Messages

Thanks a lot for reporting, let me ping Duals!

We still have a couple presenter spots left! Let me know if you'd like to give it a go, it's fun

I'll send you all the information you need via PM.

[AGS Awards 2023 Client]

AGS Awards 2023 Client is now available for download!!


Download link:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/45pd2put386s4hecmatil/h?rlkey=5k1wc4s0z67pmy5o9sakttimq&dl=0

(Mac, Linux, Win)

Windows mirror: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10MN9f9LED3e_NVbt_MiqCJas0N1AaxEQ/view?usp=sharing
Windows mirror 2: https://we.tl/t-FvgTfgK19h

Mac mirror: https://easyupload.io/6nju4d

Linux mirror: https://easyupload.io/knaqsa

Streaming at: https://www.twitch.tv/khatoblepas

The client download link will be posted soon in this thread, please keep checking!

@Honza , sorry about this. I know the date did not suit you, but it was overwhelmingly better for pretty much everyone else, so we had to make some tough decisions I hope you will be able to at least jump in once in a while.

@eri0o , yes, the ceremony will be client based.

@edmundito , the way it works is, on the ceremony day we will post a link to the client download here, in this thread. The client is a standalone application just like an AGS game (actually, it IS an AGS game!). Just run it to join. Alternatively, you can join the ceremony via AGS IRC, if you don't want to or cannot run the desktop client (you'll miss out on the visuals, though).

I really ought to be coding the puzzles at this point, but here I am coding a custom SayAt extender function to keep each character's speech text within their respective viewports... because that's more novel for me. 

I know right! Important stuff 

The 23rd of March, 20:00 London time.

I have the same issue

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I have a safe game before I walk up to the castle but everytime I leave the book room, I'm stuck on the stairs. What shall I do? I play the downloaded version.

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Yes, that always happens when you leave that room. 'w' key teleports you to a walkable area. Alternatively, when you use ctrl+x to teleport yourself, and 'House Afar' will land you on a walkable area from that position.

Thanks! Glad you liked it

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that the title is 'Use it all,' but I don't remember using the harp at all!

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Haha, yes, actually.. The title comes from the puzzle flow scenario submitted by heltenjon in this puzzle competition thread. That's one thing. The other thing is, I had originally intended to include other puzzle flows from that thread, but it quickly became evident I wouldn't have enough time within MAGS constraints, so I focused on the original idea (for that time). There is one more item that has no use - it's the bloody rose.

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CW has a point there. In the final stage of the game, it may be much more difficult to change or fix things that you had missed when solo alpha testing, if there are code or story parts already built upon them, with lots of dependencies.

That's an interesting idea, but I don't think anything like that has been developed already. I suppose there would be some charges involved, too, if only to host the API somewhere.

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Indeed, and rather early on. It might be a more logical enabler for the tracks interaction (you can only get the shears mid game anyway so it's impossible to do it early).

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[The Second Secret of the Orbs]

I have played all the entries, here are my thoughts:

The Second Secret of the Orbs

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These are getting more and more adventuregamey The puzzles were simple but fun. I was a little bit confused with the skunk puzzle, it made me madly run around for a good while trying to figure out how to use the odor masking spray only to realize I just need to have it in my inventory to progress. I'm already curious where the next part will go!

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Brian Eggs Is Lost In The Woods

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A truly captivating tale of a solitary man's struggle against nature in its full beauty and danger, as well as of the protagonist's inner journey to combat his weaknesses and fears. His quest to throw off the shackles of traditional society is both thought-provoking and endearing. Paired with artistic visuals and freestyle spelling, this is a real gem of a game.

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Dracula's Mid-Century-Modern House of Mystery

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A memorable game thanks to the stunning retro graphics and unique atmosphere. Obviously it's unfinished, but the game is worth a go for the visuals and the exploration alone.

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The Green & Red

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Wow, that was unexpectedly dark! I loved the subtle hint of a merciless post-apo world where little kids are already skilled scavengers who keep spiders for pets. Very cool.

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I ended up voting for:

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Brian Eggs, because you can talk to every object and some of them talk back.
(and also because the puzzles are surprisingly logical and fun)

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Great to hear

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Hm. Yes, I intentionally made the interaction available only after it was clear you need to scare off the pig, but I can see how this may be confusing. I'll consider changing that, thanks for the comment!

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These are very good tips, cat. I don't really have experience with large games either, but I do use text files with notes even when I work on my small or medium sized ones.

I usually split the notes into categories that make sense to me, let's say "Bugs", "Extra features", "Missing graphics", "Typos" etc. It's super satisfying to cross these out in bulk later, when I decide it's time to go back to the project file! It also makes things feel less chaotic and overwhelming.

I also like to take version notes and list, on a high level, what was changed. It not only helps tracking down the root cause of possible mess-ups, but also gives this nice feeling of progressing through the corrections and updates when you look back at how much you have done in terms of updates and fixes.

Re the 'weird outline' :

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Actually, the weird outline (a.k.a. "a magic aura signifying that your blade is temporarily enchanted") appears when you approach the sword, regardless if the fox is running or not. There was a one time event the first time you approached the sword that sorta explained it, but you can probably easily overlook or forget about it.

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Some hints:
Hint 1 (tiara):

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You cannot use the resin to glue the horns to the tiara (though it is a logical solution that didn't occur to me - I may even add it as an alternative way to do it post-MAGS), you need to use something else to make the disguise parts hold together. This item may or may not be in your inventory, depending on the previous actions. If it's not, then you will be able to collect it later.

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Hint 2 (pig):

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Have you managed to fully harness the pig yet, so that he's attached to the pulley rather than dragging the loose strings behind him? Having him fully harnessed unlocks some new options.

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Hint 3 (fox trails):

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You need something that looks more like wolf claws than your knife.

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If the above hints are not much help, here's a more straightforward solution split into parts to avoid spoiling that much:
Solution part 1 (pig):

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You need to use the cloth strips three times: on the sheep, on the tree and then after slipping the garter on the pig, on any of these three detached parts to create a connected pulley. Then the dialogue options allowing you to attempt to deceive the pig will open.

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Solution part 2 (owl):

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The pig mentions three "signs" that will convince him that the fox is actually the wolf, and that he should run for his life. The owl flapping her wings is one of the "signs". The owl will go back to sleep eventually, so you need to ensure all the "signs" are active before you talk to the pig again.

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Solution part 3 (owl et al.):

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You need the following elements while attempting to scare off the pig: the running fox, the flapping owl, the echoing howl and the modified tracks. The tracks and the owl can be activated in advance, but you can only howl and talk to the pig while the fox is already running around.

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Solution part 4 (tiara):

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You need your garter back to use it as a sort of a headband with the tiara. You will need to scare the pig off first, though.

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Solution part 5 (fox trails):

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The right tool for tampering with the fox tracks is the bone rib from your corset.

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Wow. This is indeed an impressive scope, and I can see how attempting to solo test this kind of monster of a game could drain your creative energy.

Is there a reason why you wouldn't want to get help from some dedicated testers at this stage? I know you explicitly asked about solo testing tips so it's more my curiosity than a suggestion.

Thanks @heltenjon 

@cat , if you need more hints let us know here, just one note from me though:

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The owl will always be either asleep or half-awake. What is important is the timing and coordinating her flapping with other steps in the scheme.

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Alternatively, if you do need to store player's coordinates (because, say, you need the player to teleport to a specific point in the new room and THEN return them to the coords they were at in the previous room), you can use a custom room change function with two integer variables:

Code: ags

function RoomChange(int roomnumber, int x, int y)
{
  playerx = player.x;
  playery = player.y;
  player.ChangeRoom(roomnumber, x, y);
}

and then, when returning the player to the previous room:

Code: ags

player.ChangeRoom(player.PreviousRoom, playerx, playery);

So, um, there's a dead end in the game You need to do things in a very specific order to trigger it, but it is there.

If you

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haven't tampered with the animal tracks yet, but have the horned tiara in your inventory already, that will be a dead end.

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Please download the fixed version below. It won't break your current saved games so you don't have to replay from the beginning.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V45NrFgbeAgf5gWAdWbgzHNaHOG0QStC/view?usp=sharing

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You can now use the shears on the corset again to get another pair of bone spikes.

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Thanks Shadow for pointing that out!