House Plot Competition!

[Drazek]

Hello Guildies!

I've come up with an idea and decided it would be cool to hold a monthly house plot competition:

The rules will be as follows:

1. There will be 2 categories for this competition: small house, and large house. - you may enter both categories if you wish.
2. There will be a prize for the winners of each category, each month. as well as 2nd place and 3rd place runner up prizes. (prize to be decided)
3. This competition will be held once a month, once you've won the competition once in a category, you cannot win again. (however you can become a runner up) - This is to allow new members a chance to win the competition and stop the same person from winning month after month
4. In order to enter the competition, you must upload 3 screenshots of your house plot, these screenshots can be of anything within your house plot. So be sure to capture your best parts, and be creative! (in order to upload these screenshots, you will need a website account
5. The winner(s) and runners up will be decided by a vote!
6. In order to win the competition, you must have also placed your votes for your favourite 3 entries.
(Other rules may be added if I think of any.)

I will be creating a new website system to facilitate this whole competition, submissions, voting, showcasing the winners, etc. - So the competition will not start until this system is complete, so bear with me

[Gelinger]

Hm... As i see it from those rules, Plots will be evaluated based on posted screenshots, do i understand it correctly?

[Drazek]

Hiya,

Yes the 3 posted screenshots will form the basis for your winning case

and the winners will be chosen by a vote based on those screenshots.

I believe this is the fairest way to run the competition, because it means those members who might not be able to put as much 'stuff' into their house plots due to not farming enough gold, might still have a chance to win if they manage to make their screenshots look good enough!

I think we might have to put some criteria into these screenshots though, like "one shot has to show the outside of your house in it" - in order to cut down on some silly screenshots that might only show a super zoomed in corner or something?

[Gelinger]

Well, they way you put it, it may result in contest of photography, not of house plots itlselfs.

First of all, in my honest opinion, it is wrong to evaluate by photos objects, which are available to everyone in game, and when everyone can come and see it fully for themselfs, noting all the slightiest details, details which plot owner may consider minor and dont represent it in his photos, but also which reviewer may especially like.

Second. I understand and fully support your wish to make this contest for everyone as fair and accessable as possible, but lets speak objectively here - nice looking plot is not what grows on it`s own. Decor items and plot improvements are nearly never a result of lucky world drop or questing - most all pieces comes from chalalnge farming or purchasing with hardly earned currency, be it gold or renown. And it is not enough to just aquire it, you need to carefully place them around. It may be not the most joyful fact, but one you cant deny - beauty of your plot, and so, your chances to win contest, directly depends on amount of efford you have put in it.

So i suggest that 3 screenshots should still be a requirement to make a contest entry, but dont limit people to make judgements only on them, include in rules a call to reviewers to also go and see particapant plots live, in game.

Next, speaking about categories. They game is only 2 weeks old, 90% of Guild members, including you and most officers, havent even reached midgame - 35+ levels. And even those who did, me included, dont yet have spacious houses or enough money to decorate it. So i believe we dont need separate category for spacious houses in first round, maybe next month. Also, let`s keep in mind, that it is not a size of house that win, but quality of its decoration - even sparsely decorated cozy house will win over emply spacious.

Also contest should have set time limit - i suggest make it end of month, namely 28, saturday evening is a last day to leave entry, 29, sunday is for late-time voters, and 30, monday evening to call out winners. This way people who want to participate will have enough time to put on shine on their plots, if they did not yet.

[Drazek]

All very good points Gelinger

I was planning to have a time set for each contest, so the end of the month as you suggested, would be the cut off date, - all entries, etc should be done by then.

The category system was one of your ideas in the first place, we could completely scrap that idea? - however scrapping the category idea means there will only be a max of 3 winners, rather than 6.. which might not be a bad idea at least to start with, as finding prizes for 6 people might be a bit harder than just 3!

I agree on the not deciding a winner entirely on the screenshots, plots are a lot more intricate than what you can see on just a screen shot and really need to be experienced to be appreciated.

So in light of that last point, I'll change the rules to stipulate that in order to enter, you will need to provide screenshots, however the winners will be decided by us going to the actual house plots and experiencing each one before choosing the winners

Thanks for your input,
Harry.

[Athaina]

TEST!