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From: erkyrath@netcom.com (Andrew Plotkin)
Subject: Re: Planning Ahead for 1997 I-F Contest.
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Date: Fri, 1 Nov 1996 16:58:30 GMT
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Gerry Kevin Wilson (whizzard@uclink.berkeley.edu) wrote:

> 1. Next year, all games will be entered anonymously.  Now, how will I
> protect the copyrights of the authors if their names do not appear in the
> game?

Is perfect anonymity really feasible? Note that Magnus Olsson's entry this
year takes place in the same multiverse as his entry last year. 
("Cyr-Dhool" is mentioned in each.) Will this be illegal next year? Will 
the person who wrote "Punkirita Quest One" be barred from writing 
"Punkirita Quest Two"?

I don't disagree with the spirit of the idea; I have gotten the impression
that my reputation is interfering with people's honest judging of my
entry. 

> 2. Entrants will be banned from talking about the entries while the voting
> period is underway.  Everyone else can still post about the games, but
> authors will be disqualified for posting about either their own, or
> someone else's entry.

This is fine by me.

> 3. A walkthrough is now defined as a plain text file with a sequence of
> commands in it that a player can type in order and reach at least one of
> the intended 'winning' endings of your game.  All entries will again be
> required to have walkthroughs with them next year.  Hint systems are
> optional.

This gets badly screwed by randomness in games. It doesn't even have to 
be very deep randomness in the plot. It could be as simple as a random 
even which occurs after 5 to 10 turns in a given location, which you have 
to wait for. Or a formal puzzle which starts in a random configuration.

The Z-machine has a "deterministic" mode for its random-number generator, 
but I don't know if every interpreter implements it. TADS also has such a 
mode. I don't know about other systems. However, I'd worry that 
deterministic mode might make a game seem too mechanical -- random 
scenery messages that always appear in the same order are a little goofy.

--Z

-- 

"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the
borogoves..."
