ponch
The game crashed on me a couple of times...

Could you send me a PM with the crash info? Or maybe a description of where and when it crashed? As you said in your very nice review, there were a lot of different things to do in the game, and with only one real playtester, I'm sure some bad code made its way into the release. I try to fix every bug I can find, so your bug reports are appreciated! 

Anyhoo, thanks for playing. I hope you like the other games in the Barn Runner series. There are quite a few of them, and some of the early one are pretty primitive compared to the ones I made later. 

[Creamy]

I finished all the games, which means it's review time:

Sandi Knievel: Stunt Rider by Slasher:

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An original concept. The mountain of mud is the level that I prefered because it lets you test different configurations on your own. The other parts are OK but more directional.
I couldn't help eating the continental breakfast before the final race just to see the outcome 

Whack-a-Soul by PlayPretend

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It plays well and the presentation is top-notch. The wormish voices are cute.

FATMAN - The Survival Tale of Jim Woods by TheManInBoots

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A long game with creative mechanics. Every ennemy kills you instantly. Fortunately there's an autosave.

There's space for improvement IMO:
Swinging your sword is neat but it can easily get stuck.
It could use more feedback. I had to use hints from the forum too.

The Mind by HanaIndiana

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A fine-tuned card game. I don't think I've played anything like that before.
I had concerns about the AI but Elska did all right actually.
I finished the easy mode after several tries and called it a day (hard enough for me!).
The dismissal mechanism adds a bit of strategy. Just perfect!

Barn Runner: Pucker Factor by Ponch

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What a huge MAGS game! I liked the top-down sections. The banter was entertaining. I must confess that I missed Prick though. These characters are more conventional.

Dangerous Derek's Livestream by JackPutter

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A solid entry. The puzzles are fair but the game especially shines with its depiction of an obnoxious Youtuber. A very personal nitpick: I would have enjoyed some kind of twist at the end. Who said crash?

About my own game

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Thanks for the nice comments. It was bound to be short since it was mostly made in the last week of March. As they say, the important thing is to take part 

There aren't any episodes 2-6 yet, are there?

No, you're right 
I quickly saw that I wouldn't be able to connect this game with the demo. Since I still wanted to reuse the original cast, I came up with an hypothetical backstory and a fake episode number.

[JackPutter]

@heltenjon - Thank you very much for your lovely comments! I'm glad you enjoyed the game and I am very happy that it gave you a few laughs. I'm flattered that you think it's a high-quality entry!

@Creamy -  I'm glad you thought the puzzles were fair! It's very difficult to judge whether a player will hop on the same train of thought as you when you are designing a game, so it's great to hear you thought the challenge was appropriate. With regards to your final comment...

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There is, in fact, a secret ending! So if you think Derek doesn't deserve a happily-ever-after, you can always insist that he attempts the stunt without the proper equipment...

[TheManInBoots]

Thank you! I was stuck! 

You're welcome


Thanks for your feedback, heltenjon!
There will be even more challenges and cool assets in the finished version after the voting deadline, and I will add missing speech and jokes (obviously the corona virus will have something to say as well) , so keep an eye out for it!
I will consider the amount of time. If it feels right, I might reduce the number of dragon's lifes and sick people.

[Creamy]

If it feels right, I might reduce the number of dragon's lifes and sick people.

...or make the fireballs and the zombies faster. Once you understand how to beat the last two bosses, they are pretty simple.