Leaving Michael's ego aside (and that takes some doing), note that I
turned in _Weather_ almost a month before the deadline -- and that was
after a round of private beta-testing. By the time the deadline hit, I
was up to release 4.
I recall that _Magic Toyshop_ was the first entry uploaded.
I don't think that the extra releases were a *major* factor in the
results. I didn't make many changes. But some people had speculated
that an early release would hurt an entry's chances -- most recent,
most memorable. I think we've pretty much disproved that theory :-)
But not too early. I wouldn't want to see entries three months before
the voting starts. A one-month window, which was what happened this
year, seems good.
The alternative is to keep all entries under wraps until the deadline,
so that every game is judged on Release 1. But I like the way it went
this time. Nothing ever works right the first time, anyway.
--Z
"And Aholibamah bare Jeush, and Jaalam, and Korah: these were the borogoves..."