October 1, 2004
IF Comp 2004 Unleashed
The games begin: you can now download entries in the 2004 Interactive Fiction Competition. Thanks to Stephen Granade for organizing the Comp yet again this year. There are 38 entries: 9 TADS 2, 20 Inform/Z-code, 1 Hugo, 2 TADS 3, 1 Hugo, 1 Inform/Glulx, 1 Adrift, 1 Alan, and 2 Windows games. The rules specify that over the next six weeks, the judges (that’s you, unless you’re an author of a game or not interested) can play each for at most two hours before voting. Anyone who has played five or more can vote, although judges are ask to play as many as they can. More about how to judge is online, as are the rules the authors have to abide by and information on the history of The Comp. There are prizes, including US $500.
The Comp is a very important event for the IF community and for interactive fiction, and has been for a while – this is the ninth annual Comp. More elaborate games are usually released at other times, however, due to the two-hour rule of the Comp. Other competitions with different formats have also arisen to encourage different sorts of work. One is the 32k contest I just recently mentioned; another is the Spring Thing. So, enjoy the games now, and keep in mind that there are more opportunities for authors to compete and will be more games to enjoy…