Blue Monkey
Archon Without Portfolio
Do the math. Is there really enough time to accomplish everything we need to do for 21 categories? Do we really need 9 specifically for units?
Categories?
- Thread starter Balthasar
- Start date
Balthasar
Wise Man
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24 Categories. Yes. We use our subforum. We post 8 new polls each month for three months, based on the results from a nomination thread for each general category.
I'll do it if you like.
We do if we don't want to leave anyone out. There would still be those who feel slighted, or not given an opportunity to showcase their own skills. I'd regret that. Seems that as this forum ages, some folks get so specialized that they're experts in a sub-sub-category. Which is too cool, actually, when you need a specific type of graphic or an immobile traffic sign for your mod. But even in this configuration that sign will have to compete with Kool-Aid man for recognition, and that's unfortunate for both. So I've tried to balance the list, so that everyone can at least nominate their own work in some category. Remember, the Database Category List on the OP is nearly twice that size, and this would reduce it by half, while including some of the extra categories we seem to agree should be there, right?
WildWeazel
Carthago Creanda Est
I'm going to feel left out if I don't win something. We should have a "Best Distopian Urban Warfare Scenario Featuring New York City" category, just in case.
Blue Monkey
Archon Without Portfolio
Your timeline leaves 1 month for all the prep work. Can't nominate until there are agreed upon categories, for example. Are you confident that it can be done?
@ everyone else: the only way we will know what you want is by contributing to the discussion. Make clear where you stand.
EDIT: Went back & looked at Balthasar's most recent list. Looks like reasonable coverage. Would like to see a little more description of your concept of jury awards. The "best collaboration" award is linked with units the way the list is arranged. Could it be broadened to include any collaborative effort? Other than those two things I can live with it.
My main concern would be simultaneously running the making of nominations for some categories & the voting on others. Too confusing for participants, imho.
Pounder
Phaethon was here
Seems to be heavily weighted to units.
When you say Best Terrain, are you saying terrain set or a single graphic file, they should be seperate categories.
There are a few static graphic categories that should be considered:
1) Best Overlay would be something I would like to see, Best Overlay would include: resources, roads/rails, pollution, irrigation, ruins, goodyhuts, barb camps, barricades/fortress, mines, borders, rivers, airfields, towers, craters, etc........
2 ) Cities should be considered as a category on its own considering the sheer volume of creations.
3) A Terrain category for single files (regular and Lmterrain) including: forest, marsh, mountains, floodplains, hills/mountains, water, etc.....
4) A category for terrain sets.
5) A category for splashes: wonders, techs, eras, etc.....
When you say Best Terrain, are you saying terrain set or a single graphic file, they should be seperate categories.
There are a few static graphic categories that should be considered:
1) Best Overlay would be something I would like to see, Best Overlay would include: resources, roads/rails, pollution, irrigation, ruins, goodyhuts, barb camps, barricades/fortress, mines, borders, rivers, airfields, towers, craters, etc........
2 ) Cities should be considered as a category on its own considering the sheer volume of creations.
3) A Terrain category for single files (regular and Lmterrain) including: forest, marsh, mountains, floodplains, hills/mountains, water, etc.....
4) A category for terrain sets.
5) A category for splashes: wonders, techs, eras, etc.....
DJ Bonebraker
a.k.a Laura
I like the idea of "best prank", although the Pimp unit would most likely be a shoe-in to win that one 
Balthasar
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I certainly don't agree that the category list was overly weighed toward units - it just worked out that way - but in fact I think a quick revision of both unit and terrain categories is in order along the lines that you suggest:
Terraforming Award: Best Terrain Set
Best Graphic: LM or Overlay Terrain
Best City Graphic
Best Splash Graphics
Best Map
Interface Graphic Award
Best Leaderhead
Scholar's Award: Best Tutorial
Best Utility
Best Historic Mod/Scenario
Best Historic Unit: Ancient/Renaissance Foot or Mounted Unit
Best Historic Unit: Industrial/Modern Foot or Mounted Unit
Best Historic Unit: Land Mechanical unit
Best Historic Unit: Air Unit
Best Historic Unit: Sea Unit
Best Fantasy Mod/Scenario
Best Fantasy Unit
Best Sci-Fi Mod/Scenario
Best Sci-Fi Unit
Unusual Unit Award
Best Converted Unit
Best Multiple Unit
Best Themed Unit Collection
Best Collaboration
Best Overall Mod Decade Award
Best Graphic Decade Award
Best Unit Decade Award
Jury Award(s)
Pioneer Award
That's 29 categories. That's what we could reasonably do, I think.
I am. For instance, it appears that we're very near an agreement on basic categories, unless someone comes up with an objection that blows it all up.
The Jury award would be a set of awards decided upon by a select panel, who might be a group of respected veterans, or a moderator's panel. General membership doesn't vote on them.
I meant for collaboration to include all collaborative efforts in the first place. Sorry about the confusing placement. I've moved it away from the others on the list above.
What's confusing? One is marked "Nominations Thread" and all the others are marked "Poll". If folks don't get confused between the ring-toss and balloon dart booths on the midway, they shouldn't have any trouble with this.
Blue Monkey
Archon Without Portfolio
A quick search of the thread shows that having fewer unit categories has been mentioned by four different people.
Old List
Spoiler :
New List
Spoiler :
Categories are selected, not random. Not saying it was a unilateral choice, just that it was a considered one.
The list has gone from 9/24 (37 %) to 13/29 (45%) categories specifically for units. This is a shift towards even heavier domination of the awards by units.
The analogy breaks down at the specific point where confusion is likely - the simultaneity. If you wish to keep to the carnival, the proposal is closer to tossing a ring & throwing a dart at the same time.
Consider this as well: There is no easy way to restrict some of the voting to just the C&Cers the rest open to all of CFC. Once a front page announcement is made people from all over CFC are going to be aware voting is taking place. Do we want to attract enough attention that those who don't normally participate here - including known OT trooublemakers - have an active hand in the nomination process?
Balthasar
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What I was trying to do was jiggle it to avoid Hoplite vs. Tank competition. But I think we could fix it like so, reducing the number of historic units to two, and reducing the total to 26:
Spoiler :
It's not simultaneous. It's different threads in the same sub-forum, perhaps this one. The first thread to appear would be the First Nominations Thread (in early July, by my schedule). The first page will have a portion of the category list on it: let's say the first 9 categories. The instructions will read: Each member may make One nomination in each category listed. One post per member, please. Nominations for these categories will close on the 25th of the month.
The Awards Thread moderator will be wise to keep a running total of posted nominations as they are made, and will close the nominations thread, as promised, on the 25th. He would then construct a Poll for each category, listing the 10 - 25 most nominated entries in each category. He will then construct a Second Nominations Thread for the next 7-9 categories in the same manner as he did for the first set, and post this and the new Polls in the subforum around the fifth of the month.
This will be repeated in Sept. and October, except that there won't be a nominations thread in October, as we will be voting on the last categories by then.
To stubbornly stick to the analogy we started with, the Sub-forum is the midway. The threads inside are the booths, and we're planning some games for the patrons. Not confusing. Fun.
Humbug. Most participants will be C&C regulars; I think we can safely anticipate that. Arcades attract troublemakers, goes with the territory. Folks who don't do anything don't have to worry about troublemakers interfering with their non-fun. Someone probably should keep a moderator's firm eye on it to keep it civil, but that's just prudent.
Pounder
Phaethon was here
Balthasar,
Thanks for the effort you are putting into this, it's appreciated and I encourage you to continue.
Thanks for the effort you are putting into this, it's appreciated and I encourage you to continue.
Blue Monkey
Archon Without Portfolio
If this proposal is the way people want to do the awards they will most likely have to choose members from amongst themselves to run the show. Staff's time is already occupied enough that while we can help with things like thread editing & handling reported posts there shouldn't be any expectation of us doing the heavy lifting. Just saying.
If there's consensus, go for it. Hopefully with more than the indomitable Balthasar putting their hands to the work.
Balthasar
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I appreciate your timely suggestions, and everyone's input. I coulda been standing here scribbling ideas to myself - wouldn't that have been special? Blue Monkey & I have a history of collaborative relationship that defies description, but also works very well. That's helped.
So I posted the proposal to the Opening Page for comment. Let's see what everyone thinks of it.
White Elk
99 > 1
A mod/scenario category that seems to be missing is... Most Groundbreaking. The modding community has been extraordinarily creative towards introducing new game mechanics to Civ3. Would be a shame not to recognize these efforts.
Balthasar
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Perhaps you missed the last entry on the Category list: the Pioneer Award. It's meant to recognize just that sort of effort. The same sort of questions came up in the Decade Awards Main Forum Discussion Thread about increasing the number of categories.
As I said there, if there's enough interest expressed in it, we might be able to run a few more categories in Sept/October. What categories are you thinking of? Ares would like to see the units broken out by era, for instance.
Ares de Borg
Norman Knight
And the scenarios as well. 
AnthonyBoscia
Emperor
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Yes, it would be nice to have categories for all five main eras for scenarios and units. If that ends up being too much, an alternative would be to have two categories: scenarios and mods. They could be defined very basically, such as where the creators posted them. E.g. Rise & Fall of the Roman Empire is a mod, WW2 Global is a scenario. Of course, Sci Fi and Fantasy would still have their existing competitions.
Balthasar
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When all this started, I made a little chart of all of the possible ways to break out units and mods by era. I came out with 50 different categories, enough for a poll per week for a year, or a poll per month from Feb. - October.:
(ducks)
Spoiler :
(ducks)
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