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IFComp - First 5 games COMPLETE
Oct. 6th, 2018 07:55 pmIFComp. I can't believe I'm back at IFComp. Judging that ZZT thing reminded me it's possible to have a good time playing competition stuff, and I've been meaning to get back into text adventures.
It's important to remember the rules of IFComp. A judge bases their opinion on the first two hours of a game, no exceptions. I set a timer on my phone and propped it on my desk, so I'd know.
One thing I've noticed this comp is that many of the longest games are parser-based, but there's an absolute abundance of choice-based/web games made in TWINE or perhaps Choicescript or other HTML coding methods. I'm not the kind of parser-purist to be bothered by this... or I am, but NOT because grumble grumble twine games aren't real IF like some takes I've seen.
Rather, I'm bothered because several of the parser games this year are marked "more than two hours long". I know the authors hope I'll judge them fairly. I hope that too. The unfortunate reality is that it's already a barrier of entry to get people to type words into a prompt, after a couple decades of "you can't get ye flask" style jokes.
By entering a game you can't judge fully in the two-hour play window they're basically saying "Hey, I just want eyes on my game. I don't care if you can't complete it in time, just please look at this old-school thing I did."
What's the solution?
nyyhhhh. Answer unclear, consult alternate source. I just observe these things.
Anyway.
Many of these write-ups WILL CONTAIN FULL-GAME SPOILERS. You may wish to skip reading them if you want to play the games and particularly if you plan to judge these games.
( Let's spoilercut. )
We'll see if I get to more.
It's important to remember the rules of IFComp. A judge bases their opinion on the first two hours of a game, no exceptions. I set a timer on my phone and propped it on my desk, so I'd know.
One thing I've noticed this comp is that many of the longest games are parser-based, but there's an absolute abundance of choice-based/web games made in TWINE or perhaps Choicescript or other HTML coding methods. I'm not the kind of parser-purist to be bothered by this... or I am, but NOT because grumble grumble twine games aren't real IF like some takes I've seen.
Rather, I'm bothered because several of the parser games this year are marked "more than two hours long". I know the authors hope I'll judge them fairly. I hope that too. The unfortunate reality is that it's already a barrier of entry to get people to type words into a prompt, after a couple decades of "you can't get ye flask" style jokes.
By entering a game you can't judge fully in the two-hour play window they're basically saying "Hey, I just want eyes on my game. I don't care if you can't complete it in time, just please look at this old-school thing I did."
What's the solution?
nyyhhhh. Answer unclear, consult alternate source. I just observe these things.
Anyway.
Many of these write-ups WILL CONTAIN FULL-GAME SPOILERS. You may wish to skip reading them if you want to play the games and particularly if you plan to judge these games.
( Let's spoilercut. )
We'll see if I get to more.
