Can you believe it! Going on five years, and last year was outstanding. Already have some great sponsor money, which I will update on the website by Wednesday at the latest. One of the biggest problems we have had in the past is receiving game files. Thanks to dashingdon Awesomeness we are now able to upload game directly to the server. Fiogan will also be part of the team again even as busy as she is her help is so greatly appreciated.
We have many returning judges and many new ones who are already chomping at the bit to score these games.
I will update this post throughout the competition, so check back or just root on the others.
This Yearâs Theme: âMasquerade and Merrimentâ.
Our judges this year:
poison_mara
ArchangelVoldemort
cyanide
Pace675
Snowpanther
Eiwynn
Lavender
Vertigo
Guhik
What you will be judged on
1-10 + Style
This is one of those nice vague categories that I do believe judges tend to have a little leeway in interpreting, but for me; it comes down to the authorâs own personal writing style, and if it works with the genre they are presenting. Like if Edgar Allen Poe wrote a light, humorous romp in a bright sunlit world, he would be somewhat hard pressed (IMO) since he had a natural leaning toward dark, and psychotic thriller leanings.
Each person has their strengths and weakness, and it is best to play towards your natural inclinations for a better presentation of the world you are presenting; steampunk, dieselpunk, high fantasy, or whatever fits your fancy. Just work with yourself, not against yourself. This is somewhat apparent when reading over submissions.
1-10+ Length
As far as length, I took a long time looking at rules and setup of other comps. I really do feel the game does not need to be long to be a great game. The reason length was added was more of a counter weight to the whole scoring process. Some write faster, some code better, some write characters that we soon wont forget. In the over all scope of things length is only a small part of the whole score so I believe it balances out.
1-10+ Re-playable
Branching paths, different ways to get from point A to B. How wide (far) can one go outside of the core of the story before the narrative pulls the player back to the main objective?
Is the story compelling? This too has weight in the replayability category. You can have a ton of choices and branches, but is the story itself worth pursuing it?
1-10+ Technical
I tend to grade lightly here for one reason; coding is a biznich! Doing nifty and wonderous things with CS script is no mean feat, but bonus points to the ones that actually do try and do something inventive. Looks at Lucid he thinks outside of the box.
1-10+ Theme
This is another up to the judges interpretation, but it simply comes down to this: is a form of âpoisonous intentâ in the story? How well woven into the story is the theme? Take a look Shawn_Patrick_Reed work for a nice way to implement a theme. (LOL I thought for sure we would have a score of werewolves stories but alas nary a one.)
1-10+ Enjoyment
Self explanatory! XD
1-10- Errors
Bugs are bad, work your testers hard! Crack that whip! Even if you do not finish your submission. End the game do not let it error out 
Tpyos nad the like are an easy way to lose a point. Also grammar iz gud!
1-10+ inclusiveness
Well, I canât just talk for all my comrades judges. But I could tell you how I will judge Inclusiveness. I will looking about how genders and racial are portrayed and if is inclusive or not (gender locked is not a problem if goes well with the storytelling) But my main goal as role player for inclusiveness is how diverse could I made my character. not only in the obvious romantic preferences, in personality and background. Could a ace black man being sarcastic be made? Or is just a boring x male heterosexual the only options⌠But donât worry about it. I will give you each participant a feedback explanation of why my valoration was x way.
1-10+ Personal score
Did you wow me? And how much wow factor!
Sponsors:
Pace675
I will be tossing in $250 again this year, 100 towards the general prize fund and $150 for my next romance theme sub-objective(Again like all previous years, if no one does a romance then that 150 will go to the general prize fund).
ashestoashes018
Iâm sponsoring Best Character Development for USD$100.00,
Sashira
Iâd like to put up $100 for the following sub-category, best relationship(s):
Most games have a certain formula - meet/choose one true love interest, flirt with them, fade to black.
This award is for someone who does it better. Write a hot scene where sexuality is front and center. Elaborate on how to make a partnership work after the initial attraction. Structure an interesting relationship around platonic interactions. Tell us why love might fail.
You get the picture: be creative, try to express how people actually relate to each other, and do something different.
Eric Moser:
Iâd like to offer $100.00 to the game with the strongest dialogue.
Strong dialogue - âYou know it when you see it!â Does the dialogue push the plot forward in a meaningful way? Does the dialogue seem authentic? Does each character have a unique voice that is captured consistently through the story? Are there memorable lines of dialogue that will stick with the reader after finishing the story? Does the main character get some strong dialogue choices instead of those being reserved for the NPCs?
ChibaHateme
I would like to sponsor 50 dollars.
For the category âRough Diamondâ. For example, I played âRunt of the Litterâ just recently. Itâs not a bad game. However, I think the adventure had a lot of potential but threw it away by huge skips in the story and too little focus on romance and overall interactions with NPCâs. So I would like to ask the judges to vote for a title in the contest they thought had potential to be number one (or top 3) but missed a higher place because of lacking features in the story or other things.
AidenCzar16m
As for what my idea isâŚ
Let me try to explain this as best as I can.
I want to sponsor 50 dollars to reward an act of courage or valor.
Thereâre are people (writers) out there that for whatever reason are scared to enter the contest.
This is my way of encouraging those people to enter.
It doesnât matter if you think whether you could win or lose or whether you think your writing skills are good enough or not. I still want to reward someone for having the courage or valor for at least trying.
Thereâre are some rules though:
1.This reward would only apply to the people who are entering the contest for the very first time
2.Your story must not place at the top 3.
3.You must summit a game. (Depending on the rules the game can be unfinished)
4.In the game, it doesnât matter if itâs in the beginning or at the end. You must create a special place, where you must write a ten-sentence paragraph answering the following questions.
What does writing mean to you?
How has writing affected or change your life?
Why did you choose to enter the contest?
I would like the judges to choose the winner by voting on what answer they like the most. (This is a reward to reward an act of courage or valor so the caliber of the game should not be taken into consideration. Only the answers of the questions should.)
Registration is now closed! Good luck, everyone!
Those that submitted a game this year.
@adrao
@aprilhare
@Chaoseed
@Jacic
@Lucid
@Lycoris
@M-D-M
@Mayday
@EmperorHeartless
@Shawn_Patrick_Reed
Good luck to all
Iâll definitely be entering! dance,dance
Iâll have to talk it out with 
Let us not speak of it until then. Unless you have a better idea.
)