This means i can post my scores on my “blog”. Thanks!
And in fact, here they are: http://andromedalegacy.blogspot.it/2014/11/ectocomp2014-quick-reviews.html
It’s over! … or is it? (okay, no, really, it is.) And the winner is… Caelyn Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine, for Candlesmoke! A hearty round of applause and congratulations for everyone who participated in ECTOCOMP this year, writers and judges and ghosts and goblins. I’ve listed the full results below, and will post the scoring/reviews next.
Ectocomp 2014 Final Results
- Candlesmoke, 7.75
- It Is Pitch Black, 7.67
- Devil’s Food, 7.0
- Lisey, 6.78
- Wedding Day, 6.58
- Lime Ergot, 6.55
- First Person, 6.25
- Candy Rush Saga, 6.1
- Eclosion, 6.0
- The Voodoo You Do 2, 5.85
- A Fly on the Wall, 5.83
- Choose Your Own SPOOKY Death, 5.23
- Another Cliched Adventure Game & City of the Living Dead, 4.42
- The Weird Mirror, 4.31
- Carriage Returns, 3.83
- Character Creator, 3.62
- halloween candy triage simulator, 3.31
- IDSPISPOPD, 2.9
Holy crow!
Thanks so much, everybody! These games were great fun to write (and I always look forward to collaborating with Carolyn); I’m glad you enjoyed them!
Congrats!
(I am feeling guilty for not getting around to enough games to vote. In my defence, I am nursing a cold and the comp broke my review-brain and a grue ate my homework.)
Congrats Caelyn & Carolyn! Definitely worthy of the top spot.
I’m kind of impressed with how brutal the voting went. I graded on a curve because of the three hour time limit, but I see not everyone felt the same way about voting!
Thank you to the competition organizers, and to everyone who played our game and liked it! It makes me really happy that Candlesmoke went over as well as we hoped it would.
Name of judge: Andrew Schultz
Author: Yes
Not judging Lisey and Devil’s Food as I tested them. I hope I am not too stingy with the scores. This was a fun comp to play.
=====================
Another Cliched Adventure Game (ACAG), by David Whyld [ACAG.html]
The jokes were a bit too obvious and fourth-wall and didn’t really make me laugh as much as Healy’s. Nevertheless, this game had more than average content & was well organized.
Score: 4/10
=====================
Candlesmoke, by Caelyn Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine [Candlesmoke - Ectocomp.html]
This feels like what a SpeedIF game should be, but nothing more. I like having different endings with one ultimate good one, and I enjoyd being able to poke around in the house. Looking at the source code left me feeling the most detailed end was a bit too ludicrous.
Score: 7/10
=====================
Carriage Returns, by David Good [Carriage Returns.gblorb]
I’m not a bit Rocky Horror fan (watched it once, which was enough) so I was stumped here. Nevertheless, if you know what to do, I suppose you get the joke.
Score: 3/10
=====================
Character Creator, by Erin Gigglecreek [charactercreation.z8]
Rather cute but not enough interactivity for me. I mean, there’s lots of cool masks and stuff but I was hoping for more than to look at myself–with it, this game makes a big jump.
Score: 3/10
=====================
Choose Your Own SPOOKY Death, by Healy [CYODEATH.html]
Lots of fun stuff but a bit too random and while it makes fun of a few genre conventions. This is what SpeedIF is for and this sort of game should always do OK. I expect a couple games like this in the comp and they’re good to see, sort of like Patsy and Elmo’s Gramma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.
Score: 5/10
=====================
City of the Living Dead, by Joshua Houk (as Tanah Atkinson) [CityoftheLivingDead.html]
The randomization caught up to me after a bit, but the scenarios are interesting. Still it’s rather light on action & maybe not so halloweeny.
Score: 3/10
=====================
Eclosion, by Buster Hudson [Eclosion.html]
Score: 8/10
I suspect I’m missing something to get the best ending, as I thought I marked everything off. It’s a good use of arranging stuff in order without being too restrictive or inviting, and the deaths made sense. I just wasn’t thinking. But I had some fun frustration with scratch paper & couldn’t bring myself to tear open the source code, which is a good sign.
=====================
First Person, by Buster Hudson [First Person.gblorb]
I’m not big on games that Capture Helplessness, and this was one of them. I have enough helplessness next to people blasting music on their iPods and don’t want any more unless there’s some humor in it, and that’s kind of cranky, I know, so I recommend Eclosion instead. The “about” message is cute, though.
Score: 4/10
=====================
A Fly on the Wall, by Nigel Jayne [A Fly On the Wall.zblorb]
I confess I bailed on the game and went to the walkthrough after a few tries. I didn’t get anywhere even with petting the cat and talking to the nun and Frankie. But there’s enough good writing here, and it’s not forced on me, that I feel I can give the game at least a partial pass.
Score: 6/10
=====================
halloween candy triage simulator 2014 by j. marie [candysim.html]
This was pretty much just click away with the least interaction of any of the games.
Score: 3/10
=====================
IDSPISPOPD, by Christopher Brent [IDSPISPOPD.zip]
Score: 3/10
The semi-parser didn’t quite work for me as I had no idea when I actually had to do something, and with no undo on top of that, it’s rather tricky to work through without the source code. And while I learned a new acronym, I’m not terribly invested in Doom, so the emotional impact was low.
=====================
It Is Pitch Black, by Caelyn Sandel [it-is-pitch-black.html]
The best game of the comp I thought. It has fear of the dark and resource usage (stave off grues) and references to Zork without restricting itself to the Zork canon. Lot of nice bits about old electronics stores and a nice mystery about why they were there. It doesn’t need to be answered. Deciding whether to burn the money was a good tough choice.
Score: 9/10
=====================
Lime Ergot, by Caleb Wilson (as Rust Blight) [lime.z5]
The writing is fun enough though I got a bit tired of just examining–after the second lime I got a bit tired. I enjoyed the ways to get killed but wasn’t motivated to find the win the disassembler showed. I think I hit all the amusing bits.
Score: 4/10
=====================
The Voodoo You Do 2, by Marshal Tenner Winter [The Voodoo You Do 2.gblorb]
Not much to do and the Baron Samedi character is a bit didactic, explaining about voodoo. Still, the alternate endings work pretty well.
Score: 4/10
=====================
Wedding Day, by E. Joyce [Wedding Day.zblorb]
I had trouble guessing the verb, or the direction, for the “other” ending, but it makes sense now. I liked the ritual at the start. It added to the emotional pull. E.g. is it going to be a happy wedding, or sad?
Score: 5/10
=====================
The Weird Mirror, by M.J. Antonellis [The Weird Mirror. html]
This game didn’t try to do too much, and the ending made me laugh, as did details throughout. A different laughter than the silly-death games, and variety is good.
Score: 5/10
Name of judge: Joshua Houk (as Tanah Atkinson)
Author: Yes
Another Cliched Adventure Game (ACAG), by David Whyld [ACAG.html]
Score: 2/10
=====================
Candlesmoke, by Caelyn Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine [Candlesmoke - Ectocomp.html]
Score: 5/10
=====================
Candy Rush Saga, by Andrew Schultz [Candy Rush Saga.zblorb]
Score: 3/10
=====================
Carriage Returns, by David Good [Carriage Returns.gblorb]
Score: 2/10
=====================
Character Creator, by Erin Gigglecreek [charactercreation.z8]
Score: 1/10
=====================
Choose Your Own SPOOKY Death, by Healy [CYODEATH.html]
Score: 3/10
=====================
City of the Living Dead, by Joshua Houk (as Tanah Atkinson) [CityoftheLivingDead.html]
Score: X/10
=====================
Devil’s Food, by Hanon Ondricek [devilsfood.zip]
Score: 6/10
=====================
Eclosion, by Buster Hudson [Eclosion.html]
Score: 6/10
=====================
First Person, by Buster Hudson [First Person.gblorb]
Score: 4/10
=====================
A Fly on the Wall, by Nigel Jayne [A Fly On the Wall.zblorb]
Score: 5/10
=====================
halloween candy triage simulator 2014 by j. marie [candysim.html]
Score: 2/10
=====================
IDSPISPOPD, by Christopher Brent [IDSPISPOPD.zip]
Score: 2/10
=====================
It Is Pitch Black, by Caelyn Sandel [it-is-pitch-black.html]
Score: 6/10
=====================
Lime Ergot, by Caleb Wilson (as Rust Blight) [lime.z5]
Score: 8/10
=====================
LISEY, by Marco Innocenti [lisey.gblorb]
Score: 4/10
=====================
The Voodoo You Do 2, by Marshal Tenner Winter [The Voodoo You Do 2.gblorb]
Score: 3/10
=====================
Wedding Day, by E. Joyce [Wedding Day.zblorb]
Score: 4/10
=====================
The Weird Mirror, by M.J. Antonellis [The Weird Mirror. html]
Score: 2/10
Name of judge: Caleb Wilson
Author: Yes (I wrote Lime Ergot.)
=====================
Another Cliched Adventure Game (ACAG), by David Whyld [ACAG.html]
Score: 3/10
=====================
Candlesmoke, by Caelyn Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine [Candlesmoke - Ectocomp.html]
Score: 10/10
=====================
Candy Rush Saga, by Andrew Schultz [Candy Rush Saga.zblorb]
Score: --/10
(didn’t play enough to rate)
=====================
Carriage Returns, by David Good [Carriage Returns.gblorb]
Score: 4/10
=====================
Character Creator, by Erin Gigglecreek [charactercreation.z8]
Score: 4/10
=====================
Choose Your Own SPOOKY Death, by Healy [CYODEATH.html]
Score: 5/10
=====================
City of the Living Dead, by Joshua Houk (as Tanah Atkinson) [CityoftheLivingDead.html]
Score: 3/10
=====================
Devil’s Food, by Hanon Ondricek [devilsfood.zip]
Score: 5/10
=====================
Eclosion, by Buster Hudson [Eclosion.html]
Score: 8/10
=====================
First Person, by Buster Hudson [First Person.gblorb]
Score: 8/10
=====================
A Fly on the Wall, by Nigel Jayne [A Fly On the Wall.zblorb]
Score: 5/10
=====================
halloween candy triage simulator 2014 by j. marie [candysim.html]
Score: 3/10
=====================
IDSPISPOPD, by Christopher Brent [IDSPISPOPD.zip]
Score: 4/10
=====================
It Is Pitch Black, by Caelyn Sandel [it-is-pitch-black.html]
Score: 9/10
=====================
Lime Ergot, by Caleb Wilson (as Rust Blight) [lime.z5]
Score: --/10
(I wrote this one.)
=====================
LISEY, by Marco Innocenti [lisey.gblorb]
Score: --/10
(Didn’t play enough to rate.)
=====================
The Voodoo You Do 2, by Marshal Tenner Winter [The Voodoo You Do 2.gblorb]
Score: 6/10
=====================
Wedding Day, by E. Joyce [Wedding Day.zblorb]
Score: 7/10
=====================
The Weird Mirror, by M.J. Antonellis [The Weird Mirror. html]
Score: 6/10
Name of judge: Jason Lautzenheiser
Author: No
Another Cliched Adventure Game (ACAG), by David Whyld [ACAG.html]
Score: 5/10
Sets out to do exactly what it says. A few places that I chuckled at (the second door in the intial room that was lacking in the initial description).
=====================
Candlesmoke, by Caelyn Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine [Candlesmoke - Ectocomp.html]
Score: 7/10
Interesting concept and I had fun playing this. I would love to see a parser version of this as I think there is a lot of potential for great interactions.
=====================
Candy Rush Saga, by Andrew Schultz [Candy Rush Saga.zblorb]
Score: 7/10
Took some thought at first, but a well executed “puzzler”. Mechanic is well done.
=====================
Carriage Returns, by David Good [Carriage Returns.gblorb]
Score: 3/10
I honestly got stuck on this one. I was able to eat couldn’t get past that and wasn’t sure what else to do. I give a few points for the cheese on the pie (a nice addition that not many know about) I felt I was missing something obvious.
=====================
Character Creator, by Erin Gigglecreek [charactercreation.z8]
Score: 5/10
Another one where it is what it says it is. I think there were a few tricks that would have made this more complete (implementing the senses and changing depending on what currently have – smell with no nose, x when no eyes or more eyes)…clever
=====================
Choose Your Own SPOOKY Death, by Healy [CYODEATH.html]
Score: 4/10
a few clicks and you reach an end…sometimes a bit verbose that I might have missed a few of the “jokes”. writing could be tightened some as I noticed some grammar issues.
=====================
City of the Living Dead, by Joshua Houk (as Tanah Atkinson) [CityoftheLivingDead.html]
Score: 4/10
Ehhh…didn’t enjoy it really…a generated text as you move from place to place, seems to be no ending that I could find. Kudos though for making the font bigger than the standard Twine font…helps my old eyes.
=====================
Devil’s Food, by Hanon Ondricek [devilsfood.zip]
Score: 8/10
This was fun, surprising how well this was done in the time limit. Would love to see this expanded into something further.
=====================
Eclosion, by Buster Hudson [Eclosion.html]
Score: 6/10
This was kind of fun. Overall well done and it’s premise was compelling. Would love to see more.
=====================
First Person, by Buster Hudson [First Person.gblorb]
Score: 8/10
I enjoyed this one. I managed to escape on the first attempt and it seemed the pretty obvious choice. I liked the choice of voice, the player controls the victim, but we hear from the point of view of the killer.
=====================
A Fly on the Wall, by Nigel Jayne [A Fly On the Wall.zblorb]
Score: 6/10
I did like the idea behind this, I found it a bit hard to work out, but perhaps that was just my current state of mind when playing through this. I think it’s well done given the time limit.
=====================
halloween candy triage simulator 2014 by j. marie [candysim.html]
Score: 3/10
Ehhh…done well enough and a few clever responses depending on what you find in your bag, but nothing to keep my attention for too long.
=====================
IDSPISPOPD, by Christopher Brent [IDSPISPOPD.zip]
Score: 4/10
Interesting read, but nothing I typed seemed to matter.
=====================
It Is Pitch Black, by Caelyn Sandel [it-is-pitch-black.html]
Score: 7/10
Interesting premise, enjoyed working through this one and relatively well implemented. I would love to see this as a larger parser game.
=====================
Lime Ergot, by Caleb Wilson (as Rust Blight) [lime.z5]
Score: 7/10
Clever parser game, writing was a bit excessive in places, but would like to see some polish and a post-comp expanded release.
=====================
LISEY, by Marco Innocenti [lisey.gblorb]
Score: 7/10
Nice little game.
=====================
The Voodoo You Do 2, by Marshal Tenner Winter [The Voodoo You Do 2.gblorb]
Score: 8/10
Well done and loved the atmosphere. A few technical glitches that could be polished…but really pretty good.
=====================
Wedding Day, by E. Joyce [Wedding Day.zblorb]
Score: 6/10
Some interesting pieces, would like to see a post-comp version more fully developed.
=====================
The Weird Mirror, by M.J. Antonellis [The Weird Mirror. html]
Score: 5/10
An odd one. I was slightly intrigued, but only slightly.
Name of judge: David Whyld
Author: Yes
Another Cliched Adventure Game (ACAG), by David Whyld [ACAG.html]
Score: /10
My own game so can’t vote on it.
=====================
Candlesmoke, by Caelyn Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine [Candlesmoke - Ectocomp.html]
Score: 6/10
The first game I played in the EctoComp and quite a good one. You play a detective investigating a murder and have to figure out what happened. Which involves lighting a number of candles around the house then heading down into the basement and finding someone (or something) trapped there. Which is where the game got a little weird. Up to this point, the options presented to me were perfectly logical and the sort of things I’d have tried anyway (well, maybe not so much lighting all the candles because why would a detective do that?) but once I found the thing in the basement, I was presented with all manner of options that didn’t make much sense. Is my detective a believer in the paranormal? Were the clues I found around the house meant to explain everything (because to me they didn’t)? I found three different endings but none of them were what I expected when I started playing the game.
=====================
Candy Rush Saga, by Andrew Schultz [Candy Rush Saga.zblorb]
Score: /10
=====================
Carriage Returns, by David Good [Carriage Returns.gblorb]
Score: 3/10
This was frustratingly buggy, even for a game written in 3 hours. I can’t talk to the waitress in the diner, but only to the couple, but only the once and after that I can’t talk to them again. I succeeded in ordering some food and ate it then wasn’t sure what else to do next, and when I tried to leave the diner and go somewhere else the game said I was still hungry and needed to eat something. After eating another dozen lots of pie, it still wouldn’t let me leave so I decided it was time to give up.
=====================
Character Creator, by Erin Gigglecreek [charactercreation.z8]
Score: 1/10
Another game I didn’t really understand the point of. I guess with a 3 hour time limit you can’t expect miracles, but some of the other authors actually managed to write something pretty damn good. This was amusing for a minute but that was all.
=====================
Choose Your Own SPOOKY Death, by Healy [CYODEATH.html]
Score: 8/10
Puerile humour, and all the better for it. There’s no real depth to this game, it’s just clicking links and reading the amusing text that follows, but it certainly had me chuckling a time or not (especially the author notes about adding extra options and other stuff via DLC). Playing this reminded me of why I fell in love with CYOA years ago – the feeling that literally anything can happen, no matter how ridiculous or far-fetched it might be.
=====================
City of the Living Dead, by Joshua Houk (as Tanah Atkinson) [CityoftheLivingDead.html]
Score: 2/10
Another one that fell into the “not really a game” category. Randomly-generated responses and no indication if you’re making any kind of progress (or no obvious indication at least).
=====================
Devil’s Food, by Hanon Ondricek [devilsfood.zip]
Score: /10 (unrated)
I was quite enjoying this till it committed the cardinal sin of messing around with the colours, changing the nice dark background I’d select into a glaring white then an awful sepia. After changing it back to black and it still changing itself back, I decided to quit. Pity. Up to that point, this was going very well.
=====================
Eclosion, by Buster Hudson [Eclosion.html]
Score: 1/10
This is one of those pointless little games that I really don’t get, full of weird options like “shed exuviam” and “pump hemolymph” and a style of game play that just seems to repeat itself endlessly with no indication whether you’re making any progress or not. After a couple of minutes of clicking option at random, I gave up.
=====================
First Person, by Buster Hudson [First Person.gblorb]
Score: 4/10
A locked-in-a-room game with no way out. Nicely written in the first person view of the title, but I never did manage to reach an ending which didn’t leave me facing a serial killer (and dying, I guess).
=====================
A Fly on the Wall, by Nigel Jayne [A Fly On the Wall.zblorb]
Score: 5/10
There seemed to be a lot going on here. Several different monitors to view, each showing a different room in the game in which various events are happening which results in someone being murdered. Look at the right monitor at the right time and you can see who the killer is – in theory anyway. I never managed it myself. Even following the walkthrough through to each of its three conclusions, I ended up with the same ending each time. Still, it’s a nice idea and there’s a lot of replay value here.
=====================
halloween candy triage simulator 2014 by j. marie [candysim.html]
Score: 1/10
I’m not sort what to make of it. Does it even count as a game? From what I could see, the only thing to do is click a link, which takes a piece of candy out of a bag. There’s no interaction beyond that. Another pointless game.
=====================
IDSPISPOPD, by Christopher Brent [IDSPISPOPD.zip]
Score: /10
=====================
It Is Pitch Black, by Caelyn Sandel [it-is-pitch-black.html]
Score: 6/10
Quite a spooky game where you play a kid trapped in a dark place about to be eaten by a grue. I had some fun with this one, looking for batteries, lighting matches and a lamp, trying to figure out the combination for a safe (and failing) before being rescued. I’m not sure the matches side of things worked out very well as often I was told I wasn’t carrying a lit match yet I was still able to explore for several more moves before being forced to light one. Maybe the event forcing you to light a match only kicks in at certain times? Still, one of the better games I played in the comp.
=====================
Lime Ergot, by Caleb Wilson (as Rust Blight) [lime.z5]
Score: 2/10
I couldn’t figure out what I was supposed to do in this game. Placing a lime in the hopper seemed like the logical choice, but as I didn’t have a lime and couldn’t find one anywhere, I never did get anywhere.
=====================
LISEY, by Marco Innocenti [lisey.gblorb]
Score: 8/10
A creep game involving a dead cat, a wife returning from the grave and a nicely atmospheric setting. I had a few problems getting the key out of the jacket – X didn’t do the job but SEARCH worked fine – but other than that it was plain sailing.
Unlike so many of the entries here, this seemed like a proper game in its own right and not just one written to a tight deadline.
=====================
The Voodoo You Do 2, by Marshal Tenner Winter [The Voodoo You Do 2.gblorb]
Score: 3/10
This started off better than some games but was a little too buggy for my liking. After exiting my casket and having a chat with the particularly foul-mouthed Baron Samedi, I couldn’t figure out what to do next. The hints said I needed something in my inventory, but checking my inventory produced a message telling me I had something but I couldn’t grasp it. The bug came in when I tried to DROP ALL and the item in question showed up, thus allowing me to use it to beat off Samedi and win the day. Not bad for a few minutes, but the inventory bug was a little unfortunate and the game lost a point or two for that.
=====================
Wedding Day, by E. Joyce [Wedding Day.zblorb]
Score: /10
=====================
The Weird Mirror, by M.J. Antonellis [The Weird Mirror. html]
Score: 2/10
I wouldn’t really call this a game as at no point during it was I ever called upon to make any kind of decision. Every option either led to some descriptive text then back to where I was or to another section. There was no way to deviate from the storyline at all. It also ended very suddenly, which I’m guessing is when the writer ran out of time or perhaps forgot that this is the EctoComp and not the IntroComp.
I was going to rate it 3/10 but the option “bowl of fresh berries” goes nowhere so that’s -1.
- Choose Your Own SPOOKY Death, by Healy (8)
- LISEY, by Marco Innocenti (8)
- Candlesmoke, by Caelyn Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine (6)
- It Is Pitch Black, by Caelyn Sandel (6)
- A Fly on the Wall, by Nigel Jayne (5)
- First Person, by Buster Hudson (4)
- Carriage Returns, by David Good (3)
- The Voodoo You Do 2, by Marshal Tenner Winter (3)
- City of the Living Dead, by Tanah Atkinson (2)
- Lime Ergot, by Rust Blight (2)
- The Weird Mirror, by M.J. Antonellis (2)
- Character Creator, by Erin Gigglecreek (1)
- Eclosion, by Buster Hudon (1)
- Halloween Candy Triage Simulator 2014, by j. Marie (1)
Name of judge: Marco Innocenti
Author: Yes
=====================
Another Cliched Adventure Game (ACAG), by David Whyld [ACAG.html]
Score: 6/10
Succeeds in cracking a smile, here and there. Unapologetic.
=====================
Candlesmoke, by Caelyn Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine [Candlesmoke - Ectocomp.html]
Score: 8/10
Well done and narrated. I’ve got a sense of spatial reasoning, and that was cool. Demoniacal.
=====================
Candy Rush Saga, by Andrew Schultz [Candy Rush Saga.zblorb]
Score: 8/10
Andrew never fails at delivering a puzzle. Old-style, but inventive in the setting. Nine is the new Fifteen.
=====================
Carriage Returns, by David Good [Carriage Returns.gblorb]
Score: 5/10
Got the RHPS references. But the end is too fast (although I understand this is not a comment which does justice to a SpeedIF). Welcome back on the field, Dave! Let’s do the time warp!
=====================
Character Creator, by Erin Gigglecreek [charactercreation.z8]
Score: 5/10
Some of the results in “dressing up” myself gave me the goosebumps. Trypophobia.
=====================
Choose Your Own SPOOKY Death, by Healy [CYODEATH.html]
Score: 5/10
Not bad. But “unfinished” means “cheating”, here. (Ok, I’m joking!). Latecomer.
=====================
City of the Living Dead, by Joshua Houk (as Tanah Atkinson) [CityoftheLivingDead.html]
Score: 5/10
Reminded me of Begscape by Porpentine. Is it random-generated? Cardinal.
=====================
Devil’s Food, by Hanon Ondricek [devilsfood.zip]
Score: 8/10
Impressive fantasy at work, here. While I loved setting, prose and the game itself, I surely hated the timed events. I can’t read that fast! Delicious.
=====================
Eclosion, by Buster Hudson [Eclosion.html]
Score: 5/10
Nice graphics. The game… I don’t think I found a good ending. Is there even one? Viral.
=====================
First Person, by Buster Hudson [First Person.gblorb]
Score: 8/10
Man, I LOVED the voice. The narrating character is cool, and the monologue-feeling was unique. Escaping is a bit too easy, though. Doh!
=====================
A Fly on the Wall, by Nigel Jayne [A Fly On the Wall.zblorb]
Score: 8/10
I’m impressed by what one can achieve in 3 hrs. Interesting, and this looks way bigger than it really is. Professional.
=====================
halloween candy triage simulator 2014 by j. marie [candysim.html]
Score: 5/10
Reminds me of an old joke about a boy who unwraps a candy. And then another, and then another. In the end the listener gets to ask: “so what?”. Untranslatable (from Italian. The joke, I mean.)
=====================
IDSPISPOPD, by Christopher Brent [IDSPISPOPD.zip]
Score: —/10 (not played, due to browser problems)
=====================
It Is Pitch Black, by Caelyn Sandel [it-is-pitch-black.html]
Score: 9/10
Well, a complete text adventure, with a map, a sprawling puzzle and some top-notch writing. I almost forgot it was made with Twine. Old-fashioned.
=====================
Lime Ergot, by Caleb Wilson (as Rust Blight) [lime.z5]
Score: 8/10
Incredible atmosphere and a good story told in just one room. I was almost surprised by the finale. Perfectly delivered. Sour.
=====================
LISEY, by Marco Innocenti [lisey.gblorb]
Score: —/10 It’s me, Sandra Dee!
=====================
The Voodoo You Do 2, by Marshal Tenner Winter [The Voodoo You Do 2.gblorb]
Score: 8/10
I could fee the damp. Loved the atmosphere. This time I’m sure MTW got the right voice for the right piece. Tongue-twister.
=====================
Wedding Day, by E. Joyce [Wedding Day.zblorb]
Score: 7/10
Well recounted, it took me to the ending without me noticing what was happening. Probably the most frightening of the games in this Ectocomp. Twilight zone.
=====================
The Weird Mirror, by M.J. Antonellis [The Weird Mirror. html]
Score: 5/10
Feels incomplete. I’d like to know more about Joe’s revenge, and what does this all mean. A post-comp release is most needed. Cliffhanger.
Name of judge: Buster Hudson
Author: Yes
=====================
Another Cliched Adventure Game (ACAG), by David Whyld [ACAG.html]
Score: 5/10
I think there was a wasted opportunity to pack the game full of horror cliches, and instead we get IF cliches. Or maybe I just don’t consider IF cliches scary enough!
=====================
Candlesmoke, by Caelyn Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine [Candlesmoke - Ectocomp.html]
Score: 9/10
Great job telling a full story within the time limit, even with the predictable endings. Point deducted for using the Twine default.
=====================
Candy Rush Saga, by Andrew Schultz [Candy Rush Saga.zblorb]
Score: 7/10
I’m impressed with Andrew’s ability to implement a sliding block puzzle within the time limit. But man, I wish he was less mechanical with his descriptions and less opaque with his room titles. I don’t want to remember that “Rock” is north and “Fire” is east, so “Rock/Fire” is northeast.
=====================
Carriage Returns, by David Good [Carriage Returns.gblorb]
Score: 7/10
I might be missing some context, given I wasn’t born for another decade from the game’s setting. Though I do love some Rocky Horror. I also needed the hint posted to intfiction.org in order to finish.
=====================
Character Creator, by Erin Gigglecreek [charactercreation.z8]
Score: 5/10
This game is inspiring me to make an entire game out of a character creation process, one that explores the idea of identity. I’d have scored this one higher if it expanded on the premise a bit more and didn’t have bugs.
=====================
Choose Your Own SPOOKY Death, by Healy [CYODEATH.html]
Score: 6/10
If I was going to die young, I’d want it to be a very silly death. I didn’t really find much humor in it, unfortunately. Just silliness.
=====================
City of the Living Dead, by Joshua Houk (as Tanah Atkinson) [CityoftheLivingDead.html]
Score: 8/10
I admire the author’s intentions in discussing gentrification, though it ends up being Begscape for not-homeless people. Bonus for at least increasing the text size in Twine’s default styling.
=====================
Devil’s Food, by Hanon Ondricek [devilsfood.zip]
Score: 8/10
So I might have to try AXMA at some point. Anyway, this game was silly but in a way that had me giggling. I loved the Porpentine section. Dierdre and I would be the best of friends. This would be a 10, but I had a hard time figuring out how to progress the story once in cake form. And I’d like a better ending.
=====================
Eclosion, by Buster Hudson [Eclosion.html]
Score: unrated/10
My game.
=====================
First Person, by Buster Hudson [First Person.gblorb]
Score: unrated/10
My game.
=====================
A Fly on the Wall, by Nigel Jayne [A Fly On the Wall.zblorb]
Score: unrated/10
The game is asking for more of me than I’m willing to commit.
=====================
halloween candy triage simulator 2014 by j. marie [candysim.html]
Score: 6/10
The Sorting was a vital part of the Halloween tradition. This brought back a lot of memories, despite the lack of a story. Bonus point for the great Twine styling!
=====================
IDSPISPOPD, by Christopher Brent [IDSPISPOPD.zip]
Score: unrated/10
Couldn’t get it to play for some reason? I blame my ineptness.
=====================
It Is Pitch Black, by Caelyn Sandel [it-is-pitch-black.html]
Score: 9/10
Yup, scary story. The writing works, and there’s a fun survival element that took a couple of tries to get through. I like how it’s a complete game. But curse that Twine default!
=====================
Lime Ergot, by Caleb Wilson (by Rust Blight) [lime.z5]
Score: 10/10
What a delightfully bizarre little game! I can’t tell what sells it more - the writing or the setting. I’d attribute this to maga if there were more bugs [emote]:)[/emote]
=====================
LISEY, by Marco Innocenti [lisey.gblorb]
Score: 8/10
It told a story, but one of grief instead of horror. I wasn’t a fan of the ending.
=====================
The Voodoo You Do 2, by Marshal Tenner Winter [The Voodoo You Do 2.gblorb]
Score: 8/10
While we don’t escape profanity-for-profanity’s-sake or the Dark African Arts trope, like his IFcomp entry, there’s a definite improvement in MTW’s gamemaking. I enjoy the Baron.
=====================
Wedding Day, by E. Joyce [Wedding Day.zblorb]
Score: 10/10
Yes, it relies on a commonly used trope, but I liked it. It was the only entry to tug at my heartstrings. I wish I could write so well within a short time limit. Figuring out I could escape was a delightful surprise.
=====================
The Weird Mirror, by M.J. Antonellis [The Weird Mirror. html]
Score: 6/10
I’m really not sure what’s going on, but that’s okay! It seems like that was the intention. I really despise default Twine.
Name of judge: Nick Turner
Author: No
Referring to the games in Ectocomp2014.zip from the first page of the forum
thread.
Twine games didn’t have undo due to my preferred browser settings (e.g. no DOM
storage).
Another Cliched Adventure Game (ACAG), by David Whyld [ACAG.html]
Score: 1/10
=====================
Candlesmoke, by Caelyn Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine [Candlesmoke -
Ectocomp.html]
Score: 6/10
Promising setting.
Does the PC announce her presence in the house?
It’s inconvenient remembering visited rooms without any cue.
“East to the living room” - A peculiar way to refer to rooms.
His sightless eyes
missing choice - close his eyes.
[Search the corpse] You locate a flat wallet in the right inside jacket
pocket.
- The PC could express some reservation touching a dead person.
a strange design crudely carved into the center. - Missing examine link.
You’ve even been forced to kill a dangerous suspect yourself. - lawyerly language “even shot a” more likely.
=====================
Candy Rush Saga, by Andrew Schultz [Candy Rush Saga.zblorb]
Score: 5/10
“all you can do is blink” - obscure
Entertaining. Not really scary.
Word commands are easier to remember than letters (B, BF, BT).
No default case for BLINKing scenery.
“Someone’s done this puzzle, probably, somehow, somewhere,”
You made a sliding puzzle.
Carriage Returns, by David Good [Carriage Returns.gblorb]
Score: 2/10
drive car
That’s not a verb I recognize.
open machine
It isn’t something you can open.
i
You are carrying nothing.
buy paper
You put a coin in the vending machine and buy a newspaper.
eat pie
It’s delicious. The sharp cheese really accentuates the sweet apples. Just like Grandma
used to make.
g
It’s delicious. The sharp cheese really accentuates the sweet apples. Just like Grandma
used to make.
g
It’s delicious. The sharp cheese really accentuates the sweet apples. Just like Grandma
used to make.
g
It’s delicious. The sharp cheese really accentuates the sweet apples. Just like Grandma
used to make.
g
It’s delicious. The sharp cheese really accentuates the sweet apples. Just like Grandma
used to make.
g
It’s delicious. The sharp cheese really accentuates the sweet apples. Just like Grandma
used to make.
g
It’s delicious. The sharp cheese really accentuates the sweet apples. Just like Grandma
used to make.
eat cheese
You can’t see any such thing.
w
You’re hungry, don’t you think you should eat?
=====================
Character Creator, by Erin Gigglecreek [charactercreation.z8]
Score: 3/10
score
You have so far scored 0 out of a possible 0, in 8 turns.
x coverings
In the closet of coverings are a fur coat, a feathered cloak, a suit of scales and a wool sweater.
take coat
You can’t see any such thing.
wear coat
You can’t see any such thing.
Not very gamelike. What’s a Tulpan?
=====================
Choose Your Own SPOOKY Death, by Healy [CYODEATH.html]
Score: 3/10
no fallout shelter? No suicide - MISSING CHOICE.
diners?
Halloween is the night of horrors, haunts, spooks, diners, and dives,
Comically bad.
RESTART link doesn’t work (Firefox 33, Ubuntu).
=====================
City of the Living Dead, by Joshua Houk (as Tanah Atkinson) [CityoftheLivingDead.html]
Score: 2/10
Dreary. Reminds of Begscape. It never occurs to the protagonist that moving
all the time could be a problem?! Why not move to another city/emigrate?
I kept moving (North) but the apocalypse never happened. I got bored.
Is it a maze?
Devil’s Food, by Hanon Ondricek [devilsfood.zip]
Score: 4/10
Pretty good. I don’t like theological settings. Wizards or maybe gods would
work.
=====================
Eclosion, by Buster Hudson [Eclosion.html]
Score: 1 /10 broken
I click ECLOSION but it goes to the first page (self link). Firefox 33,
Ubuntu. Also broken on OS X.
=====================
First Person, by Buster Hudson [First Person.gblorb]
Score: 3/10
Is the perspective undermining? To know what a killer thinks we can’t have been killed but then it can’t be a killer (I suspected multiple personalities)… reads like fantasy. Describe what the basement smells like - is it warm/cold? Is the PC hungry? Make the player wait a long time for attention. Make it feel like you’re really there.
=====================
A Fly on the Wall, by Nigel Jayne [A Fly On the Wall.zblorb]
Score: 1/10
=====================
halloween candy triage simulator 2014 by j. marie [candysim.html]
Score: 1/10
no bookmarks
" you have to sort it all out." - You can’t just eat it?
50?! Too many pieces of crap in the bag how can one little kid haul all
that shit around?
horror content?
IDSPISPOPD, by Christopher Brent [IDSPISPOPD.zip]
Score: 1/10
interactive? any choices? any other endings?
fuge? fugue
Uncued click-to-advance conflicts with click to select (for quotes).
Don’t scream for me (missing fingertip sound fx) - I will scream when I want!
needs spellchecking.
Name dropping. (Show a person don’t tell us a name).
I found the defunct text entry box distracting.
It Is Pitch Black, by Caelyn Sandel [it-is-pitch-black.html]
Score: 1/10
no bookmarks
I didn’t hear any music. Firefox 33, Ubuntu.
Auto-savepoints isn’t save-and-resume (say tomorrow or on another device) -
which can be accomplished using a bookmark.
Quite nice puzzle game. I had difficulty with navigation (I should have
made a map).
Lime Ergot, by Caleb Wilson (as Rust Blight) [lime.z5]
Score: /10
I couldn’t find the lime.
up
That way is water.
down
That way is water.
=====================
LISEY, by Marco Innocenti [lisey.gblorb]
Score: /10
I played a little on OS X.
On Ubuntu, the interpreter, Gargoyle, had an exception
fatal: FT_New_Face: CharterBT-Roman: 0x1
- same for git and glulxe: looks like a missing font.
=====================
The Voodoo You Do 2, by Marshal Tenner Winter [The Voodoo You Do 2.gblorb]
=====================
Score: 5/10
How do you go south?
missing response:
ask for some rum
talk
(to the gris-gris)
The gris-gris does not respond.
x gris
It resembles a modest hand-made, leather amulet.
take it
You already have that.
i
You have something … but you can’t quite grasp it … yet.
=====================
Wedding Day, by E. Joyce [Wedding Day.zblorb]
Score: 4/10
“behind his parents” barn,”
eat
What do you want to eat?
food
You can’t see any such thing.
=====================
The Weird Mirror, by M.J. Antonellis [The Weird Mirror. html]
Score: 3/10
Then he had an idea.
- What was the idea?
bent down and touched the glass as if to pick it up.
- don’t try that (handling broken glass) at home unless you’re wearing
gloves
a bowl of fresh berries
- but they aren’t fresh if they’ve been in the fridge.
the mirror room
- every farm has one of those?!
and that’s when he remembered, the get the device.
- the what?
Abrupt ending, Scary for Joe but not for the reader.
If I select the last link each time, I get to a page with a bad link “the mirror room”. Selecting the bad link gives the error message “This passage does not exist.”
The%20Weird%20Mirror.html#3.q.p.j.x.5.w
Name of judge: Sean M. Shore
Author: No
=====================
Another Cliched Adventure Game (ACAG), by David Whyld [ACAG.html]
Score: 5/10
I think it could have taken a sharper scalpel to the tropes that it sends
up, but there were some good bits here.
=====================
Candlesmoke, by Caelyn Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine [Candlesmoke - Ectocomp.html]
Score: 10/10
The cream of the comp. Hell, I think it might have done pretty well in
the fall comp. Terrific atmosphere, great story, great gameplay.
=====================
Candy Rush Saga, by Andrew Schultz [Candy Rush Saga.zblorb]
Score: 7/10
Took me a little while to figure out what the idea was, mostly because I’m
a dummy. But nicely implemented and fun. I think it would be helpful to
heighten the contrast between the richer and poorer areas in the room
descriptions.
=====================
Carriage Returns, by David Good [Carriage Returns.gblorb]
Score: 4/10
I appreciate a good Rocky Horror reference. I tried TIME WARP and similar
things before discovering the solution. If you are intending to do a
post-comp release, I would recommend implementing a coin or something so
that BUY NEWSPAPER is a little more obvious, and cluing the intended action
in the diner better.
=====================
Character Creator, by Erin Gigglecreek [charactercreation.z8]
Score: 3/10
A cute toy that might work pretty well as part of some other game. On its
own, the gameplay is a bit limited.
=====================
Choose Your Own SPOOKY Death, by Healy [CYODEATH.html]
Score: 4/10
The “dreaded spectre of ENNUI” is pretty great, as is “Author’s Note: Eh,
I’ll get to your last words later.” I would’ve liked to be able to
experience a few more deaths.
=====================
City of the Living Dead, by Joshua Houk (as Tanah Atkinson) [CityoftheLivingDead.html]
Score: 5/10
I appreciate that this deals with real-world horror of a sort. I don’t
know if there’s a way to get an ending, but I would like to have reached
one. The transposition of East and West on the screen drove me to
distraction.
=====================
Devil’s Food, by Hanon Ondricek [devilsfood.zip]
Score: 8/10
Bizarre, funny, and entertaining. I found myself stuck and looping around
because I was clicking around too quickly, and didn’t wait for all the
text to scroll onto the screen. It wasn’t until I was distracted by
actual work that I noticed that the screen had filled up with previously
unseen material.
=====================
Eclosion, by Buster Hudson [Eclosion.html]
Score: 7/10
A nicely compelling little puzzle and suitably creepy scenario. Took me
way longer to solve than it should have.
=====================
First Person, by Buster Hudson [First Person.gblorb]
Score: 7/10
Very effective, with good characterization of the villain given the time
constraints.
=====================
A Fly on the Wall, by Nigel Jayne [A Fly On the Wall.zblorb]
Score: 6/10
This is a fascinating little idea and impressively handled, but I will
confess I didn’t fully understand what I was seeing, even after following
the walkthrough. I think this would greatly benefit from a post-comp
release that brought the storylines into sharper relief.
=====================
halloween candy triage simulator 2014 by j. marie [candysim.html]
Score: 4/10
It would be nice to have a few more candy types in the mix, and maybe some
kind of strategy or other interaction involving your brother’s bag.
Does anyone really get toothbrushes or fruit? My kids just get endless
amounts of chocolate, which is fine by me.
=====================
IDSPISPOPD, by Christopher Brent [IDSPISPOPD.zip]
Score: 4/10
I’m only dimly aware of who these people are, but it was still
entertaining to follow along, and the sound was a nice touch. The
interface was very confusing – there was essentially no indication as
to when typing something might produce a result, and the necessary
responses were pretty much unguessable. This would be better off
with explicit choices, I think.
=====================
It Is Pitch Black, by Caelyn Sandel [it-is-pitch-black.html]
Score: 9/10
Excellent game, well-written, nice little world model. I never did open
the safe, but managed to win anyway, which is appreciated.
=====================
Lime Ergot, by Caleb Wilson (as Rust Blight) [lime.z5]
Score: 8/10
I had managed to convince myself that this game was broken because the
placard never changed, but eventually realized that I hadn’t been digging
deep enough, and widely enough, with my EXAMINEs. Very cleverly done.
=====================
LISEY, by Marco Innocenti [lisey.gblorb]
Score: 7/10
Mournful, unsettling, and effective. Terrific cover art, as always.
=====================
The Voodoo You Do 2, by Marshal Tenner Winter [The Voodoo You Do 2.gblorb]
Score: 7/10
Nicely atmospheric, love this setting. Looking forward to #3 next year.
=====================
Wedding Day, by E. Joyce [Wedding Day.zblorb]
Score: 7/10
A very well-written piece which does a nice job of world-building in a
limited space. Recommended.
=====================
The Weird Mirror, by M.J. Antonellis [The Weird Mirror. html]
Score: 4/10
This one would benefit from a longer format to help flesh out what’s going
on a little more. There are some elements of menace here, but I don’t
quite get how they all fit together.
Name of judge: Duncan Bowsman
Author: No
=====================
Another Cliched Adventure Game (ACAG), by David Whyld [ACAG.html]
Score: 5/10
Exactly what it says on the tin, and it managed to make me chuckle. I suspect reactions will fall into two camps: “this thing is pointless, the author was phoning it in” or “unambitious, well-scoped, and did what it said it would.” I fall in with the latter.
=====================
Candlesmoke, by Caelyn Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine [Candlesmoke - Ectocomp.html]
Score: 8/10
Quite well done! I know it’s greedy of me to have wanted another ending, but I did.
=====================
Candy Rush Saga, by Andrew Schultz [Candy Rush Saga.zblorb]
Score: 6/10
I had trouble getting started and thought it was going to be really complex because of how quickly I lost the first time I tried playing it. After reading all of the ABOUT section, it became a cinch to play using the map.
=====================
Carriage Returns, by David Good [Carriage Returns.gblorb]
Score: 3/10
Short Rocky Horror homage with some punny fun. Takes no more than a few minutes to finish and gave me a chuckle. Very sparsely implemented, however, even misleadingly so as it misses a key object (though the game progresses and is finishable without it).
=====================
Character Creator, by Erin Gigglecreek [charactercreation.z8]
Score: 3/10
This was a really cute idea, but the implementation was less thorough than I would’ve needed for it to be really fun to explore it. I would’ve liked to see an end state, but I realize that’s asking for it to be something it may not have intended to be.
=====================
Choose Your Own SPOOKY Death, by Healy [CYODEATH.html]
Score: 8/10
The writing is consistently funny in a slangy and knowing way that I enjoyed with FOURTH WALL BREAKING EXCLAMATIONS! Many of the endings made me laugh. Fun and quick with just enough to sink your brainteeth into without thinking about it too much.
=====================
City of the Living Dead, by Joshua Houk (as Tanah Atkinson) [CityoftheLivingDead.html]
Score: 6/10
A game about the bleak, alienating nature of modern living (if you can call it living) that captures its intended feel quite well. This was another in the Ectocomp set where I wanted the thing to have some kind of end point or wrap-up, but I gather the author intends the unending nature of the thing as a point. Similarly, it’s never possible to go back in the place one has come from.
=====================
Devil’s Food, by Hanon Ondricek [devilsfood.zip]
Score: 10/10
Captures well the comic horror tone of ECToCOMP: zany, unbridled ridiculousness of evil. Impressive amount of writing for the limit.
=====================
Eclosion, by Buster Hudson [Eclosion.html]
Score: 7/10
quick, tight, lots of atmosphere without scenery; read one way, could be too clinical, but I thought it was sufficiently creepy in its detached tone.
=====================
First Person, by Buster Hudson [First Person.gblorb]
Score: 5/10
Sort of creepy having things narrated by your captor, but it’s a small story finishable in just a few moves that feels like it’s over before it’s really revved up.
=====================
A Fly on the Wall, by Nigel Jayne [A Fly On the Wall.zblorb]
Score: 8/10
Lots going on. Kind of hard to keep track, but I suspect that’s part of the challenge. An admirable amount of writing for a three hour challenge! I’m going to have to go back and play it again later, I suspect.
=====================
halloween candy triage simulator 2014 by j. marie [candysim.html]
Score: 4/10
Not much to it, but it got a laugh out of me. After a while it gets a little too repetitive, but with a three hour limit one can hardly blame the author.
=====================
IDSPISPOPD, by Christopher Brent [IDSPISPOPD.zip]
Score: 3/10
I didn’t really know what to do with this one but read it, as the parser didn’t react meaningfully to my input. I didn’t seem able to win, either, although I’m pretty sure (spoiler) that the team finished DOOM. Good use of sound effects.
=====================
It Is Pitch Black, by Caelyn Sandel [it-is-pitch-black.html]
Score: 10/10
Fun, suspenseful survival puzzle in a cool sci-fi setting. Surprisingly well-implemented and complex for a 3 hour game. Probably my favorite from this Ectocomp.
=====================
Lime Ergot, by Caleb Wilson (as Rust Blight) [lime.z5]
Score: 4/10
Descriptive yet bare. Is there any ending aside from being shot as a deserter? If there is a walkthrough with a better ending, I’d be keen to see it.
=====================
LISEY, by Marco Innocenti [lisey.gblorb]
Score: 6/10
Spooky build-up. Standard puzzle fare lets the focus fall on the evocative setting, but it ends rather abruptly, right as things really get interesting.
=====================
The Voodoo You Do 2, by Marshal Tenner Winter [The Voodoo You Do 2.gblorb]
Score: 5/10
Promising. Ectocomp-limited implementation, but what the game has is described rather well. Thankfully easy conversation system kept me from losing track. I was a little put off by Baron Samedi’s constant swearing not because I’m a language prude, but because it seemed to me to be a poor way of evoking a dialect. I hit the ending very suddenly. Even though I used the gris-gris to win, I feel like I have an incomplete understanding of what it was or did. It may not have been within the limit for the author to explain much more though.
=====================
Wedding Day, by E. Joyce [Wedding Day.zblorb]
Score: 7/10
A straightforward “bride of the monster” plot, well-implemented for what it is, and well-written. I especially appreciated discovering the alternate ending-- and how quickly one could find/achieve it.
=====================
The Weird Mirror, by M.J. Antonellis [The Weird Mirror. html]
Score: 5/10
Fairly simple writing builds a tone like someone recounting a dream, which seems appropriate. Linear and quick and a little silly. I wanted to know more about this red goat. It seemed like that was going somewhere for sure.
Name of judge: Emily Short
Author: No
Another Cliched Adventure Game (ACAG), by David Whyld [ACAG.html]
Score: 3/10
=====================
Candlesmoke, by Caelyn Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine [Candlesmoke - Ectocomp.html]
Score: 7/10
=====================
Candy Rush Saga, by Andrew Schultz [Candy Rush Saga.zblorb]
Score: 6/10
=====================
Carriage Returns, by David Good [Carriage Returns.gblorb]
Score: 5/10
=====================
Character Creator, by Erin Gigglecreek [charactercreation.z8]
Score: 5/10
=====================
Choose Your Own SPOOKY Death, by Healy [CYODEATH.html]
Score: 4/10
=====================
City of the Living Dead, by Joshua Houk (as Tanah Atkinson) [CityoftheLivingDead.html]
Score: 5/10
Man, that was depressing. Which I guess was the point.
=====================
Devil’s Food, by Hanon Ondricek [devilsfood.zip]
Score: 7/10
I love how my powers transformed when I became a slice of cake.
=====================
Eclosion, by Buster Hudson [Eclosion.html]
Score: 7/10
=====================
First Person, by Buster Hudson [First Person.gblorb]
Score: 6/10
=====================
A Fly on the Wall, by Nigel Jayne [A Fly On the Wall.zblorb]
Score: 4/10
=====================
halloween candy triage simulator 2014 by j. marie [candysim.html]
Score: 3/10
=====================
IDSPISPOPD, by Christopher Brent [IDSPISPOPD.zip]
Score: 1/10
=====================
It Is Pitch Black, by Caelyn Sandel [it-is-pitch-black.html]
Score: 8/10
=====================
Lime Ergot, by Caleb Wilson (as Rust Blight) [lime.z5]
Score: 10/10
Really enjoyed this.
=====================
LISEY, by Marco Innocenti [lisey.gblorb]
Score: 7/10
=====================
The Voodoo You Do 2, by Marshal Tenner Winter [The Voodoo You Do 2.gblorb]
Score: 8/10
=====================
Wedding Day, by E. Joyce [Wedding Day.zblorb]
Score: 7/10
=====================
The Weird Mirror, by M.J. Antonellis [The Weird Mirror. html]
Score: 2/10
Name of judge: Caelyn Sandel
Author: Yes
=====================
Another Cliched Adventure Game (ACAG), by David Whyld [ACAG.html]
Score: 6/10
Exactly what it says on the tin. Part of me feels like making fun of cliches is sort of its own cliche by now, but maybe that’s some of the intent? INCEPTION NOISE
Anyway, this is a clean and well-implemented twine game of a fairly standard sort with some amusing jokes and a rambling but on-target narrative. Nothing to write home about but certainly not a bad way to spend ten minutes.
=====================
Candlesmoke, by Caelyn Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine [Candlesmoke - Ectocomp.html]
Score: NA/10
=====================
Candy Rush Saga, by Andrew Schultz [Candy Rush Saga.zblorb]
Score: 7/10
A cute little block puzzle game. This sort of puzzle doesn’t lend itself too well to IF, in my opinion, but this version is quite well-implemented and the flavor text is good. My issue with it is that it was very difficult to figure out what you’re supposed to do in the beginning – the game does not explain itself terribly well. I still enjoyed it though!
=====================
Carriage Returns, by David Good [Carriage Returns.gblorb]
Score: 5/10
This game suffers from immediate implementation issues, as the newspaper dispenser “isn’t something you can open” and the coins you use to buy a paper don’t appear in your inventory. We immediately meet a few NPCs (uh-oh) who are fairly unresponsive, as is usually the case in speedIF. The ending comes suddenly and seems to have nothing to do with my actions, but was bizarre enough to warrant a chuckle. A cute diversion, but definitely does need a lot of polish.
=====================
Character Creator, by Erin Gigglecreek [charactercreation.z8]
Score: 4/10
I am a Tulpan named Iadptl. I have a pair of antlers, ears like a rabbit, a long slender tail, a triangular nose and one eye. This plays much more like an implementation exercise than even a toy, and I have to grade it accordingly, but it’s still fun for what it is.
=====================
Choose Your Own SPOOKY Death, by Healy [CYODEATH.html]
Score: 6/10
This game is ridiculous fun, and exactly what it says on the tin. The lampshade-hanging over-spoopiness of the whole thing works pretty well. To be totally honest, though, I was a little disappointed that there were only six deaths. I think I would have preferred there to be more deaths with less text. In fact, less text overall would be pretty great. Still, funny writing and a good way to spend a few minutes!
=====================
City of the Living Dead, by Joshua Houk (as Tanah Atkinson) [CityoftheLivingDead.html]
Score: 7/10
Neat, procedurally-generated story about urban living. Having lived in major metropolitan areas all my life, this one definitely spoke to me. There’s not much to it and it has a bug (the struckthru direction should ostensibly be where you are now, but it’s currently your opposite), and it’s definitely fluffy and a bit flip for a look at gentrification and institutional race/classism, but I appreciate it for what it is. Also, there’s an impressive amount of generated lines (including a nice little dig at #GamerGate)!
=====================
Devil’s Food, by Hanon Ondricek [devilsfood.zip]
Score: 6/10
This story has a lot of writing in it for a 3-hour game! It’s quite polished, too, with colored text and background and stuff. I was really enjoying the beginning of the story, with the demon rivalry and the goofy ribald humor and stuff. Then you get turned into a piece of cake and things get … weird, and I can’t decide whether that’s good or not. There’s a section that’s clearly a reference to Porpentine’s writing, but I can’t really tell if it’s an homage or parody or what. Honestly, all of the references to the lives of the cake-eating women and the husband pretending(?) to be an imaginary(?) transgender writer feel like they lie in some awkward space between being sincere and played for laughs. I want to assume they’re all the former, but I can’t claim I wasn’t made a bit uncomfortable. Anyway, moving on from that – the ‘game’ parts near the end are a red herring, and you seem to only advance by waiting and doing nothing – a design choice I’m not sure I can get behind. All in all, a good start and a somewhat weirdly-balanced end, but still enjoyable all in all.
=====================
Eclosion, by Buster Hudson [Eclosion.html]
Score: 9/10
Here’s a twine game done right – simple but effective CSS, short passages, clear language, a challenging but accessible order-of-operations puzzle, and evocative language. We’re plunged right into a lot of unfamiliar jargon, but everything is in a context that makes it easy to understand. I’d love to see a sequel.
=====================
First Person, by Buster Hudson [First Person.gblorb]
Score: 8/10
The perspective shift that differentiates First Person from other parser games is a breath of fresh (but chilling!) air. Though there isn’t much implemented, the sparse nature of the narration forgives this quite well. A morbid morsel of a game, very enjoyable for what it is, and a good contender for one of the top games.
=====================
A Fly on the Wall, by Nigel Jayne [A Fly On the Wall.zblorb]
Score: 8/10
Whoa, this game is as clever as it is densely packed. It’s a “mystery story via hidden cameras” kind of game, meant to be played multiple times. In an expanded version, I’d love to see a bit more fleshing-out of the end. It’d also be nice to be introduced to the characters a little more gently; I was very confused at first. It may be gauche to suggest, but I actually think this would make a better hypertext game – additional text breaks within a camera’s narrative would be helpful.
=====================
halloween candy triage simulator 2014 by j. marie [candysim.html]
Score: 3/10
This game has a really charming design that’s hard not to like, and the writing is fine. Sadly, it’s literally an unending candy (and non-candy) sorting simulator. I clicked on it way longer than I wanted to in the hopes that it had some kind of ending and commentary on your haul, but 13 pieces of chocolate, 17 pieces of not-chocolate, 19 fruits, and 12 gosh darn toothbrushes later, I realized the sad truth. Cute, but really not fun to play at all. I think that a more finite game with ending results would be a lot more enjoyable.
=====================
IDSPISPOPD, by Christopher Brent [IDSPISPOPD.zip]
Score: 2/10
This is ostensibly a parser game, but it doesn’t respond to commands most of the time, until it’s supposed to and then it’s too late. The doom-development writing is pretty funny, but the action is all over the place sort of incoherent and actually playing the game seems to be next to impossible to figure out. So basically it’s Daikatana, but it didn’t take a million years to develop. Good on it for that!
=====================
It Is Pitch Black, by Caelyn Sandel [it-is-pitch-black.html]
Score: NA/10
=====================
Lime Ergot, by Caleb Wilson (as Rust Blight) [lime.z5]
Score: 6/10
I don’t think I understood this game. I was reminded in a good way of the metaphor-expanding PataNoir, though the restrictive nature of SpeedIF means that the result is a fair bit more limited. I was a bit confused by the placard that arranged itself, but continued to request the same ingredient – at first, I thought the game was broken!
This game had evocative imagery and good implementation, but its ephemeral surreality didn’t really deliver as I was hoping it would.
=====================
LISEY, by Marco Innocenti [lisey.gblorb]
Score: 7/10
A rather classic ghost story style IF, the simple lock-and-key puzzles of this game are cleanly implemented and the environments are well-described. Every once in a while, an out-of-place pun will sneak into the language and upset the mood a bit (a U2 joke?), and the ending is a bit disconnected from the rest, but neither is enough to make the game unenjoyable.
=====================
The Voodoo You Do 2, by Marshal Tenner Winter [The Voodoo You Do 2.gblorb]
Score: 4/10
The game begins with a speaking NPC, which is rarely good for a SpeedIF’s sense of immersion; luckily there’s little guesswork as the dialogue is led by bolded keywords. On the one hand, this takes away the guesswork; on the other, the dialogue may as well be automated.
The game is totally linear, and so far as I can tell has exactly two rooms, one death, and a minimum two-action walkthrough. The writing is good, though the themes are a little played out, but even for a speedIF this is pretty thin.
=====================
Wedding Day, by E. Joyce [Wedding Day.zblorb]
Score: 7/10
Neat, compact, chilling concept told in fairy-tale language. Fairly tight implementation and the use of a numbered dialogue system helped avoid a lot of the awkwardness of most speedIF. The single puzzle was so straightforward that it took me a while to figure out – I’m so used to parser puzzles using parser commands that I flailed for a while before just … talking to the Elder a second time. Still, creative and fun.
=====================
The Weird Mirror, by M.J. Antonellis [The Weird Mirror. html]
Score: 4/10
This odd little twine adventure has the feel of a round-robin campfire story, with disjointed, seemingly random elements as if coming from different authors by turn. It’s a little awkward and anachronistic, like it’s half fairy tale and half modern story, and it doesn’t seem to know where it’s going. The writing, however, is easy to read and well-composed. Looks like there was gonna be more than one story branch, but only one got finished – such is the way of SpeedIF.
Name of judge: David Good
Author: Yes/No
=====================
Another Cliched Adventure Game (ACAG), by David Whyld [ACAG.html]
Score: 8/10
I didn’t find any real “bugs” in this web-based game, probably an innate feature of this
type of development. It was interesting, kind of cute and had multiple endings.
=====================
Candlesmoke, by Caelyn Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine [Candlesmoke - Ectocomp.html]
Score: 10/10
Another Twine game. As such there’s no “guess the verb”. However, Sandel and VanEseltine
manage to conjour a spooky setting that is perfect for the season. From beginning to end
you’re thrust into a mystery, the solution of which is perfectly revealed in the last scene.
It’s quite haunting and disturbing.
=====================
Candy Rush Saga, by Andrew Schultz [Candy Rush Saga.zblorb]
Score: 5/10
I’m sure this made sense to the author, but I didn’t understand what I was supposed to do
in this z-code game. Oddly, the text file map the author included only served to confuse
me, and the walkthrough didn’t make much sense either. I’m not sure why he didn’t just
make a Trizbort or Inform 7 map and screen-shot it.
As far as I could tell the author spent a lot of time making rooms and very little time
making sure there wasn’t a lot of guess-the-verb when interacting with the NPCs.
=====================
Carriage Returns, by David Good [Carriage Returns.gblorb]
Score: NA/10
It was excellent! Best game ever! (JK)
=====================
Character Creator, by Erin Gigglecreek [charactercreation.z8]
Score: 5/10
I give points to this one-room game for being original. But I don’t think it was tested
well. I couldn’t do anything with the beaker of eyes. I could remove the humanoid eyes,
but nothing else. The game seems to have no plot, so while it’s original it doesn’t really
qualify as a game per se.
=====================
Choose Your Own SPOOKY Death, by Healy [CYODEATH.html]
Score: 7/10
I’m not sure what to think of this one. On one hand, I like the prose itself. It’s light
and spooky at the same time. But there’s parts that either seem like the author failed to
notice a temporary placeholder, or he’s promising a full fledged game later. So, it’s
a demo? Regardless, there’s no winning state as far as I can tell, no matter what you do in
this CYOA game, you die.
=====================
City of the Living Dead, by Joshua Houk (as Tanah Atkinson) [CityoftheLivingDead.html]
Score: 3/10
I’m not sure what this is. All I can do is move east, west, north or south? And what
does it have to do with Halloween? It doesn’t seem scary to me. The about screen infers
that the process of constantly forcing people to move is some horrible, unstoppable
thing, but I don’t buy it as it pertains to the comp theme.
=====================
Devil’s Food, by Hanon Ondricek [devilsfood.zip]
Score: 7/10
Considering the time frame, the author of this game got quite a lot done, and it’s very
entertaining. However there does come a point where you’re not sure what to do, like you’ve
run out of choices. Also there’s some spots where the author breaks the fourth wall talking
about the limitations of his chosen environment or something that’s not finished.
Regardless, the idea of being a demon that’s been transformed into a devils food cake is
innovative. Also, props for the use of electronica music.
=====================
Eclosion, by Buster Hudson [Eclosion.html]
Score: 7/10
This is a strangely disturbing game. There’s not much to it, it’s mostly a case of choosing
specific things in the right order. But the idea, apparently, is some weird species
experimenting on (presumably human) hosts. The idea is disturbing. There’s not much of a
plot or choice, and it’s not really obvious what you should do other than trial and error.
And there’s a lot of that, so you end up killing a lot of hosts. This game might be more
entertaining to entomologists.
=====================
First Person, by Buster Hudson [First Person.gblorb]
Score: 10/10
Amazingly simple, terrifyingly creepy. This is a game that does surprisingly little, but
a trick of the mind and our own obsession with serial killers makes you think you’re the
victim of some demented killer. And you are, aren’t you? I would so play this game, and
would love to see it filled out.
=====================
A Fly on the Wall, by Nigel Jayne [A Fly On the Wall.zblorb]
Score: 8/10
While at first I thought I was a literal fly, it wasn’t long before I figured out
everyone in this game was wearing a costume. It’s a fascinating game, really. You’re a
security guard watching monitors and they capture some sort of crime. What you witness
seems to depend on what order you look at the monitors. It’s rather clever, and amazing
what you can achieve in just a few hours.
=====================
halloween candy triage simulator 2014 by j. marie [candysim.html]
Score: 5/10
It’s not awful, but it’s sort of a one-trick pony. It’s not much other than you get toothbrushes, chocolate, not-
chocolate and fruit. Not much of a plot, but I guess
from the title it really does what it says. There is a running count of the loot,
however. Props to the author for actually linking the IF Forum post about the Ectocomp.
=====================
IDSPISPOPD, by Christopher Brent [IDSPISPOPD.zip]
Score: 5/10
Unique, truly startling use of sound, but not very interactive because it is just
a scripted series of messages that does the same thing no matter what you do.
=====================
It Is Pitch Black, by Caelyn Sandel [it-is-pitch-black.html]
Score: 9/10
I liked this homage to Infocom. The only thing I could think of is if it had been
written in inform, with like really bad 2-word guess the verb syndrome, it would
really be a true zork homage.
=====================
Lime Ergot, by Caleb Wilson (as Rust Blight) [lime.z5]
Score: 5/10
I hate giving this a low ranking because it’s obvious the author put some work into
this game. But I honestly couldn’t figure out what to do. So I guess I’m stranded with
some ancient military officer, I can’t go anywhere, and I can’t interact with anything?
I must be missing something.
=====================
LISEY, by Marco Innocenti [lisey.gblorb]
Score: 7/10
I want to like this game. It’s haunting, and again an amazing example at what can be
accomplished in a short period. There were just a couple quibbles I couldn’t figure out,
and for some reason the author chose to include a trademarked font with the game, which I
feel is extraneous.
=====================
The Voodoo You Do 2, by Marshal Tenner Winter [The Voodoo You Do 2.gblorb]
Score: 7/10
It’s short and keeps to the theme of the season, but theres not a lot to do and what there
is is not very obvious.
=====================
Wedding Day, by E. Joyce [Wedding Day.zblorb]
Score: 8/10
Deceptively simple yet decidedly creepy, this game plays with our imagination. What could be
in the darkness? Is there some horrible thing waiting to kill us? Or is this a game of simple
superstition, and our hapless sacrifice will just starve to death in solitude? It’s definitely
horrifying. Terror couched in a wedding dress. Well, at least I’m well groomed. I would have
scored it higher if there were more choices, more things for the player to do.
=====================
The Weird Mirror, by M.J. Antonellis [The Weird Mirror. html]
Score: 7/10
Interesting, strangely circular. Who is the monster? Is it, in the end, Joe? The end ending
is left open, unexplained, a cliffhanger. But it’s definitely an intriguing piece of short
horror.
Yay, top half! Congrats to the winners. It was fun to play through. I thought it was a good strong field & found time to judge.
I don’t think that the curve was necessarily brutal–I suppose it doesn’t matter, though in my initial pass I tend to be a bit mean with my scores. Thanks for holding this with JJ Guest getting busy, Duncan. And for extending the deadlines and so forth.
ETA:
Buster and Sean, yes, I think you’re both right about the room descriptions. I try to place mechanics first. I ran out of programming time. The street names were just a silly but ill-advised riff on A beats B beats C beats A. I don’t know why. I go with the technical stuff first. I figured I’d need all the 3 hours. I could change them in a post-comp release or save it for something bigger.
Also, Buster, re First Person:
I figured the alternate ending to First Person about 15 minutes after I sent in the grading. That’s on me.
in Voodoo mythology, Baron Samedi is extremely foul-mouthed.
Yay, my suspicion about the authorship of Lime Ergot was correct! (And congrats, all.)
Congrats, everyone!
Did I count three separate comments about my game that it does what it says on the tin?
Thanks Duncan for all the hard work you put into organizing this! Also, I’m LOVING the score reveals. Turns out people weren’t actually brutal overall, there was just a huge divide between what people liked and what they didn’t. I got 10s and 1s!
Nope. It’s on me as a designer to make sure you enjoy the game, whether you solve it or not. Although the takeaway I’m getting from this comp (and IFComp) is that people tend to vote lower if they can’t solve the puzzle(s). So if you want to average higher, lower the challenge.
My bad! Learn something new every day. This game also taught me what a gris-gris is. I only knew it to be a braking device for when I go rock climbing, and now I see where the name came from. I enjoy learning things from games. Anyway, I guess I’ve been seeing the language a lot from your other games, and thought well here we go again.
Truth be told, I didn’t like all the profanity, but in my research, that’s what I kept being told about his character. Thanks for playing! [emote]:)[/emote]
#TIL
I love profanity. Let’s stop with all this Grease, Please! [emote]:)[/emote]
Thanks for playing, thanks for voting, and thanks for rating my thing so high. I’m pretty sure that some that got below Lisey should have gone better. But I also understand the invincible charisma of yours truly, so np.
Also: great kudos for the winners, my all-time favorite IF makers. Apart from Micheal Gentry, that is.
As a side note- THIS IS IMPORTANT, DUNCAN:
Somehow, I managed to do a VERY THICK bullshit. Used as I am in making the same moves over and over, I actually zipped together the gblorb, the covers (which is fine), the custom Gargoyle .ini I always make (I’m an addict to eye-candy: you know, habits) AND the damn fonts. Which, as somebody rightfully stated, ARE COPYRIGHTED and should NOT be distributed.
So, please, delete them from the zip or tell me so I will send a new zip to you (or whomever) altogether.
I’m really sorry. I know this sounds stupid but it’s what really happened. I realized it just now.
Fonts deleted, .zip re-uploaded on Dropbox.
Thanks a lot.
Congratulations Caelyn and Caroline! Candlesmoke was great. And congratulations everyone else too.
And thanks to everybody for the comments on Lime Ergot! It’s kind of both scary and freeing to write something so quickly. (And at least for me, what a difference Inform 7 makes–all my old SpeedIFs are barebones in comparison.) I am now working on a more polished version 2.
Thanks Duncan for running the competition. Congratulations to Caelyn Sandel and Carolyn VanEseltine, and thanks to all the entrants for the diverse and inventive games.
I’ll offer the following unofficial awards. Feel free to add to this list.
The Thanks for the Laughs Award: Another Cliched Adventure Game.
The Did I Miss Something Award: Candlesmoke. Great diverse endings, but getting there felt like deja vu.
The Nostalgia Award: Candy Rush Saga. It reminded me of playing Hi-Q as a kid, or shuffling around tiles to form a picture.
The How on Earth Did You Come Up With That Award: The conclusion to Carriage Returns.
The Collective Consciousness Award: Character Creator. I was working on a similar game but had to abandon it.
The I Want to Put My Fists Through the Screen Award: Eclosion. For two reasons (hence two fists), one good, one not so good. The good: I always wanted to write a game with a parasite. Not only did Buster beat me to it, but his version is sleek and focused whereas mine would have been overproduced. The Frustrating: I’ll call it the Ingold Cheat. The game or plot or plot twist or puzzle(s) depends on a contrivance in which, unfairly, the player doesn’t know what the player character knows.
The On Second Thought This Was Really Good Award: First Person. First time through I shrugged it off. Interesting voice, that’s all. But upon reflection, I realized it could be taken for a sly comment on the subjective nature of reality.
The This Was Nearly Awesome Award: It Is Pitch Black. It shows what can be done in Twine with respect to puzzles, but also why it doesn’t always work, because the solution is right there in front of you. Chemistry and Physics and Eclosion take a more effective approach because the solutions are always available, and it is up to the player to decide when to use them.
The Goofy and Weird in a Good Way Award: Lime Ergot.
The I Need a Shower Now Award: The Voodoo You Do 2.
The I Should Have Asked for a Hint Award: Wedding Day. I think I found the obvious ending, and apparently a second one is much better.