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Boston is a particularly sensitive city since 9/11. The govt. couldn't have won either way in this, if they hadn't 'overreacted', people would have said 'WELL THEY COULD HAVE BEEN BOMBS OMG DO THEY CARE NOTHING ABOUT US!' and so on. Do something, and you get flak for overreacting. No-win situation.

Nobody was suggesting that they not act at all. But this reaction has moral panic written all over it.

Overreacting, refusing to back down, and blaming other people. That's a good way for any government to react, no?

Oh I'm sure there were a few to-game spinoffs that got it right? HHGTG is an almost-legendary text adventure. Companions of Xanth was enjoyable. Ok, those are books   There's quite a lot of James Bond games? Oh darn, also books. Hm.

I don't know if theres a legal requirment to contact the author to get permission if you  copy/Edit a TV Series into the style of an adventure game.

No. In most countries (including the US and all of western Europe), parody is protected, in that you may use parts of a work for making a critique on that work and parody is a form of that. There's a bit of legalese involved, but it boils down to that.

The best example I know of is the Jack Chick case. Chick is a religious kind of guy who makes tracts (basically, comics) with strong religious themes, such as the idea that rock music and new age thingies are Bad for your Soul. One of his most (in)famous tracts is called Deep Dungeons, and explains how playing D&D leads to suicide, mind controlling your parents, pacts with the devil and lack of fashion sense (no, I'm not kidding...) and how you can Save Yourself by prayer.

Obviously, on the internet, people have drawn several parodies of this. Chick has tried his hardest to get those shut down calling them copyright infringement or libel, but he can't, because you're allowed to make parodies. Other examples include Weird Al Yankovic (who does ask permission since he's a nice guy) and the Jack Thompson case (which is also very funny).

One caveat is that this doesn't necessarily work this way against Big Corporations in America, because you cannot financially afford a court case against them even though it would be a foregone conclusion that you'd win it. But most companies don't particularly care that you parodize them unless you're actually making money out of that (hence, fangames tend to be tolerated), in part because it could easily turn into a public relations disaster to shut you down (there's a very funny case about that involving MacDonalds). If you would specifically ask them, they would either not respond or tell you not to; but they won't generally do particularly much to stop you (e.g. the Garfield game).

Hope that helps!

You mean, get the main character from every game and stick them into Quest Fighter?

One word: Trillian

Well, let me help the kid out by posting a serious suggestion for a game idea.

Er, well, sorry, but that sounds quite a lot like Elite to me. Famous indie/lo-budget game, got two sequels, even.

Well, a 5DAS might be cool put into the right context, and as long as it's not just mindless, stupid humour...

Wasn't there One Day A Mosquito?

Why did no one else enter this? I thought it had a nice clear topic. I would of have entered myself if I had the time and motivation.

I wanted to make a Hypnotoad game (because you just know it'd get all the votes) but I seriously didn't have time for that. Sorry, maybe next month.

I think a cool game idea would be some young wimpy loser who wants to be pirate. Because you know, pirates are t3h awesmoe! But of course he has to pass some trials first...

Well, there's always Warthogs...

Also, Infinite Monkeys is kind of a parody of the MAGS contest (in that it uses all contest rules from the past five years at the same time). I believe I've seen a few other parody games around last year... perhaps not of other AGS games per se, but certainly of other adventure games and/or movies and such.

Anything in particular you want parodized?

(edit) Oh yeah, there was a SOAP game, though I'm not sure people who didn't go to Mittens would get it

I thought you could get a Wii and download every NES game ever made, for a buck each or so?

[Larry Vales vs. Alexander Zale!]

Okay, okay.

Second round: Larry Vales vs. Alexander Zale!

Who wins, and why, and how?

Cuppit vs. Cedric!!!


(hm, come to think of it I'd want a Cedric in Quest Fighter just to beat him up... )

Loom?

Actually this system works quite well on HOTU and I think it'd be a nice addition to the AGS games database (e.g. people can submit "if you like <this game> play <that game>" and the database lists only the top-three with 5+ people submitting it, to prevent nonsense links)

If you like [chocolate-flavored ice cream], you may like [watership down].

Oh, er, right! I kind of forgot about this thread. Anyway I'd love to be there, and the deposit shouldn't be a problem although I'm not sure if the bank would transfer it before the 31st.

Can someone capture this as AVI or MPEG and upload it someplace?

Depends on what you consider the first.

My "true" first game was something in basic that never really went anywhere and I probably spent a few weeks on. Of course I was eleven at the time so that hardly counts
My first game that got completed and polished (Block-O-Mania) took about five months.
My first game that actually got published and has a fanbase (SubTerra) took about a year and a half, total.

Same story for AGS. My "true" first game (Glorious Quest) was just messing around with the studio for a few weeks before I dropped the concept.
The first game that I started serious work on (A Tale of Two Kingdoms) now clocks in at two-and-a-half years and counting.
The first game that got completed and polished (META) took about a week.