You playtested that game, so I doubt it, but it’s good to get an apology from someone at least.
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I ran out of time to make the Dialog interpreter record transcripts, and it might be a blessing, honestly. (Much as I always regret losing data.)
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Yeah, I feel bad that there’s not a way to automate transcripts from my platform (yet). When the IFComp participant thread opens, I might ask folks to copy/paste their gameplay to me if they don’t mind.
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Oh, you definitely do not want to read my transcripts if that one bothered you, lol. “What the F the F-ity F!!! PICK UP THE F-in’ THING!!!” might be somewhat common in mine, lol.
And yes, this is why I play IF offline, haha!
-v
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I actually will type messages to the author directly into the game, or I will react inline even though it’s not a valid command >DOESN’T IT SAY UP THERE THAT THE CABINET IS OPEN? >SO I GUESS WHAT I’M SUPPOSED TO DO HERE IS BURN THE CURTAINS.
Or I’ll say >NICE THAT WAS FUNNY or >HEY, THIS IS HANON!
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I mean, you don’t have to respond with any communication at all!
An old golden rule of being someone who makes things that can be reviewed was – don’t reply to reviews or reviewers. This isn’t in a negative light, but a futility and grace light. The exception being if the reviewer printed a wrong fact about your game.
e.g. The review credits the wrong person for the music (I’ve made that mistake) or it says you can’t open the skull door without the skull key when you can. In which case, you can let them know of the correction needed.
You may look at this forum and say ‘Well everyone’s replying to reviews,’ but we just had a long exception to the rule. The review-a-thon entrants deliberately put their game on a list for reviewing, with a pool of reviewers they/we pretty much knew.
In IFComp, what you’re really doing is entering your game into a competition. Reviews are technically a side-effect. (A happy one in the context.) But they might come from anywhere, in or out of this forum. Which is exciting. Unless you actually know the reviewer, I still think it’s a good starting place to not expect to say anything to them or about the review, except maybe a general thanks at the time if you feel it.
I’m not telling you entrants you have to do things this way, but I am saying the majority of the reviewed over time have done this because it has benefits for all involved. It develops a healthy practical separation of yourself from your work in the context, and accepting that opinions are opinions.
-Wade
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I kinda like this bit from Robert Jackson Bennett (which I found years ago through KJ Charles talking about reviews)
I did this for you, for you to read. I didn’t do this for me. And when you discuss something I made, what you are discussing is what you read, but not – and I really cannot stress this enough – it is not what I wrote.
more of the quote
Though illogical, I have found this is quite true.
For example, there was one instance where I was at an event and a
reader told me in great detail about a scene I had written that
she loved, going on and on about the various aspects – and all I
could think is, “What the hell is she talking about? I don’t
remember writing that…”I had, of course. But she had read it in a manner so inconceivable
to me – not bad inconceivable, just something I wouldn’t had
thought of – that upon recounting it, it sounded like a totally
different book.
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also if it really stresses you out or riles you up to think about critique or reviews, simply do not look!
for the entirety of ifcomp 2018, which was like 2.5 months or something (including submission period), I did not open the forums or ifcomp site, I did not check ifdb or the twine server I was in. granted I wasn’t as deep into the community back then.
I felt like I would burst into tears from anxiety cuz I was convinced the game would tank and everyone would hate it and I wouldn’t be my best self with responding to reviews or beat myself up too hard even if I managed to hold myself back from actual replies (I was less adjusted back then lol). so I simply did not look.
I think at the end of the competition the twine server tagged me to congratulate me so I had my partner at the time read out the results. then I started reading reviews.
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I do that too, but only when I’m testing a game. I don’t do it when I’m just playing, mostly because of my very volatile playing method of “pick it up when you have time and try to figure out where you were without good notes or a map to guide you” (I only recently discovered Trizbort and haven’t used it very much yet) and that’s not really something I want to share and won’t (I don’t think) be very helpful.
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That’s all really good advice.
I’ll throw in my two cents as well.
First, I make games for people that like to play the kind of games that I like to play. I assume we all do this.
And not everyone likes to play the kinds of games that I like to play. A lot of people do, but a lot of people don’t. And that’s OK.
Some of the reviews that you get will be from the people who simply don’t enjoy that kind of game. And that’s OK.
Have you ever watched a show or movie that probably wasn’t trash, but also just wasn’t your thing? How glowing would your review be? Probably not very. Even if you tried to be as fair as possible in your review, it wouldn’t warm the hearts of the creators to read, “Well, I just didn’t get it. This might be for someone, but that someone isn’t me.” You’ll get some reviews like that. They are being honest, don’t begrudge them their honesty.
Second, critical reviews really do help us. This year is my third parser entry in IFComp. My authoring/implementing skills have improved with each game and the more critical reviews that I have received over the years have been a major reason why. The glowing reviews make me feel good because it means that I accomplished what I set out to do: provide someone with an entertaining experience. I treasure those reviews.
But it’s the fair, critical reviews have made me a better author. They point out areas where I can improve. I need that. This is a hobby of mine that gives me a lot of joy and satisfaction and I want to get better at it. I need people to show me what didn’t work for them so I can improve.
I say “fair” because some people do offer criticism that is unfair, but in my experience that is the tiny exception. The vast majority of criticism that I have read about my games has been fair and constructive.
My final advice is to take satisfaction in your work and in the fact that you dared to create something personal and release it to the public. A lot of people think about doing something like that, but never do it. You did. Take delight in both the creative process and the final product of that process, regardless of the reviews.
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I almost never vent my frustrations – with or without profanity – in the game itself (except when testing). This is not for fear of it appearing in the transcript but, rather, laziness. If I really wanted to make some authors uncomfortable, I would send them an audio recording of me playing their game.
(Perhaps I should make a feature request for interpreter authors to include that capability.)
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What helped me early on was to remember that critique is just as much a kindness, if not moreso, than praise. I don’t remember who said this quote, but it always stuck with me: “If I wanted you to fail, I would be silent.”
EDIT: It was Kay Poyer! Albeit in a very different context.
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Never forget this is a very small community so if you respond to a review in either an angry fashion, a hurt fashion, or even a nit-picky fashion (eg they got a name wrong, or they screwed something up and then said the game screwed it up… but it doesn’t REALLY matter)… people will remember.
There are always a few wildly incorrect and negative reviews. It’s part of the process, unfortunately, and DON’T worry the stupid reviewers will probably be averaged out by the rest.
I’ve had a couple of furious reviewers saying I ruined the story by being “woke” (purely, apparently, because there were gay and straight romance options… a very very normal thing to have) that obviously gave me low scores as a result. That hurt, and was unjust. But it doesn’t really matter in the long run.
I recommend not responding at all to reviews until the comp is over if it is your first year or if you feel hurt at all (no matter how correct and justified you are, or how wrong and terrible and biased the reviewer is).
I can’t follow my own advice, so I write a short script and post that:
I am incredibly grateful to all reviewers but I believe it’s unwise to comment on specifics during the judging period. So here is a blanket THANK YOU for making the effort to review my game, no matter what you thought of it. You make the IF Comp so much more interesting by being a part of it.
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