The game is now being tested and polished, and I’m still pondering this question; but now Spring Thing has passed, so the candidates are ParserComp and IFComp.
Are there different expectations for these two comps other than ParserComp exclusively focusing on parser games?
I’ve read a lot that IFComp games are expected to be very polished. How does one know when a game is really “done”?
I’ve read one tester’s polish tips for parser authors and this checklist for authors of IF and Inform 7 IF in particular, and they’ve got me nervous about whether some objects in my game will be described as “fixed in place” when the player tries to take them. I added custom messages for going in every conceivable direction from every room (and then fixing the bugs that introduced). Are default responses really so frowned upon?