ParserComp 2021 ~ Less than 7 days to go!

​Quick update! As always it’s a massive thanks to everyone for getting behind and involved in ParserComp 2021! The number of actual submissions has already surpassed what I had in mind (using my 10% rule, as expressed before!) so I dare to dream that there may be 1-2 more before the end of the month. But hey, if not, still a great response!

As you may know this is my first year running the comp and whilst it had been run before there was a gap of some years, meaning there was no handover of any sort. For the most part I think things have gone well so far, I have noted down a couple of rule addendums around visibility of submitted games and uploading additional/corrected files during voting; both of which I will need to address in next years rules (should everyone be in favour of continuing next year). For this year however I chose not to make any rule amendments as there hasn’t been anything that has been a showstopper - but rest assured it has been noted.

Thanks all!

Adam :slightly_smiling_face: :v:

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Don’t I need to join something/somewhere to enter? If so, a good thing to remind people how to, at least on this update post.

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[I’m not a comp official and this isn’t official advice, just happy to help]

The competition is being run as a “jam” on itch.io at https://itch.io/jam/parsercomp-2021. If you don’t have an itch.io account you’ll need to create one (it’s an excellent site for hobbyist devs to host our games, in any case.) Then sign up to the jam from its own page.

You can then create a project on itch and upload your game there. Set the “visibility settings” to Draft or Restricted so that it isn’t publicly visible before the judging starts, then shortly before the submission deadline you can change it to Public.

(Yes, this is a slightly weird process - itch’s jam system seems to be built with the expectation that games will be publicly playable during the “submissions” period before the judging starts, which doesn’t quite line up with the “games are submitted privately during the submissions window, then released when judging starts” model used by IFComp and pals - I’m sure this will be a bit more elegant next year.)

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Thanks Robin :slightly_smiling_face::+1:

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It certainly is different than IFComp. I believe itch.io model is something like “submit your game during judging period.” I guess this requires extra effort to update entry list as they come, but does somewhat rewards earlier entrants with more judges playing their games.

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Ah, not quite. The key difference is that the registration & submission period (which we are now in, and which ends at the end of this month) is the same. Whereas with many comps there is a specific registration period, then a submission period, then a voting period. ParserComp under the itch.io model has registration/submission and then voting.

So, all games need to be submitted by the end of June, that much is set in stone via the rules, there can be no submissions during July. July is the playing & voting month.

Thanks

Adam :slightly_smiling_face::v:

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I submitted my Loud House game on to Parser Comp!

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Congratulations! We’ve been looking forward to that one in my house.

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Yes! Let’s make some noise…

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Less than half a day to go!

If you haven’t set up an Itch project page for your game yet, keep in mind that you’ll have to do so before you can submit. (If you’re doing that for the first time like I was, I recommend you set aside at least half an hour for that, more if you want to get into themes and such.)

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The suspense is killing me. But not half so much as the people doing last-minute futzing with their games, I’m sure. Best of luck with the next 6 hours, everyone!

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Thanks! Not sure what futzing is, but what I’m doing right now is probably it.

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Various interesting etymologies listed here! futz - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

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To futz:
  Move the coder to the understand tokens for that one action;
  Move the coder to the hints text;
  Move the coder to the after rule they broke when they fixed the understand line;
  Now the coder is confounded.
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Many thanks! The etymology confirms that herumfurzen is certainly what I’m currently engaged in.

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I’m grateful for several last-minute testers who found that I had messed up some of the most important code in the game (like hiding half of the messages in the final puzzle).

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I think I’m as finished as I can be, but I’m scared to hit the button. Might run one more round of tests just to be sure.

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Question for potential players: I was planning on making my game download-only as a gblorb, since it takes a while to play and I’m not sure I trust itch’s presentation or save capability. But if people strongly prefer online play, I can do that pretty quickly. Any preferences?

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Can you make it both?

I think so. I can just do ‘release with a website’ in Inform 7, and I think that can give the fancy version that has the ‘play’ and ‘download’ links. So maybe I’ll just do that!

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