I just posted a note in raif about the latest TADS 2 and 3 releases, and I
wanted to follow up with a preemptive answer to a question I expect this
will raise. Specifically, how does this affect entrants and judges in the
Comp?
* For ENTRANTS, I'd suggest that you complete your project with the version
you have been using all along, and test it with the new Interpreter. While
these updates are stable, even a small library change could have an
unexpected interaction with something in your game, so I don't recommend
trying to move to a new library version. You should nonetheless test
against the new Interpreter - there shouldn't be any compatibility risk with
the new Interpreter, but it's always best with all things software to test.
* For JUDGES, my recommendation is to upgrade to the new Interpreter
version. This will ensure the widest compatibility with entered games,
since TADS interpreters are almost always backward compatible (i.e., a newer
terp can almost always play an older game) but occasionally not forward
compatible (i.e., an older terp can't always play a newer game). The new
release also ensures that you have the latest bug fixes. (It's also
possible that it will have the latest bug additions, but hopefully those
will be few in number and low in severity.)
* For BETA TESTERS, I'd recommend upgrading, but you should check with the
author of the game you're testing to make sure. Some authors might want to
coordinate things so that one tester uses one version, and another uses
another version, to test in as many configurations as possible. If you have
the time, the ideal would be to do some testing with your current terp AND
some with the new version.
Mike Roberts
mjr underscore at hotmail dot com
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