1999 IF Art Show Guide Lines (Spring)
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These are not hard and fast rules, but guidelines. To be fair to
the other entrants, try to sculpt within then to a reasonable degree.
They are to help you narrow your focus, so you can concentrate on
exploring and finding your choice's limits, and so you can concentrate
on exploring and finding your ability to make it intriguing and
responsive within those limits.
Remember: The tighter your focus, the better.
Entries will be judged on modeling AND focus.
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Guidelines (What To Aim For):
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Object(s) (Still Life) ***
1. Create any type of object.
Bowl of fruit, set of interconnecting building blocks, morphing weapon
(each morph one of the three max objects), broken wizard's wand
needing repair, internal combustion engine, force field, quark
changing from particle to wave and a theoretical net to catch it with,
time machine, old-fashioned unicycle.
Takable, enterable (supporter/container), climbable and/or has sub parts.
2. Place in a one room setting.
With dimension, texture and color: inside, mid air, in/under water,
above/below ground, wood, stone, light, no/variable light, blue, vibrant red.
But make the room description "sketchy", three to four lines, not elaborate,
to keep the spotlight focused on the object, not the scenery.
3. Avoid NPCs.
NPCs do not include talkable-to objects: microphone, a remote responsive to
simple verbal commands. As long as they are not intelligent ("animate").
NPC's are also not special effects created with daemons/timers.
Voices, smells, etc. Try to limit the visual appearance of such illusionary
NPCs to when the player is in an enterable object. Create the sensation it
is traveling through "passing scenery". Centuries/people slipping by a time
machine, countryside/cows rolling by a car.
Reinforce the 3-dimensionality of the object, not the scenery.
4. Limit additional locations for "driveable" objects.
If the only way to achieve movement for a driveable object is to add a
room, try to add only one more (again "sketchy", not elaborate).
5. Help the player explore.
By manipulating the object: eating, opening, attacking, burning,
driving it.
Having it react: makes ill, repels, dampens, crashes, etc.
Any way you can think of.
*** Refers to subject matter, "without life". May be mobile.
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Scenery - Room(s) (Landscape)
1. Create any type of location.
Out of doors or inside, flying free in the clouds, in a dream,
underwater, on distant planet, aboard a weightless spaceship, in an
amusement park, underground in an evil empire, traveling between the pages
of a book, squeezed on a narrow bandwidth, sitting in the stands of a
crowded stadium.
2. Limit takeable/enterable objects.
Such as one enterable object if that is important to the locale. Try
to blend it into the background, so the focus remains on the scenery.
Provide no inventory objects. Or just a couple, but only just to
increase interaction with the environment.
3. Avoid NPC's.
Does not include daemon/timer special effects. (See objects, #3, daemons.)
Scenery illusionary NPCs could be too far away to interact with or just
passing through the location. If the latter, reverse the object technique,
create the sensation they are traveling by and the player is stationary.
4. Make connections non-rooms.
Directions, short tunnels, ladders, chutes, trap doors, airlocks could
be one of the three maximum rooms or the player could only appear to pass
through them (i.e., not separate locations, just a descriptions).
5. Help The Player Explore.
By flying, swimming, feeling the grass under their feet, skating,
hearing the monkeys chatter, digging in the ground, smelling the sweat of
the crowd, going over a waterfall, seeking a wider band width, climbing.
Whatever sensory experiences/reactions you can imagine.
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NPC (Portraits)
1. Create any type of NPC.
Robot, monkey, man fishing, woman making a quilt, quilt making a woman,
lightening bolt deciding whether to strike the player, colony of ants
regretting their movie appearance, alien, stomping dream monster, idea who
feels its time has come, intelligent computer the size of a small moon.
2. Place in a one room setting. (See objects, #2)
Only make the description more elaborate if the NPC is engaged in an
activity (man sitting on a dock, fishing). But still use just three to
four lines so the spotlight remains on the NPC, not the scenery.
3. Limit takeable/enterable objects.
Such as one enterable object for the NPC to sit on/in, if that is
important to their portrayal. Keep unobtrusive and player non-enterable.
Provide no inventory objects. Or just a couple, but only to increase
interaction with the NPC.
4. Keep the NPC's objects (worn/carried) to a minimum.
5. Help the player explore.
By talking to the NPC, kissing, breaking, consuming them, impeding
their movement (within the one room) and/or interrupting their
activity. Whatever you can possibly dream up.
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Judges will also be focusing, on how you present your choice, not the
background. So you will do yourself a favor if you do not waste time
on extra items. An excellent entry might not have any at all.
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I hope you will enjoy feeling the "clay of IF" between your fingers.
After the show, these sculptures will be placed on permanent display
at gmd.de.
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