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Showing posts from June, 2017

itch.io has the Summer jams!

Quick take: Starting almost immediately on itch.io is a "Summer Novel Festival" ( SUNOFES ) jam running to September 1st. This may be of interest to new IF authors not quite ready to jump into IFComp. A "jam" usually has lower stakes than a Comp; this one is no pressure, no judging, no prizes, just a sense of community focused more on the creation phase than the end product: An online game jam focused on adventure, interactive fiction, role-playing game, and visual novels. Starts July 1st, ends August 31st, annually. Feel free to start working before the festival begins. No one is required to start their work from scratch unless they want to. If you have any unfinished projects in mind, you're invited to use this festival for completing it. SuNoFES has no judging or prizes - the only rewards are those that come from the challenge and camaraderie with others. Takes place during July and August. Project must be a new game and have not been published before...

By the CSIDE!

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ChoiceScript is a very easy language to write in. It is how all Choice of Games narratives are created. It is simple, powerful, and lets an author do more writing than coding to create an extensive choice narrative that can hinge on the powerful accumulation of stats that bend and alter the story and an individual player's game experience. Right now, CoG publication is probably one of the most accessible and visible ways for choice-IF authors to actually get a game out to the public and get paid for it. Choice of Games commissions talented authors for their featured stories that fit within their specific inclusive "house style" framework they are known for and their audience expects, but anyone can submit an "indie" spec game to be hosted by CoG as long as it complies with a certain number of minimally sensible parameters with regard to length and content. That said, writing a CS narrative that fans will want to play and shell out a few dollars for is an e...

Introcomp: New Website, Intents due June 30!

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IntroComp is one of the coolest low-key events on the IF calendar that hopefully will get a lot more attention this year with a snazzy new website and new management. This is the one ongoing competition that actively solicits unfinished IF works. It's a great way for new IF authors to get their feet wet if they've never finished a game and attempted a comp, or want some support and motivation to do so. One major change this year is IntroComp is accepting any slice of an unfinished game as opposed to just the beginning; the website makes clear the "Intro" part of IntroComp now means you are " Intro ducing your game" as opposed to providing just the actual "intro" as required in years past. The website rules state authors may submit the middle or end of a game as well. There are also cash prizes with a catch: the author has to actually  finish the game within one year and notify the Comp organizers to claim a prize. Even if a submitted game does...