[Announce] IntroComp 2008
Jacqueline A. Lott
Hooray! It *is* that time of year again, isn't it?!
> SIT DOWN
Okay, fine. You're sitting down.
> GAZE INTO CRYSTAL BALL
As before, the colors in the sphere begin to shift and transform,
coalescing into something familiar...
IntroComp: An Interactive Fiction Competition
(First time players should continue reading)
Organized by Jacqueline A. Lott
Sponsored by Eileen Mullin & XYZZYnews
Concept conceived by Neil deMause
Intent to Enter Deadline: July 1, 2008
Entry Deadline: August 1, 2008, 11:59 PM EST
Release 7
A wave of relief washes over you. The time has come yet again!
What should you, the writer and programmer, do now?
> SEND INTENT TO ENTER TO JACQUELINE.A.LOTT's GMAIL.COM ADDRESS
Okay, intent sent. Now what?
> CODE THE BEGINNING BITS OF THE BEST IF GAME *EVER*
Sounds like a plan.
_____
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT PREVIOUSLY
The requirements of IntroComp are deceptively simple: All entrants
must submit the beginning of a new, never before seen work of IF. This
can be as short or as long as the author likes, so long as it is 1) a
working, playable game and 2) interactive fiction.
The deadline for completing your intro is August 1, 2008 at 11:59 PM
Eastern Standard Time. That's two months, people. And it's just an
intro, so get crackin' on it soon so that you can have an intro that's
interesting, polished, and deep, albeit short. Plenty of time if you
don't put it off...
JUDGING RULES
Authors may not vote.
Beta testers are allowed to vote, but only on games they did not test.
Everyone else in the entire world may vote on as many or as few
entries as they like, on the usual 1-10 scale (10 being the best).
However, they are asked to judge games with one thought in mind, and
one alone: "How much do I want to play more of this entry?"
We'll allow two to three weeks for judging, with results announced
'round mid-to-late August.
We also ask that judges please refrain from posting reviews of the
IntroComp games during the judging period, so as not to taint the
voting process, but feel free to send feedback directly to the authors
prior to the voting deadline - after all, the best prize that authors
receive is feedback, right?
Well, there's also money... not that anyone ever finishes, but in
theory, there *is* money...
PRIZE RULES
1ST Place: $100
2ND Place: $60
3RD Place: $40
Honorable: $20
All values in US funds, minus any currency conversion fee that might
be required. Void where prohibited by law. Some assembly required. No
other warranty expressed or implied. Although the bag does not appear
to inflate, rest assured oxygen will be flowing to the mask.
Oh, and in order to win you not only have to enter, but also finish
your game. You will have one year (until August 1, 2009) to do so.
No completed game? No money - and somewhere in the world, a fairy
dies.
Again this year, there shall be an 'Honorable' category. Anyone who
enters but doesn't place in the top three will fit into this
category. We want everyone to have an incentive to finish their game,
so the first Honorable to complete their game will receive the $20
Honorable prize, provided that the entry isn't incredibly buggy and
just sort of slapped together. (Since the money will be coming out of
my pocket, I have the final word on that bit. No questions asked, and
no complaining. Submit your solid, finished game in the spirit of
the comp and you'll get the cash; submit something you obviously wrote
for a SpeedIF and I shall mock you and keep the $20 for the next
person who finishes their game.)
DEADLINE
All introductions should be submitted on or before August 1, 2008 at
11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time.
Intent to enter should be submitted by July 1, 2007, so that I know
you've had enough time to beta test. If you want to send me your
intent right now, go for it. You need not wait until the deadline.
UPDATES
Watch r.a.i-f, as well as at the IntroComp page on the XYZZYnews web
site (http://www.xyzzynews.com/introcomp/) for updates.
***** REALLY IMPORTANT: SUBMISSION GUIDELINES *****
ALL questions, intents to enter, and final submissions should be sent
to my e-mail account. While I will try to follow IntroComp on the
groups between now and August, I don't religiously read the news
groups, and I have a very demanding day job, so if you have a question
and actually want a timely response, please drop me an e-mail at my
gmail.com account - jacqueline.a.lott). Please also note that I'm
sometimes in the wilderness (that's right, the wilderness, where
Internet is but a twinkle in some grizzly bear's eye) for up to eight
days at a time, so if you don't get a reply right away, it probably
means that I'm in the woods and will reply as soon as my hiking boots
bring me back to 'civilization.'
_____
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS*
*for very small values of "frequently"
SO HOW LONG/SHORT SHOULD AN INTROCOMP ENTRY BE?
There are no strict length requirements. If you want to enter a
complete game, or merely an opening screen or just a title, there's
nothing technically stopping you - though given the voting rules, this
may not be the best strategy.
WHAT'S TO STOP ME FROM JUST ADDING "AND THEN THEY ALL DIED -- THE END"
TO MY ENTRY AND THEN CLAIMING MY PRIZE? BWAHAHAHA!
Nothing... except the ridicule and ostracization of your peers. Also,
keep in mind that you have to send me your address in order to get
your prize, and you'd be surprised how easily it is to acquire smelly,
rotten salmon here in Alaska.
CAN I SUBMIT A SECTION FROM THE MIDDLE OF MY GAME INSTEAD OF THE
BEGINNING?
No, that would be ExcerptComp.
HOW ABOUT THE ENDING OF MY GAME?
Next question, please.
WHEN I FINISH WRITING MY GAME, CAN I SUBMIT IT TO IFCOMP?
No go, my friend. It would run afoul of the spirit of IFComp's "no
prior release" rule. You may be allowed to enter it in other
minicomps, though - ask your local minicomp dealer.
BUT I STILL WANT TO KNOW MORE!
That wasn't exactly a question, that was more of an exclamation...
Okay, I get your point. Maybe you should take a look at the previous
years' winners to get a better idea of what's going on here:
http://www.wurb.com/if/award/9
If you still have a question after that, drop me an e-mail.
_____
The waters of Usenet were once rich in posters. Then the Usenet
trawlers set their nets and devastated the population, leaving the
ecology in serious imbalance.