New Contest? (2nd Edition)

[Baddcog]

 

 

Making a decision to not put a flavor book in a mission because it might confuse players might be described as 'dumbing down,' don't you think?

 

Not at all because the mission isn't about superflous stories the author has floating in their head, it is about accomplishing the mission objectives.

 

Books are a great way for the author to communicate things to the player that help them reach their goals. But they are also a great way to bore players who want to play a story, not read it.

[Baddcog]

puzzles is iffy.

 

On one hand they can be fun and on the other hand it's hard for a lot of authors to make puzzles that players will get without too much trouble.

 

In my T2 maps I always put some little puzzles and nobody ever got the clues though I thought they were clear and simple. And on the other hand other authors stumped me in the same way.

I got through most of Stumpy's but there were a lot of WTF moments.

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I don't mind size limits, but I don't think I'd be fond of brush limits. Stuff like that just makes it hard to just build the mission and it's so arbitrary in relation to the actual map.

Encouraging the use of patches seems cool, but it's kindof the same deal. Other than requiring a set number, how to enforce/judge?

It's a technical aspect that most players wouldn't understand/grasp... Theoretically (though a pain) and map could be fully constructed visually from patches (only using caulk for wall to seal areas). But ithout a look in the editor you'd never know it.

 

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[Berny]

Contest Concept: The Update Contest

Size Restriction: No

 

Time Restriction: 2-5 Month?

 

 

This should be a contest for small-medium maps of mappers who would like to create quite a big update to an existing (self created) mission. Just like ReReturn to the City. I liked the fact to go back to the earlier visited city. Evenin TX2 (or was i T2X) I loved to come back to visited but changed areas. I felt a nice "Let's see what have been changed" feeling

 

What do you think?

 

 

[Baddcog]

I don't think most mappers want to revisit old maps. And or they don't have old maps to revisit.

 

I'm not really fond of the idea of someone randomly grabbing one of my maps and just redoing it. It's one thing if someone asks permission and you discuss it or there's a good reason, etc...

But just doing it is kind of insulting to the mapper imo. Like this mission wasn't good enough so Imma make it better.

[Neb]

Concept: General Contest

 

Anything you like. Free form is sometimes appealing.

 

 

[jaxa]

This should rerun as a 3rd edition poll between Dark Secret, Faction, Halloween or "write in".

 

Oh and, Morrowind/Oblivion books did have a use: skill points! But we already have 100 Sneak...

Edited June 7, 2011 by jaxa

[STiFU]

Concept: Create the official Dark Mod Character

Size restriction: No way

Time restriction: As usual. A more or less predefined deadline.

 

Many people have been criticizing that TDM lacks in personality, so how about we do something about that in the scope of a contest by creating the official Dark Mod Player Character. I know many mappers have been using their own character and are doing a good job on that, but I would imagine having a single character that authors can use if they want and that ties missions somewhat together, allowing mappers to build up on the other authors' missions etc. would be great. This contest would of course have to be organized in close collaboration with the official team.

 

So how would this contest work? We would first develop a character with a backgroundstory all together, or maybe just the official team. Then the contest participants build maps that extend on the backgroundstory or (for the non-creative kinds of authors) even relive the actual background story itself. The contest votings would put a strong emphasis on storytelling and how well the character is introduced (and evolves).

[ungoliant]

Concept: Total Crap Contest

Size restriction: none

Time restriction: 2 months

 

I think its about time for TDM to parody itself with this classic contest remake.

[Melan]

NO. Let's not do that.

[Shadowhide]

Concept: Dark Secret

Size restriction: none

 

 

Time restriction: 3 months

 

I think there is the only contest theme which is guarantee nice,interesting and atmospheric missions

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SiyahParsomen]

I was wrong with my concept idea in the previous page. We need new mappers and a new contest should encourage people to start learning mapping in some way. Let's consider this too.

[Shadowhide]

half of the all Thief forums have a talanted people who wasting their time on trash like thief-related stories or thief-related fan art,they just didn't want to try mapping,they thinking only gods or programmers creating fan missions

 

contests won't help to gather new mappers

 

 

[jaxa]

I'd like to map but each time I've tried to work with DarkRadiant I've hit learning curve fatigue. Maybe if I try that one additional time I can actually crank out something. I can program so at least scripting might be easier.

[ungoliant]

I'd like to map but each time I've tried to work with DarkRadiant I've hit learning curve fatigue. Maybe if I try that one additional time I can actually crank out something. I can program so at least scripting might be easier.

 

send a PM to brethren. We are trying to establish a new mapper workshop type project, where new mappers can share experiences, advice, troubleshooting tips, and general Q&A discreetly and privately, while working together on a short, loosely cohesive campaign. we need a few more faces.

[Fidcal]

Concept: 12 interesting small rooms

 

Size restriction: 12 small (house) rooms no more no less no corridors plus one optional stair well. So it could be 2 x 2 x 3 high with a stair down the middle or down one side or it could be 4 x 3 all on one floor etc. All internal. No outside. No large areas. No elevators. Ladders and rope arrows are allowed. By 'rooms' I do mean house rooms and not 'areas' such as a street, a mine corridor, a sewer pipe.

 

Time restriction: Two months total: One month to create the simple rooms plus two weeks to add at least one interesting thing to every room plus two weeks to finish and test. It can't just be some loot in a chest but something different, unusual, to keep the player curious about what there is to find.

 

Other limits: Novices only

 

Overall story might be a mystery to solve or just a plain big house heist or find some special item(s).

 

The above should be simple enough for the novice especially as a first FM yet focus mappers to think about adding interest wherever they can and not on big dramatic views or advanced technical stuff. Another advantage is that planning is simplified. Entrants should not be caught out in the last couple of weeks still with areas to build or extend. You should only adding extra polish in the last couple of weeks so can finish on time. Even if you'd wished you could add more at least you have a finished FM and not a half-finished one.

 

The above concept probably sounds boring and unattractive but it's the structure which is plain and simple. The challenge is to add fascination out of your imagination.

[Neb]

I would vote for that.

[fxdwg]

Contest Concept: Damsel In Distress

 

Size Restriction: No (No idea. Hate to limit creativity)

 

Time Restriction: ?? (No idea. Hate to limit creativity)

 

The leading character's main squeeze (a no-nonsense, gritty, steamy, punk wench who has a thing for strong and clever bad-guy types) has been abducted by an arch-nemesis or perhaps an other-worldly and evil creature that requires something that only the main character is capable of performing or obtaining. Or that she has some seriously compromising dirt on the main character that he can absolutely not come to light without some very serious consequences. Could end up creating one of the main official bad guys for TDM (he or it has got to be really bad).

[nbohr1more]

Hah! I love it!

 

Rather than create a TDM protagonist, create "the great TDM villain" !!!!

[jaxa]

send a PM to brethren. We are trying to establish a new mapper workshop type project, where new mappers can share experiences, advice, troubleshooting tips, and general Q&A discreetly and privately, while working together on a short, loosely cohesive campaign. we need a few more faces.

 

I did so, thanks for the tip.

[stumpy]

How about a castle map, built outside the city, no size restriction, has a dark secret, build time 2 months.

 

if you bother looking at all the different types of castles there are then you could base a map on one of those designs.

 

eg duke dingle, collects opals, and stores them in his castle, break into castle to steal opals, find out he secretly digs up corpses and tries to reanimate them via a bank of powerful generators, find evidence to leave at local builder's church so that he can explain his actions to the inquisition, then spend several days in intense pain before being burnt at the stake for being a heretic.

[fxdwg]

eg duke dingle, collects opals, and stores them in his castle, break into castle to steal opals, find out he secretly digs up corpses and tries to reanimate them via a bank of powerful generators, find evidence to leave at local builder's church so that he can explain his actions to the inquisition, then spend several days in intense pain before being burnt at the stake for being a heretic.

 

Only to find out later that, ironically, the thief was one of the duke's re-animated corpses but with no recollection of the event.

Then a revenge episode can take place. Or maybe even re-animate the duke himself.

[Sotha]

Contest Concept: High Security Contest

 

Size Restriction: No.

 

Time Restriction: Standard. Few months.

 

Strangely there is not a single bank, etc extra-high security missions for TDM. Therefore I propose the High Security Contest. FMA's can create any location with extra-tight security. A bank. High security prison/archives/repository/library.

 

The contest is otherwise totally free, but the following two elements must be found somehow in the mission:

• A High Security Location, with a logical reason why the security is really really tight.
• At least one High Security Device or Obstacle which must be overcome to succeed in the mission. Random examples: A complex multilock bank vault door. A time lock. A numberwheel security system. Steampunk/magical video surveillance. Magical Death Barrier that opens only to a single mage. Steampunk/magical retinal scanner. Daily changing security pass code that requires a steampunk computer to enumerate. A sealed vault door you blow up with ten crates of dynamite.

The missions are graded in the fields of

• High Security Location & Device implementation
• Gameplay
• Aesthetics

[DeTeEff]

...and a beer to the one who recreates the white house or something

 

 

[Trickster]

Contest Concept: High Security Contest

Size Restriction: No.

Time Restriction: Standard. Few months.

Strangely there is not a single bank, etc extra-high security missions for TDM. Therefore I propose the High Security Contest. FMA's can create any location with extra-tight security. A bank. High security prison/archives/repository/library.

 

Bingo. I´m dying to rob high-security complex. Voting with both my hands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[STiFU]

I love them too, but I feel like we're still lacking in security bots and cameras et cetera. I guess we should wait with a contest like that until we get a really big steam punk bots update in TDM.