MAGS April "Sky High" (CLOSED)

Started by Stupot, Wed 01/04/2020 09:55:51

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What is your favourite game of MAGS April?

Skyfall
2 (12.5%)
Upducted
1 (6.3%)
Midnight Squadron
5 (31.3%)
The Penthouse
6 (37.5%)
Over Roger
0 (0%)
Vertigo
2 (12.5%)

Total Members Voted: 16

Voting closed: Mon 25/05/2020 09:59:15

Shadow1000

Quote from: Cassiebsg on Tue 05/05/2020 16:19:30

Here's a tip, for those that just want to finish the game (even though the Win game GUI is currently identical to the Game over, expect for the text).
Spoiler

If you quickly shoot the 2 or 3 in the middle, you can then just stay there and wait until they come to you, or you can slowly move to the left, since the ones disappearing on the right will "materialize" on the left.  ;)
[close]

That was essentially my strategy and the only way I got to round 3!

Cassiebsg

Don't be sad, I haven't been past wave 3 either and I coded the damn thing.  (laugh)
There are those who believe that life here began out there...

Shadow1000

Quote from: Intense Degree on Tue 05/05/2020 08:58:15
Quote from: Shadow1000 on Mon 04/05/2020 23:19:52
Spoiler
One thought/observation:
Hebrew is read from right to left. When I did the slider puzzle, I naturally did it in the natural order that one would expect considering the direction of the language. When that didn't work, I had to do the puzzle over in order to complete it which did NOT brighten my day! I'm not criticizing but I do want to express that
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Ah man, that was actually the plan from the word go and then I completely forgot about it! It's a solid and constructive criticism, so please feel free to make it. :)


In this case, it's not an easy call.

Spoiler
I was expecting you to rationalize the decision in one of two ways:
- Once converted using the handy-dandy guide (or happening to know Hebrew), they are no longer regarded as Hebrew letters but rather numbers, which indeed are from left to right;
- Although technically correct about the language, the majority of players would not know this. It's not considered proper form to assume that a player knows something that most people don't know without more information. So, it's more practical to create the puzzle for the majority of English-only (or Latin character language-only) players than cater to the 1% who make an assumption, even if correct.
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As such, it was more an observation than criticism.

heltenjon

My thoughts on the entries this month follows.

Skyfall:
Spoiler
I played this a long time before the others, and I remember thinking this one would surely win. I was impressed how a love story was combined with repairing a space station. The puzzles are connected, so I experienced this mostly as a beautiful mood piece. If there is such a thing as modernist romanticism, this is surely it.
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Upducted:
Spoiler
I think the comment about this game feeling like a children's book come to life, hit the nail on the head. Good mood, mooing and a fine first game. I'd like to see it expanded.
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Midnight Squadron:
Spoiler
A scary story which plays like the first part of a larger game. I liked that the exploration was extended by events. There wasn't really much to do - this one is more about following the story, but it's engrossing and suitably dark.Creepy-looking monster!
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The Penthouse:
Spoiler
I actually was stuck here for a while because I hadn't discovered the hall to the south. Oh well. Long game with well-thought-out puzzles and story, multiple solutions and multiple endings, kind of, anyway. The scorecard in the end was impressive and added a lot. I liked the original plot twist about needing to hide the evidence. A gem.
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Over Roger:
Spoiler
Okay, while I seldom will vote for the arcade games, I tend to be drawn to trying them out first. I had fun blasting cylons. The game was a lot more difficult when playing with the keyboard, but once I opted for the mouse, I got the hang of it. Very satisfying to see an end screen in a shooter. I tend not to get that far.
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Vertigo:
Spoiler
I liked the graphic style and the crazy world premise a lot. Could there be more stories from the people living in the treetops, I wonder? A bit of pixel hunting for me, but it didn't hinder my progress. A couple of good puzzles in the bridge scene. Not difficult, but made me feel good when I solved them.
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My vote vent to:
Spoiler
The Penthouse. I spent the most time with this one, and I was never bored. On another day I may have chosen Skyfall because that was the one that most gave me something I wasn't prepared for, in a good way. Solid entries by everyone!
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Slasher

I can't believe how many entries we have had this month.

It's fantastic and we have played some well developed, fun games.. Hats off to everyone  (nod)

It's great to see and I hope more will follow us into the wonderful world of MAG games.....

pell

Quote from: heltenjon on Wed 06/05/2020 13:11:18
My thoughts on the entries this month follows.

Skyfall:
Spoiler
I played this a long time before the others, and I remember thinking this one would surely win. I was impressed how a love story was combined with repairing a space station. The puzzles are connected, so I experienced this mostly as a beautiful mood piece. If there is such a thing as modernist romanticism, this is surely it.
[close]

Upducted:
Spoiler
I think the comment about this game feeling like a children's book come to life, hit the nail on the head. Good mood, mooing and a fine first game. I'd like to see it expanded.
[close]

Midnight Squadron:
Spoiler
A scary story which plays like the first part of a larger game. I liked that the exploration was extended by events. There wasn't really much to do - this one is more about following the story, but it's engrossing and suitably dark.Creepy-looking monster!
[close]

The Penthouse:
Spoiler
I actually was stuck here for a while because I hadn't discovered the hall to the south. Oh well. Long game with well-thought-out puzzles and story, multiple solutions and multiple endings, kind of, anyway. The scorecard in the end was impressive and added a lot. I liked the original plot twist about needing to hide the evidence. A gem.
[close]

Over Roger:
Spoiler
Okay, while I seldom will vote for the arcade games, I tend to be drawn to trying them out first. I had fun blasting cylons. The game was a lot more difficult when playing with the keyboard, but once I opted for the mouse, I got the hang of it. Very satisfying to see an end screen in a shooter. I tend not to get that far.
[close]

Vertigo:
Spoiler
I liked the graphic style and the crazy world premise a lot. Could there be more stories from the people living in the treetops, I wonder? A bit of pixel hunting for me, but it didn't hinder my progress. A couple of good puzzles in the bridge scene. Not difficult, but made me feel good when I solved them.
[close]

My vote vent to:
Spoiler
The Penthouse. I spent the most time with this one, and I was never bored. On another day I may have chosen Skyfall because that was the one that most gave me something I wasn't prepared for, in a good way. Solid entries by everyone!
[close]

Thanks again for the feedback. I don't know if I'll expand the game. But I'm sure I'll reuse the character and/or some of the assets.

Cassiebsg

Skyfall:
Spoiler

I liked the story, not sure about the puzzles... fixing the ship was mostly random try until it *clicked* (except for the pin/password... that made me think for a few seconds.  :) ). Maybe they had some cleaver solution to look somewhere, but they kind of solved them selves without much effort from me. And having to use the mallet to open every port was a bit painful. Sure, one is okay, but all?
I had the same issue with the picking up the gold, knew how but the game didn't "let me".
But I enjoyed the mood and feel of the game.  (nod)
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Upducted:
Spoiler

I was struck for a long time now sure what to do. I did enjoy the puzzle though.  :) And was fun to zap animals up and down.   (laugh)
Good first game. Keep it up.
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Midnight Squadron:
Spoiler

I was so sure I this one would win me. The graphics are awesome, the story is gold and time period is a "favorite" of mine... unfortunately there wasn't much to do than to follow the story. I'm not even sure that choosing another dialog option would have made any difference...
Since I play adventure games more for the puzzles than for the story, I felt somewhat disappointed with the entry... but I'm sure you did it on purpose and you just didn't win 3 times in a row... very noble of you of letting someone else take the trophy this time.  (laugh)
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The Penthouse:
Spoiler

You come back in good form! Just loved everything about this entry, the story, graphics and especially the puzzles. So much to do and explore!  (nod)  I was a bit upset of going around the house of a man, that is is dead in front of me, and going on "my own business"... Giving an alternate solution to the slider puzzle was just brilliant! I don't mind solving them, but was more fun to break it.  (laugh)
I also felt a bit lacking of ambiance, an when I finally managed to get some music, it only worked on that one room. (don't rich guys have speakers installed thru out the house, so they can listen to the music no matter where they are? ;)
I loved the check at the end, that made me go back to the game and redo my steps. (I failed the 1st and last on my first attempt - the 1st was mostly cause the remote was giving me "need remote access" that I thought that was all I could do in there)...

I just got one question: since she failed to take her stuff with her and clean up her fingerprints, and place the stuff, that she should not have, back... I can't see how she thinks she'll get away with it.  (laugh)
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Over Roger:
Spoiler

Not worth my time. It's not even an adventure game!  (laugh)
[close]


Vertigo:
Spoiler

Really lovely game! Luke is great and expressive. The story was great and the puzzles were okay... though I  must admit I had some trouble opening the gate, seeing what was under my nose and then fixing the ladder... and didn't quiet get how I fixed the generator though...  ;)
Very solid entry as well.  (nod)
[close]


My vote vent to:
Spoiler
The Penthouse!  :-D
[close]


But awesome job with the games everyone!  :)
There are those who believe that life here began out there...

Shadow1000

Quote from: Cassiebsg on Sat 09/05/2020 16:20:08
Skyfall:
Spoiler

I liked the story, not sure about the puzzles... fixing the ship was mostly random try until it *clicked* (except for the pin/password... that made me think for a few seconds.  :) ). Maybe they had some cleaver solution to look somewhere, but they kind of solved them selves without much effort from me. And having to use the mallet to open every port was a bit painful. Sure, one is okay, but all?
I had the same issue with the picking up the gold, knew how but the game didn't "let me".
But I enjoyed the mood and feel of the game.  (nod)
[close]

Same here.
Spoiler
I don't know if there were any clues to the puzzles. One of them I just clicked around and I guess I was lucky. The others I did by testing each permutation. The whole thing took a few minutes.
[close]

JackPutter

Cassiebsg - Thank you so much for your feedback!
Spoiler
I totally understand why you would be disappointed by the lack of puzzles, unfortunately as the deadline approached I ended up dropping pretty much every actual puzzle I had planned because I was running out of time. Ditto about having the dialogue choices affect the story. I made the decision to tell the complete story as much as I could, instead of an incomplete story with a couple of puzzles. The good news is that if/when I revisit this idea, I won't be working to a one-month deadline, so I can spend time putting in puzzles galore!

Also I think it was less a case of me being gracious and breaking my streak on purpose, more that I had a very long string of beginner's luck for the last two months!  :-D

P.S. "The graphics are awesome, the story is gold" is definitely a quote for the box blurb! Thank you so much for such wonderful praise, it is a great encouragement.
[close]

Shadow1000 - With regards to Skyfall, there is one clue to help you when you are repairing the ship at the start...
Spoiler
The right setting for each of the instruments is some variation of Yazz's wedding date. The date is mentioned during the opening cutscene, and I think if you examine Yazz himself in-game he mentions it. (I'm not 100% sure of that, I know I was able to remind myself of the date somehow but I can't remember what I clicked to make the reminder appear.)
[close]

pell

Quote from: Cassiebsg on Sat 09/05/2020 16:20:08
Skyfall:


Upducted:
Spoiler

I was struck for a long time now sure what to do. I did enjoy the puzzle though.  :) And was fun to zap animals up and down.   (laugh)
Good first game. Keep it up.
[close]


Can you elaborate on what you were confused about? I was trying to make it understandable without words so anyone could play without needing to know English (or how to read). I intend to make more games with that criteria, so I'd like to know were I'm failing.

Cassiebsg

@pell
Spoillers inside!
Spoiler

I just didn't think of steeping into the pad and then press the down button... cause for some odd reason I though he would walk out of the pad to press the button.  (laugh) Maybe the fact that there's where he walks to when I press the button elsewhere in the room, and his arms being so short.  ;)
[close]
There are those who believe that life here began out there...

Shadow1000

Quote from: JackPutter on Sun 10/05/2020 07:45:48
Shadow1000 - With regards to Skyfall, there is one clue to help you when you are repairing the ship at the start...
Spoiler
The right setting for each of the instruments is some variation of Yazz's wedding date. The date is mentioned during the opening cutscene, and I think if you examine Yazz himself in-game he mentions it. (I'm not 100% sure of that, I know I was able to remind myself of the date somehow but I can't remember what I clicked to make the reminder appear.)
[close]

I see. I played again and you are correct. I don't fault myself for not figuring this out because
Spoiler
while I did figure that the date is the code for the keypad that Yazz created, it doesn't make much sense for it to be related to the amount of chemicals to power a battery or booster switches and so on.
[close]

Oh well

Stupot

Thanks for the votes so far. We have quite a close one, so keep the votes coming.

Ponch

Voted, but it was a tough call. Some really good games this month.

pell

Quote from: Cassiebsg on Sun 10/05/2020 10:10:12
@pell
Spoillers inside!
Spoiler

I just didn't think of steeping into the pad and then press the down button... cause for some odd reason I though he would walk out of the pad to press the button.  (laugh) Maybe the fact that there's where he walks to when I press the button elsewhere in the room, and his arms being so short.  ;)
[close]

Thanks. I was a little concerned that could be confusing.

lanchong

Brief reviews

Skyfall:
Spoiler
Sweet story with good puzzles.
[close]

Upducted:
Spoiler
Short but very funny and entertaining.
[close]

Midnight Squadron:
Spoiler
Great graphics and animation once again. I love this kind of interactive story. It's better than watching the telly.
[close]

The Penthouse:
Spoiler
Very interesting game, much longer than your average MAGS game.
[close]

Over Roger:
Spoiler
It looks like a good arcade game but I'm not a good judge for this.
[close]

Vertigo:
Spoiler
I like your unique graphic style and your stories
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My vote vent to:
Spoiler
Vertigo. The Penthouse and Midnight Squadron are good runners-up.
[close]


Stupot

Last few days to vote, chaps and chapesses.

pell

Quote from: lanchong on Thu 21/05/2020 06:32:03

Upducted:
Spoiler
Short but very funny and entertaining.
[close]


Thank you.

Stupot

And the winner of MAGS April is:

‘The Penthouse’ by Intense Degree

What a comeback. Well done ID. I’ll PM you soon about coming up with a topic for June.

Shadow1000

Quote from: Stupot on Tue 26/05/2020 17:57:32
And the winner of MAGS April is:

‘The Penthouse’ by Intense Degree

What a comeback. Well done ID. I’ll PM you soon about coming up with a topic for June.

Big, well-deserved congratulations to Intense Degree. Lots of great entries but this really stood out! Can't wait to see June's topic.

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