Messages

[Bière Américaine]

2025 - THE YEAR OF MAGS!


THEME: BREAK SOME RULES
Theme set by Babar and jfrisby


The joint winners this month are:

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

Well done to you both.

	Bière Américaine by Ponch
	Skrexeval's Quest by Emma Gundersen
	Artifact by Kara Jo Kalinowski and pell
	One Million Years Dungeon by Falsely

Break one (or several) of the various rules/axioms/taboos of adventure gaming.

Through the years many have written about 'what not to do' when making an adventure game. All those supposed 'rules' and conventions have robbed us of who-knows-how-many cat hair moustaches, mazes, and delicious softlocks. I say those rules are flexible... or asking to be broken!

Backwards puzzles? sure!
Pixel hunts? yes please!
Obtuse puzzles? Moon logic? I like the moon!
Unfair deaths? Kill me now!
Missable clues? Softlocks? Just start over!
Mazes? Amazing!
A cat hair mustache? it could work!
Sliding tiles..... well, lets not get crazy... or maybe?

Many more examples:
https://grumpygamer.com/why_adventure_games_suck

https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/wiki/Bill_of_Adventure_Gamers'_Rights

https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/forums/adventure-related-talk-chat/checklist-of-adventure-game-ideals/?all

https://www.oldmanmurray.com/features/77.html
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-10-worst-and-most-wtf-puzzles-in-adventure-gaming/






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 not sure, but her eyes are mesmerizing.

@WHAM @VampireWombat @pell

An extension suits me too. Shall we say +3 days, so the new deadline is end-of-play on Friday Jan 3rd.

Under Paris!

Yep. The movie that is quite literally in Seine.

(156th time I've made this joke)

Well done again to Big Babs and J-Fro. You get to set the theme for January and kick off the new year.

Let's try to make 2025 'The year of MAGS'.

Thanks to the other entrants and voters.

Last cluey clue to make you feel clever before I start bringing out the kick-yourself giveaways.

Keep trying

Great tidings one and all.

The Dictator?

Nope. There are clues in the image if you put your mind to it.

Sorry for the delay.

Here's another clue (partially cropped)

Great to see development ticking along steadily. All the best with the final stages. Can't wait to play.

None of the above, but I would pay good money to watch The Gun with the Naked Man.

Here's another screencap:

[Somebody Had To]

Somebody Had To
By Stupot

Spoiler

There once was a man called McNabbit,
Who had a peculiar habit.
As his pants hit the floor,
Mum burst through the door:
"McNabbit! Let go of the rabbit!"

[close]

[votes]

Thanks for the votes so far. If you haven't voted yet, it wouldn't be exaggerating to say the votes are currently very close at the moment, so every vote really will make a difference.


A bit of housekeeping...

If any MAGS game you have made in 2024 is not yet in the AGS database, be sure to add it by the end of December in order for it to be eligible for The AGS Awards. You can add your game here:
https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/add/

NOTE: Any game that has won a monthly MAGS contest, is automatically eligible for MAGGIES (best of the best vote), but will not be eligible for the main AGS Awards if it is not in the database by the end of the year.

Nutty Professor.

Anyone can take the next turn...

Haha. I'm wondering if you were aware that you were replying to yourself here.

Here's a new one:

Sorry I missed voting on this.
I was planning to.

It's interesting that everyone went with water anyway.

I just noticed the original post specifically mentions "adventure game".

Don't worry about that. That probably needs rewording. Non-adventures have always been welcomed in MAGS. Unless the specific month's guidelines calls for adventure games only (which I don't think has ever happened), you can safely submit a non-adventure.

I'll change the phrasing of the generic text for future versions.

[GillPartyBus]

Sorry for the delay, everyone.
Time to vote.

	GillPartyBus by jwalt
	Bad to the Coral by Rootbound
	Botos do Diabo by Babar and jfrisby

As always, let me know if I've missed anything in my haste.

[Diverse Perspectives]

Topic: Diverse Perspectives
Set by: Babar and jfrisby


Now voting. Please vote using the poll above.


A Place of Significance by WHAM


Mystery Mansion Mayhem by VampireWombat


Mazzled! by Pell





Your game must centre on multiple different perspectives. This could be anything from multiple people experiencing the same thing differently, the same person having different experiences leading to different ways of seeing things, the same place being perceived differently and so on.



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.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Spoiler

Mandle 2
Baron 1

[close]

Spoiler

I found it hard to choose between the three,so in the end I went with Mandle's as it was the most interesting to me with its spacey-wacey-timey-wimey peek outside the universe.

Sini's story was a little hard to follow in terms of the various characters, invisible, dead, sleeping. The context note at the end was handy, and gave the story new clarity, I would recommend making that part clear first, rather than at the end.

Baron's story got my 1pt prize. It's a little hard to sympathize with Orwell's change of heart when he has just been pulling people's fingernails off. That said I enjoyed the system you've created here where the baddest guests in hell can become the disher-outers of pain instead of the eternally abused

[close]