Probably the newer thing but also Dan’s point (which I agree with fwiw) was basically “let’s take a long standing IFComp and Spring Thing rule, that nobody has ever complained about (afaik) and that would make the volunteer archivists’ jobs much easier, and include it in the ParserComp rules as well”.
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I was surprised to find my ParserComp 2021 game on the IF Archive, but didn’t mind. I think the choice shouldn’t be too easy for the author to make, as I might have been tempted to opt out if it had been an option…
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Well…the reason to archive something is so someone can access it in the future. IFArchive isn’t really a hosting service, but they’ve just made it so games are playable from IFDB based on what is in the Archive.
And IFDB isn’t hosting anything either. Even though they are absolute separate entities, I kind of think of IFDB as the friendly player-facing frontend to document and search historical games…which are very likely going to be in the archive.
With exceptions. Commercial games like Inkle have a link to where you can purchase instead of Play Online or download links.
I believe the original idea is that many of the comps are annual historical events, and during that games were provided for free and promoted (IFComp is our tiny niche version of free publicity.)
I think one good example of an author capitalizing on competition promotion is Scarlet Sails by @Felicity_Banks - There was a greatly-expanded post-comp version that became a Choice of Games hosted title. The comp-version is still free, but the larger version with double the word count is monetized.
Technically, no, but if a competition specifies “here’s what you’re granting us permission to do” (perhaps in lieu of an entry fee?) those are the rules. It’s fine if there’s an opt-out. I know there have been shady “contests” where people enter an artwork not realizing that signing up grants the contest-runner all the rights to their work in perpetuity. That’s not great. But I don’t think our local comps are here to exploit people, and I know people at times have requested that content get taken down and it’s handled on a case-by-case basis.
Our competitions usually involve mostly high-level-amateur work, and a few give actual monetary prizes. IMHO, If you’re aiming to sell your game on Steam and retain all the rights, you probably shouldn’t be considering a free small-time competition as a stepping-stone.
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I entered last year’s ParserComp into the IFWiki. I will take care of it shortly.
Thank you for the reminder.
Jeff
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I see your point but one important thing in a healthy community is diversity. If all competitions require archiving there is no where to go for people who don’t want their game archived. To me it seems like ParserComp 2023 has found a good solution which works well after voting ends.
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It’s newer, as you say, and rules and precedents are still in the process of being established. And it’s more restrictive, therefore more care has to be taken to design the restrictions as we want them to be (that is ParserComp’s raison d’être, after all).
But FWIW, a similar discussion about archiving was also held in the context of other comps like Spring Thing, Seed Comp, etc. recently, cf. Archiving of Competitions, itch.io, and Third Party Sites.
I’m not sure that I want to take a position on the issue itself (I guess an opt-out policy is fine, with encouragement to stay opted-in and be archived as default), but I’d like to mention a few points:
- the thread linked above does contain a complaint or two (although generally the importance of archiving was emphasized there as well, so I wouldn’t say you’re wrong)
- the principle has not been super-strictly enforced in those comps either in the past; besides examples given in that thread, there was also “Accelerate”, and other games where the archived entries consist of an HTML file linking to an external site
- there might be a form of sampling bias going on – the people intent on not being archived just don’t enter the comps (and they don’t feel it’s necessary or useful to kick up a fuss over it after the fact)
- related to the last point, the non-negligible number of people who enter the comps under a pseudonym might indicate an attitude along the lines of “I don’t mind being archived, no harm done as long as it’s pseudonymous” (but that’s speculation, of course; I dunno).
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I’ve gone ahead and added a basic page about the competition to the wiki at ParserComp 2023 - IFWiki. It could do with more detail though.
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Thanks very much! We’ll fill in the details, when we get a chance.
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Sorry. My wife and I had to visit her 95 year old father in Florida on short notice. He is increasingly frail and has to be constantly monitored around the clock. 
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I’ve now added a few more details and will try to remember to update the wiki page as the competition progresses.
Great job on tidying up the wiki by the way - first time in ages I’ve visited it and it’s looking very smart!
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Thanks. There are quite a few of us working on it these days.
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It seems scarcely credible but please, suspend your disbelief when we tell you that ParserComp 2023 submissions are now open!
It’s been a frantic few weeks here at ParserComp HQ, preparing for this year’s competition. We’ve dusted the lampshades, polished the silverware, reanimated the cat, and whisked the tarpaulin off Sandra on the front desk; @fos1 has fitted new valves to the supercomputer and @ChristopherMerriner has made several rounds of toast, all in readiness for the crop of exceptional, exquisite and altogether extraordinary parser games that we’re quite confident are headed our way.
The good news here is that if your long-finished, extensively-tested and highly-polished parser game is weighing heavy on your conscience you can get it off your chest by submitting it to the competition right now. Alternatively, feel free spend the remaining 60ish days putting those finishing touches to your magnum opuses (or, you know, frantically writing them from scratch because you’ve just remembered that this is happening) and then submit them just seconds before the deadline of 11:59pm on 30 June 2023.
We simply can’t wait to see what comes our way!
fos1 & Christopher
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Woohoo! Looking forward to playing all the games! Thanks for setting this up!
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Yay for ParserComp!
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Okay, I’ve officially broken ground on my game starting with X I’ve referenced in other topics! I put it on the back shelf for a few months, figuring if it was terrible, I wouldn’t be looking forward to working on it.
I am looking forward to working on it. That doesn’t necessarily mean it won’t be terrible, of course. But one can, should and must dream.
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Good deal. I am looking forward to playing “X”.
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In Xanadu did Andrew Schultz
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
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Ah yes Garry … I may not be able to write like Coleridge, but if a big chunk of my game is missing*, darned if I won’t blame my very own Man from Porlock!
Heck, I can blame him anyway, for that brilliant passage that should’ve been in the game but wasn’t.
* (It won’t be. Or if it is, then yeah, I save it for IFComp.)
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I have received the Award Trophies and one of the brass plates. (I only ordered one plate first to make sure it was suitable.) I think it will look great when the plate is affixed.
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Hey, I tried submitting a game and got this:
I do NOT give permission for my game to be archived in IF Archive and made available via the Interactive Fiction Database for future generations of IF players to enjoy.
This had to be clicked before I submitted. Is this correct? Sorry for the question.
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