#seedcomp

[seedcomp-if]

Voting has started!

Hello everyone!

The Voting period of the SeedComp! is now open! You can vote for your favourite games and seeds in different categories, as well as handing out some ‘stickers’ in recognition for something a game or a seed did well.

Game Award Categories:

Best Overall

Best Story

Best Technical

Best UI/Visual

Best Prose/Writing

Best Puzzles

Most Sequel-Worthy

Best Seed Subversion

Best Seed Hybridization

Seed Award Categories:

Best Seed

Most Innovative Seed

You can find the Voting Form here! Play the SeedComp! entries here. Find the Excel Sheet with all Seeds and Games listed here,

#seedcomp #voting #game jam

[manonamora-if]

Well, well, well... Lots happened this week!

The update for Meeting the Parents is finally out! Almost two months after I thought I would be done with it...

Go play it!

My first ever IF event (that only took 14 days to organise lol) SeedComp! is online! Come participate with me in this 2-Round fun game jam!

Do you have a prompt lying around catching dust? An idea you were never able to code? A piece of code you could not include in a project? A UI mockup/code you could not use? Or a piece of music or art? Submit it as a seed and see it being nurtured by another creator!

Or come use the submitted seeds to create something new!

Check @seedcomp-if for info and announcements!

Also yes... that seed is kind of a pushed concept for the sci-fi theme template I've been working on.

Since we are talking template... Here (a.k.a. my comp seed) is a bit of a preview. It is not complete (I didn't do the Dialog Boxes for example) and definitely not easy to edit as of now. It is also not mobile compliant, maybe tabled, but def not mobile.

My plan is to strip it a bit down to an easier form, finish the dialog boxes, add the usual settings/controls, and trying to make it mobile accessible (haven't decides on the orientation yet). It will have 3 colour scheme, 3 fonts (incl. OpenDyslexic), annotated stylesheet and JavaScript, etc...

If you think I wasn't going to use my comp seed as is right now (well more edited actually), well, you're wrong :P

Coming next weekend: P-RIix : Space Trucker A Slice-of-life Sci-fi IF game about a space trucker doing a delivery.

That's what I'll be submitting to the Twine Sci-Fi Jam and the 2 Buttons Jam (because challenge :D). This past week, I have done quite a bit: coded most of the UI (duh) and mocked up the rest, plotted the story (it's a very simple one), coded part of the mechanic (if you've played Goncharov Escapes, you won't be surprised to see some thing in this one), and started writing.

I have to figure out the resource management of this thing... If I could do CSS animations, I CAN DO THAT!

Some other stuff:

The Confessions Time moved to @if-confessions. Send your IF confessions there!

The Goncharov Jam is now over so go play some Gonch games (play mine, it's fun!) !

That's it I think?

#progress #seedcomp #mtp #meeting the parents #templates #template #p-st #P-Rix Space Trucker

[manonamora-if-reviews]

In a minute there is time, by Aster

Play this game Read other reviews of this game Play other games by Aster

A voyeur for a minute (3/5)

The entry does an interesting thing with the mechanic, limiting the playthrough to a 60 seconds - though it lets you "rewind" and try as many times as you wish. The games track which passage you visited, making it easier to find the ones you still have left. I get why the discussions were timed, but they ended up being more frustrating to read through they they should have been because of the timer…

Though that restart may remove all that pressure from the large timer in the background ticking down the minute, it ended up stressing me out so much I found myself clicking aimlessly rather than focussing on the text itself. I had to restart the whole file (because of the tracking formatting) and "hide" the timer from the screen to actually take in the story. The "game" would still end after a minute, making it a bit more sudden, but I wasn't anxiously counting down the seconds…

The story itself is not so much narratively driven but a more exploration or snippets from a third-party perspective. You don't really do anything but look at what is around you, happening regardless of you. A bit of a voyeuristic take, wishing you'd be part of the world you are looking at, but still being incredibly distant from it.

It was an interesting experience.

#In a minute there is time #Aster #interactive fiction #complete #2023 #twine game #review #seedcomp

[twinegardening]

Hidden Gems, Hidden Secrets, by Naomi Norbez & Josh Grams [IFDB]

The members of the Hidden Gems Of Poetry Group are close. Even the move from internet forum to web server can't break their bond. But heartbreaking news could mean the end of things as they know it. A short game made for SeedComp 2023. The writing is by Naomi Norbez, and the game was programmed by Josh Grams. Please note that Hidden Gems, Hidden Secrets contains discussion of sexual harassment/coercion, and people in positions of power taking advantage of their place.

#twine gardening #interactive fiction #hidden gems hidden secrets #seedcomp

[ferkungamaboobo]

oh hey i finished a project for once

thank you to people who made things that are inspiring

#zzt #interactive fiction #seedcomp #but like last years not this years #bullshit ass tumblr poetry that yknow hopefully is more joyous than it seems but sometimes a cow mooing isn't enough to deal with stuff idk #deadlines are fiction of their own

[csr-writings]

https://itch.io/jam/seed-comp-1-planting/rate/1836710 I’ve submitted another seed to the SeedComp! (@seedcomp-if), this time about greek mythology. Icarus is one of my favorite myths of all times, and there’s enough potential in it to get me sending a different approach to the original story as a seed. Hopefully, someone will develop it into a full sprout :)

#seedcomp

[if-whats-new]

What's New In IF? Issue 1 (2024)

By Erika, Marjorie, Alex, Zach and Noi

Now Available!

Itch.io - Google Drive - Keep Reading below

EDITORIAL

We were always just lurkers… But no more! We were always just lurkers… But no more!

We had been talking for a while about the Interactive Fiction community, and wondering what we could to do… you know, do our part to help it become its best self.

And out of all the things available out there, between the directories and the group chats, the forums and the discord servers… it can get pretty overwhelming to be part of it all, to keep track of everything. And we realised there wasn't really a newsletter for IF. Something that tracks of what is happening…

RIGHT NOW!

So why not just… make it happen?

Like a lot of things, What's New in IF started on a whim. But we hope we can turn it into something great. Something that can help the community keep track of what's happening.

And we hope that you will join us too!

PS: we did cheat a bit on some dates for this edition :{

ERIKA, MARJORIE, AXEL, ZACH, AND NOI

EVENTS

~ CONFERENCE ~

You can now register for the Narrascope! It is happening June 21-23, in hybrid. They've also released the schedule of talks!

The Interactive Narrative Exhibition is looking for IF pieces to be displayed in a Museum in Poland!

~ ONGOING (VOTING) ~

Until mid-May, the Spring Thing is welcoming players to check out the entries vote for the “Best in Show”!

Do you speak German? The annual Grand Prix has released its submissions and is looking for voters!

~ ONGOING (SUBMITTING) ~

The Dialogue Jam by the @neointeractives group is open for submission until the end of the month. Only Dialogue is allowed!

In less than two weeks, the window to submit for the Text Adventure Literacy Jam 2024 will end. The goal is to make a parser for beginner players.

Also ending at the end of the month is the Amare Games Festival 2024, which is all about love!

On the Choice of Game Forum, the Diversity Jam is running. They accept any CScript game… as long at is not in ENGLISH!

~ ENDED ~

After months of hiatus, the 79th edition of the Bitsy Jam finished recently. The theme was: long distances.

The Second Edition of @seedcomp-if recently released its results. Congratulations to the winners!

~ OTHER ~

The Interactive Fiction Showcase is running throughout the whole year, where you can submit and/or play IF games from a wide variety of authors. It is happening on itch!

GAMES

New Releases

The Dice (Twine) is a psychological horror short game. (@stanwixbuster)

Summoned at 2 (HTML) is a short game where you must complete a summoning circle.

Giving Yourself Away (HTML) is the newest release of the Domino Club.

The Wretched Bitsy (Bitsy) is short adaptation of The Trail of the Wretched in bitsy.

How Do You Like Pain (RenP’y) is a visual novel about pain, death, and maybe nothing. Also part of the ‘Art Without Blood’ universe. (@catskets)

New Releases (WIP)

Corruptant (CScript) is a dark fantasy game, where you play as an amnesiac coping with their situation. (@cyn-if)

No Peace (CScript) is a ONE PIECE inspired pirate project.

The Psion (CScript) is a high-fantasy game, where you have Psionic abilities.

The Red and White Knight (Twine) is a Medieval Arthurian inspired project where you play as Lancelot du Lac. (@theredandwhiteknight-if)

Mutually Assured Destruction (Twine) is fantasy thriller about bonds and destruction.

Blackwood Manor (CScript) is mystery romance project.

Shattered Eagle: Fall of an Empire (CScript) is Roman Empire political intrigue.

hic est nihilum (Twine) is post-apocalyptic fantasy story, where you struggle against dieties. (@nightingale-the-lurker)

Speck (CScript) is a Horror/Sci-Fi project inspired by ‘Alien & Spiecies’.

GAMES UPDATES

Agents of Lucifer (CScript) added chapters 4 and 5 to its demo. (@aprismaticodyssey)

Era of the Archdemons (CScript) added chapter 3 to the demo.

The One Chosen (CScript) added more content to their beta. (@parrotwatcher)

Echoes of Kingdom: The Last Stand (CScript) added extra scenes.

Dawn of Heroes (CScript) added chapters 21 and 22 to its demo.

Honor among Thieves (CScript) added extra content. (@leoneliterary)

Dawn of Heroes (Twine) completed its second chapter. (@bladeweaver-if)

Merry Crisis (CScript) has made its last update available to all. (@merrycrisis-if)

Remnants of the Past (Twine) uploaded the final chapter of Act 1 (limited release before sale). (@remnantsofthepast-if)

What lies in the past (Twine) added chapter 1 to the demo. (@maluarty-blog)

Fallen Light (Twine) latest update is available to all. (@fallenlightsif)

OTHER

Limerence (Twine) is back on Tumblr. (@limerenceif)

We apologize in advance if we missed something, and forgot to add projects to this list. Please, let us know if something should have been added to the zine, and we will shout it out next week!

HIGHLIGHT ON...

A couple of games that we thought were cool.

Social Democracy: An Alternate History by Autumn Chen (DendryNexus)

That weird political game that took Twitter by storm, so strongly that there's even a fan subreddit where you can share your stats. It's all about what might have been…

i won't finish this game by Naarel (RenP’y)

An emotional visual novel about being a struggling indie dev game developer and depiction of suicide in narrative games. It is very short and hits hard.

Eat Me by Chandler Groover (Inform)

It was weird, it was gross… It's just genius. There's no way to describe how insane this game is. Maybe the most disturbing escape game ever made. No wonder it's so highly rated and won awards… TG for walkthroughs!

Your favourite game here?

Do you have a favourite game that deserve some highlighting? Tell us about it! A old or recent game that wowed you so much you want to spam it to everyone? Tell us about it!

We'll add it to the page!

FINAL WORD

We... don't really know what we're doing.

Yes, it's true! Not a lot of thought process went into making this. We actually started putting this together at 3-4am after making the Tumblr Blog.

We haven't really made any plan on what should or should not be included in this zine. We just knew we wished we had something like this when we started.

So while it may seem bare right now, we hope, in time, to fill all the pages, and even add more, as we find more projects, and events, and other IF- related stuff to share!

But for that…

We need your help.

Did you find a cool game that was just released? Or a project that shared a demo or update? Did you come across some cool event? Or found a neat article/blog post talking about IF?

Then, shoot us an ask or submit it on our blog!

THANK YOU!!

ERIKA, MARJORIE, AXEL, ZACH, AND NOI

WHAT'S NEW IN IF? 2024-ISSUE 1

#interactive fiction #if news #visual novel #parser #choice of games #choicescript #twine #ink #twine games #ink games #itch.io #interactive game #interactive novel #IF #games #hobby #indie dev #choose your own adventure #WE HOPE YOU LIKED THIS FIRST ISSUE!! #LET US KNOW IF WE FORGOT SOMETHING!!

[interact-if]

Odd question, but do you know if there is a page on Tumblr or on any other IF-related platforms where you can submit story ideas for free use?

Hi Anon,

We don't know of any IF-related platform where you can submit story ideas for free use, but the SeedComp! (@seedcomp-if) will welcome any submission of story idea (or other inspiring element), to be used during its competition.

#interact if ask

[thrill-seeker-if]

Sneak peak 👀

Here's a sneak peak of some sketches for my game for the SeedComp! It's called I Do Apologize. We are planning on making it a series, so even if we don't have it done for SeedComp, we are finishing it ASAP!

my friend is a super talented artist, she literally changed the artstyle THREE TIMES in order to get the perfect vibe. I hope you guys are as excited as I am for this!!

#aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa #!!!! #I Do Apologize

[if-confessions]

I have always been a person that gets bored pretty easily with things and I find it hard to keep my attention focused in one specific thing for a long time. I started writing an IF recently and even though I tried to keep my hopes low because I've also tried it many times before and always end up losing inspiration and moving to other ideas that keep popping up in my brain, it was flowing so well I had no choice but think this one would be for real. A little more than 5k written yet in like, two weeks and I can't force myself to even think about this IF anymore. I wanted so, so much to make it this time, and it was actually going so well I thought I actually would, but now I'm stuck in a vicious cycle of wanting to write other things (past IFs I've written a bit for and new ideas that kidnapped my neurons) - remembering I have this specific IF to write for - opening the doc and stare at it for minutes and minutes in a row - not being able to write a single worthy word - leaving feeling shitty and still tormented by all things I want to write and for the helplessness of the IF I couldn't develop

Staying motivated to continue working on a project is not easy (I have way too many ones myself too) and requires a lot of willpower and discipline. Especially if the project is very long. Having to remind your brain to focus on a project is not fun, you are 100% right.

And writing, especially as a hobby, should fun as a whole. You shouldn't have to feel dread every time you open your WIP or feeling tormented about it because you couldn't make any progress. It shouldn't be a grind.

Assumption corner, please disregard if you don't think it applies, cause I could be suuuuper off on those.

Maybe putting so much pressure on yourself to make it work every time you start working on a new idea might be a reason why you might not feel able work on it after a few say? Time to work on spite (the so what if it doesn't work method)?

Maybe you'd strive more on shorter forms of creation, like quick bites of IF (à-la Adventure Snacks) or having pressure to finish a game in a short period of time (there are many Game Jams on itch for that) ?

Maybe you might need encouragement when writing or peer-pressure? Writing groups with set weekly/periodic time to work on a project might help you progress.

Maybe you're more of an idea person that can create great prompts and settings and so on and so forth but need a partner to bring it to the finish line? Working in tandem can be fun!

Maybe IF might not be the best medium to foster or unleash your creativity? It happens. And that's ok. Even within IF there are very different ways of showing a story, some authors prefer Choice-Based, some Parsers.

Maybe you need a break from creating as a whole? Take a break from the cycle. Might help you feel better?

If you want to rid yourself of older projects/ideas you don't feel you'd work on in the future, check out the @seedcomp-if and donate your ideas to other creators ;)

#confession time #if-confessions #motivation and breaks #project concerns

[seedcomp-if]

SeedComp! - Voting Round !

From today until April 4th, you will be able to vote for this year's batch of sprouted games !

Play the games on itch:

Find the Voting Form here:

#seedcomp #game jam #voting #competition #interactive fiction

[manonamora-if]

My entry to the French IF Comp is out! Play it here!

It has dark stuff, puzzles, suspense... and an unexpected end :P

You can vote for the French IF Comp until the end of February! (please go vote, the games are really cool!)

(also I saw a funny Chicken picture, and I had to submit to this other jam for the lolz. Like the SeedComp! prompt, you can use that one however you want! It's under the CC-BY license)

Fixed :

some visual issues with small height non-mobile screens

settings in the light mode, and labelling overall

title page small edits

Reloading the page will only give you the logo

the glitchy text in Chapter 3 is fixed (it now works! if you have the setting turned on)

MelS wrote quite a bit this week too! We've passed 8k words.

I don't have any substantial story update to give yet... but I've still some a tiny bit of coding work:

Some visual issues are getting fixed (similar ones to TTATEH + others).

2 new fonts will be included: a monospace and Atkinson Hyperlegible.

I am also adding Keybindings to the main story (the Codex Pages will be a bit tricky, as of now they won't work) for computer play.

I will be changing the code for the notification to a more aria/screen-reader friendly (and there's a lot of them)

A big bug found in the last update of TTATEH has turn up in CRWL too, so that's getting fixed...

Some other bugs raised lately have to be checked out...

OH and the biggest thing: I am adding custom pronouns AND give the choice for the player to choose their title (liege, lord, lady) regardless of their genre :D

Anyway, the Settings, the whole Prologue and Scene 1 is clear. I have started Scene2. Going through the scenes is a bit dull and repetitive (there's 1.5k lines of code for each scene on average), but I am chipping away at it.

Nothing big actually. Just added 2 fonts : a Garamond like and the Atkinson Hyperlegible.

No I haven't forgotten P-RIX. I've been fighting its code all this time...

Anyway, the UI will be changing slightly to give more space for the text (less scrolling, especially on bigger font sizes). The background has also changed (especially the stars looking less like rain, lol). And the radar actually works this time too!

And I've been testing a Mobile portrait version (finally!), which will not include the background, but will be much easier to play!

[It'll be the next UI template too, but bare]

This is the first update of February, so here's a little run-down of what to expect here this month:

a small CRWL update (general UI and bug-fixing)

a P-Rix update (UI for sure, extra content maybe? time will tell)

my SeedComp! entry (if I manage, it will be Gonch-short)

Onto some other IF related information:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~IFDB AWARDS~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The IFDB Awards are ongoing. You can vote for Outstanding entries published in 2022 until the 17th of February!

Check out this post for more information. This is the first year of this award, so the turn out will decide what will happen to it (or at least some categories) next year. Please go vote! (I have like 7 games that are eligible this year, some have appeared on the polls already, it's neat :P )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SEEDCOMP !~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There are about 3 weeks left on the Sprouting Round of the @seedcomp-if ! Come join and create a little game. :D

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~SPRING THING~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Spring Thing 2023 Edition is officially open. You can register your intent until March 1st !

~~~~~~

I've updated the Coding Support list too!

And that's it :P Been a pretty productive week :)

#progress #dol-os #ttateh #the trials and tribulations of edward harcourt #crwl #crimson rose and white lily #meeting the parents #mtp #p-rix - space trucker #p-st #seedcomp #ifdb #awards #spring thing

[manonamora-if-reviews]

free bird., by Passerine

Play the game Other reviews of the game Play other games by Passerine

Clever puzzles. Interesting implementation. (4/5)

free bird. is a minimalist hyperlink puzzle game, where you play as a bird (cockatoo?) locked in a cage yearning for freedom.

Using the seed “Feathered Fury” by Amanda Walker as the setting (locked birds by poachers), and “Room; Closed Door,” from Charm Cochran to format the text (only adjective + noun combo), the game takes us right inside the mind of our feathered friend. It is very effective in portraying this non-human perspective on the environment. And even with the minimalist writing style, the choice of adjectives gives a lot of personality to the PC (or bird-player-character).

The game has also a pretty clever set of puzzles, making you interact with different elements around you. Sometimes requiring a specific order, sometimes asking you to pick up an object and move it somewhere else… Its sparse hints give you just enough to nudge you the correct way. I still struggled a bit, picking up objects and going around the rooms, hoping it would do something… Still, it was pretty fun interacting with all those objects, carrying them on my back, and trying to trick other NPCs in helping me out. Having different formatting between the interactive objects and other "rooms" made things easier when trying to solve the puzzles.

A pretty neat short game.

#free bird. #Passerine #interactive fiction #complete #2023 #twine game #review #seedcomp

[twinegardening]

In a minute there is time by Aster [IFDB]

A gamified love song to J. Alfred Prufrock and T. S. Eliot. Walk through half-deserted streets and muttering retreats, listen to odd conversations, and take in the evening. You only have 60 seconds, but don't worry— in a minute there is time for decisions and revisions which a minute will reverse. A game for SeedComp loosely using the Prufrock seed by Amanda Walker. This game is in a complete and playable form as is, but it is not in its ideal finished form. Keep an eye out for whenever that is!

#twine gardening #interactive fiction #in a minute there is time #seedcomp

[adz]

for Seedcomp, an interactive fiction project, someone has created a game based on a poem I submitted. i like it a lot.

#prepare for return #interactive fiction #muffituffiwuffi

[companionwolf]

missed the planting phase (round 1) of seedcomp but sprouting phase (round 2) of it I Will attempt. Will i succeed. Who knows but I am excited to try !!!

#wolf barking #wolf does gamedev