Messages

Aww, I was just going on the forums to post I was finished. xD...

Oh well!  I could always use a little extra time...

If anyone wants an extension of a day of the deadline,to wrap up your game, do tell.

Hmm...

Well since I've already got another ~24ish hours from this post, I think should make it.
Sooo behind schedule. xD

I agree that Monkey's method would be the easiest.  If you don't want to / didn't already put the graphics of scanned/not scanned in numerical order, you can add a Property to Objects for a "Normal Sprite" and a "Scanned Sprite" and read the value for each object exactly.


Here's an additional method;

Make one view for all objects -- Create two frames for each object for each loop, the first frame being the object's standard look and the second frame being the objects "scanned" look.  Put a large delay on the second frame (Maybe 120 for 3 seconds?).  Then to display a scan, all you have to do in the global script is animate each object in the room in their current loop nonblocking, with a Wait() command after it for the amount of delay.  For added control you can add in cutscene tags so a player can press a key/mouse click to stop the scan early; the code would be like; Example--

Code: ags

function Scan()
{
 StartCutscene(eSkipAnyKeyOrMouseClick);
 int temp = 0;
 while (object[temp] != null)
 {
   object[temp].Animate(object[temp].Loop, 0, eOnce, eNoBlock, eForwards);
   temp++;
 }
 Wait(120); 
 EndCutscene();
}

While this method is kind of pointless, it allows you to actually -animate- the scan with multiple frames.   If you chose this methods, you'd have to set up all the view/loops and add them to their respective objects.  This can make it very tedious and a little unorganized especially for large games or games with a great deal of many objects, but it works great in games with only a few dozen objects and an animation effect would really help improve the scanning ability.




EDIT: Actually now that I look at it, Monkey's code has a start/stop feature.  If you don't want/need that (I don't think you do via your description..) you can do this;

Code: ags

function Scan()
{
 StartCutscene(eSkipAnyKeyOrMouseClick);
 int temp = 0;
 while (object[temp] != null)
 {
   object[temp].Graphic++;
   temp ++;
 }
 Wait(120); 
 temp = 0;
 while (object[temp] != null)
 {
   object[temp].Graphic--;
   temp ++;
 }

 EndCutscene();
}

Basically the same as my last code, except using the graphics manually.


If you want to have a delay and cycle between objects, displaying a text description for each one you can do this:

Code: ags

function Scan()
{
 StartCutscene(eSkipAnyKey);
 int temp = 0;
 while (object[temp] != null)
 {
   object[temp].Graphic++;
   temp ++;
   Scanner(object[temp].X, object[temp].Y,  100, object[temp].Name);
   object[temp].Graphic--;
 }
 EndCutscene();
}

[Comment/Statistics]

Warning - another long post ahead! xD

...I also wouldn't want to see the total votes, especially if its as low as Tijne said. If I'd have thought that only 20 people would have played Breakdown (and I've no idea how many did during the competition) I probably wouldn't have bothered making it....

Err.. Mediafire tells me how many downloads I've recieved per file.  The '20'ish was how many downloads it said I had within the voting period, no one told me that. xD

What I was distressed about was that the actual voting-total ended up being merely a third of the number of downloads...    I mean... why the heck are people downloading the games during the voting period.... but still -not- voting?  Even if you hated all the games, I still think you would vote for the one you hated the least......it's not like they -didn't know about MAGS;  the only place I linked my game was in the MAGS thread/website. o.O...  Any ideas?


Comment/Statistics..
I personally want them, it helps me to see what;
-- I could improve on
-- I could fix up
-- I could do next time to improve my game
It just basically improves my ability to make games in the future.

Yeah, I could make a whole thread for the MAGS game, or post in the critics lounge..  but I feel some games don't really need or deserve an entire thread devoted to them.. nor do I want to force people to play something they may not like just for my own detailed critisim.  I just want normal people who normally would play the game to be able to post a simple comment about how they felt about the game.  But more importantly... in those threads, the topic is limited to only discussing the game.  Never would you think of comparing it to another game.  What I love most about MAGS is that it isn't just a game, but a collection of games competing -- hearing why I lost someone's vote, or why I gained someone else's is my favourite thing about this competition and it has been Leon's review about what I could improve on and what the other guy did better than me that has kept me playing.

I would also love to get this informaition as soon as people are ready and able to give it.  I already spent 25-odd days making the darn game, I would like the feedback asap so that I don't start planning another game that has the same type of conflicts or poorly designed aspects and so that I can use the "downtime" after turning in the game, to tune it with other people's suggestions and opinions... (Not the MAGS turned in version, but just the game in general.)


Of course, this is definitely not for everyone.  And it's probably still best to do it in private, but I'm in favor of telling the game makers comments and critisim, and I'm also in favor of the game makers being able to request statistics (or at least rought statistics) on the voting so that they may have an idea of what's going on.  Though there hasn't been much, the little bit I've gotten has helped me a great deal. ^_^

A bit more statistics like? Votes so far? Last months it was:
Tijne Gud
3 - 4

 I recieved ~ 20 or so different downloads of my MAGS game within the voting period (All within the first day or two...)
I doubt they would have voted for me, but I expected the votes to add up to at least 15. T_T.  Boo!

Lazy voters!...  I'm obviously not going to get any votes this time. xD

 :o  Eep! 

Lots of people this month. xD

Yay, at least one person cleared it!  Though it sounds more like a group effort here. xD.  I haven't been checking the forums very lately, sorry.  


Congratulations on sticking with it for so long!  I would have given up myself days ago if I was in your position.


I -am- working on improving this game and bringing it up to a slightly higher standard (So I can't use the excuse "not enough time!" anymore. :x); As I've heard a lot of people needlessly frustrated by certain elements in the game I never intended to be so extra frustrating.  
A little late to say now that you've finished it, sorry again. XD

So All Input is loved <3.



Hmm.. Maybe it's a good thing I didn't add in that hint system so I could see people go through this.  xD



EDIT: By the way, I went to rather extreme lengths in making sure there wasn't any dead-ends while still attempting to include logical solution-alternatives.  Ex. The "small piece of rope" probably wasn't the -best- item I could have given you for the mirror's second solution, but at least it was there. ^^; 

Tijne... ...Maybe a game without skeletons?

XDD!

For the first game, I drew the skeletons to help understand the human body for animations...  I never actually intended to use him...xD
Same goes for this one actually.. hehe.

I -hope- by now I can make an animation without one...  But we'll see. 


One day, Leon, I -will- get your vote! :p
...I just hope there's more than my entry for that MAGS.. xD.

The red-room puzzle invovles talking to the 'gargoyle' on the fountain in the previous room.  He'll give you a riddle about how to solve it;  Though I allowed people to "force" their way through since maze/riddle-esque puzzles can generally be really hard for people; D:

Spoiler

You've probably done all you need to do in the last room for now.  Your character is just scared of what might jump out at him.  He doesn't want to light the last torch till he absolutely has nothing else to do, and maybe feels a little more prepared....

So for now, your next objective should be trying to get the "Staff" door open...

[close]

Spoiler

There's an easily missable "hole" in the wall in the first room.  Generally your character obscures it when you first enter and it can be difficult to see against the blue background even after that.

[close]

Congratulations Gudforby!



--Okay Leon -- Go!

That's why I'm keeping quiet until after voting... 
Don't want to cause a row again.. 

Aww!  At least tell us -some- comments now! *nudge nudge*.

One positive and one negative for both of us? ..  Or PM it to us if you don't want to post it here. !

I loved the jokes in your game Gudforby, I laughed more than I probably should have. xD


Hey Dual, were you able to come up with some comment-feature for the voting?

[Wheel of Torture (~15MB)]

Wheh!  Made it!...




Wheel of Torture (~15MB)

After the death of his beloved lover, our hero The Bard, undertakes a quest to bring her back to life.  After five years, he discovers a game-show-esque competition held once a year.  The winner of this rare competition gets a single wish, -any wish-, granted.
Hoping to use this wish to be reunited with his long-gone loved one, our hero is tasked with winning this mentally and physically challenging game.  With very little to lose, and just about everything to gain, our hero will do whatever he must to be victorious....

... If it's possible to be victorious...






WARNINGS:
This game contains:
   --Blood
   --Graphic violence
   --Possible Deaths  (This ties in with the first two.)
   --'Slightly' multiple solutions (to select puzzles).
   --Generally not easy puzzles.
   --A very difficult / obscure puzzle....  (Or Two...)
   --No Hint System (Sorry!  Ran out of time. )
   --References to Grapefruit.
   --And Mischievous bugs (Of all kinds!)

A lot of backgrounds for this game are a range of dark-blue; it may be difficult to play with an older moniter as this particular range of shades may appear to be pure black on some moniters.  Sorry if this applies to you! =(


It is reccomended you play with sound.  You're a bard!  Your life is music!.  Maybe a puzzle or two is musical*.. who knows!...


*Tijne doe not guarantee any musical puzzle of any sort within the game.  References to a possible musical puzzle are only implied.  We are not responsible for any loss of hair, sleep, or heartache due to failing to provide / find a musical puzzle within the above game.  Proceed at your own musical risk.

~40 hours left...

I'll post my entry at the very, very second to last minute..

English is my first language, but I still don't know when it's proper to use "i.e.," vs. "e.g.,"
Dx.

Oh wow-- I wish I didn't see this.  Now I'm going to be clicking on your website every few days hoping this gets released in an unrealistic amount of time. xD

What's the point of a Retry button? It turns into a guessing game with every step you take.

I've been trained through games like Kings Quest to save before / after doing.. well.. most everything. xD..
A "Retry" button is so that we can still have games where bad decisions get you killed, but it doesn't stop new players who haven't been trained in such a way from playing, and it doesn't make you do everything else over again when you only made one silly mistake.  It just tells you "That last decision? Yeah, that... that wasn't smart..."  .  It can do so in humorous manners, and death-messages can even hint to a possible solution.

There are several games that are.. er.. unforgiving... ......like Kings Quest V...... but the.. erm..  ..annoyances... makes the game feel more rewarding when you finally pass it.  Kings Quest V, as an example includes visual and verbal hints upon most obscure deaths; so even though you have to suffer from the deaths, you can still eventually figure it out on your own more easily than you could figure out a really difficult or obscure puzzle -- or figuring out you've reached a dead-end.  What am I trying to say... hmm.. It keeps the difficulty of the game high, without actually stopping people from playing.  It allows a more rewarding end through perserverance.



I particularly like games where I feel like I've accomplished something in the end. ^_^

:o  I won?  Aww!  I was hoping to play next month. x_x, can I forfeit or give up the prize to jerakeen or something?...  :x
or am I still able to play if I make up the guidelines? [That wouldn't sound very fair..]

So much controversy in my first month as a host..

We're testing you to make sure you're worthy. ?

[[Spoiler Alert ]]

I never meant you actually did anything wrong there.  I thought your post was really constructive and helpful for everyone; I was saying all that just in general since Prog brought up the anonymous voting.  It's kind of sad, but even if you're polite and wonderfully helpful, I know a person or two who would take major offense to saying they did -anything- wrong publically .  Or even if they wouldn't take offense, they would feel humilated or what not.  I'd like to hope that if they're participating in MAGS that they want to improve, but just to be safe I give my comments in private! ^^;

EDIT: And that doesn't apply to me, so don't worry at all!

Dual,.... ....Maybe an extra box during voting for comments that can be read afterwards?

That's an awesome idea!
Just make sure you could comment on the losers as well as the winners, if you implement it Dual. ^_~

My issue with this was that I lost it just by looking at it in my inventory (a bug?). One moment it's there, look at it and you get the message you've lost it. When you go to the hints, you see that you need to go the the place you last saw it. Well... I didn't move so.. where should it be. Unfortunately (for me) I was standing next to the piano when this happened and since there's a box on the side that said: LAYDED, I was convinced I was in the right place. It never crossed my mind to go where it finally got found. But I have my sneaky, cheating ways of discovering so... I got there in the end. But still it all seemed very odd to me.

[Spoiler Alert ]
You lose the ring as soon as you get the mirror fragment.  You just don't -notice- it until you interact with the ring in some way (trying to use it on some object, look at it, etc..).
The problem with the hints system was that I had to determine what type of hint to give at what time.  Like, should I hint the person towards getting the spoon, or putting the bear to sleep first?, even though whatever order you do it doesn't really matter at that point.  You could lose the ring at anytime after getting the mirror shard, but it wasn't really -important- to get back until after you woke the chef.  And you may not even notice it was gone until you actually woke him up!  So, I saved the hint for the ring to appear till after he was awake since it would be the 'next thing to do' there.  The hint you were reading was probably for something else >.< sorry for the confusion meh.
The hint for the ring is suppose to be:
"Maybe you should stop.  Think.  And ask yourself where you lost the ring.".
If you talk to your reflection, he gives you a pretty big hint for where and how you lost your ring.

I was kind of iffy about putting the hint where it was.  I thought about putting it at the very top and saying it as soon as you lose the ring and I don't know why I decided not to do that. o.O.  I will now though, for the future... heh.  Sorry about that again!
[End Spoilers]

If this was your intention, then I missed the whole point. Sorry for that. I never thought of the LAYED brand as the one you were trying to promote. My bad...

Not at all.  If it failed to catch your attention then I failed to promote it well enough, as you said; I tried, yet failed. xD

These games are made in 25 days (Or less, I started 7 days into the competition. x_x), and by both experienced game-makers and people completely new to it.   A lot of people have different strengths/weakness, and some people may find critisim a little harsh and not welcome it publically (especially on such tight time constraints, or if the critisim is aimed at their particular weakness.)  Don't want to scare away someone new by saying they suck, publicly, when they aren't asking for it. xD

A lot of other games are made with 'teams' so people can work together and compensate for each other's weaknesses.  MAGS are suppose to be done more or less alone, so it may really bring out your weaknesses. =)  I'm really bad at both artwork and beta testing, for one thing and have used MAGS to try to improve both. ^_^

Also .. If you have a reputuation here you could theoritically sway other people from one game to another regardless of which they like more.  Just listing flaws or highlights may influence others.  There's also the matter of what you're critizing...  Like, you're suppose to vote for your -favourite- game, and your favourite may be influenced by music the most, or because it followed the guidelines to a 'T', while other's may be solely based on jokes or gore or some other element.

I really didn't/don't/won't ever mind the critisim publically or not.  [So you don't have to hold back ProgZmax, I betchya had a few choice words for me. ], But I believe those are all reasons for anonymous voting.  I have to take Prog's side and say critisim isn't always welcome publically for this particular thing, though Private Messages should hopefully be O.K for anyone.




On ring-puzzle critisim;
There was a small time near the end I was going to remove that ring puzzle.  I had my little brother play through the game once, and suprisingly as soon as he lost the ring, he went straight to where it was located and grabbed the ring in a few clicks, without any form of hint from me or the game.  I figured if a twelve year old could figure it out THAT easily, then it can't be THAT bad.   Since the ring was a LAYDED product, and kind of the center of the game, I hoped to make people care about it a little more.... and you never realize what you had until it's gone. ^_~.  I think the poorest aspect of that puzzle was the GUI... it made it more difficult than it needed to be.  But at least it stopped people from just randomly clicking till they got it, and encouraged people to actually use the GUI feature [though I probably could have done that better.. hmm!..]




On the subject of the Sellout ruleset....I didn't really want to literally throw ads in someone's face.  I took a much more subtle approach, like mention the line of products every now and then and require you to use them in some way continously.  I hope this didn't invalidate them?  I was going more for "you're at the store and you see something with the LAYDED brand.  You reconize it, it looks friendly, you remember it's usefulness, and you buy it".  It's definitely not "Rush out to the store and get it because it rocks!".
Actually, I do have a question about MAGS for future reference since that was brought it up--
Are the rules literally 'rules', or are they more "guidelines", as was mentioned in the first post?  Should I vote based off who follows rules closely, or should that not be a part of my decision?
Also, has there ever been MAGS disqualified because it didn't follow the rules 'completely'? 

~Thanks, and sorry for being a noob and not knowing this already. ^^;

NOTE: And I have a bad habit of writing too much. ;_;