MAGS February "Mix and Match" (RESULT)

[Shadow1000]

@Shadow1000

Spoiler

Yes, if I use the keypad it takes me to 1980, before my apartment was built, and I end up falling. I'm sure I've missed something, but I can't work out what it is.

[close]

Whew...I spent a LOT of time on that one too

Spoiler

look at the vacant lot. that will make you descend. before you go splat on the ground, use the keypad again

[close]

Cheers!

[Riaise]

Thanks, Shadow, I've completed it now!

I'll write down my thoughts once I've finished all the games.

[Shadow1000]

Thanks, Shadow, I've completed it now!

I'll write down my thoughts once I've finished all the games.

Most welcome. Looking forward to your comments and vote-verdict!

[Riaise]

I've completed them all now, so here is my feedback:

White Bear Beauty Chlorinde and the Paranormal Parrot by DBoyWheeler

This was a nice idea for a game but, as Shadow1000 mentioned, there aren't really any puzzles, just walking around the house until you find the items you need. Also, I found that the default walk speed was very slow and had to speed it up a lot in settings. The parrot companion was a good character, though!

Wilfred:2088 by HanaIndiana

I love the look of this game and the idea is very original. The puzzles are good and completely logical, the main characters really come to life, despite neither of them being human, and the voice acting was great! Really good job!

A Martyr of Time by Mandle

This game drew me in from the very beginning. It took a short while to figure out what I could do, and how, and I got a bit stuck towards the end, but overall I really enjoyed the game. I just wish it was longer! I'm glad you're working on a full version!

Finger of Suspicion by Slasher

I really like the concept of this game. I think there are a few kinks to be ironed out, like the fact that after a while I was pretty sure I knew who the murderer was but couldn't accuse them because I hadn't found all of the keywords. I'm not really sure what exactly triggered the final accusation screen, either. Overall, though, the idea is really good and I think could be expanded upon to make a really decent game.

All of the games were very individual this month, but one of them really stood out for me so my vote goes to:

Spoiler

Wilfred:2088! A Martyr of Time comes a close second for me, because of it's intriguing story and interesting puzzles, but there just wasn't quite enough of it in the end.

[close]

[Mandle]

@Shadow1000

Spoiler

Yes, if I use the keypad it takes me to 1980, before my apartment was built, and I end up falling. I'm sure I've missed something, but I can't work out what it is.

[close]

Whew...I spent a LOT of time on that one too

Spoiler

look at the vacant lot. that will make you descend. before you go splat on the ground, use the keypad again

[close]

Cheers!

Yeah, sorry about the clunkiness of that part. The rest of the parser doesn't work yet in that room so only when you "look" does anything happen. In the full game it will happen every time you enter some text so it will be easier to figure out what to do.

[DBoyWheeler]

Um, for the part at the end of my game... why there's no puzzle at the end...

I was going to have a puzzle at the end, but AGS decided to give me some sass by making it so I couldn't interact with the objects at the end for some weird reason.  So that's kind of the reason why.

[Mandle]

I've played all the games, so time for some feedback:

White Bear Beauty Chlorinde and the Paranormal Parrot by DBoyWheeler

I think most of the negative points have been pointed out by others so I will just say what I liked about the game:

* I do like games with simple bold graphics, especially if this means that walkable areas and exits are immediately obvious. I had no problem navigating my way around the game and had little worries about missing any areas.

* It's always nice to have another character with you along for the ride, and the parrot was fun.

* The goals were simple and I always understood what I was supposed to be doing next.

So, for a game that was supposed to be a simple and easy experience, this one ticked all the boxes for that criteria.

For the creator I would say it's a successful experience in creating a play environment that is immediately intuitive and instantly playable. This is an important part of game design which many more complex and professional games sometimes get wrong so well done on that point!

Wilfred:2088 by HanaIndiana

A great game! I loved that every puzzle was about exploiting the natural instincts of a cat. The fact that this causes the cat to become a world-famous hero was hilarious and so I'd say you can honestly call the genre "comedy" even though you seemed reluctant to do so. This game got my vote!

Finger of Suspicion by Slasher

The game is an awesome concept but I felt a bit let down by lack of response to many key-words that made sense to ask about but were not useable. The game did hold my attention for about two hours, trying to bash my head against the next exact thing I was supposed to ask about but eventually I had to give up. Sorry Dorothy! I shall always love you! (Maybe I need to download the updated version, even though Slasher said the original version should be completable?!)
NEEDS A SAVE GAME FEATURE!!!

[Gurok]

Some neat games this month.

Wilfred: 2088 was outstanding. It was nice to see Wilfred get the recognition he deserved! What a unique concept, and such a great execution. The puzzles were very well thought out. I felt the clueing was just about right and I finished the whole thing pretty quickly. Great job.
Finger of Suspicion was a very intriguing concept. I wanted the video version and a save system and, and... lots of things, but I really enjoyed what I played. Great archetypes, very nice voice work. I still don't know who the killer is. Ran out of time to play games and wanted to get my vote in .
A Martyr of Time had me interested from the get-go. I love playing these games, but I think they really benefit from a good parser. I'd suggest reimplementing it in Inform or TADS. I ended up travelling back in time and falling to my doom. Still not sure what I could've done better, but I had fun!
White Bear Beauty Chlorinde and the Paranormal Parrot. I finished it quickly and didn't encounter any bugs. It's clear to me the author focussed on character development over puzzles. Chlorinde (cool name) should get about in a white bear suit IMHO, unless it's a story set at the beach. Aside from that, I really liked both quirky characters -- something I've come to expect from DBoyWheeler.

It was tough. My vote went to Wilfred:2088 as the most complete game and the one I had the most fun with. All other entries had something I liked!

[Hobo]

A Martyr of Time (seems that there are no other places to comment this game)

First of all, nice work, Mandle! I've never really played text adventures before, so it was an interesting experience. I've heard that text adventures and parser systems often give the player much more freedom compared to verb bars and mouse click interfaces, but I actually felt very limited by this. 95% of the time my actions were not understood by the game and when the game keeps constantly telling me that I can't play it, it's difficult to stay engaged and immersed.

About some specific puzzles:

Spoiler

I found the message decoding very frustrating, the system itself was kind of tedious and I would have never worked it out without the forums hints thread. Are there any hints or clues in the game that help you break it or is it all about brute forcing and guessing or am I simply having a brain malfunction? It also took me a while to figure out the right keyword. There are no grammatical articles in Estonian, so I sometimes forget how they can affect the meaning.

[close]

I did actually enjoy the game, there's some potential for an exciting adventure here and I'd gladly try out the full version.

If you keep working on it, then I suggest adding some options for visual settings. I personally prefer reading darker text on lighter background and it would be awesome if the color scheme was adjustable. And since the game is already in 640x400 resolution, you could try out some smoother fonts or even allow the player to choose between different fonts (for dyslexic readers etc.)

[Mandle]

If you keep working on it,

Cheers for the comments and good suggestions!

I am actively still working on the game and it's now many times larger than the demo.

I'm hoping to get a play-testable version of the first "quest" completed by the end of the month.

I've been expanding the parser as well to include many new actions and that will be expanded again after playtesting as it's hard to think of everything that players might try to do on my own.

Cheers!

[MAGS Host]

The voting is over and the winner of MAGS February is:

Wilfred:2088 by HanaIndiana.

Well done Hana. You'll be contacted soon about choosing a theme for April.

Thanks to all participants and voters.

[Slasher]

Looks like you nailed it HanaIndiana

Well done...

Make March MAG a good one

[TheFrighter]

Yp yp hurrah for HanaIndiana!

_