Messages

This is what I get for trying to be "punny" with a title.

Should be listed as "Strawman Augment" not "Argument" in the poll.

'Cause the game is about a Strawman getting augmented by nanomachines.

[Story:]

The Strawman Augment

[/img]

Story:
"While on a relaxing cruise of the galaxy, you break down on a backwater world. To repair your ship, you will have to use a nanomachine controlled body to explore the world and gather the materials needed to leave this backwater dirtball."

Known Issues
I ended up using the default two-click GUI, which ended up looking a bit funky.

Etc
I moved to a new job thos month, so  I lost a week of being able to work on it. The game ended up being pretty straightforward and rather short with a lot of puzzles cut due to time. 
All the non-default assets were made by me.
Music Track by Eric Matyas - soundimage.org

Download
Download LINK

It's looking like I'll have "something"... I just have to wire up the last puzzle and create the images for a couple of inventory items. It's going to be super basic, as I won't have time to really do much in terms of polish and I doubt I will have time to do a title screen. The puzzles aren't anything to write home about, but I think I've made them logical.


Hope to plug in a little bit of music though.

Well, you've 6 days to get it done and wrapped up VampireWombat

Any more progress Durinde?

Haven't done much with it since I've been busy at work. My "Weekends" are on Tuesdays and Wednesdays... so I'll be doing a hard sprint on it then.

I've been chipping away at something. I'm not sure I'll get it done in time for the end of the month since my current work schedule is a little weird.

I think like most other people my mind went immediately to a "living" Scarecrow wandering around a farm. I pulled a history channel and went "Aliens" for the reason why my guy is moving around.

I have the art for the rooms done, walking animation, as well I have a simple introductory cutscene. I need to wire up the puzzles at this point and create the inventory objects.

[Parlour Game:]

Interesting round with some great ideas!

Once again here is my (subjective) hot take on the entries:

Parlour Game:

Kidnapping from a "harmless" game is a great setup for an adventure and has tremendous potential, but I wanted to know a little more about the gameplay.

Tic, Tac & Toe versus Halloween


I'm picturing a very Tim Burton-esque world for this one. Has some great visual potential, but as someone else mentioned, feels more like a mini-game.

Bad Soil

I'm very curious on how the mechanics of this would work. I'm guessing there would be a lot of pre-fab components and items that you could use in the level editor? It's a great concept for an engine, but it feels more like a tool than a game at this point.

The Aperture

This one got my vote. It simply was a great pitch. It wore its influences on its sleeve and gives a nice summary of both the gameplay and the story elements.

Theta

My own pitch, so I won't comment



The Riverman

A little surprised this one didn't receive more love. It was definitely my runner up. I can't think of many adventure games that take place in Alaska. Has potential for great visuals and I'm sure there is all sorts of wonderful folklore that you could pull story elements from.

This Is Sick

Reminded me a lot of "The Mist" or "Dawn of the Dead" in that there are a group of survivors that are trapped and face certain death if they go outside. Great fodder for storytelling and could be a great game.


Haunted by the occult

This one was top 3 for me. Very unique setting and I like the idea of a Golem (honestly I've been toying with different ways you could integrate a golem into an adventure game for the past couple months, I'm glad somebody else had the idea). I'm a little wary about losing characters if I screw up though... make's the concept feel more like a roguelite than an adventure game.


Digital Zombies

I'm picturing a cyberpunk-ish "Ghost in the Shell" world for this one. Great potential for visuals and you could have some unqiue tools and gadgets in the story. I think it's a good setup for an adventure. 

Missed out on the early bird stuff, but I've backed anyway!

Good luck!

Voted!

Was a tough choice! There wasn't a single game that I wouldn't love to give a try!

Agreed, really had to mull over my vote for this one. Best of luck to everyone who entered!

Hi there!! I have played your mini game and I had a fun time. I liked your story, because the puzzles was fitting to the concept and there were not arbitrary, just like the common problem of the adventures. As the other have said, the 9 verb interface was not well chosen or not well implemented. The overall flow was almost a linear experience. I have made a quick puzzle dependency chart to make this visible. See here: https://arcweave.com/app#/project/9WNlKy6z15
I am looking forward for your chapter 2!

Neat! Looks a lot more professional than the scraps of paper I doodled out the puzzles on during some downtime at work!

As a general design aside, because I mention it in the design video but never get back to talking about it... the reason why the furnace was an interactable object, was because the blue door was just going to require a standard key.... a key that was somehow INSIDE Fred the lobster. In that version of the game, the bucket from the first room would remain in your inventory. You would place Fred the Lobster into the bucket, fill it with water, and place it on the furnace to boil poor Fred to his death so you could remove the key.

I felt this was a little too cruel and a little too "Saw"ish… so I just made Fred himself into the Key and stuffed him into the player's pants.

[voiceover]

Hey folks, I'm open to doing some voiceover work.

I was employed as a radio station DJ for a number of years, so if you are looking for an "Announcer" or an "Over the top" type voice, I might be what you are looking for.

I'd be recording with my home setup, to hear what that sounds like you can check out one of my Let's Play videos

My Profile
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKw74MF1hd0


If you want to hear what my radio work sounds like or would like to hear my narration, please checkout my soundcloud.

Narration sample:
https://soundcloud.com/user-340751729/episode-2-metal-puppetsaway-with-the-fairies-chapter-45#t=1:20

Soundcloud Profile:
https://soundcloud.com/user-340751729

The best way to contact me is via my twitter https://twitter.com/DurindePlays

[Happy Scrappy Hero Pup]

Happy Scrappy Hero Pup

OK pitch for what I assume to be a game for small kids. If anything, a heroic dog might be a little too generic.

Eh eh! This time i was just kidding! The title is a reference to the movie Clerks:

Personally I don't find that movie a masterpiecie of comedy as many says, to me it's funny but nothing more. But I liked the idea of a little videogame based on the fictional Scrappy cartoon.

So this turn you win Durinde, but next time beware of me 'cause i'll fight for real!

_

I knew the name sounded familiar but I couldn't place it! It's been a long time since I've seen Clerks, so I guess it's time for a re-watch. Funny thing though, my first attempt at an AGS game took place in a video store because I was partially inspired by the movie.

Also... Bring it on

My "A Break From Reality" simply came from a weird dream I had so I typed it in for my game pitch.

I'm starting to feel though like slightly longer pitches should be allowed. It seems a lot of people are cutting or not being able to explain core game concepts along with setting and story. To have enough space to even briefly talk about all important concepts just a bit more length to do so with would be nice.

I've won 2 of these things and I can say it's definitely tough. I probably spend more time trying to boil my pitch down to the word limit than coming up with the initial idea. It is interesting to see how other people's vison of your pitch can vary widely from your intentions.

For me, a good pitch would have who, what, where, why, when and how. An extra say... 20 words might give people to the extra wiggle room needed to answer these questions to everybody's satisfaction.

I believe 100 words would keep the to spirit of the pitch being "bite-sized" yet would allow people to address both the plot and the gameplay.

Just a suggestion. If others are getting frustration rather than fun out of the contest, I'm open to a change.

[Fall Flat]

Some interesting entries with some great ideas this go around.

Here's my (subjective) hot take:

Fall Flat

I like the idea of the sense of discovery through flashbacks as you uncover the mystery of situation. It goes along with the sense of urgency of the situation, but the pitch felt a little too frenetic for me with a bunch of questions and no answers.


N00b

Great concept, but I think the Alternate Reality line may have thrown off some voters. I'm not sure if you intended this, but I like the idea of the game switching between the "real" world and the internet. There could be some interesting narrative events involving the fact that the players identity had been stolen.


Homo-Sapiens

I like the idea of humanity re-discovering itself. I really wish I had a better sense of the sci-fi world. Is there FTL travel? Is it a difficult journey? What kind of challenges will the protagonist face?


Town of nightmares

This one got my vote. It was a tight pitch that gave me a sense of both the narrative and gameplay. Kind of gave me a "Stranger Things" vibe.


Chekhov's Balance


Cool concept of the "real" world affecting the fantasy of it. Interesting take that the character's well being is tied to the narrative of the fantasy story. My concern is that the pitch presented more of a "Choose your own adventure" visual novel rather than straight up adventure game.

A Break From Reality


I'm surprised this didn't get more votes. A world where the laws of reality don't really apply seems ripe for a classic style adventure game. I'm also intrigued by the survival aspect of the pitch, wish there had been a little more on that.


Happy Scrappy Hero Pup

OK pitch for what I assume to be a game for small kids. If anything, a heroic dog might be a little too generic.


The other paperclip

I like the idea using a concept from history to help drive the narrative. I like the idea in general, but what weakened the pitch for me is the why of the thing. If a species has already tackled intergalactic flight, why would they need human scientists at all? Are they a species that are unable to develop technology on their own so they steal it? Is it a misguided attempt to save "The best and brightest" humans from some sort of unknown looming disaster?


All that being said, an engineer escaping from an alien planet is ripe for classic adventure game type gameplay.

Found Footage

This pitch mentions a B-movie Diva, but at the same time it is a found footage movie? Isn't the idea to cast unknowns for a found footage so people will accept the "reality"? Not sure if younger players would be too familiar with the whole "Blair Witch" craze.

No right guess on my entry yet, and I don't know people's writing styles well enough yet to make a guess.

Finished.
I comment here since there's no game page on AGS.
Logical puzzles, good mood despite the premise. It's a nice PG version of Saw

Spoiler

I can't wait to see what's behind the blue door.

[close]

Glad you enjoyed it. Hopefully I will be able to start working on a part 2 in the next few months.

Congrads to the winner! Here's my take on the entrants

Spoiler

The Grapes are always sweeter:

I like the story spanning over multiple generations, but I think the fact you were over the word limit didn't help. While I got a great sense of the story, I didn't get a good feel of what the "adventure" would be.

Amandarin:

Things dealing with mental health area always a little tricky. Playing the imaginary friend and not the person locked up seems like an interesting twist, but I had a hard time visualizing how I as the player would interact with the world. Also, the premise of why she wants to leave is a little shaky. Unless she is some sort of extreme visitor restrictions, why doesn't her boyfriend just visit her before he leaves? I think if the focus was switched to her just wanting to be well enough to leave the facility would be enough motivation.

Young Crone:

Nice premise and I can see why it won. Very easy to visualize game-play and potential puzzles. I also like the idea of a witch being a public servant. Didn't get my vote only because I found another premise slightly more appealing.

What could have been:

The premise seems very similar as "To the moon". I don't mind heavily narrative games, but I can't put my finger on why this one didn't catch me.

Dragonville:

Interesting idea and I like the idea of humans being potential adversaries. Lots of potential for interesting world-building and there could be some great character moments with the dragons attempting to work together. Dragons are large creatures, so I'd be interested to see the scale of the game. Again, didn't get my vote only because I found another idea more appealing.

Background Battle:

Great potential for world-building with this one. You could really do some neat things with people living in a Utopia and trying to deal with the issues that arise once the two AIs are in conflict. Maybe if I could have gotten a better sense of the drive of the two AIs in the pitch it would have gotten my vote.

Inside these white walls:

A lot of this pitch hinges on what the mystery is in the abandoned part of the ship. Potential to be extremely generic.

Naive:

I think the last sentence of the pitch killed a lot of interest. The start of the pitch seems like "Social Anxiety: The game" which could run in some interesting directions, but I don't think a lot of people want to play a character that is pitched as an idiot. 

The Antidote:

This is the pitch that got my vote due to the sheer awesome potential for world-building. I want to see what this futuristic society that is ruled under a single political figurehead would look like. What kind of futuristic gadgets and technologies would be available to a futuristic secret service? My only complaint is that the title seems a little too generic.

Meet Me in the Rings:

Feels like a very 90's (not a bad thing) style adventure. Comedic sci-fi allows you to take the game is some many directions just because there are no limitations. Seems like you have chunks of the plot thought out which is great. A good pitch and again only didn't get my vote because I found another idea slightly more appealing.

Verb Coin:

Neat idea that I'd truthfully like to see in action. The meta-ness of it might limit the appeal to hardcore adventure gamers... but I think that could be overcome with a solid story behind the whole thing.

[close]

[Durinde:]

Durinde: A dragon story that doesn't dragon enough. Again, a very interesting concept: genetically engineered dragons as pets are inherently interesting, which makes me all the more disappointed that the story is actually about someone servicing a car. I think the reason why Alec is chosen as a beta tester is a bit flimsy. There are countless people who would love to have a dragin as a pet (me included) so it couldn't be difficult to find testers. And if they don't want just countless, irresponsible fan-boys and -girls, a randonly chosen person with a dragon tatoo also doesn't seem like the best choice. I'd prefered reading about life with a pet dragon.

Totally agree with most of the points. I had a really difficult time choosing a focus for the story. I didn't want it to become too long and kept cutting things back. In hindsight, I should have gone ahead and fleshed things out a little more.

[Green and Me]

This was the first bit of fiction that I've written in a while so this was a tough one for me. I tried taking the story in a few different tangents that didn't work out, so that's why the whole thing feels truncated and a piece of a larger world. Very rough around the edges.

Green and Me

    The all-too-familiar jolt of something landing on the bed pulled me from sleep. The first few times it had happened, I had bolted upright, my sleep-addled mind unsure of what to make of the very alien presence landing next to me. Now, it was a daily occurrence. I knew if I kept my eyes closed and didn't move much, I might be able to snatch a few more precious moments of rest before going about my day.

    I felt the presence shift as it curled its cat-sized body into a ball next to me. I knew by now that the “intruder” was attempting to absorb body heat in the cool autumn morning air. I remained still, trying to cling to the last vestiges of a half-forgotten dream. It was fruitless, sleep would not come again this morning.
   
    I opened my eyes to a darkened room. The sun hadn't risen yet and it was Saturday, meaning I could relax without the rush of getting ready for work. A glance at the clock confirmed that it was a good half-hour before sunrise.
   
    I looked at the curled mass that had balled itself up next to me. Occasionally, I would catch a white wisp rising from its nostrils, and the faintest scent of woodsmoke. As somebody who enjoyed camping, I loved the smell. It was a benefit of owning a green.
   
    I gave myself a few more moments of relaxation before I pulled myself into a sitting position. A snort of annoyance broke the morning silence as the animal was suddenly robbed of a very warm and very comfortable spot.    
   
    Reaching down I began to scratch the creature under its chin. The animal that I uncreatively dubbed “Green” nuzzled my hand. It repositioned itself on the bed and looked up at me expectantly.

    It's not that hard to describe what green looks like, take western description of a dragon and scale it down to the size of a large housecat. Wings(check), scales(check), claws(check), ability to breath fire (eh… best we can do is smoke).

    And if your wondering why I haven't called Green a he or she, well that's because dragons are sexless. The last thing D-Pet wants is for private citizens to cut into their profits by breeding their own dragons.

    Swinging my legs from beneath the warm covers I sat on the edge of the bed. Green quickly moved onto the still-warm pillow and settled in. They would probably snooze a couple of more hours in that spot if I'd let them.

    The whole idea of owning a dragon was a still very new concept to myself and the world. Until a few months prior, they simply didn't exist. Although altering human genetics was still a very big no-no, recent lobbying had relaxed the rules on other species A LOT and a few companies jumped on the chance to create “Designer Pets”. Up until that point, they were fiddling with lifespans and intelligence, making sure that Fido lived to a ripe old age and Mrs. Pussypants would leave the dead mice outside. Fantastical creatures were a completely new development.

    I guess I should explain how I got Green. At 18 I had finished high school without any real plan for my future. After a failed attempt at college and a year working retail jobs, I joined the military as a vehicle technician. Aside from 6-months in a hot and sandy country, I spent the next three years working in the motor pool of an unremarkable base smack in the middle of the country.
   
    When it came time to renew my contract, I decided that I didn't want to spend the next few decades of my life in the army and decided to strike it out on my own. Applying for pretty much everything and anything that wasn't retail, I found a job listing for a maintenance worker for a national park.
   
    The maintenance job was a pretty good gig. The pay was OK, and housing was included in the form of a smallish, rustic cabin. A lot of my day was keeping the ranger's ATVs and trucks running as well as maintenance on various generators and pumps in and around the park's facilities. I'm was also an extra hand if the rangers need help with anything.
   
    It was early spring, and I had gotten a call from management to “take a look” at a private vehicle had broken down inside the park's boundaries. Normally I wouldn't be called to work on a non-park vehicle, but it turns out that this particular truck was owned by D-Pet. The same D-Pet that had made a fairly sizeable donation to the park. Subsequently, they had gotten permission send a team of scientists to study wildlife behaviour in the park during the off-season. Management wanted us park employees to treat any member of the D-Pet team as VIPs.
   
    I grabbed my toolbox and headed out on one of the park's pick-ups. The gravel roadways of the park were still extremely pitted and rough from the winter's snow and frost, so it made for a bumpy ride.  It would be a couple of weeks at least before we would open to the public, so there was still plenty of time to get the roadways graded to make things a little more public friendly.
   
    I rounded the corner and saw a group of people standing around a white truck with the D-Pet logo. The truck was parked next to the entrance of a hiking trail with its hood propped open. The open hood concerned me a little, the last thing I needed was an amateur poking about an engine and possibly making things worse.
The small group consisted of one very bored looking man of considerable height, a woman on a cell-phone. Off to the side was Andy, the park ranger that had been assigned to “guide” this particular group. It had been Andy that had called in the breakdown in the first place.
   
    I stopped the pick-up and pulled the toolbox off the passenger seat.  Andy strolled over and gave a head-shake. “Not sure what the issue is,” he said. “Ran fine on the way in. We hiked out to the D-pet monitoring site and made our way back after a few hours watching some deer. Couldn't get it to start when we got back”
   
    “What's with the popped hood,” I questioned as I brought the toolbox towards the truck.
   
    “I checked the oil,“ he admitted. “That's about all I know how to do in a situation like this.”
   
    “And?”
   
    “Seemed fine, “ he shrugged. “I figured I'd leave the hood open so you could take a look when you got here.”
   
    I nodded and walked to the front of the truck. The large man gave me a quick up-and-down before returning to looking bored. The woman seemed absorbed in her cellphone conversation. I could hear snippets and I could only hear one side of the exchange. Talk of beta testing and shareholders. Must be less of a science-type and more of a corporate-type.
   
    Everything looked OK inside the hood. I bent down and pulled the voltmeter from my toolkit and tested the battery. I found my problem.
As I unhooked the voltmeter, I noticed the phone-woman had finished her conversation and was headed my way.
   
    “It's the battery isn't it,” she asked.
   
    “Seems like it,“ I confirmed. “Going to give you a boost. You'll probably want to replace it ASAP.”
   
    “Thought so,” she said, seemingly self-satisfied by this. “Name?”
   
    “Alec McEvoy,” I said extending my hand.
   
    I should mention that during my youth I had decided to get a tattoo on my forearm. I read a lot of fantasy when I was a kid and decided I wanted a fire breathing dragon because… well dragons are awesome. It was a nice piece of art, super stylized and vibrant, but I became more self-conscious of it as I grew older. The woman's eyes locked onto the ink on my arm for a few moments before taking my hand. “Dragon,” she said.
   
    “Yeah,“ I chuckled, a little red with embarrassment. “Seemed like a good idea at the time.”
   
    “I like it,” she said. “McEvoy… Dragon.”
   
    Without giving me a chance to respond, the woman turned and headed towards the large man who was near the back of the truck. I shrugged at the abruptness of our exchange and headed towards my own truck to retrieve the jumper cables. I could see her saying something to the large man, who now had a notepad open and was scribbling something down as she spoke to him.
   
    The boost happened without much fanfare and without any further exchange from the woman or from her large friend. Andy pointed them in the direction to the park exit before climbing into my truck for a lift back to the ranger station.
   
    “They've made arrangements with one of the local garages to get the battery replaced,” Andy said as we drove along the bumpy gravel road.
   
    “Quite the… interesting pair,” I said.
   
    “Yeah, corporate muckety-mucks here to check on the scientists in the field. Studying animal behavior. The guy didn't talk at all, and the woman… well my few exchanges with her have been kinda odd.”
   
    “I uh noticed.”
   
    “She did ask me what my favorite fantasy animal was,” Andy shrugged.
   
    “Yeah, she took a weird interest in my tattoo.”
   
    “Genetic manipulation…” Andy said. “As if mother nature didn't have enough to worry about with her own creations.”
   
    I dropped Andy at the ranger station and things pretty much went back to normal after that. The D-Pet folks departed a few weeks later and I had pretty much forgotten about the encounter. Mid-summer, I received an e-mail from park management, asking if it was OK for them to give a D¬-Pet representative my phone number.
   
    “They want to thank you for your help in the spring,” the e-mail said.
   
    I e-mailed back and gave permission. Looking back at the interaction in the spring, I expected the call to be very brief and very formal. The call came a few hours later.
   
    “Mr. McEvoy,” a woman's voice inquired. It sounded familiar.
   
    “Yes, that's me.”
   
    “Mr. McEvoy, “ the voice paused for a moment. “I'm Ellen Keats, CEO of D-Pet. We met in the park a few months ago.”
   
    So, it was the woman. She continued. “I personally wanted to pay you back for helping us out.

    “It was no big deal ma'am, I was just doing my job.”

    “Mr. McEvoy,” she continued, ignoring my last statement. “I would love to offer you a free beta-testing opportunity for or new line of products. You love dragons right?”
   
    Baffled, I didn't know how to respond. “Dragons?”
   
    “Yes Mr. McEvoy, have you ever considered owning one?”
   
   

+1. I totally agree with Riase... had you put that in the pitch and I would have voted for Mulled.
I don't think it needs any antagonists, the character is already motivated to find the cards and see what other powers they might have.

I get the concern and honestly I had no thoughts about antagonists when I wrote the initial pitch. Everything is pure theory at this point, so it's great to see people's perspective on what they envisioned the game to be.

I'm not super active in the forums, so I guess I should probably out myself as the winner so people aren't trying to guess one of the regulars. Thanks to everyone that voted for Major Arcana, it's an idea that I've had for a while but haven't gotten around to developing yet.


I was actually suprised on how the voting turned out. From the comments prior to voting, I wasn't sure I'd get any votes, so it was a pleasant surprise.

I think all of the enteries were good ideas and my vote was completely on personal taste and interest.

1. Lockdown: Great solid idea and I can picture it working. Normal people caught up in extradonary circumstances always make for a great narrative and having multiple people with different skills allows for variation in puzzles. If we had mutliple votes, I would have definately used one on this idea.

2. Small Pockets: I can see this working best as a 1st person adventure game where you are sneaking around, building your inventory, and trying not to get caught.

3. Rodic Downes: This is what I actually voted on. I'm a sucker for anything historical and Swedish pirates seems like such a left-field idea that it grabbed my attention the most.

4. What a feeling: Interesting concept, I just had trouble visualizing how things would work. I think with a longer pitch to flesh out the mechanics it is a completely workable idea.

5. Major Arcana: My entry. I had't considered the similarities to Loom as another poster mentioned. I also think the game needs antagonists. I've been thinking about adding a rival element of a shady character trying to grab the cards before you do.

6. Cliffhung: Seems like it might be a fun project. Just didn't catch my attention. Might be a little too meta.

7. Mulled:  This one may have just been about timing. I'm kind of burnt out on hard-boiled detectives at the moment and thinking about Christmas while it's still summer just didn't feel right. Solid concept and completely workable. Lots of potential for comedy

8. Two strings: Good concept and I'd like to see it in action, but as mentioned in Mulled, I'm a bit burned out on detectives.

9. Professor: I like the idea with playing with the adventure genre world by having the player be more of a guide than an active player. Again I'd like to see the longer pitch where the mechanics were explained.


10. Untitled: A lot of potentional. I like the idea of a serious "RPG" character ending up in an "adventure" world. Loveable sidekick that gives a very Sam & Max feel to it.

11. Hard nut to crack: 3rd game to fall victim to my current disinterest in anything involving a detective. Again solid concept and completely workable. Might be a little too "cutesy" for my personal taste.

Again I think all of the base concepts were good. I just voted on the one that caught my attention the most.