Big ups to @shortgame for reaching its 400 episode / 10 year milestone. The Short Game continues to be my favorite #videogames podcast, focusing (almost) exclusively on modestly scoped games that you can experience fully within a few hours of play, rather than monster-sized content-platform blockbusters.
I started listening to it two or three years into its run, when I was clued into their annual #IFComp coverage--a tradition it's stuck to, amidst its focus on indie and commercial work.
Doing some email housekeeping, replying to two thoughtful letters I received this winter about past Fogknife posts. They both predate my time in the Fediverse, and neither is time-sensitive, so let me re-link:
Their threshold for "short" is "under 10 hours", and there are exceptions even to that, so it really covers a very wide range of games, many of them indies.
They've been at this for a while, with a backlog of more than 400 episodes.
If you enjoy #interactivefiction, note that they are doing a great rundown of some of this year's #IFComp entries, starting with this episode:
Leaving #NewOrleans this evening, after a full week disconnected from my day-job, and with no agenda other than slowly marinating in the cultural remoulade.
I love this city's attitude, its people, and its food. "I could live here”, I say to Amy, who rolls her eyes because I say that about almost* every city we've visited.
My last visit here was ten years ago. Lord willing I'll see it a third time. ⚜️
The origins of @IFTF have a leg in #NewOrleans, albeit in a very personal way.
I was enjoying the weather at a sidewalk cafe here, almost exactly ten years ago, when @sargent emailed me to ask if I knew anyone who would be interested in running #IFComp for a while.
I spent the rest of my visit thinking hard about how I should answer that question. I have no doubt today that the jazz-marbled river air of NOLA inspired the answer I did give, and everything IFTF that has flowed from it since.
The #IFComp started earlier this month, but please don't forget that you still have a few weeks to apply for one of our micro-grants!
We'd love to support your #InteractiveFiction related project. Want to put some work towards an open source project? Build new educational content? Spread the word about IF? Promote accessibility? Support your community, or need help with hosting costs? Please tell us about it in our super simple application form! https://iftechfoundation.org/committees/grants/grants-guidelines/
Just an open question for today: were any #Inform7 games published in between the ones that accompanied its release and the 2006 #ifcomp (i.e., during May through September of 2006) ?
IFComp 2023 is going strong! We've got a good assortment of reviews, discussion, and general Interactive Fiction talk happening on the Intfiction Forums. Join us if you're interested in games told through prose.
It's October 1, one of the most exciting days of the year! For one thing, it's the opening day of #IFComp, which means there are 75 brand-new handcrafted #InteractiveFiction games available for playing—and judging, which anyone can do if you sign up and rate at least 5 games. Playing games AND rendering judgments—what could be more satisfying?
Here's where you can find the entries, including 8 marked "puzzle," 11 marked "mystery," and coincidentally at least half a dozen about ships: https://ifcomp.org/ballot/
The 2023 IFComp for interactive fiction games is open for judging. Come and play/judge a wonderful mix of games both choice based interactive fiction and traditional parser text adventures. Judges have until the middle of November to rate. You only need judge 5 games total for your votes to count. https://ifcomp.org#ifcomp#ifcomp2023#InteractiveFiction#GameDev#IndieGames#CreativeWriting
It's those hours of the year when #InteractiveFiction people in Asia, Oceania, Africa and Europe are thinking "yes, but it already is October 1st" and trying to calculate the time in the USA. #IFComp
I know everyone is focused on and excited about #IFComp starting very soon but let me toot my horn:
Tonight I've finished writing the transition between Act 3 and 4 of my parser-based #Cento - that is, I've strung together 74 sentences from 73 #InteractiveFiction games to make a "cutscene" that moves the story forward with a pretty big plot twist! And yes it reads pretty well 😀
This game a lot of work, but also a lot of fun. Onwards!
Well, that's it! I've uploaded what I think will have to be the final version of my #IFComp game. The deadline is tomorrow, but I have a busy day ahead of me, so this is where I'll leave it.
About four days from now, on October 1st, the competition will open, and you'll be able to play...