MAGS February “It’s About Time” (RESULT)

[Stupot]

Topic: It’s About Time
Set by: OneDollar

The winner this month was Saturday Night is the Loneliest Night of the Week by newwaveburritos.

	Prep Time by heltonjon
	Saturday Night is the Loneliest Night of the Week by Newwaveburritos
	Castle Escape: Chapter 2 by Fernewelten

This month the goal is to make a game that uses 'time' in some way. How you interpret this is up to you, but 'time' must be an important part of your game.

Some ideas to get you started...[/i]

• You're running late and have to find a way to make up time
• You play a superhero with time bending powers
• You're stuck in a Groundhog Day loop, looking for a way out
• A time machine sends you to the distant past or far-flung future
• There's an in-game timer, and the player's against the clock
• You visit the same location but at different times

Get your entries in quick, because time's running out...




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 guidelines set by the previous winner. It aims to help you work to a deadline, improve your skills, and provide a kick-start into making adventure games. Regardless of skill, MAGS is for everyone. Voting is based on "favourite" 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
Entering MAGS is simple. First, conceptualize your game following the month's criteria (see above). Second, create your game fuelled only by coffee. Finally, post your game in this thread, including:

* A working download link
* The title of your game
* A suitable in-game screenshot

At the end of the month, voting will begin, usually lasting for fourteen days, and the winner chooses the next month's theme.

Remember that this is a challenge to see what you can do in a month, so any tinkering you do after that, including fixing minor glitches, is against the spirit of the competition. The exception to this is that you may go in and fix major, game-breaking bugs only during voting. We want you to have a game that voters can actually play and that runs on their machines.

So to reiterate, during the voting period fixing major, game-breaking bugs is okay, fixing minor glitches or making cosmetic changes is cheating.

Tips
Here are some ways to make sure you have a game to submit at the end of the month:
* Make a tiny game. Plan small, then cut it in half. Find shortcuts (e.g. if making walkcycles is time-consuming, make the characters static or have it in the first person).
* Plan to have your game playable and submittable with a week to spare. This way you have a week to fix bugs, add some flourishes and maybe even get someone to test it.
* Plan to submit it a day or so early. This way, if there are any technical issues with uploading, they can be sorted out in time.

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Need a little help with graphics? Perhaps The AGS Trove has something you can use.
Don't want to go it alone? Try the Recruitment board.
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[FanOfHumor]

I have a wonderfull idea around time but I will never do it. So instead of wasting an idea I will put it here for anyone who wants to make it.

A scene starts with an old man rocking back and forth in a rocking chair
a kid runs in curiously asking "Grandpa.Grandpa."what is it sonny?"grandpa replies. "What time is it?" The kid asks.
the old man takes out his pocketwatch and says what the time is.The kid asks excitedly"can I see the watch grandpa?"
"you mean may I see the watch"the old man corrects him.The kid asks again correcting his speech.the old man says"Allright but be cautious I've had that watch my entire life!"
he hands it to the kid and the kid drops it.Smash!!!"Ooops!"the kid says.A closeup of the watch reveals its handles spinning rapidly backwards.

"Look!its spinning backwards!" The kid exclaims.
the old man says"Stop telling me what's happening to the watch tell me what's happening to me!"
glowing lines spiral around him and he quickly de ages to a baby! The kid picks up the baby and carries him on the back of him.
The kid picks up the watch
The kid has to figure out how to fix the watch.
Unknown story ahead....
.....................
......................
......................
the watch is fixed and the old man(recently baby)becomes a middle aged man and all is well!THE END


I left the story bare so that anyone who uses this can use their own creativity.
If anyone wants to they can  use this and change it in anyway they like.

EDIT:It actually turns out I probably will be able to do this even with it being the 11th already.
I thought I couldn't make it in time because I am very slow at drawing but it turns out VampireWombat is going to help with the art.
DOUBLE EDIT:CANCELED

[cat]

That's a really cool topic and fitting as this is the shortest month of the year! (I do not have an idea yet and also don't have much time, though. Maybe if inspiration strikes for something simple...)

[brewton]

Stupot: I think I remember seeing MAGS on the list at https://itch.io/jams in the past. Is there any reason that it stopped showing there? Or was that another member doing it manually?

[fernewelten]

on the list at https://itch.io/jams

As far as I know, this list is for game jams hosted with itch, which MAGS isn't. However, I'm seeing MAGS regularly on indiegamejams.com. These jams aren't culled from the Internet automatically, so there must be some diligent and dutiful AGSer that takes the time to enter the MAGS of each month, each month. 👍🏼 

[brewton]

on the list at https://itch.io/jams

As far as I know, this list is for game jams hosted with itch, which MAGS isn't. However, I'm seeing MAGS regularly on indiegamejams.com. These jams aren't culled from the Internet automatically, so there must be some diligent and dutiful AGSer that takes the time to enter the MAGS of each month, each month. 👍🏼 

You're right, that's where I saw it. I forgot all about that site.

[VampireWombat]

I'm not to the point of making MAGS games again, but I have the time and could use some art practice. So if anyone needs graphics for a game, let me know.

[newwaveburritos]

Maybe against my better judgment given my available free time but I've been wanting to take a crack at a MAGS for a while and starting ten days into the shortest month feels pretty on brand for me.

[heltenjon]

I'm in with a joke game again, called Prep Time, which is basically a dialogue and some Batman memes. (Yeah, I promise to stop with the Batman jokes soon.)

I'm not to the point of making MAGS games again, but I have the time and could use some art practice. So if anyone needs graphics for a game, let me know.

That's very tempting, but I'm still learning scripting and so far, I'm sticking to 1st person. I fear I wouldn't be able to give your graphics justice in a 3rd person game...yet.  I'd be willing to help out with dialogues or something if someone else should need a hand, though.

[OneDollar]

Looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with!

[heltenjon]

So, have you wondered how it is Batman spends his prep time? Peek behind the curtains in this joke game!

Prep Time

by heltenjon
Music by Eric Matyas
Graphics by various meme artists (I've attempted to credit them, but the origins aren't always easy to find.)



This is something in the middle ground between a joke game and a fan boy game. Not to be taken very seriously. Gameplay is entirely through dialogue.

Get it here: https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2600-prep-time

[heltenjon]

Maybe against my better judgment given my available free time but I've been wanting to take a crack at a MAGS for a while and starting ten days into the shortest month feels pretty on brand for me.

How's progress?

[Stupot]

How are the entries coming along, guys?

Just a few days left.

[newwaveburritos]

It's too ambitious and in many places sloppy but it's (more or less) complete.  Probably a half an hour playthrough if you want to look at everything and take your time.  I'll upload it tonight, I think.  There's a bunch of little issues I want to fix but I think I should just let it go.  It doesn't need a custom icon, lol.  Full disclosure, I did already have two backgrounds that I shoehorned in to fit the narrative but everything else I made this month.  I probably spent about 100 hours on it altogether. Over 400 sprites in this one!

[newwaveburritos]

I guess it got a custom icon, lol.  Anyway you can find it here:

https://springstreetonline.itch.io/saturday-night-is-the-loneliest-night-of-the-week
https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2604-saturday-night-is-the-loneliest-night-of-the-week/

[heltenjon]

Looks great! But you ought to put a zip file on itch for download. That's more convenient than four downloads, and it avoids the firewall triggers. My system had to be convinced about three of the four files that they were really safe.

[newwaveburritos]

Thanks for the heads up.  I fixed it and added the linux version.

[fernewelten]

I might be able to contribute this month, only there are family matters which have been taking a lot of time, so it mightn't be ready on midnight.

Wish me luck. 

[OneDollar]

Three (hopefully!) entries seems a good turnout for such a short month, good luck!

[fernewelten]

So, unfortunately a bit belated, I can present my adventure:

Castle Escape: Chapter 2

Count Bumbley had escaped his bedroom, where his love had imprisoned him in order to force him to marry her.(That was Chapter 1.) He's withdrawn into his study. But now he's in another pickle: How can he progress from there? The room seems to only have one door, and Lady Anemone is blocking that one. Perhaps a ghost can help...



Standard BASS interface: Right-click to examine things, left-click to interact with them. Get the menu via the "hamburger" button.

Sometimes you'll play the ghost, sometimes Count Bumbley. It's easy to recognize what's what: The ghost pointers are grey, and the ghost's world is slightly hazy.OTOH, the Bumbley cursors are coloured and the Bumbley world is clear.

Get the game here:

• for Windows
• for Linux (untested)