May I propose, in the spirit of Iron Chef, a thematic “food” requirement? Could be anything food-related, but something food-related for the contestants to incorporate. I make this suggestion out of pure self-interest and personal bias, since I like food themes in games.
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Or even themes/ingredients named after food.
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Is it actually going to be called “Iron Chef,” or is it going to have a unique name?
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Iron Ch’IF
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Take note – a new potential challenger has arrived! Hats off to @Roger, who is either more or less reckless than those who signed up before seeing the lineups.
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If memory serves, @Roger hails from the barren hinterland of Canada, where he has occasionally extruded exceptionally half-hearted attempts at SpeedIF. Will this give him the edge??
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Will it give him the upper hand? See more after the ad break!
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Attention, all audacious and headstrong people! A preliminary check-in with the potential challengers has shown that a very large fraction of them wish to make a challenge to the most venerable and respected Iron Chef Inform 7.
In order to give the voting audience a full menu of interesting choices, I encourage all ye of dauntless disposition whose weapon of choice is a less widely-used platform to step boldly forward!
Remember: Only one challenger will be selected for the trial run. The more people who sign up, the less risk there is that you, personally, will have to step into the ring with a tiger. Impress your friends by your foolhardiness in a statistically cost-free manner!
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The actual development system doesn’t need to coincide, right? The ZIL Chef doesn’t need to go up against only challengers of ZIL, etc.?
Actually, yes, the current plan is that both chefs will be using the same development system. The idea is that there has to be some commonality on which to judge the relative skill of the chefs.
For those considering signing up to be a challenger: Note that if you make use of a system for which there is no current Iron Chef, then contact me by PM to let me know your platform of interest. The chance to recruit Iron Chefs for additional systems is welcome, and literally everyone I’ve contacted about this has been interested.
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Update: Eight of the potential challengers have gotten back to me, and all but one of them have said that their preferred platform for the challenge is Inform 7. (The lone exception is currently reconsidering being a challenger, perhaps due to a bout of sanity.)
To add to the last post, one of my thoughts about why this “show” could be considered useful beyond the entertainment value of the moodsport is that it will serve as an opportunity to showcase less popular systems, to educational and/or promotional effect. I know the TADS crew is always looking for new recruits, for example; this would be a great chance to show what makes it a good choice for developing IF.
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As today’s spokesguy for the judges, I’d like to offer some reassurance to all challengers:
While @otis has been playing up the dangers of being a challenger, we all here (otis and the judges) want to emphasise that he’s doing this in the spirit of recapturing the excitement of the TV show The Iron Chef.
Peeking around the fourth wall for a moment, there is no real danger! We definitely want all challengers, and we think that they and we will have a good time when we play our roles. The judges are onboard primarily to entertain, elucidate where we can, joke non-combatively and make jokes at our own expense. We aren’t here to actually put anyone or their output down or create any real stress. There needs to be a bit of spice because it’s a competition, but if you’ve seen the show, you know what the level of spice is, and that whoever wins each round, both are celebrated. The competition is a good excuse for the journey.
-Wade
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Also, signing up as a competitor is a great way to get more attention on your favorite authoring system! The number of people who have released games in Dialog is currently still in the single digits; a competition match would get hundreds more eyes on it, and I would love to see what sorts of new techniques get found or shown off in the process.
(I was planning to do a grandiloquent Iron Chef-style monologue, but I realized that might achieve the opposite of the intended effect…)
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On the Internet, no one knows you’re really Takeshi Kaga.
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Less so than you might think, though I expect my expression will be very similar once we reach 100% confidence in the Iron Chefs’ and judges’ working groups. (I think we’re getting close. Potential challengers, keep your fingers crossed…)
EDIT: Oh, my – on second glance the above doesn’t read right at all. I meant “when the Iron Chefs’ and judges’ working groups reach 100% confidence level that this idea will work”. Things are definitely progressing, but we’re not there yet. I already have 100% confidence in all of them!
(Sorry about that; sometimes I pick the wrong words to drop when compressing for speed.)
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I know you said that the specifics are still up in the air … but when you say “episode,” is there actually going to be a livecasted segment, or is it more like a game jam with limited participants?
Good question! The whole structure is being designed for asynchronous participation by the chefs, judges and audience. The idea is that the “broadcast” will be a lively thread that will have new content to see even if checked two or three times per day.
I can say that the judges are all raring to go in terms of having an active discussion, and in addition to humor value their comments should offer plenty of insights to would-be authors. My hope is that even those who only play IF will get a richer appreciation of IF in general by seeing what these experts are focusing on when they evaluate a work.
It will be less like a game jam and more like an exhibition match. As severedhand notes above, the real show celebrates both the challenger and the defending Iron Chef. It will be a chance for the audience to get a glimpse into the process of recognized masters, and for challengers to show off their own skills and bring attention to past, current and/or future projects.
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Update: We’ve reached the end of the uphill part within the Iron Chefs’ and judges’ working groups, and challengers are making introductions and assembling their pitches in the challengers’ working group. There’s been a lot more progress than might be evident from afar!
I’m pleased to announce that, in the spirit of inclusion, @Draconis has agreed to a special challenge against @nilsf should the latter become the challenger for the pilot: nilsf and his custom system (as seen in The Libonotus Cup) vs. Draconis using Dialog. Thank you, Draconis!
We’re still looking for challengers who wish to use systems other than Inform 7, especially because I’ll soon be introducing two new Iron Chefs. As an added enticement to potential new challengers, the challengers’ working group will be the one taking the lead on the “branding” for the “show,” including naming, logo, flair, etc. Even if you’re not chosen for the pilot, signing up now will let you help to shape it.
Challengers for systems other than Inform 7 are especially welcome, so consider this a formal call for authors who prefer Twine, TADS, Dialog, Inform 6, Adventuron or other platforms. The signup poll is still open in the top post of this thread. Remember: Those who leap bravely into danger are invariably remembered fondly!
Since I’d like to see more systems represented, I throw down my Iron Chef gauntlet as a Twine challenger.
I have never done anything in Twine so I’m a shoe-in for the beloved underdog everyone’s rooting for!
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