MAGS February "Missing Body Part" (OPEN)

[Stupot]

2025 - THE YEAR OF MAGS!

Theme: Misplaced Body Part
Set by: WHAM | Deadline: February 28th

Your game must include a missing, misplaced or otherwise out-of-position body part in some way, for example, as a gameplay mechanic or story element.
Did the museum security guard misplace the jar containing the mummified intestines of an ancient mummy? Did the player character lose their head, quite literally, and now needs to find a way to recover it? See what you can come up with, and have fun!





What is MAGS?
Started in 2001, MAGS is a competition for all AGS users. 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 and more. Regardless of skill, MAGS is for everyone. Voting is based on "favourite" games, and not the most artistic, or the best coded. If you want to improve you 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, 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 walk-cycles 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.
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Need a bit of help with music?  Check out Eric Matyas' huge stock of free music resources.
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Don't want to go it alone? Try the Recruitment board.
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[pell]

I've already got a story idea I like.

In honor of the short month, I'm going to commit to working on time management and getting an entry in by the deadline without the need for an extension. I challenge everyone else to do the same.

[ZapZap]

Interesting! If I have time I might do a second chapter for the Oz game I did...

[VampireWombat]

Hmmm. I should be able to do something that's either part of the "wizard college" game I'm wanting to make or in the same world. So guess I'm in after all.

[Kara Jo Kalinowski]

I've already got a story idea I like.

In honor of the short month, I'm going to commit to working on time management and getting an entry in by the deadline without the need for an extension. I challenge everyone else to do the same.

For me, sometimes that's hard because I have health issues - days when I planned to work I can randomly get fatigued the entire day and sleep a lot (I've missed some shorter game jams due to this). I agree that ideally you should try to submit before the deadline though.

[soulstuff]

Oh this sounds fun, gives me a couple ideas to actually pick ags back up!

[pell]

I'm already a good way into a script.

Title: "Finding Balzac"

[Durinde]

I have a concept, I'm going to try to script it out and prototype it over the next week or so and see if it's viable.

[Radiant]

My idea: have a classic Sierra menu bar, but you cannot use the walk / hand / eye icons because you're missing those body parts. You need to find them before the interface fully works.

But I don't have time this month so if anyone wants to take my idea, they're welcome to.

[Kara Jo Kalinowski]

My idea: have a classic Sierra menu bar, but you cannot use the walk / hand / eye icons because you're missing those body parts. You need to find them before the interface fully works.

But I don't have time this month so if anyone wants to take my idea, they're welcome to.

This could be interesting. I'm really struggling to come up with an idea for this.

Are we allowed to use assets i.e. game dev market for our projects? Like the ones in the humble bundles? (Music/sprites/sounds)? Or only free ones?

[VampireWombat]

Are we allowed to use assets i.e. game dev market for our projects? Like the ones in the humble bundles? (Music/sprites/sounds)? Or only free ones?

I'm pretty sure that it's fine to use any assets you have the legal right to use. So as long as the assets don't have a stipulation where you can only use them with certain software or such, I don't see any reason you can't.

[pell]

My idea: have a classic Sierra menu bar, but you cannot use the walk / hand / eye icons because you're missing those body parts. You need to find them before the interface fully works.

But I don't have time this month so if anyone wants to take my idea, they're welcome to.

This could be interesting. I'm really struggling to come up with an idea for this.

Are we allowed to use assets i.e. game dev market for our projects? Like the ones in the humble bundles? (Music/sprites/sounds)? Or only free ones?

I think it has to be content that's freely available to everyone, but I'll have to go find where I read that. Of course, Stupot may clarify.

[Kara Jo Kalinowski]

My idea: have a classic Sierra menu bar, but you cannot use the walk / hand / eye icons because you're missing those body parts. You need to find them before the interface fully works.

But I don't have time this month so if anyone wants to take my idea, they're welcome to.

This could be interesting. I'm really struggling to come up with an idea for this.

Are we allowed to use assets i.e. game dev market for our projects? Like the ones in the humble bundles? (Music/sprites/sounds)? Or only free ones?

I think it has to be content that's freely available to everyone, but I'll have to go find where I read that. Of course, Stupot may clarify.

It used to be no pre-existing assets at all (besides music), but was changed at one point (competitions started to say "Pre-existing assets are allowed", but I wasn't sure if it was meant to be just free assets or not. I messaged Stupot to get a clarification on it.

[cat]

I think the important part is, that you openly declare what assets you used. Here in this thread and on the games page, not just in a small note on your itch page.

Depending on the assets you use, this might be required anyway.

[Kara Jo Kalinowski]

I think the important part is, that you openly declare what assets you used. Here in this thread and on the games page, not just in a small note on your itch page.

Depending on the assets you use, this might be required anyway.

Game dev market doesn't require it, but says that we can. I was planning to credit them in-game anyway, but I'll make sure to put it in the game page if I use them.

[heltenjon]

My idea: have a classic Sierra menu bar, but you cannot use the walk / hand / eye icons because you're missing those body parts. You need to find them before the interface fully works.

But I don't have time this month so if anyone wants to take my idea, they're welcome to.

Recollection is Onedollar's unfinished game about someone waking up from a coma. It plays along with a similar idea.

...but I think it would be easier to implement if the player character is a robot. 

[Kara Jo Kalinowski]

My idea: have a classic Sierra menu bar, but you cannot use the walk / hand / eye icons because you're missing those body parts. You need to find them before the interface fully works.

But I don't have time this month so if anyone wants to take my idea, they're welcome to.

Recollection is Onedollar's unfinished game about someone waking up from a coma. It plays along with a similar idea.

...but I think it would be easier to implement if the player character is a robot. 

I was also thinking about making a game using robot parts

[Stupot]

My idea: have a classic Sierra menu bar, but you cannot use the walk / hand / eye icons because you're missing those body parts. You need to find them before the interface fully works.

But I don't have time this month so if anyone wants to take my idea, they're welcome to.

This could be interesting. I'm really struggling to come up with an idea for this.

Are we allowed to use assets i.e. game dev market for our projects? Like the ones in the humble bundles? (Music/sprites/sounds)? Or only free ones?

I think it has to be content that's freely available to everyone, but I'll have to go find where I read that. Of course, Stupot may clarify.

It used to be no pre-existing assets at all (besides music), but was changed at one point (competitions started to say "Pre-existing assets are allowed", but I wasn't sure if it was meant to be just free assets or not. I messaged Stupot to get a clarification on it.

I've replied to Kara's PM, but reading these posts, I may have slightly misunderstood the question.

Yes, pre-existing assets are allowed, and as far as I am aware, we've never discussed whether that applies only to free assets. From my point of view, if they come from a set that you have paid for, I don't think that is an issue (anyone feel free to chime in if you disagree). As cat said above, the important thing is that you make it clear what assets you have used, so that you cannot be accused to passing them off as your own.