Nominees for 1998 XYZZY Awards announced

[eileen@interport.net (Eileen Mullin)]

The votes are in and all counted!  Below you'll find listed the talented
IF game developers nominated for the 1998 XYZZY Awards. These annual "IF
Oscars" honor the best games written over the past year -- and their
authors.

New MUD info: We'll announce the winners in an online MUD presentation at
orange.res.cmu.edu 4000 on Saturday, February 6, beginning at 3:30 p.m.
EST (2030 GMT). Please note the new MUD address -- and thanks to Liza Daly
for once again hosting *the* online IF event of the year!

Without further ado, the nominees for the 1998 XYZZY Awards are:

Best game
   Anchorhead, by Michael Gentry 
   Little Blue Men, by Michael Gentry
   Once and Future, by Gerry Kevin Wilson
   Photopia, by Adam Cadre
   Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin 
   

Best writing 
   Anchorhead, by Michael Gentry 
   Little Blue Men, by Michael Gentry
   Muse, by Chris Huang
   Photopia, by Adam Cadre
   Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin 


Best story
   Anchorhead, by Michael Gentry 
   Little Blue Men, by Michael Gentry
   Losing Your Grip, by Stephen Granade
   Photopia, by Adam Cadre
   Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin 


Best setting
   Anchorhead, by Michael Gentry 
   Muse, by Chris Huang
   Losing Your Grip, by Stephen Granade 
   Once and Future, by Gerry Kevin Wilson
   Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin 


Best puzzles
   Anchorhead, by Michael Gentry 
   Enlightenment, by Taro Ogawa
   Once and Future, by Gerry Kevin Wilson
   Losing Your Grip, by Stephen Granade 
   Spider and Web, by Andrew Plotkin


Best NPCs (non-player characters)
   Guilty Bastards, by Kent Tessman
   Mother Loose, by Irene Callaci
   Muse, by Chris Huang
   Once and Future, by Gerry Kevin Wilson
   Photopia, by Adam Cadre


Best individual puzzle
   The snack machine puzzle in Little Blue Men  (Michael Gentry)
   Getting out of the maze in Photopia  (Adam Cadre)
   Entering the warehouse in The Plant (Mike Roberts)
   Getting out of the chair, from Spider and Web  (Andrew Plotkin)
   The granite cube in Losing Your Grip (Stephen Granade)


Best individual NPC
   Anchorhead (Michael Gentry)
   The troll in Enlightenment (Taro Ogawa)
   The wolf in Mother Loose (Irene Callaci)
   Alley in Photopia  (Adam Cadre)
   The interrogator in Spider and Web  (Andrew Plotkin)


Best individual PC (player character)
   Bad Machine, Dan Shiovitz
   Little Blue Men, by Michael Gentry
   Muse, by Chris Huang
   Spider and Web, Andrew Plotkin
   Zork: A Troll's Eye View, by Dylan O'Donnell

Best use of medium
   Arrival, by Stephen Granade 
   Bad Machine, Dan Shiovitz
   Once and Future, by Gerry Kevin Wilson
   Photopia, by Adam Cadre
   Spider and Web, Andrew Plotkin


Hope to see you Saturday!

Eileen