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SC2mapster has these things called WTE/WDE/WCE/MTE's (weekly/monthly terrain/data/cinematic/trigger exercises). Cool stuff I totally recommend checking it out. But even their "terraining" (our idea of "aesthetics") exercise is mostly about who can manipulate the editor in the most badass way (they're very good at this) for the most badass effect. But for the most part that's not important for clean melee aesthetics.
Yes this monthly contest will be very similar to SC2mapster's contests (no shame here) and for the same main reasons... plus 1 more reason: WIP melee maps are now directed to the WIP melee map thread, but that neglects people who want to make a non-serious melee map with aesthetics to show off (I think that's currently the best 'legit' way to show off aesthetics in this forum).
Like my first 5 maps fell under this category (got pictures to prove it). Everyone does it I think. Especially when learning and being overwhelmed by the non-aesthetics part of it.
So let's make this contest. I think I have a plan to make it really simple.
THE PLAN
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Which means it's okay to rely on polls for judging aesthetics!
Each month we have a theme. The first theme can be "Main and Natural". + Show Spoiler [other potential themes] +- "Middle of the Map"
- "Border Art"
- "Gorge" (bottom-ground area between bases)
- "A Watch Tower"
- "Rocks on a Ramp"
- "Jungle" (green)
- "Jungle" (alien)
- "Winter" (blue/white)
- "City" (korhal)
- "Char/Lava"
- "Protoss Temple Ruins" (small section)
- "Space Platform" (an island)
You don't have to decorate the whole map (or even the whole screenshot), only the area specified and a little bit around it.
We could think of more as we go.
Each month people can submit 1 top-down-ish (anywhere around 56 degrees, preferably northward facing) screenshot of their map for people to vote on.
Voting process subject to change, but currently I'm thinking for each picture you can either give it 0 points by not voting on it, 1 point, or 2 points. This way you can pick a favorite or two and give it 2 points, but also give a point to others you think are good too if you want.
The picture with the most points at the end of the voting process wins.
Repeat monthly
I think this will be extremely easy to manage. Hell, I'll do it myself for a while if you guys want - but first I want to give other people the opportunity to boost their image in this community. Maybe someone with a reputation for good (clean) art could oversee this to give it more credibility (mutually beneficial ^^).
Again, this competition mostly arises out of the need to give people a semi-frivolous way of expressing their (melee map) graphical art, a need that will grow due to WIP maps now being funneled into a single thread (where the artists can't quite 'show off' their work). While not a huge problem currently, it will only grow, and I don't want people to feel shafted.
Thoughts? Would you participate?
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Yeah I'm up for this. Participating I mean. Sounds like a great idea and a good thing for the community.
The larger community loves map aesthetics, too, and they're actually somewhat qualified to judge this sort of thing so promoting this all over would be good.
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I like the idea. The only thing I would say is that the time I get to spend on mapping each month is fairly limited, and I wouldn't want the time spent on entering this contest to take away from the time I could be spending on working on a new map. If there was a way that the aesthetics work that I did for this contest could be reused on my current map that would make me much more likely to enter. Might be something worth thinking about when coming up with theme ideas.
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Monthly contest where the prettiest map wins? Why not call it Map of the Month? Ba da pish! :D
In all seriousness, sounds like a fun idea and would be sick to see some awesome screens. 
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- "Rocks on a Ramp"
Wut.
Sounds like fun though.
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On September 29 2012 04:34 NewSunshine wrote:Wut. ...
every good map has rocks on a ramp ^^
anyways if you can't think of a way to decorate this then that's what this competition is for o.O
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Horrible idea, ferisii will always win. XD
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your Country52751 Posts
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I'M TIRED OF THESE MOTHAFUCKIN ROCKS, ON THIS MOTHAFUCKIN RAMP
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I support this idea, and am sure it will make a lot of mappers spend more time on their aesthetics before they release their maps. I wouldn't mind managing this for some time either, if you're short on people.
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Yes this is a smart way to showcase great aesthetics being displayed in other threads.
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your Country52751 Posts
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On September 29 2012 04:40 Fatam wrote:
I'M TIRED OF THESE MOTHAFUCKIN ROCKS, ON THIS MOTHAFUCKIN RAMP
The new movie, directed, produced, voiced, and acted by Dustin Browder. Rocks on a Ramp.
The game's proceeding as normal, suddenly the backdoor ramp floods with rocks. The players decide to take the alternate attack paths, only to find the rocks have appeared. Deciding instead to play passively, they decide to expand several times, only there's a giant rock that steps between them and the one path leading to the expansions. Just when they think it can't get worse, a swarm of collapsible rock towers avalanche onto the player's existing bases, destroying all the buildings and ending the game. The rocks win.
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Why not just adding a top5 aesthetics to MotM ?
I don't like the idea of spending hundreds of hours on an aesthetics demo that won't even be playable, imho it has to be a playable map, either melee map or custom campain.
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Oh I forgot, fenx would win all the time too. We're doomed.
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Another potential idea is to bring back the old MotM topic, where we take our pick from a small selection of maps set for the contest, and do them up ourselves. The result will still be a full melee map, but for a contest centered entirely on aesthetics. We just need a new ugly duckling.
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I tried this for a weekly excsersize but was perhaps too difficult to run every week, and there wasn't muc interest beyond the first one. I do think monthly is too long though.
Maybe have it run once per month but have two different topics per month to be judged separately, that way people can enter both If they like, or if they don't have time, just one.
I'd be happy to judge one of these as my focus is on aesthetics these days. Retiring from serious mapmaking for a while.
Edit: horrible phone post. Shall elaborate and clarify after work!
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On September 29 2012 12:43 eTcetRa wrote:
Retiring from serious mapmaking for a while.
DUDE, wtf.
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On September 29 2012 12:49 NewSunshine wrote:Show nested quote +On September 29 2012 12:43 eTcetRa wrote:
Retiring from serious mapmaking for a while. DUDE, wtf.
I know I know. Don't have the time to sit down and play around with the editor for hours any more! Shall be on Skype later! 
On September 29 2012 09:26 fenX wrote:
Why not just adding a top5 aesthetics to MotM ?
I don't like the idea of spending hundreds of hours on an aesthetics demo that won't even be playable, imho it has to be a playable map, either melee map or custom campain.
Possibly use a currently popular map on the ladder (like cloud kingdom or daybreak) and turn them into plain zero texture maps to decorate in a certain theme. Use a different map and different theme each week.
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Hey Barrin,
I do have to say that unless this is done very carefully its a very bad idea. Being from mapster im very famaliar with the weekly "exercises" and participate once a while. The main thing is that is an exercise and not a competition. People are free to participate and show whatever they like no matter how abstract ie they're is virtually no pressure or compeitition but rather a mutual respect that does not come with from a competitive enviroment.
The fact of the matter too if you remember is motm did do exactly what your saying and it was a dismal failure. No one really cared, no one actually followed up, but by far the biggest issues was that the artistic direction was heavily debatable. Especially since the arguements with it being melee being is going to be us the map using the useable space properly or it is just an amazing piece of art. None of this is present the the mapster exercises as there is no room for debate.
With the current direction you seem to being going considering how similar it is to an already know bad idea, i would heavily suggest to go no further and find another outlet to display those nice visuals from non main stream maps, or you takke a very careful look behind the principals of how mapsters does it and learn/tailor it to melee very carefully.
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EPT
