Messages

Thanks for the votes so far. We’ve had a reasonable turnout, but a few more votes would be very welcome.

As the AGS Awards now has a date, I’ll be closing the voting for MAGGIES at midnight (BST) at the end of Wednesday 6th, giving you about a day and a half (from the time of this post) to get your votes in.

Cheers

[4]

Yeah, I started off not playing in hard mode but enough people on Twitter said they considered it cheating that I changed it to hard mode. But in all honesty they’re just two different ways of playing. I don’t see “hard” mode as any harder than “easy” mode.

I got today’s in 3. Been mostly 3s and 4s this week, so my average should be looking better when I calculate it tomorrow. is looking better.

No. guesses	No. of times	Points
1	0	0
2	5	10
3	17	51
4	28	112
5	13	65
6	7	42
	Total	280
	/70 days	4

[Globetrotting]

As promised, Bemushroomed (and anyone else who is interested), the topic for April’s MAGS is up. And it is Globetrotting.

Check the thread for more deets:
https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=59864.0

[Globetrotting]

Theme: Globetrotting
Chosen by: newwaveburritos
Deadline: April 30th

Could it be that we are coming out of the back-end of the pandemic. What better way to celebrate than to set off on a round the world adventure before the next wave of lockdowns. So pack your suitcases, grab your passport and explore the world, MAGS-style.

The beauty of this month's theme is that it's potentially a big and epic concept, but you're going to have to travel light, as you only have 30 days to make the game. The topic can be interpreted in any way, so ‘globetrotting’ could just be set in one location but a globetrotter comes to visit, for example. Also, there’s no rule saying the player character has to even leave their bed, let alone the country. So get creative.




What is MAGS?
Started in 2001, MAGS is a competition for amateur adventure game makers. 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. Regardless of skill, MAGS is for everyone. Voting is based on "favourite" games, and not the most artistic, or the best coded. If you have bad 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, usually lasting for fourteen days, 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 walkcycles 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.
Don't want to go it alone? Try the Recruitment board.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[Trickers]

Well. It looks like just one entry, but to be fair it looks like a great game and I’m sure it would have been a strong contender against any opposition, so I’m proud to declare the winner is…..

(drumroll)

Trickers by Elvis Tanner

Well done Elvis. I’ll be in touch about choosing a topic for May’s contest. You might like to add your game to the database. That way, people can give it a rating and comments.

Meanwhile, April’s topic is Globetrotting, so pack your suitcases and grab your passports and get creative.

It's very quiet in here. Any news? This is the last day for entries.

Either way, keep an eye out tomorrow for April's theme.

Welcome, Bemushroomed (I guess... you posted for the first time today but have been a member for ten years!)

The answer to your question depends on a lot of factors (What size game are you planning to make? How detailed is the artwork? How interactive are the backgrounds? How many hours a day are you going to spend on it? Will you be outsourcing or delegating any of the work?).

Your question is a little flawed, because the number of rooms has very little to do with how long the game will take to make. One dev may take 12 months to make a 12-room game, another may make a 12 room game in 12 days (it's not unheard of). Yet another may make a 6 room game in 24 months, because they also have children/studies/book club/problems with self-discipline, etc.

The prevailing advice is to start small. Make a one or two room game, just to get a feel for things. At the very least, you'll know how long that took you (and you will only get faster the more practiced you become).

Might I recommend you take part in our monthly, themed jam called MAGS (Monthly AGS). You're in luck because the next contest starts TOMORROW. The theme will be announced in the morning and you will have 30 days to make a game based on that theme. The beauty is that there are no restrictions about game size or length. You don't even have to submit a finished product (just hope that it's somewhat playable).

Sounds and looks awesome, Dualsy.
Is there a ‘slap the presenter’ feature?

Let me know if I can help with testing or something.

I went for EPOCH on my 4th go and so on my 5th EPOXY was probably the only possible option. Luckily Facebook’s algorithm has been providing my with epoxy resin videos for the past year or so, so I’m familiar with the word.

Today’s (280) was a bitch. Got it on my 5th guess, undoing all my nice work the previous two days.

I think Mandle might be waiting for me to post something.

I had a go at a poem, intending it to be quite straight, but because my mind is in the gutter, and I can’t resist a filthy limerick, I tried to be funny. Then it turned nasty*. Posting it isn’t going to win me any PC credibility, so I’m officially out, but if I can clean up the poem a bit, I might post it later as a non-entry.

^{* I’m talking death, scatology and incest… the works.}

Wordle 278 2/6*

🟨🟨⬛🟩🟩
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I got very lucky with my first word

Which was:

Spoiler

HEIST

[close]

â€"-

Holy cow just did 279 and…

Wordle 279 2/6*

🟩🟩⬛⬛⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

I’m on a roll.

I would have loved to be in this one and have already a million ideas roll around my mind. Alas, time is short...Hopefully the next MAG 

I bet you could bang out a decent little one-room number.

Just noticed today would be Ghost’s birthday. Happy birthday up there, man.

 â€œeeeeuuuuurggghh!”   

Yeah it’s disgusting. It’s surprising quite common in Japan too. Often while I’m washing my own hands, I’ll witness someone who’s just finished their business walk straight past the sinks without even looking. A few weeks ago it happened in a shopping center toilet and as this guy walked out I audibly went “eeeeuuuuurggghh!” to shame him. Haha.

Also I once worked in a junior high school here, and the Principle himself did the same thing. Which was funny because that school had a big thing about making sure the kids all washed their hands often.

[4.08]

I’m interested to know everyone’s average number of guesses. I’ve been calculating mine every 10 days, today is my 60th day and my overall average is 4.08.

No. guesses	No. of times	Points
1	0	0
2	3	6
3	15	45
4	23	92
5	12	60
6	7	42
	Total	245
	/60 days	4.08

I’d like it to be below 4. Before the New York Times bought it, I was averaging closer to 3, suggesting maybe it has got harder since the buyout (although I hadn’t been playing it for long).

Thanks for the votes so far, to those who have.

It’s pretty close so far. So we do need more, votes. Please don’t let it slip your mind.

I got 275 in 3 goes but I was also pretty pleased with how I got there.

I’ve just done 276 (it updates at midnight local time, so being in Japan means I get a bit of a head start). Took me 4 goes.

260,000 new infections in a day is insane. Are you sure you didn’t put an extra zero?

Either way, best in mind that those number only count the people who tested positive. And these days with symptoms much milder, you can guarantee there are many many more people who didn’t bother testing even if they felt symptoms.