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From: erkyrath@netcom.com (Andrew Plotkin)
Subject: Re: Soon my pretties [I-F Competition]
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Date: Mon, 28 Oct 1996 20:21:31 GMT
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John Hartnup (slim@ladle.demon.co.uk) wrote:
> Laurel Halbany (mythago@agora.rdrop.com) wrote:

> : I've found that it doesn't take much time when I can eliminate many of
> : the games in ten minutes of playing. The remaining games (the ones
> : that grab me, that interest me from the start) are good if they *stay*
> : nifty.

> The judging rules say you're honour bound to play every game for two 
> hours before voting. 

No, the rules say you must give all games an equal chance, and not play 
*more* than two hours before deciding on a rating.

This is getting into real technicalities, but if I find a game that I 
would throw across the room in the first ten minutes (metaphorically), I 
will. And I'll rate it on that basis.

And yes, that's giving it an equal chance. My criteria were the same when 
I started it up.

> Many IF games take a fair while to get into.

True, but I wouldn't pitch a game because I failed to get into it. 
A game doesn't have to lay everything out for me in the first ten 
minutes, but it must make me want to play ten more minutes.

That said, I don't expect I'll throw any competition games across the 
room. Morbid curiosity counts for a lot. :-) When I reach the point of 
not caring, I grab the walkthrough and whiz through to the end, and 
*then* give it a lousy score.

--Z

-- 

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