Contest Survey

[Aprilsister]

Well, if you must have a "theme" and are likely not going to make this as quick as possible and also not likely to exclude vets...

 

...Let it be origins/backstory of the werebeasts. These are after all entirely new so no one can claim it's been done before.

[Shadowhide]

...Let it be origins/backstory of the werebeasts. These are after all entirely new so no one can claim it's been done before.

did you want see werebeast in action ? http://darkfate.ru/?thumbs=files/projects/darkmod/screenshots/v103_5

thats enough ?

[Aprilsister]

did you want see werebeast in action ?

 

Thanks, but I have already messed with them a bit by spawning them into maps...

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's not so much anything I'd really like to see in particular (I don't especially enjoy "horror" elements, for one thing). It's just that, like I said, it'll be something guaranteed to be new and something that will be a "theme" and add an extra element of "contest" because the "winner" will be sort of defining a bit of the TDM universe.

 

I would have it like this:

 

...a contest that is ultra-short and open only to rookies and sophomores. One of the best reasons for contests is to get new authors into the groove.

 

Theme schmeim.

Boundaries schmoundries.

Daunting competition schmonting schmompetion!

 

And hope to see a lot of variety and a lot of new entrants into the FMA Guild.

[Mr Lemony Fresh]

Here are some cool ideas

 

-A level that gives the illusion that most of the level is moving IE a land-train or a timed level where your on a train that's falling through an abyssal crack in the ground towards the bowls of the earth - keep in mind how interesting that rocking ship level was, perhaps something along those lines?

-A level where the gameplay is actually changed and you have to figure out how to deal with it, IE someone splashes bright red paint on you and you can't hide in the shadows etc

------->(I just realised i left this message open for 7 hours and forgot about it ... it's now 2am... hmm ideas... ideas...

-The most unpredictable level, for instance: No objectives; find yourself on the floor with a broken pot next to you and a women with a stab wound next to you as well, exit room, turn a corner jaw drops because you've just seen an extremely large and detailed tapestry of 2 goats going at it (because it'd be funny) turn another corner, find a man on the ground who HASN"T been knocked out by you (or have they) and there's a large crowd gathering around him, suddenly you need to watch yourself, head around another corridor and into the bathroom, guy is asking for toilet paper from the other side of cubical walls, you can give it to him. fun. crouch and take wallet of his dacked trousers from the other side of the cubicle... etc

Edited January 24, 2011 by Mr Lemony Fresh

[Berny]

@ Mr Lemony Fresh: YOU just have to be an author of fms or an assistant/designer/environment designer !

[Mr Lemony Fresh]

Thanks,

 

here's another idea, a remix competition.

 

The person to take an existing mission (with the anther's consent of course) and put a clever twist on it, give it a remodelling/renovation.

The most interesting/beautiful/creative/clever change should be the main aim while the mission should be judged on fun and playability and such. Kinda like how people have remade the original e1m1 from quake.

[jaxa]

That idea makes sense for Thief 2, the Reloaded contest which is the current contest, where there are 800 missions to choose from as well as the OMs. Not so much for Dark Mod with around 30 missions.

[Shadowhide]

maybee total crap missions contest ?

[demagogue]

Probably time to trim the choices down ... Ambient Sound, Snow (or seasons), Dark Secret, Beauty, Mechanical Nirvana, & v. 1.03. I'd probably go with Seasons.

[Shadowhide]

I'd probably go with winter and dark secret

[nbohr1more]

Yep. Time to trim things down to the final six.

 

No great outcry for Mr Lemon's ideas has shown up. I enjoy his creative approach so I will be adding his ideas to the voting list if I am granted permission to organize another contest

Edited January 25, 2011 by nbohr1more

[Mr Lemony Fresh]

Jaxa, yeah I actually posted that a bit late, then I spent like an hour trying to find a screenshot of that e1m1 remix and forgot to mention it would be cool to include old thief 1 and 2 fan missions as an option as well, that's why I didn't just say missions from 'The Dark Mod'

 

However aside from remaking the missions from scratch, unless those old dark engine maps can be converted it may be unlikely. The plus side is that they are BSP based which would help but there'd still be plenty of cleaning up to do.

Edited January 26, 2011 by Mr Lemony Fresh

[stumpy]

you may run into an eidos/square enix copyright problem if you redo old thief 1/2 missions, the copyright for thief missions belongs to eidos, whether professionally made or amateur made. you could see dark mod being shutdown faster than a flea can jump.

[Mr Lemony Fresh]

you may run into an eidos/square enix copyright problem if you redo old thief 1/2 missions, the copyright for thief missions belongs to eidos, whether professionally made or amateur made. you could see dark mod being shutdown faster than a flea can jump.

 

Wer'e talking fan missions, converting the bsp of fan missions isn't illegal. All you've got to know is not to take anything else like characters and sounds and such from the original mission.

[Aprilsister]

Mechanical Nirvana

Can't be done as effectively as it should be; the Mechanists have been neglected and kiboshed!

 

Ambient Sounds

Pretty weak as a theme, I'd say. But can I write and sing the feem toon?

 

v1.03 Features

The only one here that really stands as a good reason to have a contest. Lots of potential.

 

Dark Secret

Eh, meh, eh, generica fehmissiona

 

Seasons

Meh, eh, meh generica contesticus

 

Beauty Contest

No one would finish in under 3 years. This beauty lark leads many into madness... perpetual, plodding madness, I say!

[Berny]

I voted for seasons - I'd like to see some new eye candy stuff and a contest with different looking fms. (not just 10 beauty fms or 10 snow fms)

[Sotha]

I voted for Dark Secret, because, well, I like dark secrets. The secret room is always the most interesting room in a house...

[STiFU]

Dark Secret all the way. Visual quality and gameplay is fine in most FMs, but story-wise there is still room for improvement. Take Flakebridge Monastery for example. I absolutely loved it. It was entertaining and good looking. But there's one thing, that could have made it even better and that's a good story climax with a turning point or something like that. It would have been the perfect FM in my opinion. Nevertheless, it's still one of my favorites.

 

But I would also enjoy a hybrid of 1.03 features and dark secret.

[nbohr1more]

If the specific v1.03 contest is not the winner I still hope that one or more of the new AI types will make it into the missions.

 

For the purpose of promoting construction techniques, only the Mechanical Nirvana theme is narrow enough to prompt mappers to try new approaches. All the other themes are pretty loose but Fidcal or another team member might offer a tweak to narrow down the scope of what's allowed should one of those themes win.

 

I will say that it has to be encouraging that this community of (mostly) mappers thus far is more interested in a Story driven theme than one that would challenge their mapping skills. That kinda says that there is more concern out there for the player experience than showing-off building techniques.

 

I still think that a contest that paints you into a corner and makes you innovate your way out is the best thing (good medicine). But, OTOH, that type of attitude may sharpen the skill-set of the mapping community but may also produce missions that are akin to Piano recitals rather than heart-felt improv jamming.

 

I can't say that any of those contestants look disappointing.

 

Blah, blah, blah, rant, rave, lunacy, gibberish...

 

Oh...

 

BTW... Moar votes please!

 

[demagogue]

Looks like Dark Secrets is pulling ahead.

 

Unless things take a dramatic turn, we could have Dark Secrets for this contest, then save Seasons for the next one.

[PPoe]

I think that better than seasons will be elements. Including ice, water, fire etc.. You could make regular FM and argue that it is a sumer mission.. Or just put leafs on the streets for autumn.

[Mr Lemony Fresh]

You guys might think that my ideas are a bit novel and minimalist, but think about it like this:

They are weird and different, that's what makes them work, they have the potential to change the rest of the mission. Turn the head of a horse and it'll walk miles in a different direction.

Edited January 27, 2011 by Mr Lemony Fresh

[nbohr1more]

No need to be self conscious Mr Lemon.

 

Your ideas are fine.

 

I took the list that Sotha compiled for the sake of expediency. It just seemed that there would be endless what-ifs rather than any action on the concept unless somebody set things to vote so I grabbed the quickest, easiest, selection. Some sort of rounded-down approach was the best choice for a community driven contest initiative.

 

If a TDM team member wants to concoct a very specific and quirky contest idea then they have the authority to do so. If we grant the same concept to the community then we end up with 10,000 highly unique contest ideas with threads by each proponent offering their argument as to why a contest should be tailored to their preferences. In short, anarchy (which is what the original thread was verging towards).

 

I think the best way to get folks on-board with your contest concept is to offer a reward.

 

"If you go with my contest concept, I will make this texture for your next map or model, or you can be an alpha-tester, etc."

 

If it could be arranged, it would be cool if the contest winner for this contest could get some reward like:

 

1) Early preview of "Blackheart Manor" or "The Dead Gathers"

2) One (reasonable) feature request added to the mod code

3) Read-only access to the "Internal Forums" for 2 weeks

4) Custom AI scripting assistance for the winner's next mission

 

Some kind of desirable offer that only the TDM team could provide.

[demagogue]

On TTLG a forum admin gives you a custom name-tag for your posts like "Winner of 2011 ... Contest", which I think is a pretty good, all-purpose reward we could have too.

[nbohr1more]

That is a nice perk but potential Moddb entrants may not be as impressed...

 

I had a day-dream that we could setup a Paypal collection kinda like a big high-stakes poker match between mappers.