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Beware ye who tread this path in search of fortune...

HOLY CARP

I've been pretty absent from the forums so I hadn't really kept up to date with the awards nomination process... MY FACE when I saw Dangerous Derek's Livestream had been nominated for Best Short Game! I am so flattered, thank you so much to anyone who played, enjoyed, and/or nominated my little game! As a relative newcomer to the community I am really just so pleased, this has made my day!

Good luck to everyone who has been nominated, I will do my best to play the nominated games so that I can contribute in the voting process!

Wow, thanks everyone for your lovely comments and very helpful feedback!

heltenjon

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I am extremely flattered by everything you had to say. I'm glad you thought the writing was good, I really tried to give each character a unique "voice" even though no-one was actually speaking... I'm also very glad that you thought the difficulty was balanced correctly for you, as I said before it is something I have been concerned about. It's interesting that you mention that reading the notes "out of order" may have caused some difficulty, as you yourself read the notes "out of order" in a way! When I was planning the game I arranged the documents so that going clockwise through the rooms would mean that each question raised would have its solution in the next room, with the last piece of information one gathered being the numbered sequence on Simon's computer. I did my best to make sure that reading the various documents in any order wouldn't be too confusing, and I made sure backtracking was as easy as possible. Evidently I didn't do too bad of a job, since you took a different route and still put the pieces together! I'm extremely glad you enjoyed it and I can't thank you enough for your valuable feedback.

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Cassiebsg

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I take the comparison to Myst as a high compliment, thank you very much for saying that and I am glad I managed to spark those happy thoughts in your head! I agree that it seems like the men all just suddenly vanished, I decided not to spell out what happened exactly so as to leave a little mystery. If you want to know what I think happened though... I think Simon tried the incorrect sequence one too many times and vaporised everyone left at the facility. Apologies about the intro text being too fast to read, I had originally intended it to be a voiceover but didn't have time to arrange a voice actor and the text scroll was my last-minute solution. I am unfamiliar with cutscene functions so I will definitely look into that! I also entirely sympathise with you getting annoyed at the navigation, it's the thing I struggled with most while I was making the game and I don't think it came out too well. I will definitely consider your suggestions on how to clarify things for the player! Thanks also for the tips on making a save function, I'll be putting that in place for my next project for sure! I am very flattered that you would vote for my game, I'm delighted to hear you enjoyed it so much!

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Shadow1000

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Thank you very much for complimenting the graphics! I have been putting a lot of work into learning the 3D modelling software and while I'm still only capable of primitive things I think I progressed a lot compared to my last game. I'm glad you enjoy the aesthetic! Thank you also for saying nice things about so many aspects of the story and puzzles, I'm dead chuffed that you felt like you were unravelling a mystery, it has put a big smile on my face to see that's how you felt about it!

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I'm hoping to get the chance to play through everyone else's entries this weekend, I am really looking forward to it!

Skeevy Wonder - I used Blender to do all the 3D work on my game. I only started learning how to use the software about two months ago, and I've found it pretty straightforward to pick up! I'd definitely recommend it, though I'm still only capable of doing basic modelling and lighting at this stage.

Olleh19 - I'm sorry you had so much trouble with my entry! So far I have consistently gotten comments about every single one of my previous games that the puzzles were too straighforward, so I made a deliberate effort this time to make a multi-step puzzle that required a bit of exploring and deducing to figure out. I tried to make sure that there was at least one clear clue for every step, but since pretty much everyone who has replied here has gotten stuck at one point or another I guess I just made it too confusing. I'll be sure to refine and clarify things as much as I can before I release the game fully. I'm very happy to hear you say that you enjoyed it, even if you got stumped in the end!

PlayPretend - Thank you very much for playing through my game! I'm glad you liked the graphics, and you are correct about the method I used to move the viewpoint from spot to spot. There's a couple of not-quite-seamless transitions from the stills to the videos though, which is something I am still working on for the full release. I'm glad you liked the character stuff too! I've always liked games where you root through documents to piece things together, so I decided to make one that revolved around that.

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I'm glad that the passwords weren't too tricky for you. I'm sorry you had to essentially brute force your way through the last puzzle, though I sometimes do the same thing when the number of available options has a definite limit! (Just so you know, I did leave a clue about where to put the component. William's notes mention putting it in the east port and you can pick up a map which tells you which way is north.)

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Cassiebsg - Sorry about not having a save function in a more obvious place, to be honest I've never put a save function in any of my games since I have no idea how to do that and figured my games would be short enough to be completed in a few minutes. (The glitchless 100% speedrun of The Last Light Post is under 30 seconds, but since I am the developer I won't be submitting my times...) I was frankly surprised to see that you found a save function in there, it must be built-in with the BASS template! With regards to the final puzzle...

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... I'm afraid I may have made the nonsense technobabble too confusing! The talk about dividing things by two is just how William worked out what might be wrong. The trick is to take the ORIGINAL sequence and only use the even numbers. I hope that helps!

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Ok, I finished the game! Thanks for the hint, and thanks for not giving it away completely. Some thoughts on how I got stuck (seeing that the game is being developed still):

Thank you very much for your feedback! This is the value of having people play test things! What you said was very constructive, I'll definitely be taking your experiences on board to refine that puzzle and clarify how the relevant GUI works so it's a little more clear. I'm very glad you were able to make it to the end of the game, and apologies for any annoyances caused!

Congratulations everyone! I look forward to playing all of your games! And to everyone who didn't manage to finish by the deadline, please keep working on your entries! You all have great ideas that should definitely be seen through to the end, no matter how long it takes!

Shadow1000 - With regards to my game...

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... the hint for William's password can be found in the notes on the workbench in the lab. William mentions he has had a particularly unpleasant day... (My key playtester, AKA my significant other, also got stuck on the same part so perhaps the clue is too oblique!)

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[THE LAST LIGHT POST (WORK IN PROGRESS)]

THE LAST LIGHT POST (WORK IN PROGRESS)

In a land of unending darkness, you travel to a remote and mysterious facility in an attempt to restore the light to the world.

Game link: http://www.mediafire.com/file/e7eaqlwtnp5szo2/The_Last_Light_Post_%2528WIP%2529.zip/file

Screenshots:









Boy, did this one take it out of me! I don't have any free time tomorrow so uploading it now is my only option. I'm happy with it as it stands though! As long as there's no game-breaking bugs that I missed... I was tearing my hair out more than once while I made this game, and nine times out of ten it was because of some silly mistake on my part. I hope you enjoy playing what I have managed to put together!

I won't be making an entry in the AGS database for this one yet, as even though you can play through it from start to finish, it's not "complete" in my eyes yet. I am hoping to release this as a standalone game, however this version includes some copyrighted music, images, and other bits and pieces to fill in some gaps. I'll replace those, add the missing animations, customise the GUIs instead of using the defaults, and release a full version before the end of the year.

Please let me know what you all think!

I've heard the door riddle before, but it had a much longer setup which narrowed down the possibilities. If I recall correctly, it went something like this...

A curious girl is brought up being told, "Never open the cellar door." She asks what's behind the door, and always gets the same response. "Never open the cellar door." For years, she wonders what's on the other side. Eventually she can't stand it anymore and she opens the cellar door.

She gasps at what she sees, and immediately runs out of the house. She runs over to a neighbour who happens to be mowing their lawn, and she explains the situation. The neighbour immediately calls the police.

The police arrive and they search the cellar from top to bottom. They find no drugs, no weapons, no bodies or body parts, the cellar is completely empty. Yet the police arrest the parents as soon as the parents arrive home. Why?

I personally prefer these kinds of setups, since you don't need to ask lots and lots of clarifying questions. When I'm just reading a riddle, I also like the "Agatha Christie" style where all the clues to solve it are in the riddle from the start, but in person there can be a lot of fun found in the style of riddle where you bounce questions back and forth. Different styles suit different situations, I think!

I believe the poet and comedian Spike Milligan has that engraved on his tombstone, but in the Irish language rather than English.

I'm still in, but I'm afraid that I'm going to have to cut some corners on my project in order to squeeze it out by the deadline. I made some mistakes that will take a VERY long time to fix (rendering 3D graphics is a tough job for my trusty little laptop) so there will be some missing animations and other elements. I've got the major pieces at least though, so I'll have something to show by 31st, even if it is just a work-in-progress!

Features intense computer hacking!


...and a working map screen!

My mate and his dog ran out of cheese once, they decided to head to the moon to grab some...

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[imgzoom]https://i.imgur.com/6zXyzaU.jpg[/imgzoom]

I am a gigantic fan, Wallace & Gromit are literally my desktop background!

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Mandle and Milkanannan, that's very nice of you to say! I probably still have some of the memory cards with those Driv3r replays on them, I have no idea how I would transfer them to a computer to be able to show them though! There are a few of my IRL movies from that era that have survived, but since my name/face and other such information is contained in most of them, I'd rather not share at the moment. I'm a little more self conscious these days than I was when I was a kid!

I've got most of the modeling done for my game, plus I've worked out a key GUI and some other technical bits and bobs. I just need to get writing now! Here's a taste of the style I'm going for...

[imgzoom]https://i.imgur.com/l6XNCd3h.png[/imgzoom]

I'm also looking for someone female to provide a short piece of narration for the opening cinematic. Should I post on the recruitment board? I don't see too many MAGS games there, I'm not sure if it's the done thing...

The game that truly changed my life is a game that is almost universally agreed to be a "bad" game, and that's Driver 3... Or Driv3r if we're to go by the way it's spelled on the box. I was a really big fan of the first game on PS1 and I spent many hours of my childhood smashing into cop cars, ramping over bridges, and sliding sideways around corners.

I was never able to afford brand-new games growing up, I always had to buy them pre-owned, but when I heard that there was a third instalment of Driver coming out, I knew I had to have it. So I saved up, pinched every penny, and I got it pretty much on the day of release. I remember in those days my parents limited me to one hour of PlayStation a day, and I foolishly used up my hour BEFORE going to the store and buying my new game! I have a vivid memory of sitting on the curb outside my house, reading the instruction manual cover to cover, over and over. I doubt I slept at all that night, I was so excited to play my new game!

When I finally got to play it, I was so impressed. The cutscenes and story were just SO COOL! The graphics looked amazing! You could steal ANY car you saw! The cities were so detailed! You could SHOOT GUNS! I blasted through the story and spent day after day exploring the three maps in the "Take a Ride" mode. I perfected each course of the minigames section, I memorised the perfect route for each of the story missions. Name a secret car, easter egg, or gameplay exploit and I would have been able to tell you exactly where it was or how to trigger it. I was so infatuated I even bought the soundtrack on CD, which is actually a real hidden gem. (It's presented like a radio station with Iggy Pop as the DJ!)

None of the things I've mentioned are reasons why this game "changed my life" though. The life changing moment came when I first opened the "Film Director" mode. Basically, in Driv3r, after you finish a mission you get the option to view a replay of what you just did, with the view cutting from angle to angle like a movie. This was amazing to my little brain, but my mind was truly blown when I selected the "Film Director" option. In this mode, you got to pick the camera angles. At any time, you could pause the action and place the camera angle anywhere you wanted. It allowed you to decide when to cut from shot to shot, zoom in and out, add slow motion... I'll never forget the first time I paused the replay while my car was doing a jump, and I got to fly the camera around in 3D space. Seeing the car hovering there, sparks and broken glass floating, while I could freely move all around and examine it from every angle... that was almost a transcendental experience. When I later saw The Matrix, that's what I imagined "seeing the code" felt like.

I started creating my own little mini-movies with the "Film Director" tools. I would attach stories to them, despite there being no in-game dialogue. I had always loved action movies but I could never make one myself, not when my only resources were my reluctant friends and my family's budget-price camcorder. This game allowed me to make all the spectacular action movies I wanted though. I used to drag my parents away from whatever they were doing so I could show them my latest car chase, excitedly narrating the story to them as it went along. I filled up memory cards with save files of these replay movies.

After a while I started making my own short films in real life, and eventually decided to study the subject in college. I'm not saying I wouldn't still have a degree in Film & Television Production right now if it weren't for the hours I spent with Driv3r, but it definitely fueled my passion in a big way.

[The Spider's Web by Slasher]

I finally got around to playing all of this month's entries! Here are my thoughts:

The Spider's Web by Slasher

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A really stellar entry! The puzzles were just the right level of difficulty, there was great variety in the gameplay with many different locations to explore, and the story was nicely fleshed out! I enjoyed the characters very much, and this game was definitely the one that stuck closest to this month's theme in my opinion. I particularly liked the opening sequences where you were exploring the different rooms interviewing everyone, I kind of wish there were more clues to be found in that section. Snooping through files and putting the pieces together is always fun! I think this is a really strong game in general, if I have one minor criticism it is that sometimes the puzzles have the same solution so it got a touch repetitive. At least there were various humorous outcomes to solving each puzzle, even when the method was the same. Other than that minor quibble, I think it's top-notch!

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DAGGERHELL by Mandle

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Extremely simple and extremely fun! I spent a lot of time running about those dungeons. Honestly I don't have much criticism to share about this one, it does exactly what it sets out to do and does it without issue. It's a little sparse when it comes to content, but if it were to be expanded with more enemy types, pickups, weapons, or other "enhancements" it would lose the simple charm. It's like a tasty candy bar as opposed to a full meal, and sometimes all you need is a candy bar! This gets a big thumbs-up from me!

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My Father's Secret by JackPutter

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Claims to be "full motion video" but only runs at 20fps. A total SCAM.

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Max Fury by Olleh

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I loved the artwork for this game SO much! I thought it was a real visual treat, and I'm amazed that you achieved all that in a single month. I also thought the sound design was really wonderful, each action had a well-chosen sound to add extra personality. I share many of the criticisms already mentioned by other people here. I feel the 9-verb interface didn't really add anything, I think "Use" and "Examine" would have streamlined the development process and been easier to work with from the player end too. For me, it didn't really suit the theme all that well, though it seems like you intended detective Max Fury to have a much bigger role and ended up having to cut a lot due to time pressure. The humour wasn't always particularly to my taste but it did get a few chuckles out of me! Overall I think this is a AMAZING effort for a first game! With your art skills and the new knowledge you have gained from this project, you can build on what you did this month and make your next project much more polished!

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Just yesterday I was reminiscing about how good A Simple Plan is! I'm pretty sure you're right milkanannan.

I don't recognise the scene but those character models look to be straight out of Deus Ex!

JackPutter: I love this entry! Quick question for you...

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My character got freaked out, ran out the front door, and then was killed. Is this the only ending to the game? I see an unexplored bathroom and two rooms leading off from the mystery box room.

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I am so glad you enjoyed my game, thank you very much! With regards to your question...

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... Yes, that is the only ending. I designed a whole house to explore but didn't have time to implement everything I had planned. This led to multiple rooms not being used. I did my best with the camera angles and kept some out of sight but others like the bathroom were impossible to avoid. Apologies for any confusion caused!

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