Messages

Welcome, Remy. We're glad to have you. This is a great community to be a part of. I look forward to seeing what game ideas you come up with. 

I finally got around to playing this. I must admit that it didn't quite click with me, even as a long time horror fan.

Graphics are lovely in retro EGA style. The animation is great, and I understand that the author is a comic book artist as well. So no surprise that this part of the deal is the best part.

The sound was going on my nerves right away. But the thing is, I think this is intended. The player character loses her memory and goes on to complain over a severe headache, driving her seemingly insane. So I guess that ugly sound along with the music in the first room is put there to show what she's going through. I just wanted it to stop, so turning off the music was my first thought, then going outside. Just like the character. So it works, but I still didn't like it. 

Outside, the plot quickly leads to a death, like the author said it would (in every episode, the tease is). There's an easy puzzle with heavy hints, so it's not difficult, just uncomfortable, which again, I suppose is intentional. But my problem with this is that both characters have lost their memories, and I don't feel anything for them yet. The death scene is less of a shock because the player knowingly causes it, and there's not enough character development to really feel bad.

Spoiler

She does say that she hopes to meet someone again while examining things inside, so the sudden change feels too abrupt for me.

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So, I didn't really like it, even though I recognize the well done parts. On the other hand, perhaps it's wrong of me to judge this as a standalone game. The author clearly plans to release lots of chapters, probably revealing more and more of what's happening. When the context of the rest of the story arrives, this game may be better appreciated as a part of that whole. But on its own, I didn't get enough sense of what was going on. I will play the next part, though.

[Breakfast Requiem]

Breakfast Requiem

Spoiler

Spoiler

The topic was not really met (was the cut-in-half pancake ever used)

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Spoiler

I take it you didn't reach the game's end? I'd say that qualifies.

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I usually stay out of this, but ok, this time I'll post.

Baron:

Spoiler

So, the clues indicate that the late grandmother is a witch, and she has turned the late grandfather into a cat. After he died, his ghost stayed a cat for some reason, and now is what the mother thinks is her son's invisible friend. He's telling about the stuff in the fridge that may grow giant pumpkins and the likes (making children well fed and fetching a pretty penny on the market), but also warns about the monsters who can eat you. When the mother realizes, she runs to stop the son from exposing himself to the danger in the fridge.

I'm left wondering why the ghost is still a cat, and why he wants to clean the fridge if he knows it's dangerous. The kid's misunderstandings of every single line is difficult for me to follow, perhaps as a non-native English speaker. The plot is silly and a bit funny, but having to stop reading to scroll back in order to see what was said broke my immersion.

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Stupot:

Spoiler

I think these Reality Shows are garbage, so I welcome any text that shows that. I liked that the virgins started banging each others' brains out first chance they got, showing that either normal people won't apply for such a show, or the show alters their behaviour. The crazy antics were a fun read, but the pooping at the end didn't work for me. Simply because I don't buy that anyone would drop their pants and take a dump live on camera in order to avoid soiling their pants. In order for that to seem reasonable to me, the guy would have to be written with some kind of trauma involving soiling himself in the past.

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Sinitrena:

Spoiler

This is by far the most detailed story, feeding characteristics and details spoonful by spoonful. The social worker woman (if that is the correct English term) clearly feels great guilt for the fire the arsonist boy started all those years ago. She uses the beads on her jewelry like prayer beads, keeping each name of a child lost alive in her memory. She seems like a deeply flawed person. She has the same plan for every day, and never manages to follow it, and she seems incapable of changing her routines. The list she's keeping of successes and failures would be deeply illegal (in my country, at least), making her unfit for her job.

The way I interpreted it, she is finally convinced that the father of the arsonist was right. The arsonist is evil, and now she must stop him before he kills more people in the fires he's starting. I think she wants to be arrested by the police, not for the murder of the arsonist, but for her guilt on behalf of the twelve children she didn't save from him.

The burn mark on the arsonist's daughter is ambiguous. Of course, she could be a victim of abuse (or it could have no meaning at all, like in the real world), but given the story, I'm partial to read it as a parallel to the arsonist's childhood burn. That daughter will start fires of her own. And the social worker may read about them from prison and blame herself once again that she didn't see the truth until it was too late.

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I vote for

Spoiler

Sinitrena. While the other stories are funny reads, this one has more depth, giving room for afterthought.

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@heltenjon I wish I had remembered that the AGS camera demo existed.   

And now I wish I had thought to post that observation when you posted the first screenshot. 

I hope someone is considering entering this. It would be too bad if I killed off the contest by delivering a theme noone liked. Five days to go.

[MORT]

Here are my thoughts this month:

MORT

Spoiler

It's great to see someone making a game using the split screen tech from the AGS Camera Tech Demo! (I assume.) For those of us who played and loved Rootbound's earlier game Elevation, this is a welcome return of the same kind of puzzles. Back and forth, re-using a sparse selection of multi-purpose inventory items. Even though this may be a platform game, thankfully there's no jumping, and I made it through with lots of time used, pondering what to do and trying the combinations.

The humour in the dialogues work nicely, and whoever said the drone was "lovable", had it spot on. Great premise, good delivery on the theme of the month, and fun gameplay, unfortunately hampered by some bugs. I'd be happy to rescue the pink robocop again in a sequel or five. (The helmet paintover gave me instant robocop vibes.)

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Pod Dwellers

Spoiler

I haven't had time to beat this one yet, but will play until I do. There's a lot going on under the hood here. The theme is evident in the two-part nature of the game. At first, I had the feeling that the first part, in the Space ship, was almost unnecessary for the meat of the game. But I realize that you may control which people you start with by careful selection, and that may give the necessary head start to make your colony avoid dying instantly.

The game is made more difficult by hiding almost all stats, so actually knowing which characters will work in given situations is a bit of hit or miss, though I got some ideas through trial and error.

The game sports no graphic thrills, and that spartan look means that Mandle made this well knowing that he would not win this month's contest. And I love that so much - that people don't participate to win, but to share their game ideas with others. The game is just that - ideas on top of ideas. Maybe not all has been polished yet, but it's a great prototype. I will give further feedback in the game's own thread after I make further progress.

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Breakfast Requiem

Spoiler

I must admit up front that I read the hint about the wall, and afterwards couldn't believe I'd missed that. This game, too, was far from the easy stroll MAGS games often are. I enjoyed the puzzles very much, especially that clues were left everywhere - it became a part of the problem to sort out what was just background noise and what was actual useful info.

Last month, the creators treated us to a horror-themed game set after some sort of disaster. This time around, there are also constant allusions to the past, but this time it's hilarious. Pancakes as holy food is so funny, and also a bit eye-opening as to how the real-world religions and traditions work, without being mocking or seeming disrespectful. It's wonderfully pulled off.

The graphic style with the limited palette works well this time around, too, especially the giant bugs. And once again, the music track is atmospheric in a less is more-way that I cannot really explain. It's more of a feeling than a fully formed opinion.

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I voted for:

Spoiler

Breakfast Requiem. All the gods have names like someone's trying to say something with their mouth full of pancake. And there's a Ghostbusters reference so well hidden, it may well be unintentional. Anyway, the great humour tipped the scale this way, even though I enjoyed all the games.

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How sophisticated is this supposed to be? I mean it has been done in the past, for instance there's been a MAGS game where you could communicate with another person by typing into a chat basically. It was very well done and a lot of work. I can't remember the game's name though.

Probably this? Made for OROW V.
https://www.adventuregamestudio.co.uk/site/games/game/1059-chatroom/

Congratulations on the release!

So, I played this. When you say the game is a sort of therapy for you, I guess it means that the hidden meanings here are deeply personal. I hope you achieved the therapeutic effect you wanted.

For everyone else: This must be classified as a horror game of sorts. The settings are dreamlike and uncomfortable, and clearly the environment is symbolic and surreal. The story is told by hints and fragments, some subtle, and some violent. The sad feeling is ever-present, and fans of psychological horror should find a lot here to their liking. I think the story is open enough that several interpretations can be made, not only the author's underlying intentions. The graphics and sound are consistent in their style, and I think it works well in the context it's put in.

Is it a good game? The walking pace is very slow, so there is a bit too much of waiting for my taste. The puzzles aren't logical, which can't surprise anyone given the symbolic nature of the game. But the plot is quite on rails, at least in the last part of the game, so I doubt you will be stuck. The contents may be unsettling, so I'd recommend this for horror buffs or those interested in the darker sides of the psyche. If you're looking for some quick fun, I don't think this game exactly qualifies.

Concluding, there are some qualities here, and the game will be a good fit for an interested target group. It is more of a therapeutic art project than a puzzle- or story-based game, though, so it will not be everyone's cup of tea. The casual gamer is probably not the intended audience, unless in the mood for something different.

I'm playing this, and I don't think I'm very good at it... After going back to read what @Mandle had written, I think my failings may be due to not using the equipment enough.

Trying to figure out the win conditions, here's what I've found (?) so far:

Spoiler

The items in the right column turn purple at a given number. I guess by then I have enough to build an escape ship. So, enough Fuel, Carapace and Engines. I can't recall if there's been more stuff in that column.

Of course, I may be wrong and need a set number of stuff in the left column, too, like food/water, toolkits, blasters and books, but I don't think so. I believe these are meant to be used for task success.

My guess after reading the release notes here, is that what I'm missing probably has to do with the science level, because it's mentioned (that it's invisible). If there are other means of improving that than studying the metal for science, I don't know. Book count? Could also be that I need to recruit key personnel/roles before winning, which would make this even more difficult.

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I spend a lot of time ignoring the other possibilities and scavenging for food or water instead. I managed to keep my crew alive for 92 days at the most so far. I'm excruciatingly bad at recruiting more members, and I don't always understand what category the people fall into. I mean, to my great surprise, I recruited a cook from the burly section?

The game is fun and interesting, but the lack of information about stats and goals make it hard as well. I can certainly understand why there's no save option, but on the other hand, dying after 100 days and having to try again from scratch may also be a tad frustrating.

That said, I'm impressed by the mechanics and the author's ability to think outside the adventure box when it comes to game design.

EDIT: 174 days is the longest I've survived now. I discovered

Spoiler

that there are messages that says +x in science. Will need to work on that, too.

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Then we're going to need another MAGS theme called "Finish Finishing Your MAGS Game".

The MAGS participation thread talked about doing this regularly. I'm told that in the sewists community they have a 'Finish it February'. If we did a fixed thing like that though we'd have to delay e.g. December's winner to setting the rules for March.

Not necessarily, if it was a regular event. Although I guess the participation for main MAGS would go down the set month, if both were going on at the same time.

Personally, I'd think it was cool if there was no set time for the Finish It theme, but a year-long slot that would be voted over once a year. Don't know if it would work, though. Or maybe, if you knew it was "Finish it February", people would complete their games when they had the time and release them in that month. Yeah, yeah, forever the optimist, I know...

@heltenjon Just want to clarify the goal. The obstacles to be avoided are the bully, dog, the old man, and the only person who shouldn't see you here?

Yes, though I'm open to other interpretations, as long as it makes the game flow.

Rats, haven't had time this week to even touch it, and this weekend won't be gold either. :/
Too much overtime at work, atm.

Then we're going to need another MAGS theme called "Finish Finishing Your MAGS Game".

Does anyone have other versions not there? I'm mostly interested in the oldest ones, from AC to AGS pre 2.5.

Alphas, betas and whatever!

Thanks in advance!

Do you mean like these?
https://archive.org/details/adventuregamestudio?tab=collection&query=chris+jones

I made it through MORT (The first version) and now read the various bug reports. Here's how I encountered the bugs:

Spoiler

I was able to bring the magnet from the right side with me into the final room. I guess this was not supposed to be possible, but dropping the crate doesn't block the lift after I've used it. Additionally, the messages when using the drone in the second last room to the right after having been in the last room and going back, did not fit with the current situation. But those are minor annoyances.

Final room: When the drone carries the grenade, re-taking it transforms it into another item. I guess the one it carried before. I found myself having two circuits or two metal doors. (I also suspect things get messy when both the person and the drone have an active item and try to drop it, although I haven't tested that thoroughly.) You may already have fixed this; I haven't tried the updated versions.

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I need to download the updated version of Mandle's game and try to beat it before I give my vote and final reviews, but I can reveal that I have had tons of fun with all three games already.    Great work, people!

[The Rules!]

The Rules!

Participants write entries that must do the following:
1. Use at least 3 of the provided elements (inventory, NPCs, a piece of the room like a cabinet or faucet etc.)
2. Give a step-by-step walkthrough of your puzzle solution.
3. Don't add new elements. For example, if the room is a forest, breaking a thin branch off a tree makes sense unless the host said the trees were huge and tall. But adding a hollowed-out stump with a bear sleeping in it is too specific. Assume all important elements have been mentioned by the host.
4. Keep any dialog elements summarized rather than typing out the whole conversation (for example, "threaten the mailman", "ask the child for advice", and so on, instead of giving every spoken line).

Each contest runs for two weeks to allow for a good number of entries, and then it switches to voting for one week. The participant whose solution gets the most votes gets to come up with the next scenario! (Please also provide a link to these rules). Current entries until March 20th.

Voters use the criteria of:
a) how logical the puzzle seems
b) how creative or unexpected (but still sensible) is the use of elements
c) how satisfying is the solution (Is it too simple? Way too complicated? Or just right?)

Here we go!

Down the street

Premise: It seemed like a good idea at the time. You were late, and taking a shortcut through Small Street would make up the time you lost and then some. But getting through to the other side looks a bit more difficult than you thought.

You are wearing:

• A baseball cap
• Sunglasses
• A T-shirt
• Shorts. In the pockets you find
  
  • Your wallet
  • your most prized possession
• Sneakers
• A piece of jewelry
• A backpack containing two items of your choice.

In the street you see:

• The local bully
• Rows of houses with gardens.
• An angry dog. It's on a leash, but you're in doubt that it can hold the dog if it pulls hard.
• A small children's playground.
• An old man known by everyone for talking and talking and not letting you go.
• An old woman, working in her garden
• A hot dog stand
• An abondoned children's pool filled with water (in a garden)
• Typical stuff like trees, mailboxes, etc.
• A couple of parked cars.
• A ball in the ditch by the road.
• A volleyball
• The one person in the world who should not see you in this place now

Your goal is to avoid all obstacles and take this shortcut down Small Street.
Logical items (garden tools, toys in the playground etc. are allowed)

Please submit your entries in the next 14 days. You have until April 29th. Good luck!

That's an impressive number! Congratulations on that! 

I used to make lists, but not anymore. I stopped when Internet became my preferred way of obtaining games to play, quite a few years ago now. As for the AGS games, I have found that the easiest way to keep track of which games I have played, is actually to vote/rate on the database pages. That way it says "want to change your votes?" if I have played it earlier. But I know many people with game lists!

Very short (very very short) game I played now, thought it was cute: https://picogram.itch.io/goodbye-doggy

I actually came to comment on this thread thinking it was the thread cat had recommended the game about the dying online world but it is not (?)

That was indeed very cute! The dev has atother point and click game as well: https://picogram.itch.io/pe-noire . It's a kind of detective game where you are a sort of pupil working for the headmaster and trying to catch someone who is skipping their p.e. lessons. (I'm sure this is somewhat similar to school systems somewhere, but it's totally alien to me.) Short (but longer than the ghost dog game) and humourous, even though it's a bit cruel (and the irony could have worked better, as it's sending mixed signals). Still, the ghost dog game is better.

[>>surviving v3<<]

To update... At the end of the day, there is a chance it rains: >>surviving v3<<

Hmmm...a bit strange that the hydration level decreases when it rains?

My original upload had one bad bug due to a typo in code (a one letter difference) that made it unfinishable. I changed just that one letter and re-uploaded.

NOW you tell me!