IntroComp
Last updated: July 1, 2011

***** IntroComp Rules and FAQ *****

The General Idea

The requirements of IntroComp are deceptively simple: All entrants must submit the beginning of a new, never before seen work of IF. This can be as short or as long as the author likes, so long as it is 1) a working, playable game and 2) interactive fiction.

Voting and Judging Rules

Authors may not vote.

Beta testers are allowed to vote, but only on games they did not test.

Everyone else in the entire world may vote on as many or as few entries as they like, on the usual 1-10 scale (10 being the best). However, they are asked to judge games with one thought in mind, and one alone: "How much do I want to play more of this entry?" It is hoped that you'll vote in good faith and on an introduction's merit, as opposed to a show of support for a particular author, genre, or platform.

Reviews may be posted during the voting period, but authors must refrain from discussing any entries in a public Internet forum during the voting period and may not canvass for votes. It is also expected that no one will canvass for votes on the authors' behalf. Once the competition has begun, authors should refrain from posting their thoughts on any entry until the deadline for voting has passed. (If you're worried about a blog or forum post, just run in it past me before posting it and I'll let you know if it violates the spirit of the rules.)

A totally new thing to benefit authors in 2012: when voters vote, they'll be asked to not only vote with a rating reflecting how much they'd like to see the author finish the entry, they'll also be asked to enter anonymous text with (at least) one positive thought and one constructive thought on the game. These will be held privately by the admins and then distributed to authors immediately following the awards ceremony. This is a great suggestion from the 2011 competition that we hope will provide authors with even more feedback … because feedback has always been considered to be the true prize of IntroComp.

PRIZES

1ST Place: $100
2ND Place: $60
3RD Place: $40
Honorable: $25

All values in US funds, minus any currency conversion fee that might be required. Void where prohibited by law. Some assembly required. No other warranty expressed or implied. Although the bag does not appear to inflate, rest assured oxygen will be flowing to the mask.

Oh, and in order to win you not only have to enter, but also finish your game (and tell Jacqueline you finished it). You will have one year (until June, 2013) to do so. No completed game? No money - and somewhere in the world, a fairy dies.

An explanation of the 'Honorable' category. Anyone who enters but doesn't place in the top three will fit into this category. We want everyone to have an incentive to finish their game, so the first Honorable to complete their game will receive the $25 Honorable prize, provided that the entry isn't incredibly buggy and just sort of slapped together. (Since the money will be coming out of my pocket, I have the final word on that bit. No questions asked, and no complaining. Submit your solid, finished game in the spirit of the comp and you'll get the cash; submit something you obviously wrote for a SpeedIF and I shall mock you and keep the $25 for the next person who finishes their game.)

REALLY IMPORTANT: Contacting Jacqueline

ALL questions should be sent to my e-mail account. I am not a terribly frequent visitor to rec.arts.int-fiction or intfiction.org , so please don't post questions there and then complain when I don't reply. :)

GENERAL FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS*

*for very small values of "frequently"

SO HOW LONG/SHORT SHOULD AN INTROCOMP ENTRY BE?
There are no strict length requirements. If you want to enter a complete game, or merely an opening screen or just a title, there's nothing technically stopping you - though given the voting rules, this may not be the best strategy.

WHAT'S TO STOP ME FROM JUST ADDING "AND THEN THEY ALL DIED -- THE END" TO MY ENTRY AND THEN CLAIMING MY PRIZE? BWAHAHAHA!
Nothing... except the ridicule and ostracization of your peers. Also, keep in mind that you have to send me your address in order to get your prize, and you'd be surprised how easy it is to acquire smelly, rotten salmon here in Alaska. Oops, wait, strike that — I moved from Alaska to Washington state recently, but I still have a pretty solid supply of salmon. This FAQ has not changed considerably.

CAN I SUBMIT A SECTION FROM THE MIDDLE OF MY GAME INSTEAD OF THE BEGINNING?
No, that would be ExcerptComp.

HOW ABOUT THE ENDING OF MY GAME?
Next question, please.

WHEN I FINISH WRITING MY GAME, CAN I SUBMIT IT TO IFCOMP?
No go, my friend. It would run afoul of the spirit of IFComp's "no prior release" rule. You may be allowed to enter it in other minicomps, though - ask your local minicomp dealer.

CAN I SUBMIT MORE THAN ONE ENTRY?
You may enter more than one entry, but only your top-voted entry will be ranked and eligible for a prize. So, have more than one game you're working on right now and you're not sure which one to focus on? Find out which premise will be the best received by the community by entering them here.

Of course, unless you wish to incite the wrath of the IF community and, more importantly, the competition organizer, any and all entries you enter should be well-tested and created in earnest. Please don't spam the competition with lots of half-baked entries. Need I reiterate that, as someone living near the waterfront in Seattle, it is really easy for me to acquire a high volume of fresh salmon at Pike's Place Market and mail it to you (and it won't be fresh by the time it arrives, trust me on this). Please, don't tempt me.

BUT I STILL WANT TO KNOW MORE!
That wasn't exactly a question, that was more of an exclamation... Okay, I get your point. Maybe you should take a look at the ifWiki to learn more on previous years' IntroComps.

If you still have a question after that, drop an e-mail to my gmail.com account: jacqueline.a.lott

Thanks!

***** IntroComp 2011 Summary *****

The results of the 2011 IntroComp were as follows:

1st: Choice of Zombies, by Heather Albano - COMPLETED! HEATHER CLAIMED HER PRIZES! w00t!
2nd: Speculative Fiction, by Thomas Mack
3rd: Choice of the Petal Throne, by Danielle Goudeau

Honorable entries:
Bender, by Katz
Chunky Blues, by Scott Hammack and Jessamin Yu
The Despondency Index, by Ed Blair
Exile, by Simon
Gargoyle, by Simon
Of Pots and Mushrooms, by Devi and Maya
Parthenon, by Charles Wickersham
Seasons, by Poster (MT)
Stalling for Time, by Dominic Delabruere
The Z-Machine Matter, by Zack Urlocker

Download the whole shebang here (4 mb)

Interested in reading the 2011 awards ceremony transcript? It can be found here.