Long games in IF Comp?

[FriendOfFred]

@johnnywz00

Should I assume that the reading of intros and instructions all counts as part of the game’s two hours?

Not an authority here, but I would certainly think that “reading” is an inseparable part of “playing” and must be counted in the total time.

@johnnywz00

Is it unreasonable to think of doing a compile that is geared for comp judges, maybe cuts out some text, and gives a few free hints to them so they can see more areas and characters before time’s up?

I personally don’t want comp authors to do this. Your goal should be to enter the best game you can, not an abridged or dumbed down version. If that means lots of reading and hard puzzles, then so be it. Hints are always a good idea, but don’t try to push them on players. One of IF’s advantages is freedom to go at your own pace.

I had a similar question last year from the player’s side of things:

How to judge long games

This will be my first year judging IFComp, and I’m trying to figure out the best way to get a fair impression of a game in two hours. I usually like to take my time in IF, reading descriptions carefully, examining everything whether it looks useful or not, and trying various experiments. I’m also kind of slow at puzzles, truth be told, so even if I try to go faster, a game that was designed to take two hours to finish would probably take me somewhat longer. For example, Mike Spivey’s A Beauty …

No definitive answer emerged, but the best thing to do seemed to be to play naturally and let things shake out. Authors should probably do the same. (But, of course, what I want and what will get you the highest score aren’t necessarily the same thing!)