[IntroComp] The rumors of this comp's death are greatly exaggerated!
mtnme...@yahoo.com
of hanging. (And until I went to post this today I had no idea
there'd been discussion of it here; I don't really read the newsgroups
all that much.)
For better or worse, I have a life and this year of my life has been
more hectic than most. You're probably not interested in the details,
but I have moved 200 miles, started a new job, am presently unpacking
into a new house while juggling new career goals, not to mention my
personal life and that later this year at an as yet undetermined date,
I will be sent off for six months of training for work - during which
time, my life won't really be my own. It's this last bit that has
delayed my announcement of the competition.
I *still* don't know the date of when I get shipped off, but I hear
right now it's in August sometime. I'm going to risk it and run on
that assumption. This training is a major step in my career, and once
it's done the predictability of my life should even out a little, so
beginning next year I hope to establish a regular date for this thing.
And so: that announcement some of you have been watching for...
(Hooray for interest!)
_____
You've been sitting at this table gazing into the crystal ball for so
long that your vision has begun to blur. You were certain that the
image would appear a third time, but after so much waiting, you are
beginning to lose hope of ever seeing it again. Sad, really. In the
past you'd just watched the image come and go, but this time you know
what to do. If only it would reappear!
Then, unexpectedly, you watch as 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, 2005
Entry Deadline: July 17, 2005, 11:59 PM EST
Release 4
A wave of relief washes over you. The time has come yet again! Later
than expected, perhaps, but that's of little consequence to you at
present. You know what you must do!
What should you, the writer and programmer, do now?
> CODE THE BEGINNING BITS OF THE BEST IF GAME *EVER*
Sounds like a plan.
That's right. It's time for the fourth annual IntroComp. Delayed
again, but here again nonetheless. One of these days we'll get the
timing all figured out, I promise.
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 July 17, 2005 at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard
Time. That's not quite three months from now, but these are only
introductions, folks. That should be sufficient, and will give us two
weeks for judging prior to the end of the month.
JUDGING RULES
Anyone 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 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.
PRIZE RULES
Of course there will be prizes! What prizes, precisely, will be
announced at a later date. They will be awarded as in the regular
IFComp: first-place winner gets first pick, second-place winner gets
second pick, etc., with one important catch: authors don't get their
prizes until they've finished a completed version of their entry. They
have one year (until July 17, 2006) to do so; if they fail to do this,
the prize in question will be donated to the following year's
IntroComp, and they go home empty-handed.
DEADLINE
All introductions should be submitted on or before July 17, 2005 at
11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time. Intent to enter should be submitted by
July 1, 2005, so that I know you've had enough time to beta test.
*************
**IMPORTANT**
*************
ALL questions, intents to enter, and final submissions should be sent
to my gmail.com account: jacqueline.a.lott - I do NOT read the e- mail
address listed at the top of this post, and really never have. It is
there merely as a spam catcher, and this tripped a few people up last
year. I don't religiously read the news groups, either, so if you
have a question, please drop me an e-mail to ensure a response.
Watch r.a.i-f, as well as at the IntroComp page on the XYZZYnews Web
site (http://www.xyzzynews.com/introcomp/) for updates.
_____
Frequently Asked Questions(1):
(1) 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.
WHAT ARE THE PRIZES?
We're working on it. Expect some cash, some IF- related goodies, and
some random stuff.
CAN I SUBMIT A SECTION FROM THE MIDDLE OF MY GAME INSTEAD OF THE
BEGINNING?
No, that would be ExcerptComp.
HOW DOES THIS DIFFER FROM PROLOGUECOMP?
It's an ENTIRELY DIFFERENT THING.
CAN YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC?
PrologueComp was just for intro text that appears before the start of
the game. IntroComp is for the actual beginnings of games - think
TextFire, only serious. Not that mere prologues will be turned away,
but you may want to think twice about submitting one, since it'll be
competing with stuff people can actually play.
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
_____
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.
VERY IMPORTANT: Please direct all e-mail to my gmail.com account:
jacqueline.a.lott, as I do not check the e-mail I used to set up my
Google account.