IntroComp 2007
Jacqueline A. Lott
It's about time! Jacqueline never announces this thing until the
last
second, generally drawing wild speculation from the IF community
as to whether or not there's going to be another IntroComp...
> 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 15, 2007
Entry Deadline: August 4, 2007, 11:59 PM EST
Release 6
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 JACQUELI...@GMAIL.COM
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 4, 2007 at 11:59 PM
Eastern Standard Time. That's a bit less time than I've sometimes
given in the past, but should still be sufficient time to write a
polished
entry - they're only introdoctions, not full-blown games, after all.
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?"
Unless there are an insane number of entries (which would be great),
we'll allow a couple of weeks for judging, with results announced
'round mid-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 4, 2008) to do so. No
completed game? No money - and somewhere in the world, a fairy dies.
For the second time, there's 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 4, 2007 at
11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time.
Intent to enter should be submitted by July 15, 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.
***** 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,
so if you have a question and actually want a timely response,
please drop me an e-mail (jacqueli...@gmail.com).
_____
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.
Raksab
wrote:
> > SIT DOWN
>
> It's about time! Jacqueline never announces this thing until the
> last
> second, generally drawing wild speculation from the IF community
> as to whether or not there's going to be another IntroComp...
>
> > 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 15, 2007
> Entry Deadline: August 4, 2007, 11:59 PM EST
> Release 6
>
> A wave of relief washes over you. The time has come yet again!
>
> What should you, the writer and programmer, do now?
>
quick question: Can I submit the opening part of a game I've already
started writing, but haven't yet finished? (It has never yet been
seen by mortal player, but I have to admit it isn't brand new because
I've been toying with it for about a month already.)
Valzi
-Michael
Andrew Owen
this comp ever had to pay out?
K M
> The intro's the easy part. Complete in a year... that's tricky. Has
> this comp ever had to pay out?
If not, speculation in comp futures seems a solid investment plan.
Chephren
wrote:
>
> IntroComp: An Interactive Fiction Competition
>
Personally, I'm curious about how entrant's games from last year are
coming along. Is there anyone who entered and is still working on
their game? or approaching completion of it?
travel2light
game?
Thanks for any advice - Michael
Autymn D. C.
> Is a beta-tester for someone elses game allowed to submit their own
> game?
one has no their
anss...@hotmail.com
>
> one has no their
I beg to differ. In attempts at gender-neutral language, it is
passable to use 'their' in passages such as the above when referring
to a single individual, instead of 'his or her' which would be more
clumsy. That's why it is acceptable to say 'if you love somebody, set
them free' et al.
-Anssi
Eric
news:1181304449....@m36g2000hse.googlegroups.com...
On 8 kesä, 13:13, "Autymn D. C." <lysde...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:
>
> one has no their
> I beg to differ. In attempts at gender-neutral language, it is
Yeah, but see, you've got to realize something. Ol' Autymn is one of those
people that thinks they're clever. (My problem is, Autymn _isn't_ clever. I
actually _like_ trolls that are clever or that at least make you laugh or
make you think.) What's really amazing is that it's likely an _adult_ person
who sits there and types that stuff in, thinking they're clever or making a
point. Think about that. This is probably an _adult_ person. Someone who,
one would hope, actually grew up from childhood and learned how to operate
in the world. And yet there Autymn is; apparently able to do nothing other
than what we sporadically see. The decline of the human condition proceeds.
I always try to imagine doing something like this and then having my
children know that this is how I act. Would I _really_ want that? I wish
more trolls thought like that. Hell, I wish more people thought like that in
general.
travel2light
Sorry dumb question (tiredness). It happens.
Michael
Andrew Owen
There is no 'one' in that sentence. And unlike yours, it is perfectly
formed.
Valzi
It is passable much as "ain't" is passable, but with more acceptance
because using "their" in that manner is (poorly) attempting to do
something that the English language ought to be able to do and cannot
whereas "ain't" is a replacement for something which *can* be done in
without breaking grammar. Their is never singular, to put it simply.
If gender neutrality must be maintained, there are two ways to do it
within this syntax: "Is a beta-tester for someone elses game allowed
to submit their own game?"
The traditional (and perhaps disrespectful to the female sex) way to
do it is to pretend that the word "his" is gender neutral. As much as
this is at odds with common sense, it is grammatical. The second
(awkward but more respectful) way to do it is to replace "their" with
"his/her" or "his or her" or "her/his" or "her or his."
A recent raction to this problem has been to pretend that "her" is
gender neutral, which is not true, but may become accepted to the
point of generally being "true." It's just as sensible as the male
equivalent.
Just some fun clarification. I love language.
-Michael
Adam Thornton
Valzi <ValziBa...@gmail.com> wrote:
>It is passable much as "ain't" is passable, but with more acceptance
>because using "their" in that manner is (poorly) attempting to do
>something that the English language ought to be able to do and cannot
>whereas "ain't" is a replacement for something which *can* be done in
>without breaking grammar. Their is never singular, to put it simply.
I'm not even gonna address the ways in which it should be obvious even
to Ms. D. C. that "ain't" isn't a substitute for "isn't." It just ain't
worth it.
Adam
Bert Byfield
> it within this syntax: "Is a beta-tester for someone elses game
> allowed to submit their own game?"
I vote for going plural like this, since more than one person is
implied in the meaning if not the grammar, and because the alternatives
are worse.
Sometimes the problem can be avoided by rewriting the whole
sentence, but often this is more trouble than it is worth.
travel2light
>
> It is passable much as "ain't" is passable, but with more acceptance
> because using "their" in that manner is (poorly) attempting to do
> something that the English language ought to be able to do and cannot
> whereas "ain't" is a replacement for something which *can* be done in
> without breaking grammar.
Why is it 'poorly'. It's natural English. Innit? :-)
Michael
Michael Martin
wrote:
> Personally, I'm curious about how entrant's games from last year are
> coming along. Is there anyone who entered and is still working on
> their game? or approaching completion of it?
Weishaupt Scholars is still being developed; I ported the prologue to
Inform 7 (which took three evenings, starting from ground zero, which
was about when I decided that I really liked I7) and then... kept
going. Other projects intervened, and it sort of lost priority after
the year was up, but development does continue on it. It's up to
41,000 words or so, and the way the IntroComp experience changed it is
an interesting one. I'll probably write that up once I'm done with
it.
It also probably doesn't count as a "completed game for which
Weishaupt Scholars: Prologue is an intro" anymore since the scene
ordering has been juggled so that it doesn't actually begin the same
way, but hey, it's been over a year, so what the heck, right?
--Michael
Greg Boettcher
wrote:
> Personally, I'm curious about how entrant's games from last year are
> coming along. Is there anyone who entered and is still working on
> their game? or approaching completion of it?
I've been working hard on my game for most of the last year. I know I
won't be able to meet the July deadline, but I plan to release the
game... well, best not to jinx myself with a new deadline. I
definitely plan to release it, though. With feelies, probably, too.
Greg
Benj
Um, you forgot to say: "else's", shithead
travel2light
You're not 'all that'. Get over yourself.
Hazard Suit
Does one get an approval answer from Mrs. Lott? I wrote her some time
ago and got no response.
Jacqueline A. Lott
> Does one get an approval answer from Mrs. Lott? I wrote her some time
> ago and got no response.
Hazard Suit,
My apologies if I've missed an e-mail from you. I've been replying to
all IntroComp mail with a very quick turn-around, so if you e-mailed
me and didn't hear back, I apologize. Please, drop me your note
again.
Thanks,
Jacqueline
Jacqueline A. Lott
I've actually never received that question before... Honestly, I guess
that'd be up to you and the person for whom you beta tested and to be
fair, you should get permission from them to enter. You'll have a bit
of an unfair advantage, in that you will have seen some of your
competition prior to the entry deadline (though in reality, that may
not matter - you should just do your best in writing and programming
regardless of the competition). Were I in your shoes, I'd probably
wait until next year to enter an intro, just to be fair, but I'm not
going to make that call. Let your conscience (and the friend for whom
you beta tested) decide.
- Jacqueline
(...And sorry for the delay in replying. As stated in the actual
announcement, if you want a timely response, you really need to send
me an e-mail. Quite often, my schedule doesn't allow me to be online
for much else.)
Jacqueline A. Lott
> The intro's the easy part. Complete in a year... that's tricky. Has
> this comp ever had to pay out?
Not so far, no. Hopefully soon...
- Jacqueline
Jacqueline A. Lott
> Does one get an approval answer from Mrs. Lott? I wrote her some time
> ago and got no response.
Ah, now that I've revealed your full e-mail address and looked it up,
I see that we did touch base by e-mail earlier in the month. Sorry
that I didn't put those two bits of information together - please
disregard my earlier response!
- Jacqueline