I'm considering having a $200-$300 video card as the prize for the next competition. youme and friends have something up their sleeve that might attract a lot more visitors for atleast a short while so that should help site revenue through ad clicks, but really donations are where it's at.

So, anyone interested in getting a video card for a prize? And want to donate?

PS - Next contest idea thread coming soon, don't post that here please.

msleeper wrote:
I'm considering having a $200-$300 video card as the prize for the next competition.

Sweet

msleeper wrote:
youme and friends have something up their sleeve that might attract a lot more visitors

I do?

msleeper wrote:
So, anyone interested in getting a video card for a prize? And want to donate?

Yes, and might be persuaded to donate now (I have to do everything via parents, its not easy dontating willy nilly)

msleeper wrote:
PS - Next contest idea thread coming soon, don't post that here please.

Won't do, but I do have some ideas

Wow, you sure want to motivate us. Something tells me it'll work...

As far as I'm concerned, the contests here aren't exactly worth it. It seems like the only reason I would participate would be the prizes, which I can't say do it for me. I think I'd get more feedback if I just released the map normally.

Not that the voting system is all that perfected, either. :/

BlueZero4 wrote:
As far as I'm concerned, the contests here aren't exactly worth it. It seems like the only reason I would participate would be the prizes, which I can't say do it for me. I think I'd get more feedback if I just released the map normally.

Not that the voting system is all that perfected, either. :/

Suggestions are welcome.

BlueZero4 wrote:
As far as I'm concerned, the contests here aren't exactly worth it. It seems like the only reason I would participate would be the prizes, which I can't say do it for me. I think I'd get more feedback if I just released the map normally.

Not that the voting system is all that perfected, either. :/

I completely agree. Entering maps into a contest where you aren't allowed to have a WIP thread set up for feedback/changes before the final entry date seems a little pointless to me. As a mapper I value feedback more highly than a prize.

taco wrote:
I completely agree. Entering maps into a contest where you aren't allowed to have a WIP thread set up for feedback/changes before the final entry date seems a little pointless to me. As a mapper I value feedback more highly than a prize.

Then don't enter.

taco wrote:
I completely agree. Entering maps into a contest where you aren't allowed to have a WIP thread set up for feedback/changes before the final entry date seems a little pointless to me. As a mapper I value feedback more highly than a prize.

You do realize that you are allowed to create a thread about your map AFTER the contest has finished right?

msleeper wrote:
You do realize that you are allowed to create a thread about your map AFTER the contest has finished right?

It just doesn't make sense that you can't get early feedback for changes here on twp but a map can be distributed all over the internet, or though private circles, for feedback before being entered here for voting.

I'm not against entering contests at all, I think they are great (and important) for the community, I just wish they were more mapper-friendly.

taco wrote:
It just doesn't make sense that you can't get early feedback for changes here on twp but a map can be distributed all over the internet, or though private circles, for feedback before being entered here for voting.

I'm not against entering contests at all, I think they are great (and important) for the community, I just wish they were more mapper-friendly.

Friends are allowed to test, A.K.A. closed playtesting.

taco wrote:
It just doesn't make sense that you can't get early feedback for changes here on twp but a map can be distributed all over the internet, or though private circles, for feedback before being entered here for voting.

I'm not against entering contests at all, I think they are great (and important) for the community, I just wish they were more mapper-friendly.

Like I said in our PM-fest, the point of the contests is to put your skill against other mappers, not take suggestions on how you can do better. I don't see what is so hard to understand about that.

msleeper wrote:
Like I said in our PM-fest, the point of the contests is to put your skill against other mappers, not take suggestions on how you can do better. I don't see what is so hard to understand about that.

I really am sorry for being a PITA but I what it comes down is I don't understand why I can PM the map to the entire world for feedback, but I can't make a thread. Is there something magical about a thread that gets me different feedback that other mappers get on their contest entries through private channels/friends?

Yeah, it's the difference between public and private playtesting. Private playtests are allowed. Public playtests are not.

Alright. I don't understand why that's a rule or how it makes a lick of sense, but I'll stop bothering you with questions about it either way.

Actually not having a contest map open for early critique has a couple of advantages.

First, it's not prejudged by everyone. There's a lot to be said for first impressions.

Second it keeps the judges impartial. I mean, what if you released a half done map and I gave you a critique. Then you released that map in a contest and I see you made changes I recommended you make. So now I'm biased for your map because you've taken my obviously good advice and put it to good use.

Third, you're not giving away ideas until the contest has started. That way no one can use your ideas in their map unless they're really fast, but then those people don't usually need the help.

It might be interesting to... no, I'll save the contest topic suggestion for another thread.

Tigger wrote:
Third, you're not giving away ideas until the contest has started. That way no one can use your ideas in their map unless they're really fast, but then those people don't usually need the help.

I can't agree. I can map "superfast", and make a test chamber in a day or two, but I don't have any fu**ing idea.. ^^

taco wrote:
I don't understand why I can PM the map to the entire world for feedback

What it comes down is that PMing it to the entire world would be public playtesting, and therefore outside the rules.

The idea of the deadline and playtesting period is to put all of the maps on even footing. For example, a map released that gains positive feedback makes people more likely to think of it positively.

What it comes down to is that, sort of like our voting system, there are a number of different ways of doing things. None of them are perfect, or perfectly fair, and so we have to choose a certain way of doing things. We're just trying to be fair in the contests. Sorry if things don't always seem that way.

I'm really thinking of how another forum I visit votes on maps:

Basically, everybody votes on everything, giving each map a score from 0 to 10. Votes are usually accompanied by a a short description, with the goods and the bads. After voting ends, all the scores are averaged. If the mapper has voted on all the other maps, the lowest score on his\her map is droppped.

Example in acton!

BlueZero4 wrote:
I'm really thinking of how another forum I visit votes on maps:

That's not a bad idea, but I prefer automated couting methods and that sounds like a colossial pain in the ass to program.

You're not programming it. You're counting the votes yourself.