Submission & General Commentary Thread

[Alexander78]

Warscape is the name of the game engine introduced with Empre: Total War, so I'm talking Shogun 1, Med 1, Rome 1 and Med 2

Got it. Accepted for discussion.

[Derc]

Retro is always good. Older games can still be stunning, but they almost always get outshined by entries from newer games.
The question in GPOTW would be where to draw the line between old and new.

[King Athelstan]

Retro is always good. Older games can still be stunning, but they almost always get outshined by entries from newer games.
The question in GPOTW would be where to draw the line between old and new.

Aye, that's why I think this'll be a good chance to shine some light on em.
As for GPOTW, one could come up with a different theme for that

[Alexander78]

As for GPOTW, one could come up with a different theme for that

Completely right.

[Cookiegod]

I think it'd be somewhat contraproductive to limit the scope if that means that people without fitting screens will no longer be able to post theirs. On the other hand, it's a great idea to do it informally, on a voluntary basis. Meaning that anyone can still post anything even if it doesn't fit. Basically that's something that more or less has happened several times already accidentally in the form of banter. E.g. Derc posting pigs and me changing mine to also include pigs. Or Swaeft posting a fireman to contrast your flamethrower. Obviously the issue there is that only a few of us do that, especially given that those who already posted won't change their screen just because later down the thread a theme emerged. So I think the best way to go about it would be if you could throw some informal themes in the header from time to time (or maybe every time) and people can try to follow the theme.

[Alexander78]

Cookie, I understand your main idea, but we can just come up with another contest called "banter" BPOTW, where everyone could post funny content.(of course, this content must be from the games you play, made by you, and not include ads, swearing, or sexual content) I believe that POTW and GPOTW are still intended for more serious work, where people show their creativity, not banter. If there is a theme in the competition, it is mandatory, especially since this does not happen very often. With all due respect, it is not necessary to turn all competitions into a joke. If the idea of a joke contest resonates, we can discuss it.

Well, for today we can highlight the following main points:
1 Athelstan's proposal to hold POTW 600 with the theme "old school". (As far as I understand, already supported by one of the participants)
2 Still my list of suggested themes.
3 Cookie's thoughts about holding thematic contests in general, a little supplemented and developed by me.
4 Judging by the comments, most people find the idea of thematic contests interesting, but there is something to discuss.
5 I forgot to add Araval's offer of a two-week period for placing screens in thematic contests.

Not much, but I believe there will be new opinions. Join us and speak out. There's still time

EDIT: by "not much" I mean that only a few people have spoken, even from the regular participants, and only Athelstan has made a concrete proposal for the contests theme so far.

[Cookiegod]

Cookie, I understand your main idea, but we can just come up with another contest called "banter" BPOTW, where everyone could post funny content.(of course, this content must be from the games you play, made by you, and not include ads, swearing, or sexual content) I believe that POTW and GPOTW are still intended for more serious work, where people show their creativity, not banter. If there is a theme in the competition, it is mandatory, especially since this does not happen very often. With all due respect, it is not necessary to turn all competitions into a joke. If the idea of a joke contest resonates, we can discuss it.

Sorry, but you completely misinterpreted what I said.

[Alexander78]

Sorry, but you completely misinterpreted what I said.

I don't dispute it, maybe. Then I will ask a clarifying questions:

On the other hand, it's a great idea to do it informally, on a voluntary basis. Meaning that anyone can still post anything even if it doesn't fit.

Do you mean that it would be nice to throw up themes at the contest from time to time, but they would not be mandatory? Each participant would choose to follow this theme or not?

Basically that's something that more or less has happened several times already accidentally in the form of banter.

I meant it in my words. I am not against banter, and even seriously suggested discussing a separate competition on this theme. We can discuss it, why not?

So I think the best way to go about it would be if you could throw some informal themes in the header from time to time (or maybe every time) and people can try to follow the theme.

Again, if the theme are informal, what is the point? After all, if you do a thematic contest, then just the point is that everyone should adhere to the chosen theme...
I want to ask: if I do not understand something, please just explain it better, and not just state this fact.
This is normal, when someone does not understand someone, this is why there is a discussion, so let's discuss.

[Cookiegod]

I wasn't calling for a banter competition. I said that we had voluntary themed competitions already happen organically through banter. That means that if you set a topic, there's a good chance that people will partake out of their own volition if they're able.

If you on the other hand make it mandatory, that obviously means people who don't have any screens fitting the theme or are just not interested will be excluded from that weeks competition.

That's less of an issue in POTW, because everyone is essentially playing the same game. With GPOTW, however, it's not quite as easy.

The point of themed competition in my opinion is the same as for the competition in general: Entertainment. As for the point of making it obligatory and thereby potentially excluding people, that's a question for you to answer

[Commissar Caligula_]

imo the themes should just be suggestions rather than enforceable. And GPOTW 600 should have a 2 week submission period, with advertising on the front page of the site to get as many people as possible involved

[Cookiegod]

GPOTW 600?! I like your optimism.

[Derc]

I think it'd be somewhat contraproductive to limit the scope if that means that people without fitting screens will no longer be able to post theirs. On the other hand, it's a great idea to do it informally, on a voluntary basis. Meaning that anyone can still post anything even if it doesn't fit.

Very good idea.

Doubling the time does not help at all if you have no picture for a theme or are simply not interested in making one. I felt that in the Napoleon-themed competition a couple of weeks ago. I also do not think we need another competition.
Doing it on a voluntarily basis on the other hand would allow themed competitions to happen on a regular basis, allowing you, Alexander, to experiment around, delivering the wackiest ideas/themes.

How to motivate participants to post themed images then? Well, they will either do so without any motivation required, or perhaps a bonus point will help if they win and their image happens to be a themed one.

I think it would be a lot more fun that way than to enforce anything. You would also have less hassle to check every picture, possibly being forced to reject it.
Enforcing something is boring anyway in a world that happens to be under enough coercion already, we do have to admit that.
How does a Medieval II load screen quote say?
"Force, no matter how concealed, begets resistance."

The point of themed competition in my opinion is the same as for the competition in general: Entertainment.

This.

GPOTW 600?! I like your optimism.

I'm eager for (G)POTW 666.

[King Athelstan]

Very much of the same mind as Derc here

[Alexander78]

Thank you friends for your explanations and opinions. This helps me a lot in understanding where we are going and what we want. I am very grateful to you. By the way, I myself thought about an additional point if the participant's screen placed to a given theme wins. At the end of the discussion, I will summarize everything and try to draw general conclusions. Naturally, I will share my conclusions with you so that everyone can evaluate it and speak out. But while we continue the discussion, I hope that there will be more opinions.

[Cookiegod]

Yeah just to make sure we aren't misunderstood: What we're saying gives you actually the best of all worlds. You could do it more often, or maybe even every time. You could do everything from: "Gimme a landscape pic" over "dead person" to "horror", "water", "F", "your character", "animal", "road accident" etc. etc. Not having to exclude anyone would also shield you from any protest that might otherwise come up. You could do anything. Or even if you felt trollish you could try to come up with something almost impossible and try and see how many people even can deliver such a pic.

And this is mostly limited to GPOTW. In POTW you have much more leeway, as most people are using more or less the same platform. Of course, people who have never played Napoleon, Empire, nor any of mods that are set in the same era, or like Derc said didn't feel like downloading the game just to make one screen, this was still an obstacle. But it's far less of an issue than with GPOTW, where everything is impossible and you'd otherwise face the headache of trying to come up with themes that are as universal as possible, so that as many people as possible could participate.

[Derc]

You could do anything. Or even if you felt trollish you could try to come up with something almost impossible and try and see how many people even can deliver such a pic.

Would totally love that.

Yeah just to make sure we aren't misunderstood: What we're saying gives you actually the best of all worlds. You could do it more often, or maybe even every time. You could do everything from: "Gimme a landscape pic" over "dead person" to "horror", "water", 'F', [...]

I pressed "F" to pay respects. Nothing happened.

[Gaius Baltar]

Once, in the not so distant past, one of the "themed" competitions was to capture a "deathgrab", or the death of a general. I suppose that could be adopted for infantry and cavalry as well.

[Alexander78]

Once, in the not so distant past, one of the "themed" competitions was to capture a "deathgrab", or the death of a general. I suppose that could be adopted for infantry and cavalry as well.

You mean capturing someone's death during a battle (general, infantry, cavalry etc) and this could be related to the POTW 600 themes? I just want to clarify your offer.

Yeah just to make sure we aren't misunderstood: What we're saying gives you actually the best of all worlds. You could do it more often, or maybe even every time. You could do everything from: "Gimme a landscape pic" over "dead person" to "horror", "water", "F", "your character", "animal", "road accident" etc. etc. Not having to exclude anyone would also shield you from any protest that might otherwise come up. You could do anything. Or even if you felt trollish you could try to come up with something almost impossible and try and see how many people even can deliver such a pic.

And this is mostly limited to GPOTW. In POTW you have much more leeway, as most people are using more or less the same platform. Of course, people who have never played Napoleon, Empire, nor any of mods that are set in the same era, or like Derc said didn't feel like downloading the game just to make one screen, this was still an obstacle. But it's far less of an issue than with GPOTW, where everything is impossible and you'd otherwise face the headache of trying to come up with themes that are as universal as possible, so that as many people as possible could participate.

Copy that, Cookie. And Derc is right, the "F" doesn't work.

[King Athelstan]

Now that'd be cool

[Gaius Baltar]

You mean capturing someone's death during a battle (general, infantry, cavalry etc) and this could be related to the POTW 600 themes? I just want to clarify your offer.

Something like this, general deaths were cut scenes in RTW and MTW2 ..