Messages

No word on my jab yet.

Japan has finally kicked itself up the ass and started opening the vaccinations right up. For the longest time it was old people and healthcare workers only, and it was creeping along at a snail’s pace. But now suddenly loads of people I know, if all ages, are getting their first jabs,

In Tokyo they’ve left it up to each ward to organize their own vaccination programs. Also some companies and universities have bought a bunch of doses and have begun mass-jabbing their workers and students. My company will do no such thing, and I’m still waiting for an invitation from my local authority.

One possibility is that my wife’s employer is vaccinating their staff and it is likely to cover family, so I could get my jab that way. It’s just a matter of when.

[The Bride]

The Bride
Topic set by: FormosaFalanster
Deadline: July 31st

The Bride- She can be the playable character, or a secondary character, or the antagonist, or the damsel in distress, or the heroine, happy or not, young or not, but she's the bride! Design a game of any kind in which the imagery of a woman in a wedding dress appears, use it as an inspiration for a universe, a story, an intrigue, an adventure, an investigation, an emotional story, whatever you fancy, as long as she appears in it: the bride!








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

Well. Looks like we only have the one entry.

Belly of the Beast by Slasher is deemed the winner by default.

No voting, but please play the game and rate and comment on the game’s page.

https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/2549--belly-of-the-beast

A little less than 24 hours. Is no one going to give Slasher a run for his money?

Is anyone else working on anything? An extension is possible if one is needed.

[Podcast]

With the site design being renewed and a general sense of rejuvenation, I actually drafted a post (but didn’t send it) suggesting that we talk about potential podcast/newsletter/blog/improved social media presence.

Here’s the post I never posted:

Spoiler

I’m loving the work on the redesigns.

This may or may not be the right time to bring this up â€" people have enough on their plates â€" but since the website is getting a fresh now look it makes sense to me to consider renewing some other features that need rejuvenating.

Podcast
The BlueCupTools podcast still gets the occasional very infrequent episode but even when it was more regular it had long since stopped being about AGS. And Grundislav and Ben304 are not as active here as they once were. It would be good to have a new, community-focused podcast with short interviews with community members relating to game projects, deep dives into classic AGS games and series, engine development news and other highlights specific or adjacent to AGS.

Newsletter
There is currently no newsletter that I’m aware of. Peder’s AGS Archive newsletter ran for a little while and was quite fun. Something like that would be nice.

Blog
The old AGS blog was last updated in, like 2014 or something? An up-to-date blog would be nice. It doesn’t have to be super-frequent, but contain information about the latest versions of AGS, and notable game releases or community news. Plus, people could be invited to do some posts about development/design, or specific tutorials about one function or another.

Social media presence
There does exist some bare bones social media activity, but this could be better handled with regular official posts or fun activities, or even just posting links to the blog/podcast etc, were they to exist.

[close]

The reason I didn’t post it is because I already know I’m probably going to have zero time to help out with any of that stuff, so didn’t think I should be the one to make the suggestions.

I’m wondering why we need to talk about domain names. Couldn’t a blog and/or some newsletters be hosted on the main site? I know they’d take up space but I don’t think it would be that much. And if space is a problem then we can at least have a dedicated “official”blog/newsletter page hosted on the site and then just use it to link to a normal wordpress url or something.

Well done to Baron. You got my top vote. I liked all the stories but yours had me really wanting to keep reading.

I’m glad it’s over. I regret posting that story. It actually started as a genuinely good idea about a scientist whose job it was to take a semen sample from an extra-terrestrial for an experiment. Someone’s got to do it, right? And of course it would take place in an underground facility. I’m writing a (non-comical) story about a girl who is an alien-human hybrid and this seemed like a good chance to explore a bit about how that came about. But from the first line I set a humorous tone and I only had my limited commute time to get the idea down. My reflex is immaturity and I just ended up making it silly and disgusting. It was never going to compete against the other entries.

@Honza - I’ve been thinking of watching this. From the trailer, it seemed a bit like DARK, which is the best thing to come out of Netflix so far. Based on your review, I will lower my expectations. But if I watch it, I’ll share my thoughts.

By the way, everyone watch Dark.

That’s very cool of you. It’s looking great.

I’ve started reading The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin. So far so good. Very simple but interesting concept. 4 siblings go to a fortune teller who tells them each the day they will die. I’m not too far into the book yet but I’m enjoying it so far. Anyone else read this?

Well done FormosaFalanster. It was very close but you take the spoils. The spoils being, you get to choose the next theme. I’ll PM you soon about this.

I mean, I almost never use landscape mode on my phone, but indeed - Chrome browser on Android

Spoiler

[close]

For me it does this even in portrait (Safari, iPhone SE1, so old small screen). In landscape it goes right down to the first ‘learn more’ button.

It’s really hard because I think all the entries deserve points.

I do have a favourite though, so that one will get most points. I just still need to decide how many and how to split the rest of the points.

Are we allowed to use decimals or does it need to be whole numbers?

I’ve caught up with the other stories, and dayum. There’s some great stuff, albeit rather bleak. What will Baron do?

[The Donor]

The Donor

Gregory had done a lot of things in the name of science, but he had never jerked off an extra-terrestrial before.

“Remember the three rules,” said the man who had introduced himself only as ‘Mac’ but was apparently a high-up in the intelligence services.

“Don’t talk. Don’t touch the sample. Don’t make eye contact.”

The clunky mechanical creaking of the elevator signaled the approach of the alien. The facility in which they currently stood was over a kilometer underground. And there were only two ways in. That rickety elevator was one and the other was above his clearance level.

Gregory waited for the elevator to reach the bottom. He thought it sounded close but it kept getting closer. A strange audio illusion. And then it did stop. And the elevator's metal doors ground open.

Three men filed out. Each as plain-looking as the others.

“Where’s the… where’s the donor?”

Mac spoke, “Two of these are men. One is the Donor. You are going to jerk them all off and collect samples from all three.”

“A shapeshifter… but why?”

“Because that is your order, doctor.”

“Then give me a different order? I’m not jerking off three blokes in an underground chamber.”

“It chose you, doctor.” It won’t ejaculate for anyone else.”

“I’m flattered,” said Gregory. “Well, who’s first?”

And so it went that the good doctor did do his duty and jerked off the three men with gusto.

When he came to, the lab was empty of all personnel. He stood alone in the middle of the lab, no other signs of life. The sample containers remained unfilled and his head burned. He moved over to the elevator shaft. The lift was not there. He was stuck underground.

“Doctor, oh shit. You're alive.” It was Mac’s voice over some kind of speaker system. “We thought you were dead. You broke the 2nd rule.”

“Don’t touch the sample.”

“You didn’t just touch it doctor. You were… enjoying it. You should really be dead.”

“What came over me.”

“Well, I could answer that in two ways, doctor.”

“Well, get me out of here.”

“No can do, doctor. You drank the sample. There’s no telling what has been unleashed. Concrete is being poured over the facility as we speak.”

At that, Gregory heard a loud wet splatter echoing down the elevator shaft. He was being buried alive.

“I’m sorry, doctor.”

“Mac! Mac! Noooooooooo!”

It comes as no surprise that I have countless projects which I started but never finished. 90% of them barely got past the initial stages.

One project I do regret not finishing was ’A Window Cleaner’s Apprentice’. Creamy may remember this one, as he kindly provided the character designs and they were very good (not the one in the linked post - that was my own abomination). I had the game fully written, all the puzzles were pretty much implemented and the game was almost completely playable from beginning to end. However, I just didn’t have what it took to finish the backgrounds. And in the meantime I became increasingly dissatisfied with the story (it was shit, and with 2021 vision was likely problematic in a number of ways - sexy cougar housewife stereotype, anyone?).

But I was proud to have gotten as far as I did with that project.


Another game I’ve tried to get off the ground (and still hope to one day) is my reimagining of ‘How To Be A Complete Bastard’ titled simply ‘Bastard!’ At one point I think I had this game pretty much fully mapped out on paper and in my mind and had started working on some coding and artwork. But I’ve never been able to get any momentum going on it.

I love the mock-ups. That’s definitely the kind of upgrade the site has been crying out for for a while now.

I agree with some of Snarky’s points about reducing scrolling, especially for mobile. I wonder how it would look if some sections were collapsible. Player comments on game pages, for example, could be hidden.

Okay. Time's up and we have three entries. Well done everyone.

Please play the games below and vote using the poll above.

	Dirandious Kroken by Slasher
	Breakfast on Trappist-1 by FormosaFalanster
	Fhaloness by Hobbes

As always, let me know if I've missed anything. Cheers.

[Into the Breach]

The winner of MAGS June is:

Belly of the Beast by Slasher.
Well done sir.



Into the Breach

Topic set by: Slasher
Deadline: June 30

Definition: Used with step/leap/jump (etc.) to indicate providing help that is badly needed, such as by doing a job when there is no one else available to do it. E.g "He stepped into the breach when the company needed new leadership."



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

Last call for entries, folks.