MAGS November “Ghosts” (RESULT)

[ddavey1983]

Glad you're enjoying it! Hmm. I'm assuming I haven't coded the restore button. Sorry about that. You can restore in game from the inventory bar or from the title screen and I'm sure I coded at least one of them! Maybe try that in the meantime and I'll have a i'll tonight (currently half nine and at work).

[ddavey1983]

Sorry about the save/load thing. It turns out I hadn't actually assigned the save and load buttons on the inventory bar to anything! Blame the pressure of a deadline!

They work now and I've updated the package on GamesJolt.

Happy playing!

[Falsely]

Whew, okay - took advantage of the extension to tidy up the sound a bit. Updated the google drive, and also added a mirror on GameJolt (since that lets you link to unlisted pages. )

[newwaveburritos]

I can't imagine there's not a few bugs in here but you can finish the game if you play it exactly like I did!!

A different maze every time you start a new game!!  EriOo inspired me to do a ghost hunt dungeon crawl and I barely made it in time but it's all there.

Ghost Hunter: Dracula

If you like dungeons this is really the bones of a larger project so stay tuned.

EDITED TO ADD SCREENSHOTS:





Tough to pick just three since the whole game looks so different screen to screen lol...

[Stupot]

Wow wee! Five games. Thank you to everyone who made a game for us this month. And they all look incredible.

Now it's time to play and vote.

Please vote using the poll above.

	Don't Give Up the Cat by Eri0o
	A Very Serious Plumbing Simulator by Falsely
	Highland Spirit by ddavey1983
	Two Ghosts of That House: The Missing Toy by Volcan
	Ghost Hunter: Dracula by newwaveburritos

(As always, please let me know if I've missed anything)

[Shadow1000]

I can't imagine there's not a few bugs in here but you can finish the game if you play it exactly like I did!!

A different maze every time you start a new game!!  EriOo inspired me to do a ghost hunt dungeon crawl and I barely made it in time but it's all there.

Ghost Hunter: Dracula

If you like dungeons this is really the bones of a larger project so stay tuned.

Tough to pick just three since the whole game looks so different screen to screen lol...

1. It seems that this game only runs in a browser rather than from the desktop. Can anyone confirm this?

2. Is there a way to play in fullscreen mode? I don't know if it's because it's in a relatively small window on the browser payge but I can't read anything the character is saying.

3. Is there a way to know what the objective is of this game? I wandered around a bit and I'm wondering if I missed something.

[newwaveburritos]

I can help out, I think, since I wrote the thing!  It does actually only run in browser right now.  I didn't have time to upload the downloadable version before I ran out of time. Certainly I can add it to the page since it doesn't actually change the game but I wanted to err on the side of caution.  Alt+Enter will get you to fullscreen but I was having problems with the fullscreen popup on itch in that I couldn't always get the keyboard to work and it's actually  keyboard only control.

As to goals there's a magical map you need to find in the second "room" of the maze.  If you get stuck though you can actually just press "M" to bring up the map at any time since I didn't bother to add a check in the game to make sure you actually had the map before using it.  There really isn't a ton to do in the game but hunt down the ghost.  You'll get a bit more direction when you find the map but essentially you're just traversing the length on the maze which is relatively linear in that it's four "rooms" on top of one another.

[Shadow1000]

I can help out, I think, since I wrote the thing!  It does actually only run in browser right now.  I didn't have time to upload the downloadable version before I ran out of time. Certainly I can add it to the page since it doesn't actually change the game but I wanted to err on the side of caution.  Alt+Enter will get you to fullscreen but I was having problems with the fullscreen popup on itch in that I couldn't always get the keyboard to work and it's actually  keyboard only control.

As to goals there's a magical map you need to find in the second "room" of the maze.  If you get stuck though you can actually just press "M" to bring up the map at any time since I didn't bother to add a check in the game to make sure you actually had the map before using it.  There really isn't a ton to do in the game but hunt down the ghost.  You'll get a bit more direction when you find the map but essentially you're just traversing the length on the maze which is relatively linear in that it's four "rooms" on top of one another.

Thanks! I played the game and took out the ghost. It looks like it has potential. I had no problem playing in fullscreen mode.

[Stupot]

I didn't have time to upload the downloadable version before I ran out of time. Certainly I can add it to the page since it doesn't actually change the game but I wanted to err on the side of caution.

Don't worry about that. You won't be disqualified.

[Shadow1000]

Well, we got five contenders this month and I've cast my vote. Here are my thoughts:

Don't give up the Cat by eri0oA

Spoiler

The strength of this game is definitely the amazing 3D immersive experience. Gameplay itself was somewhat straightforward but a very creative implementation of the theme of the month. I enjoyed it for the most part but I did spend about half my playing time wandering.

[close]

Very Serious Plumbing Simulator by Falsely

Spoiler

Very minimalist in terms of both the graphics and inventory items, but surprisingly packed with things to do and figure out to solve the game. I enjoyed the story and found the gameplay enjoyable and suspenseful

[close]

Highland Spirit by ddavey1983

Spoiler

This game is the closest of the batch to being a traditional point and click adventure. The graphics, animation and sound effects are all superb. The story is detailed but amazingly opens an even more detailed backstory. I will confess to having more than a few laughs while playing. Having a map that expands as you play is a great touch.

All that said, the puzzles are what really makes this game shine. Most of them are quite logical and follow traditional puzzle patterns in terms of digging around for clues and revisiting old areas. My own experience with the puzzle solving was that I was able to proceed at just the right pace that I always felt rewarded at my progress and never felt stuck or frustrated.

My only criticism is that there were some puzzles that you had to literally click every item out of a few dozen till you came across the one you are looking for. This is not unheard of in traditional point and click adventures (in fact, most of the time that you encounter a bookcase, you can expect to have to click all the wrong titles till you find that book you're looking for) but still a bit tedious.

[close]

Two Ghosts of That House: The Missing Toy by Volcan

Spoiler

I really enjoyed the background and character art. There is one task to complete rather than any puzzles so the game took about 5 minutes.

[close]

Ghost Hunter: Dracula by newwaveburritos

Spoiler

I don't think I've ever seen anything like this 3D maze using AGS before! It reminded me of the Bards Tale that I used to play on the Apple II back in the 80s. At this point the gameplay is a bit basic but this sure has a lot of potential, especially if it gets worked into a bigger game

[close]

My vote went to

Spoiler

Highland Spirit. It's amazing that a mid-length game with this much polish and well-designed puzzles was made in such a short time period.

[close]

Well done!

[Ponch]

Voted! 

[heltenjon]

Feedback time!

Don't give up the Cat by EriOo

Spoiler

I was a playtester for this, so I have played it in lots of versions throughout the month and watched it grow into what it is now. The game sure shows technical wizardry and is using AGS in ways I wouldn't have thought possible. There are so many great details in this one, like the ability to claw the trees to show where you've been. That said, the gameplay/tasks are short, and the game is best as a mood piece or cat simulator. If you don't like exploring, I guess it's not your thing.

[close]

Very Serious Plumbing Simulator by Falsely

Spoiler

Falsely told me that there's only one ending in the MAGS build. In a way I like that, because the game is definitely best the first time you play it. (I tried it twice to look for more endings.) The graphics are animated like a cartoon - very well done, even if simplified and black and white. The characters are likeable and "alive" in the sense that they behave like real people and have some banter. Good writing as well. I also liked the scary story and how the puzzles came about. This author definitely has a knack for the scary weird story, and I'm going to check out those games I haven't already played.

When playing through the game a second time, the animations and the long dialogues became a bit tiring, even though I liked them a lot the first time. If Falsely decides to add more content, I think I'll keep coming back at regular intervals instead of playing it constantly, in order to not grow bored. I guess this is a risk of all VN games, and this one shares some characteristics with that genre.

[close]

Highland Spirit by ddavey1983

Spoiler

I gathered from all the posts made about the game that this would be a good game even before I got to playing it. And it is a tour de force. The shortcuts made are cleverly hidden and don't affect gameplay at all (walkcycles or not-walkcycles). The game looks great, has characters with their own agendas and puzzles that arise from who they are. Add the several layers of history and the excellent use of the library and other historical remnants and some of the author's characteristic humour, and you get a very, very good game indeed.

[close]

Two Ghosts of That House by Volcan

Spoiler

I've been a bit curious to try out some of Volcan's games, but this is the first time I've done so. This is a short game, suitable for kids, with some nice graphical ideas, like the hovering ghosts who can go through solid furniture or "stand" on a floor that's fallen away a long time ago.

[close]

Ghost Hunter: Dracula by newwaveburritos

Spoiler

I'm not really a maze or dungeon fan, but I did like that I actually played as Dracula instead of hunting him. By luck I tried pressing M and found out that I had a map, and without it I would have been hopelessly lost. The segments in the maze look so alike that there's no sense of movement when you walk forward unless there's an intersection coming up. Adding variety to the walls or a wobble when the player moves would make the game possible to play without using the map, (if that's a goal). I didn't play it long enough to read all the letters in the maze layout, so there may be an Easter egg there. This game is an interesting experiment and reminds me of Khris' OROW game where he defined a dungeon maze as one room.

[close]

My vote went to

Spoiler

Highland Spirit. There were two masterpieces in the contest this month, but as I was a bit involved in the making of one of them, the decision is made for me. This one shoots up to be my bookie tip for the MAGGIE award this year.

[close]

[Stupot]

We've had a reasonable number of votes so far, so thanks for that. But any more will be very welcome. Now's your last chance to get your vote in.

As always, please remember to rate and comment on each game's relevant AGS page where possible. It help encourage users to keep making more games.

[Stupot]

Well done to ddavey1983 (GOC games) for winning with the lovely-looking Highland Spirit. You'll be contacted soon about setting a theme for January.

Thanks again to everyone who made a game and to those who voted. This was a great month indeed thanks to all of you.

[eri0o]

This was a great month for MAGS, nicely won @ddavey1983 ! Curious for the next theme 

[newwaveburritos]

Congrats!  It's nice to have one with a lot of entries!  Great job everybody!!

[ddavey1983]

Wow, that's amazing! Thank you so much everyone! Also, thank you for all the kind words of those who've reviewed the game, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Great to have a contest with lots of entries, hope it continues!