Final Thoughts

The final submissions are now available at the website.

Pittsburgh: I'd like to have a meetup sometime this weekend; Saturday evening has been suggested. Please voice your preferences at this forum thread.

Boston: The Boston gang has announced a meeting on Sunday, March 22, at 6:00 pm at The Asgard in Cambridge. Zarf himself attended their last meeting, so if you're in the area, you should check it out.

Everybody: I hope that this month has encouraged you to learn about IF as a unique medium, and given you some confidence in your ability to write works of IF. It has been very exciting for me to see interest from so many exotic locales, and examples of many different kinds of story. Thank you all for participating!

So, where do you go from here?

First, second, and third: Beta-testing is what makes your game playable by people who can't read your mind (which is probably everybody who is not you). Being literature, puzzle, and code, IF needs to be proofread, playtested, and debugged — early and often. Testing can even spur new ideas and help you sort out larger design issues.

Fourth: Feelies are obviously optional, but working on a feelie, map, or cover art can help you solidify the theme and intent of your story. Personally, I find graphic design much more approachable than writing, and if you are of the same persuasion, designing feelies may be a good way for you to get into your story project.

Fifth: Once you've got something you want the world to see, read up about promoting your game and get to it.

Lastly: The world of IF is rife with competitions, most notably the XYZZY Awards. Competitions are a great way to find out what's new in the world of IF, especially since many IF competitions require the submitted games to be fairly short — perfect for those of us with a short attention span. And of course, you can always enter competitions yourself.

Thanks again, and I hope to see you around.