Competition Mechanics

[Blue Monkey]

It is the same logic followed in RL awards given for some lifelong achievement.

People have won the Irving Thalburg Award that never won an Oscar. Such as Samuel Goldwyn. And Alfred Hitchcock.

 

[AnthonyBoscia]

Since we're having a thread for opinions about a contest based on opinions, here's mine.

I think the fun for the voters is not only choosing a winner, but voicing what they like and why. I'd like to see the nomination process pick up on this. Much of the fun from Tom's last lottery was not only the chance to have a unit made for you, but seeing the crazy things that others will think up.
Once the categories are established, a thread could be opened similar to the Monthly Submissions or Unit Lottery threads. The first post lists the categories and format for posts. Every member gets one post and puts his choices, whether the categories are units, graphics, or special categories like people have been mentioning. E.g.

Best Industrial Era Unit: Choice 1, choice 2, choice 3
Best Leaderhead: Choice 1, choice 2, choice 3
Best Expanded Editor With More Than Four Eras: Choice 1, choice 2, choice 3
Comments: ...

The thread would be open a set amount of time, and people could feel free to edit their post with changes, counter-comments, or what-have-ya during that time. Any knucklehead double posting or otherwise not following the procedure would be mercilessly humiliated by his fellow members. At the end, the top X amount of nominations would be combined into a poll, and then people could vote on the polls for each category. The nomination process could be open 2-4 weeks, and the voting for 2 weeks or so. If someone volunteers to make new awards, more power to them.

I think it would be great to see more people participate in this. A front page announcement for the contest would be the bomb. I'd like to see guests sign-up and people from other parts of the site stop by to join in. This is a great chance for our creators who have been here for years to showcase their work to a wider audience.

In short, it'd be cool to see a nomination process that's a public spectacle filled with mirth.

 

[Balthasar]

I'll second Tony Boscia's suggestion, even over my own. It's simple and elegant, and fun-est.

 

[Takhisis]

Hmmm, maybe yes, but I don't like the 'let's humiliate people and make this a public spectacle' feel of the post.

 

[Blue Monkey]

1. Pick the categories
2. Open a nominations thread for each category
3. Create polls based on the nominations

Have I got that right?

 

[Takhisis]

• Should new award art be created or should we stick with the "cups"?

I think new art would be in order.

 

[Balthasar]

1. Pick the categories
2. Open a nominations thread for each category
3. Create polls based on the nominations

Have I got that right?

Yeah, I think that's it in a nutshell. Works for me.

 

[AnthonyBoscia]

Hmmm, maybe yes, but I don't like the 'let's humiliate people and make this a public spectacle' feel of the post.

The tone didn't survive the transition to print. I wasn't being remotely serious (as I'm often not). In plain text what I meant was:

-It would be nice if the contest in general was aimed at attracting more members to participate, beyond those of us here at C&C on a regular basis.
-I'm not calling for anyone to be harrassed, merely stating that when there is a thread with rules, invariably someone will not follow them, and inevitably someone else will promptly jump down his throat.

1. Pick the categories
2. Open a nominations thread for each category
3. Create polls based on the nominations

Have I got that right?

Yeah, that sums it up. I was just thinking that the nomination threads could be combined to save time, space and confusion. The actual voting threads could then be created individually for each category.

 

[Balthasar]

-The nomination threads could be combined to save time, space and confusion. The actual voting threads could then be created individually for each category.

We have (some) time, and plenty of space, and confusion is just endemic. One thing I like about virtual space: it expands. The universe probably began as a C&C thread, somewhere...

 

[Blue Monkey]

We'll strive to keep things as simple as possible, but not simpler.

The nomination process will happen within the C&C community, however the C&Cers decide to carry it out. Not every single category need have its own nomination thread. There will probably be more than one thread - with broad classes of categories combined. Such as one thread for the wonder/tech/interface pcxs - assuming those end up as separate award categories.

The actual polls will be announced on the front page - with all CFC members encouraged to participate.

Any aspects of the anniversary beyond recognizing the contributions of C&Cers will have to be planned outside of C&C.

 

[Takhisis]

Can one item earn more than one award?

 

[Kyriakos]

Can one item earn more than one award?

I suggest against it getting multiple awards. There is no shortage of gfx around, why enter the same in more than one polls?

 

[Takhisis]

Then how do we decide which category something is assigned to?

 

[Kyriakos]

Depends on the categories which will be set. Hopefully they will not allow for ambiguousness beyond a certain livable degree.
For example the Cthulhu unit would belong in Fantasy, or Monsters, or even Sci-Fi (since the cthulhu mythos effectively became sci-fi by the time of At the mountains of Madness)

 

[Blue Monkey]

IMHO an entry should be allowed in more than once, but only in this way:

• Once in the "type" categories
• Also in the "special" categories - such as "most unusual" which could be unit(s), a scenario, terrain, etc.

 

[Kyriakos]

Personally i think we are running a bit in circles. The whole concept of the contest is elusive at the moment.

Making a ton of polls where it can democratically be decided what to do seems to be the only road to forming a more stable idea of what this competition will be.

In my view i see no reason why there should exist a category such as "most unusual". Maybe at some point you can name 25 categories and the first 9 (picking a number here semi-randomly) can materialize.

 

[Blue Monkey]

Looks like we'll probably end up with a lot of categories. Following up on AnthonyBoscia's suggestions: stagger the polls over some period leading up to the final celebration. We won't overwhelm people - especially those new to the kind of polls we do. By letting us (legitimately) have more than one announcement on the front page we can keep it on the whole community's radar.

On the awards themselves - rather than ending up with ranked winners how about letting the top 3 equally share " --- Of The Decade" bragging rights? That better recognizes the high quality consistently presented to the community.

 

[Blue Monkey]

Making a ton of polls where it can democratically be decided what to do seems to be the only road to forming a more stable idea of what this competition will be.

Yes, there will be formal decisions made at some point via polling.This is a major project & locking things down too abruptly will result in a less effective presentation. Remember that the discussion has been going on for less than a week so far. Brainstorming comes first. In this phase merits can be discussed but the emphasis is on generating as many ideas as possible. The next step is decision-making in broadstrokes - think of it as policy. Last comes decisions about how to carry out the policy.

 

[Balthasar]

Yes, there will be formal decisions made at some point via polling.This is a major project & locking things down too abruptly will result in a less effective presentation. Remember that the discussion has been going on for less than a week so far. Brainstorming comes first. In this phase merits can be discussed but the emphasis is on generating as many ideas as possible. The next step is decision-making in broadstrokes - think of it as policy. Last comes decisions about how to carry out the policy.

I second that; it's quite early in the process to be fretting about it. I agree that definitions have to be nailed down a bit, and we're discussing that now in the Categories thread. Part of it is that we haven't been exactly precise about these things before now - I think, for example, that a Database Moderator might be helpful to get files sorted properly, which would have made this whole task much easier. And I'd have added WW1 and WWII, Aircraft, and Ships categories to the database long ago, myself. But I digress; as Blue said, we're still in the 'Suggestion Box' or 'brainstorming' stage of this project right now, so it would be most useful for everyone to stay cool and think: 'how could this be made easier to do?

 

[Blue Monkey]

... a Database Moderator might be helpful to get files sorted properly, ...

The site could definitely use a dedicated Database Manager. Finding someone willing, qualified and with sustainable time / energy is a whole 'nother ball of wax. We'll have to muddle through this without one, unfortunately.