MAGS November “Worlds Collide” (OPEN)

Stupot · Wed 01/11/2023 10:50:17

Worlds collide
Topic set by: Creamy and 4KbShort
Deadline: November 30th

"For this MAGS, show us a split between two or more characters. Does it occur in reality? Or after you cross a doorway to another world?

Is it a split in culture? An enemy you have to work with to obtain your goals? Or just an unknown entity that you have to bridge the gap to further your ends? You decide."

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.

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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.
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4KbShort · Thu 02/11/2023 06:33:41

Hey dudes! I wanna give a big shoutout to @Creamy who's been super amazing working with me on getting this theme out as I was super distracted by real life! (Really, all the credit goes to them.) Also wanna say that I won't be submitting anything this jam because my last submission was very last-minute and I did not expect to tie up with Creamy's amazing submission!

I just wanna tell everyone thinking about joining in that you SHOULD and it'll be AMAZING and I look forward to all your hard work this month!

jwalt · Thu 02/11/2023 14:39:10

A few days before this MAGS was announced, I'd been toying with an idea for a RON game. As luck would have it, I think it might fit this MAGS. Also, having a deadline might keep me working on my project. I think I'm going to give it a try, unless the day or two head start disqualifies me. Currently thinking of using the name of one of the characters as the title: Wagu Ogambo.

I've no clue if that name might mean anything in a foreign language. So, if it does, please let me know. Hate to be saying something naughty, without knowing it.

I've no idea where that name came from. Blame it on The Muse, I guess.

heltenjon · Thu 02/11/2023 16:40:21

Wagu or Wagyu is a Japanese cattle and its reportedly fantastic tasting meat.

Ogombo means "who is not" in Zulu, according to Google Translate. So, unless your main character actually is a Japanese bull/cow, I think you are in the clear!

Stupot · Thu 02/11/2023 17:36:26

Quote from: heltenjon on Thu 02/11/2023 16:40:21Wagu or Wagyu is a Japanese cattle and its reportedly fantastic tasting meat.

Sticking with Japanese, gambō (or 'ganbō', depending how you want to Romanize it) means 'desire' or 'wish'. It can be used with the honorific 'o' before it to make it more formal.

So Wagyū Oganbō (和牛御願望) could be taken to mean 'desire for Japanese beef'.

heltenjon · Thu 02/11/2023 21:15:43

Quote from: Stupot on Thu 02/11/2023 17:36:26So Wagyū Oganbō (和牛御願望) could be taken to mean 'desire for Japanese beef'.

Have there ever been a better hero name?

glurex · Fri 03/11/2023 06:10:45

The theme is interesting! I can't promise anything, but maybe I'll start working on a little game. I even have the idea of putting in some Easter eggs related to previous MAGS themes of this year.

The Great Underground Empire · Fri 03/11/2023 10:12:25

Long time y'all! I don't want to promise anything because November has become a month of birthday and anniversary celebrations. But I need a small creative project, I've got a good idea and 90% of the plot worked out.

I'm also going to try painting my backgrounds and characters in Procreate this time, instead of rampantly stealing and modding vector art.

Fingers crossed, hope to see you at the finish line!

Creamy · Mon 06/11/2023 21:05:19

Can't wait to see what you come up with!

Quote from: 4KbShort on Thu 02/11/2023 06:33:41Hey dudes! I wanna give a big shoutout to @Creamy who's been super amazing working with me on getting this theme out as I was super distracted by real life! (Really, all the credit goes to them.)

No problem, I get busy too. And you sure helped with the blurb and feedback.

tbook · Tue 07/11/2023 20:11:47

The worlds might after all colide for me this month

We will see what happens. I will go with the flow

Mandle · Fri 10/11/2023 09:07:14

Have an idea... might be in.

glurex · Fri 10/11/2023 17:51:40

I'm working on a little tribute to the classic GameBoy:

Creamy · Sat 11/11/2023 08:00:38

QuoteI'm working on a little tribute to the classic GameBoy

You nailed the esthetic.

jwalt · Sat 11/11/2023 17:24:43

I'm making pretty good progress on this attempt. Actually, managed to play 99% through the game, only to reach a room near the end, and find out I'd forgotten to move one of the characters into the room. It's breakable, I'm finding out. Still working on it. Want to add some more interaction; as it stands, it's more interactive movie than P and C game. Doubt the finished project will change that to any great degree.

The Great Underground Empire · Mon 13/11/2023 01:32:39

I'm slow but progressing...birthday and anniversary are over.

I realized my first idea wasn't feasible timewise, so one week in I wrote a completely different game and am having a lot of fun doing retro pixel art instead. It's called Worlds Literally Collide, about a planet who just wants some g****mn peace and quiet in his own little patch of space.

Backgrounds are done, half of the characters are done and the other half should only take a couple hours. Then it's just write and code like crazy.

jwalt · Mon 13/11/2023 14:27:22

Got some feedback from a friend who played through my game, as it stands right now. Made a whole bunch of suggestions, which I am thinking about. Reading between the lines of her comments, I think she's telling me not to give up my day job, because I suck at making games. She said it took a bit over 40 minutes to finish. Still time to work on it, but I'm running out of steam. And it continues to be more movie than game.

Kastchey · Mon 13/11/2023 14:51:10

40 minutes is hell of a lot of gameplay for a MAGS game, and interactive movies are fun. Don't give up!

Stupot · Mon 13/11/2023 14:58:44

Great to see some movement already this month. Keep up the good work, folks. Keep us posted with updates.

@jwalt your project sounds like great fun. 40+ minutes of an interactive movie is awesome given the timeframe.

jwalt · Mon 13/11/2023 15:12:19

Quote from: Stupot on Mon 13/11/2023 14:58:44Great to see some movement already this month. Keep up the good work, folks. Keep us posted with updates.

@jwalt your project sounds like great fun. 40+ minutes of an interactive movie is awesome given the timeframe.

The RON assets meant a lot less time spent on artwork, allowing more time for scripting. My artwork contribution is minimal. Not sure if it's appropriate, but here's a link to what my beta tester played:

https://www.mediafire.com/file/jr9bfi9mgp7hatp/wagu11_12.zip/file

My "ending" for this one, led me to begin thinking about a follow-up, the shiny bauble syndrome. Has me kind of heading in two different directions. Such is life, I guess.

I don't remember if I turned off the debug stuff on the link above.

The Great Underground Empire · Sat 18/11/2023 22:39:35

Still plugging away! I finished all the basic character art and talk cycles, now I'm just working on the one shot animations. They're not pretty but I'm finding working in retro pixel art incredibly freeing...also finally discovered my Procreate app's animation assist function that auto onion skins, so that's speeding it up.

Also got the intro done, and a bunch of the interaction responses. I've got a four day weekend for the holiday and three day weekend after that, so it's looking good to finish, barring catastrophes!