Competitive vs noncompetitive…
Not a bad idea but may have to wait until next year.
Thanks
PS. One day to decide. Game submission will begin in less than two days.
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I strongly dislike the use of itch for ParserComp in general. But that’s just me.
In the case of bugs, I think there are several archived games on IFDB that have the contest release for their game, and another archived version with bug fixes. Works for me. I rarely use the if-archive for anything, since I like the reviews and ratings of IFDB, and usually the latter has the games I’m looking for anyway.
I’m considering making a game for this year’s competition. The only reason I would be against mandatory archiving on the if-archive is the bug fix issue. But if you can update the version on the if-archive somehow, then my concerns are moot.
That being said, while I personally disagree with opting out of archiving, I see no reason to take that right away from authors who choose to use it. If the contest’s hosts choose remove that right, then start next year. Leave this year the way it is.
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You can easily upload a new version of the game file (and link to it appropriately on IFDB) so yeah, this thankfully isn’t an issue.
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Maybe that works for you. I’m thinking that maybe I only have one chance at it, and if so, I may float around a development version for beta testing, but will not submit anything for archiving until everything is perfect.
Two versions of the same thing is useless if most people will just download the first comp version, but never look at the second fixed-up post comp version (due to low rating, for example).
If archival is not urgent, maybe give chance for author to withheld uploading until post comp version is ready. The comp version can be hidden until time’s up or a new completed version is available.
Speaking of long term, we can wait until next year to make a decision. No need for hasty decision when there’s always next year. IMO.
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Beta testing should be happening before its submitted to a comp!
During a comp, some people download everything at the beginning and ignore future updates. But after the comp, once people are playing/downloading it from IFDB, the updated version is usually listed before the original version. Only people who specifically go looking for it will get the original version from IFDB.
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In the past, I have rarely taken the time to judge games at the time of a competition. But many, many times I have looked for the best rated games to play long after the fact. Updated versions with complete(?) bug fixes have a lifespan of years, sometimes decades, especially if the game was well rated during the competition. They’re not wasted time, and assuming that games from a comp will only be played at the time of the competition will not give you the full picture.
Of course, my situation is a mere anecdote. You’d have to look at download statistics to see if comp games have a long tail.
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