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Turquoise Dragon
retired moderator
Original Poster
#1376 Old 8th May 2018 at 5:42 PM
ok agreed, I do believe Gummi posted her personal criteria. However, I will make a more transparent one next time. I will set ALL generalized criteria, and post it, and then have judges make and post their own afterwards. before anyone starts building! I learned something too. I will also deduct for later entries (barring hospital stays, for self or loved one I think that would be insult to injury personally)

I made it too easy. I will "helicopter parent" as host next time :P

and perhaps next beginner's contest should limit it to people who have participated in 3 or less building contests?
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Top Secret Researcher
#1377 Old 8th May 2018 at 6:02 PM
Do I hear something about another contest?
I took a *quick* peek and you all made some lovely entries. Congrats to the winner, Maxon!

Edit: Haha, yeah when a contest says beginners - it should BE beginners. That was my main gripe about the one I was in. :P
e3 d3 Ne2 Nd2 Nb3 Ng3
retired moderator
#1378 Old 8th May 2018 at 6:03 PM
This was fun to watch, and gave me plenty of ideas!

Well done everyone.
Screenshots
The Great AntiJen
retired moderator
#1379 Old 8th May 2018 at 6:19 PM Last edited by maxon : 8th May 2018 at 6:34 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by gdayars
Maxon!



Oh wow! I did not expect that.

Thank you so much everyone - especially our judges. I'm really pleased you all liked SimPetra so much.

wow .... I really did not expect that.

Where's the big grin emoji? Oh here:

I've already said I really enjoyed this contest - great idea Gayars - and I really liked a lot of the lots I've seen. Great stuff. Like Gummi, I'd like to see some of them uploaded for general enjoyment. I am preparing the ski chalet just now. I don't know about any of the others I made. They are SOOOOOO STUFFED with cc.

wow - thanks everyone and congrats to everyone who took part. I think this went great.

I no longer come over to MTS very often but if you would like to ask me a question then you can find me on tumblr or my own site tflc. TFLC has an archive of all my CC downloads.
I'm here on tumblr and my site, tflc
Mad Poster
#1380 Old 8th May 2018 at 7:03 PM Last edited by gazania : 8th May 2018 at 7:56 PM.





Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
Mad Poster
#1381 Old 8th May 2018 at 7:31 PM
Still thinking here...
I liked the contest "entry" idea - to just post the word 'Wanderlust'. Because then I didn't feel rushed to build the first round's lot (I'm not a fast builder!) Maybe, for future contests, dud contestants can be removed after the first round and the play-a-longs can move up to their appropriate spot. I think if that is stated from the beginning, that would be beneficial - maybe hold that option open for the first two rounds and then close the table.

And about "beginners" - I doubt the "beginnerness" of a contestant is possible to regulate. Are they new to the game? New to building/decorating/story-telling (whatever the contest is about)? New to contesting? ...in general? Or, here on MTS? What if they are new to TS2, but an accomplished architect in RL - where does that put them in terms of "beginnerness"?

I am certainly not a beginner contestant - I think I've been in every contest MTS has held since 2008, at least! Of course the first few contests I participated in were brutal - OMG, brutal! - everyone experiences that, I think. It's all part of the 'contest' experience. IMHO, part of what makes MTS so great is that simmers of all experience levels are invited to participate in things - from uploading content to participating in contests, posting in threads, and learning from tutes... The only way to create a contest atmosphere especially geared for beginners is with careful judging practices. IE: A clear outline of what's going to loose/gain points, and comments/critiques given in an encouraging way (as much as possible.) And, I don't think "helicopter hosting" is called for - the hosts job is difficult enough as it is! I think it's fair when posting a new contest to state if it's geared more for beginner level skillz or for advanced level skillz - but, I don't think it's fair to bar contestants from entering. Maybe a beginner builder wants to challenge themselves to finally conquer CFE.

I agree point deduction for lateness is fair. Life happens to all of us. Some of us build at 2am to avoid losing a point; some would rather sleep and take the point. That is fair, it's our choice. State it at the beginning and follow through.

Oh my... I don't have the "Herding Cats" sticker yet... I've got several contest ideas floating in my head... Am I nuts to think about hosting one?

Please ~ support my TS2 habit! Shop at my Etsy shops:
CatherinesJewelry ~ Artisan Jewelry
Catherine's MOUSE ~ Up/Recycled Jewelry
and Vintage Stuffeths
Mad Poster
#1382 Old 8th May 2018 at 7:44 PM
That is one thing that gives me pause.

Technically, I was not a beginner when I entered the last contest. I competed in another one on another site (and lost to pretty formidable opponents! ). On the other hand, I can see why a beginner would be frustrated in this or other contests.

So ... how would you classify beginners? Intermediates? Advanced? You should be able to ... but how?

How would that figure in judging, and how can we encourage more beginners to stick in there? One really simplistic way could be number of uploads here or if you placed in the Top 3 in a previous contest. But as CatherineTCJD pointed out, that standard can be flawed. And would that be fair to the higher levels?

Thanks to ALL free-site creators, admins and mods.

RIP Sunni ... truly a ray of light.
The Great AntiJen
retired moderator
#1383 Old 8th May 2018 at 7:47 PM
I can understand 'beginners' being intimidated. If we can find a way round that, it would be good. You're right gazania.

I no longer come over to MTS very often but if you would like to ask me a question then you can find me on tumblr or my own site tflc. TFLC has an archive of all my CC downloads.
I'm here on tumblr and my site, tflc
Link Ninja
#1384 Old 8th May 2018 at 8:07 PM
Here's something, it's probably flawed. Actually it is. Because 10 and 20 can lean either way.

Have you been in a build contest before on any site? Yes = 5 No = 0

Have you placed in the top three of a build contest before? Yes = 5 No = 0

Is your job in real life related to architecture? Yes = 5 No = 0

Have you uploaded a lot to MTS? Yes = 5 No = 0

Have you gotten a special accolade for a lot Upload on MTS? (Featured or picked) Yes = 5 No = 0

Do you use CFE when building on a regular basis? Yes = 5 No = 0

Totals:
5-10 = Beginner
10-20 = Intermediate
20-30 = Advanced

Uh oh! My social bar is low - that's why I posted today.

Mad Poster
#1385 Old 8th May 2018 at 8:10 PM Last edited by Justpetro : 8th May 2018 at 8:21 PM.
I would classify a beginner as somebody who has not entered more than one contest and has not won that contest or any rounds in that contest.. It will not be 100% either, but I do think it will be a lot fairer on beginners.


Intermediates - gazania, charmful, me, perhaps?

Advanced: maxon, karen lorraine, justJones, Cat - because I can't even figure out how they did some of the things they did. And once you have won a contest, you should be advanced.

We have a system in flower arranging competitions (my other hobby).
You normally have to make 4 arrangements in your category: beginners, intermediates and advanced. The winne (total points for all 4) in each category has to move to the next level; and anyone that has won 2 arrangements also has to move on (even if it is over 2 or 3 yearly competitions).
Because there would be nowhere to go for the intermediates, advanced winners move on to the Open Section. Anyone can compete there, but once you do, you can never go back.
Rules are really strict, it costs quite a bit of money for flowers and containers and whatever else you may need and all you win is a certificate
But the system has worked for hundreds of years.
If you really want to, you can work out something

@Charmful - not a bad idea. I would add: Have you won a round in a contest? Because I have actually won some - I think 3 or 4 By the way, your last lot is one that I would like to have in my hood - it will suit my way of playing very well.
Link Ninja
#1386 Old 8th May 2018 at 8:19 PM Last edited by Charmful : 8th May 2018 at 8:49 PM.
I would also note that the type of contest matters. Freelala, for example, was awesome and won an complex writing contest a few years back but never entered a build contest before this - so it's fair to say she's a beginner at building though she's been in contests before and won. I've been in one build contest before this, never placed but I've uploaded lots and consider myself an intermediate. I also build a lot in my game and have been for over a decade (admittedly they aren't anything crazy amazing) and also constantly gleaning build tricks and inspirations from places like MTS.

@justpetro - I'd have to go back and look at scores but I'm like 99 percent sure I've never won a building round in either of the building contests I've entered. I'm usually middle to bottom of the pack in that regards. I have won a writing contest though. I'll look into preparing my mountain lot for upload. The cc part is the most daunting :?

Edit: Oh snaps I forgot that this particular lot was one I didn't save a full copy of before play testing. I have an early version (without the mountains) with the main clubhouse, caffeine stand, and ice skating rink I'll have to try and re-decorate/terrain sculpt before I upload.

Uh oh! My social bar is low - that's why I posted today.

Mad Poster
#1387 Old 8th May 2018 at 8:24 PM
I thought that was kind of logical - storytelling has nothing in common with building competitions
Winning rounds - I did, not you. I won at least 4 and I think that should prevent me from entering a beginners competition, @Charmful.
The Great AntiJen
retired moderator
#1388 Old 8th May 2018 at 8:42 PM
Maybe we should ask competitors to nominate themselves in a category and then vote - if they should be in that category or the one(s) above. People could then state why they think they are beginners or intermediate or advanced, allowing them to say things like they don't feel confident or they've only ever built boxes or they (me) are addicted to using the Grid Adjuster or whatever. As long as we are all happy as a group to accept the categories, it should be fine.

That's going to cause fights isn't it?

Ah well.

I no longer come over to MTS very often but if you would like to ask me a question then you can find me on tumblr or my own site tflc. TFLC has an archive of all my CC downloads.
I'm here on tumblr and my site, tflc
Mad Poster
#1389 Old 8th May 2018 at 9:02 PM
I will nominate myself as intermediate then, because:
I feel that I am getting the CFE thing now after the last lot, but it literally took me months to work out how to make that gables. I have started trying them out during the previous contest (there should be a pic there of one of my first attempts ) There are still things that other people build and I simply cannot figure out how they did it.
I have not been very successful with the grid adjuster and probably will have to make some time to learn how to use it properly. My first (simple) attempt with the little deck kind of worked, but nothing else I have tried has worked yet
While I am reasonably confident when it comes to landscaping, I find it very hard to learn new building techniques because most of the tutorials are gone - when did anybody last look at the building tutorials on the wiki site - they are gone, gone, gone - and for the small number that are still online, the pics are mostly gone. So I am stuck with trying to figure out things by myself.
I have spent years building basic boxes In my own game, I still have some boxes because they work well and they have been improved by pretty gardens.
I only (kind of) figured out roofing after the last contest, and still don't think I have it down to perfection. But I have improved there.
I never won or came close to winning a competition and am very happy that I won some rounds.
Turquoise Dragon
retired moderator
Original Poster
#1390 Old 8th May 2018 at 9:06 PM
Well I do think the questions and set up are a good start. I also agree that up to 2 rounds (or maybe first) if you haven't posted you should be struck from the list. As a matter of fact I think If you miss any round you should be moved to play along. We can move the scores I think if judges know going in that up to second round,or first, is apt to have playalongs move up, they could always just judge everyone accordingly. That way if some get moved up it isn't a big deal. The scoring is already done. And while my contest was only 4 rounds long I almost think 3 would be better. Real life gets in the way and frankly the longer a contest runs the more it it is that real life WILL get in the way. I think an expansion on beginner, intermediate, expert, and advanced perhaps as categories would be better. It might almost be worth it to have it open to all and just have multiple categories available but for a shorter time. (More work at the time but for a shorter period).
Mad Poster
#1391 Old 8th May 2018 at 9:14 PM
I like 4 rounds - one can learn more in 4 rounds But 3 sounds good to me as well. I don't think (although the idea is sound) a 3 hour thing would work - we live in different time zones and some of us may miss out because we are asleep

The more the deadlines are adhered to, the sooner the contest will be over, @gdayars
Turquoise Dragon
retired moderator
Original Poster
#1392 Old 8th May 2018 at 9:55 PM
well I wasn't thinking a deadline of just three hours I think we would still set a timer. and then just do something like knock a half point for each day late, and after 3 days, you can't turn one in.
Mad Poster
#1393 Old 8th May 2018 at 9:58 PM
It was something gazania suggested, I think.
I like the idea of not being allowed to turn one in after 3 days, though. And I don't think anyone would mind to make an exception for a real emergency either.
Mad Poster
#1394 Old 8th May 2018 at 10:23 PM
I like 4 rounds. I learn a LOT about how things are going to be judged from the first round's scores - and then I feel I have a few rounds to try and make-up points...

BTW - I have never won a build contest. I don't think I ever won a 'round' either...
(My ribbon was won from entering the calendar contest back in 2014 - I was, like, the ONLY entry for that month!)

I've also never had a "featured creation". I have had a few "picks" - but, even a broken clock is right twice a day...

I still enjoy entering contests and working through them. LOL!


Please ~ support my TS2 habit! Shop at my Etsy shops:
CatherinesJewelry ~ Artisan Jewelry
Catherine's MOUSE ~ Up/Recycled Jewelry
and Vintage Stuffeths
Mad Poster
#1395 Old 8th May 2018 at 10:25 PM
Let's go drinking, Cat I could do with some strong potato juice right now.
Turquoise Dragon
retired moderator
Original Poster
#1396 Old 8th May 2018 at 11:04 PM
me too! except I just want a virgin mudslide as I can't drink :D
Constant Contestant
retired moderator
#1397 Old 8th May 2018 at 11:08 PM
There have been some good points raised here and as a former host, judge, and contestant I will take them on board for any contest that I may host, judge or participate in in the future, thank you

Want a specific style of house or community building? Why not take a look at my profile and see what I build and then come ask me to make it!
Mad Poster
#1398 Old 8th May 2018 at 11:22 PM
If you are going to resort to getting personal Justpetro, then I'm out. I was trying to constructively respond to your feedback, but all your after is venting frustration then I'll leave you to your business.

And for the record, no gdayars, I only posted the theme-rubric not the other ones. I choose to share that one to give people an example of how I was going to be judging, so they'd have an idea of how to approach my scores. I did debate posting all of it, but I thought that would be conceited. You live and learn. If I end up judging again I will strongly consider posting all of it.

Creations can be found on my on tumblr.
Top Secret Researcher
#1399 Old 8th May 2018 at 11:25 PM
I think a beginner could be someone who hasn't entered a contest before or uploaded any lots. Anyone with more experience could be a playalong.
I like the idea of first build as the application one, as in the previous contest. That way we haven't got places taken by people who don't submit anything.
I would class myself as intermediate. I've now been in 2 contests and uploaded a few. It's not much but I learned a lot in the first contest and my landscaping is so much better than when I started, when I thought a tree and a flower bed was enough, without terrain paint.
Talking of which, mention was made of a garden/landscaping contest by Voeille. I hope it goes ahead at some stage.
Thanks again, gdayars and judges. Not an easy undertaking.
Link Ninja
#1400 Old 8th May 2018 at 11:33 PM
Quote: Originally posted by CatherineTCJD
BTW - I have never won a build contest. I don't think I ever won a 'round' either...


Cat, I might be drunk on fermented juice, or you might be - but didn't you win this contest that was a building contest that ended just last year?? I mean, I judged it...I know this wasn't just a dream...but it was a very complex building contest at that! I'd definitely call you an advanced builder

Uh oh! My social bar is low - that's why I posted today.

 
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