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Anyone got anything in the frame?

Great theme!  Babar and I had our unfinished mags mall game that was first person in a frame that we can maybe finish out of competition or something for this.. 

Or maybe you could make a new game using parts of the previous code and enter with that one?

Normally, using pre-made modules or templates is allowed and encouraged. In this case, Stu would probably have to make a call on whether it is acceptable to make a new game with a pre-made frame UI, since this month specifically, the code is part of the theme.

I think it depends on how much of the unfinished game you plan on using and how much of a head-start that gives you. As Kastchey points out, seeing as frames are the theme of this month, it could be seen as an slightly unfair advantage to enter the contest with the frames already made.

If you do decide to enter, please be upfront about exactly what was made before this month, so that the voters may take it into consideration.

[Burn Down the Closet: A Game About Being Agender]

Thanks to everyone who entered.

Voting is now open. Please vote using the poll above. Leeeet's go!

	Burn Down the Closet: A Game About Being Agender by Rootbound
	Let's Talk About Anal Sex by Mandle
	Weaving Time by Soulstuff

There's No Taste Like Home
by Stupot

Spoiler

The meat was moreish. Nathan held out his plate and allowed his friend and next-door neighbour Gregory to fill it with more of the tender cuts. He spooned on some of his host's homemade barbecue sauce, and shoved another juicy piece into his sticky mouth. He looked out over the town. Nathan had always dreamed of having a party on the roof of his apartment. Residents weren't technically allowed up here, but Gregory's mother owned the building.

"Thanks for letting us up here, Mrs Perry," he spoke through a mouthful of meat. Pork, perhaps? He wasn't sure, he didn't care.

She smiled back at the boy, "It's a pleasure, Nate. We're glad to have you celebrating with us."

"What are we celebrating?" he said.

Gregory flashed his mother a questioning look. She nodded, allowing Gregory to answer. "My dad got out yesterday!"

Nathan stiffened. "G-got out?" Mark C. Perry, The Blackbridge Muncher wasn't meant to even be considered for parole for another ten years, at least.

"Well, actually, he escaped. He'll be up later. He's just resting downstairs."

Nathan swallowed and regretted it. The stories of Gregory's father came flooding back. He suddenly didn't want to be eating meat.

Gregory and his mother's demeanours shifted. This once wide-open rooftop was now a pig-pen and he wanted to get out.

"I think maybe I should—"

"Who would like some more meat?" Mrs Perry smiled at Nathan. "Nate, dear, why don't you go down and get the rest. The door's unlocked. There's one tray left on the side."

Nathan stood slowly, unsure what to do or say. They watched him. Gregory gave him a nod that said, "Go on then, we'll be waiting."

Nathan opened the door to the rooftop exit and descended the stairs to the fifth floor. He picked up the pace and ran past Gregory's apartment door towards his own. Chest heaving, he started to open his door. But something made him stop– the lingering taste of that lean, luscious meat. He wanted more. He turned around and retraced his steps to Gregory's door. It was unlocked, as Mrs Perry had said. He opened it slowly. And stepped inside.

"M-Mr Perry?" Nathan called gently. He judged it better to make his presence known, lest he surprise a hungry cannibal. But no one responded. He walked through the corridor to the Perry's kitchen. On the side sat a huge platter of the choicest cuts Nathan had ever seen, marinating on the countertop. Despite the flies, he found himself wanting more. He picked up the tray and cautiously returned through the apartment, and up the stairwell to the roof. He used his elbow to turn the handle, kicked the door open and stepped onto the roof.

Mrs Perry stood, arms wide open, "There you are, honey."
And Gregory smiled. "Welcome home Dad."

But they weren't looking at Nathan.

Nathan followed their eyes down to the platter of meat in his hands. He looked up again and grinned.

"Let's tuck in."

[close]

(500 words + title)

[Frame]

2025 - THE YEAR OF MAGS!

Theme: Frame
Set by: Soulstuff | Winner: The Twilight Zone - The Lost Episode by Repi

	The Year of MAGS by OneDollar
	The Expedition by Soulstuff
	The Twilight Zone - The Lost Episode by Repi

A game inside a frame of some kind that is smaller than the actual screen resolution of the game on all sides, could be a small frame or big frame.

You can use all the other space to show information about the room, dialogue trees, inventory or nothing at all and be just a piece of art surrounding it as long as the main "view" of the game is in that smaller space.





What is MAGS?
Started in 2001, MAGS is a competition for all AGS users. 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 and more. Regardless of skill, MAGS is for everyone. Voting is based on "favourite" games, and not the most artistic, or the best coded. If you want to improve you 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, 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 walk-cycles 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.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Need a little help with graphics? Perhaps The AGS Trove has something you can use.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Need a bit of help with music?  Check out Eric Matyas' huge stock of free music resources.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Don't want to go it alone? Try the Recruitment board.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I'm halfway through a rough draft of what I intend to be a 500-word piece.

[Becalmed]

The winning game is:
Becalmed by GOC Games.

Well done @ddavey1983 on your second MAGGIES win. A massive achievement.

Thanks again to everyone who played, made, and voted in 2024. Your participation is greatly valued.

Let's continue to make 2025 THE YEAR OF MAGS!

Well done to all the winners 🏆🏆🏆

[Limblob]

The winner of MAGS February is Limblob by Soulstuff. Well done Soulstuff. Look out for a PM about choosing a theme for April.

Thanks to everyone who took part and voted.

Voting has now closed. Many thanks to everyone who took the time to vote. The winner will be announced at the AGS Awards on Sunday March 23rd.

Just a few more days left to vote, folks

[March 20th]

The deadline for votes is March 20th, just in time for the AGS Awards.

As I write this, we have 11 sets of votes, matching last year's number. Let's see how far we can exceed that number!

VOTE HERE

Sorry for the delay. It has been a struggle finding time to sit down at my laptop.
But finally it is time to vote:

Please vote using the poll above.

	Limblob by Soulstuff
	Finding Balzac by pell
	MAGSMan by Kara Jo Kalinowski

Let me know if I've missed anything.

The way I see it. There are so many variations of the acronym, which is supposed to be an inclusive umbrella term, that they need their own umbrella term to encompass them all. LGBTQ seems as good as any, it isn't too short or too long. That's probably why it was chosen as the title of the Wikipedia page.

Going forward can we all just assume nobody means anybody any harm and let's make some gaymes.

Dear Everyone,

Make a game about people of any and all sexualitues, if you want. It's clear what the topic setters intend.

Read the title and first paragraph of the (already linked) Wikipedia page and enjoy making an inclusive game instead of derailing this thread within hours of me posting it.

[LGBTQ]

2025 - THE YEAR OF MAGS!

Theme: LGBTQ
Set by: Falsely and EmmaGundersen
Deadline: March 31st

Voting is now open. Please vote using the poll above.

	Burn Down the Closet: A Game About Being Agender by Rootbound
	Let's Talk About Anal Sex by Mandle
	Weaving Time by Soulstuff

LGBTQ - Short for 'Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer', this month's MAGS theme encourages you to focus your story on character(s) who aren't both straight and cisgender.

How you explore the topic is entirely up to you! You could focus on the positives: queer love or the joy and pride of a character being themself. Maybe you want to delve into the darker sides of queer identity, like struggling with homophobia or grief. Maybe your hero's unique perspective on gender is instrumental to saving the world or maybe your detective just wants to solve the case so he can get back to watching TV with his husband.

Whatever you choose, don't feel like you have to write exclusively from your own experience. Want to try writing from a new perspective? Go for it!

While you're free to discuss themes of homophobia, transphobia, and other bigotry in your entry, we ask that you don't make the game itself homophobic/transphobic/bigoted. Keep your work respectful. Please don't design a game solely to poke fun of real life groups.

For further inspiration, here are some AGS games that touch on LGBTQ themes:

• If on a Winter's Night, Four Travellers
• Eternally Us
• Rogue
• What Marshmot Convention?
• EARTH AD: Low Estate

The list is short because it was difficult to find a lot of LGBTQ games, which is as much reason as any to add some new ones to the catalogue!

What is MAGS?
Started in 2001, MAGS is a competition for all AGS users. 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 and more. Regardless of skill, MAGS is for everyone. Voting is based on "favourite" games, and not the most artistic, or the best coded. If you want to improve you 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, 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 walk-cycles 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.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Need a little help with graphics? Perhaps The AGS Trove has something you can use.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Need a bit of help with music?  Check out Eric Matyas' huge stock of free music resources.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Don't want to go it alone? Try the Recruitment board.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[three more days]

Well, wudja lookit that. Turns out the Year of MAGS is a threeap-year  . So February has three more days than usual!

Deadline extended to February 31st, or March 3rd in Muggle terms.

Voting is over!

The joint winners are:

• Skrexeval's Quest (MAGS) by Emma Gundersen
• One Million Years Dungeon by Falsely

Well done to you both. You'll be contacted soon about setting the theme for March.

How are we getting on, campers?

I like the theme. Can't promise anything, but I'll browse the Blitz hall of fame and see if inspiration strikes.

[The return of "Finish Your MAGS Game"]

The return of "Finish Your MAGS Game"

Not only did 2024 see the return of the Finish Your MAGS Game (FYMG) theme, but we in fact had TWO such contests (April and October).

There had been some discussion and debate about how to implement FYMG. Running it alongside the main MAGS was considered, but the worry was that it would take away potential players from an already scarce pool of regular MAGS entrants.

In the end, it was OneDollar who solved the problem for us. Having won MAGS February, he used his right to set the theme for April to set FYMG as the theme, much to the joy of many AGSers.

Then, because there were no entries in August, I decided to set FYMG again as the theme in October.

Both editions turned out to be relatively popular, with 4 entries in each FYMG contest.

VOTE HERE