Okay, I coded a game in three hours, but I absolutely did not have time for a cover. Are we allowed to design those outside the three-hour window?
Unless there’s some kind of hidden message in the cover that you need to solve the game or something, I don’t see why working on a cover should count against your time at all.
I have two questions:
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How strictly are you enforcing the deadline? Should we submit our games right on the deadline, or will you give us an hour or two of lee way?
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Would it be okay to submit our Ectocomp entries to another comp/game jam? This would be after the comp games are uploaded, if it matters.
HELP! I just finished my ECTOCOMP game in Twine and on my final save of the file, my computer crashed. Now it’s completely gone - the file (not the computer thankfully). This is my first time using Twine and I am really [INSERT EXPLETIVES HERE] unhappy with this outcome! At least it was only a 3 hour game, but seriously, how hard is it to write in some kind of automatic back up functionality??? As far as I can tell there is no way to recover my lost story. Please, please PLEASE tell me how to, if I’m wrong. I really want to be wrong. But if I’m right then I’m never ever ever ever ever using Twine again and I will run back to Inform, apologise profusely for anything bad I ever said about it and beg it to take me back [emote]:([/emote]
In the meantime, you should frame your significant other for crashing your computer, to buy sympathy and more time.
Is nobody going to answer these questions?
Ha! That’s even better than my other plan: To only ever walk into walls and take other invalid actions to avoid advancing the deadline indefinitely.
No it isn’t. You other plan rules.
Bwahahaha. While everyone is nitpicking that 3-hour deadline, I shall sweep in and conquer the Grand Guignol category by virtue of being the sole entrant. My devious plan is nearly complete!*
- not really a devious plan; I have no idea how many entries there are
After noone answered mine, I realized that JJ’s answer applies to everything: “Woe betide him who takes the comp too seriously.”
J.J. is the only one who could answer, and he hasn’t posted for a while. He said in the intro that he’ll reappear when the contest opens. I’m assuming he wants to compile and release the games early on Halloween, so it’s probably important to get them to him by the deadline as he said.
Since the contest has relaxed rules, I’m guessing it would be okay to submit the games elsewhere too. But that’s just a guess.
I would imagine that submitting a game to a second competition would depend on the rules of that comp. Most IF contests prefer fresh sacrifices games. But there’s probably a few that do not.
also, a product of speed-coding can hardly be considered a suitable submission as is for a non-speed comp. You’d have to put a lot more work into it when the speed jam was over, at which point it might be considered a different game, depending on the second comp’s judge.
Sirwol - really sorry to hear that happened to you! I would be overwhelmingly frustrated if it had happened to me.
If you’d like to keep working in Twine, you might try using a source control next time, essentially to give you “backup” save files that are easier than doing a constant “save as”. It might sound like overkill for a 3 hour game, but once you have the system installed, it’s pretty painless to add new projects.
My preferred source control system is Tortoise HG, and I wrote a visual guide to setting it up: http://www.sibylmoon.com/mercurial-and-tortoisehg/ All my screenshots are from Windows, but it does work on Mac and Linux as well.
Hello everyone,
The deadline has now passed and we have quite a few entries.
I will be compiling them and will write up a judging sheet tomorrow morning.
I have no problem with anyone entering their games for other competitions.
Jason
I wish I had had ten more minutes. I was going to implement ASHWELL, which would change every reference to zombies into killer Easter bunnies…
Hi Everyone.
I’m nearly done with compiling the entries. Just to be certain that I haven’t missed anyone out, here is a list of what I have so far:
La Petite Mort (3 hours or less)
The Ghost Ship by Jonathan Snyder
Home/Sick by Felicity Banks
Halloween Dance by Mathbrush
Open That Vein by Chandler Groover
Food, Drink, Girls by Roboman
The Pysiognomist’s Office by Christina Nordlander
The Oldest Hangover on Earth by Marius Müller
The Story of the Shinobo by Adri Mills
Heezy Park by Andrew Schultz
Invasion by Cat Manning
Le Grand Guignol (Over 3 hours)
Ashes by Glass Rat Media
Nine Lives by Merlin Fisher
Voice Box by B Minus Seven
Please also let me know asap if I’ve used real names where I should have used pseudonyms and vice versa. Some people got quite upset with me about that last time!
Jason
Invasion is actually Le Grand Guignol! It’s speed IF (a plane ride and then an edit a week later) but that was a long plane ride.
Just the names (and the number of entries) make(s) me a-tingle with excitement! [emote]:D[/emote]
Gather 'round, ghasts and ghouls… for the witching hour is finally upon us!
The ECTOCOMP 2015 games and judging package can be downloaded here!
Awesomeness. Even before I play anything, let me just extend a big thank you to every who participated. I’ve always enjoyed this comp, even when it was strictly ADRIFT so I came to it rather later than I should. There’s always been a feeling of good fun about the entries; I always felt that the author really enjoyed putting it together, and it’s like being given a gift by someone sporting a big, goofy, contented smiled on their face.
So, authors, thank you all!