I like keeping the author category for votes. I feel like that category is more likely to give lesser known games/authors a shot if they have an equally good game in the running by it being less affected by who has the largest following to come across to IFDB to vote as authors are the only ones casting them. Just nice to have two separate categories IMO even if a bit more confusing.
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Although I spoke out against the Author / Player split, @Jacic’s comment got me to wondering if there might be room for a single “Authors’ Choice” poll. It would be akin to IFComp’s Miss Congeniality prize.
I still think splitting all (or most) of the categories author/player causes too much confusion. I’m suggesting adding a single new category, where the votes are limited to authors who released a game the prior year.
I hesitate to suggest this, though, because there’s already plenty of categories.
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In my previous two games I went through great efforts to create physical feelies.
Piracy 2.0 had not only printed (and also digital) maps and blueprints of my ship, but an acrylic datacube.
I had to buy translucent cubes and dyed them in a hot bath of RIT purple dye. Then I had a rubber stamp made up for a logo of the United Worlds federation.
I handed some out at PAX East and people could (but never did) contact me for one of the limited number I made.
For The Promise I carved a black beach stone with a Dremel to make a wolf head amulet with leather thong for myself, then FIMO modeled versions for players that were scarily accurate, if much lighter.
I also made parchment maps and a parchment wax-sealed note that appears in-game.
For my latest, the best feelies are a Peep and a Canadian Poppy Quarter so for feelies I just say “Buy a Peep.” And if you can acquire a Canadian Poppy quarter it is worth it if for no other reason than it makes a great conversation starter.
Many people comment on digitally available maps and docs so I love the idea of “deelies” since it removes the hurden of manufacture and shipping.
Sean.
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I wonder if that was for my “The Promise” game… sounds familiar.
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Nah, it was For Reliques of Tolti-Alph that snatched that dubious honor.
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I think we’re just scratching the surface here, and I also think 3D printers will explode the possibilities as they become cheaper and more ubiquitous.
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For those who don’t know yet, it seems that TADS is going to be a part of “uncommon system” yet again, because only 4 TADS games are on IFDB for last year.
If anybody has an IF game in TADS that they made last year, please say! Oh, or if you want to change the minimum from 5 to 4, I think @mathbrush’ll have to help. It just needs a voting thing, I think.
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Yes, this is right, only 4 TADS games were released last year, so if people want to change the rule from ‘5 games per system’ to ‘4’ we can put it to a vote. Or, if someone made like a demo game or something and posted it publicly last year that they want to throw in the running, that would count too.
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I was crawling through Itch.io and CASA and foreign language boards looking for another TADS game. I haven’t found one yet, but I’ve gotten close (Very late December 2022). I’ll keep looking.
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Well, not technically publicly, but I think @inventor200’s GET CORN might have been…? It WAS released for testing only AFAIK, and I think it’s solely personal, but maybe…
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I mean, it does hit the time frame.
The point of contention comes from it being released or not. Having played it, it was definitely a functional and an amusingly bizarre title. We’d probably have to put it to a vote to allow it in as an exception. If peeps go for it, then we could have a TADS category.
(I would like to point out that PunyInform and Adventuron learned from last year’s scramble, and both were sure to have more than an adequate total of titles for the calendar year. I could see the same rallying effect happening with TADS next year too.)
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Poll, then? I think @mathbrush should have the honours, or maybe @inventor200 because it’s their game that’s the important one.
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damn I really gotta contribute to the tads pool this year.
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I’ll close the polls later today. The responses have been pretty consistent so far, so I don’t expect any major changes. Once they close I’ll add one or two new polls based on the earlier feedback.
As for the extra TADS game, I realized that we just had a vote above about whether or not to change the threshold for systems, and so far voting is to keep it the same, which would be at 5, so the real question is if @inventor200 wants that game to be listed or not. I think it should be fine either way; I think many of the TADS games released last year are going to get votes in many of the other categories.
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(Based on general patterns and familiarity, I suspect they haven’t seen this yet. I’d get a kick out of GET CORN being in the running, though.)
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I think this is good compromise, fwiw. If this option were run in a poll, I would support it. As Jim pointed out, it really isn’t that different from IFCOMP’s Miss Congeniality vote, and that’s been an existing precedent for awhile.
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Okay, last suggestion/question.
Is there a way that IFDB could keep track of all games tagged with a certain engine submitted thus far in the year?
I imagine a 2024 systems total page that peeps can refer to throughout the year. Might spur some communities to know they need to do something before the year is up.
(ETA: I say this knowing that I don’t know how to do this and that I wouldn’t be called on to figure it out. So, include that mental piece of salt.)
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I am cackling at the idea that Get Corn is gonna save the day for the TADS category. 
Go ahead and add it. Any beta tester can upload the version they currently have on hand. This is the funniest thing I’ve ever heard and I’m so here for it. 
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Done! File uploaded to the IFArchive. Download link will be active as soon as it clears through them.
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Sounds great! I’ll do a couple follow up polls once these ones close tonight, and I’ll include a poll about allowing this entry since it would require some rulebending. I support it, just have to check that there’s not a silent majority scowling at TADS shenanigans.
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