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Active: 1690 users

[D] Monthly Aesthetics Contest?

Forum Index > SC2 Maps & Custom Games
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Randomaccount#77123
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
United States5003 Posts
September 28 2012 15:49 GMT
#1
--- Nuked ---
Gfire
Profile Joined March 2011
United States1699 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-09-28 15:55:47
September 28 2012 15:55 GMT
#2
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.
all's fair in love and melodies
OxyGenesis
Profile Joined May 2012
United Kingdom281 Posts
September 28 2012 16:04 GMT
#3
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.
Maker of Maps inc. Vector, Uncanny Valley and Fissure | Co-Founder of SC2Melee.net
Yonnua
Profile Blog Joined October 2011
United Kingdom2331 Posts
September 28 2012 16:32 GMT
#4
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.
LRSL 2014 Finalist! PartinG | Mvp | Bomber | Creator | NaNiwa | herO
NewSunshine
Profile Joined July 2011
United States5938 Posts
September 28 2012 19:34 GMT
#5
- "Rocks on a Ramp"

Wut.

Sounds like fun though.
"If you find yourself feeling lost, take pride in the accuracy of your feelings." - Night Vale
Randomaccount#77123
Profile Blog Joined May 2010
United States5003 Posts
September 28 2012 19:35 GMT
#6
--- Nuked ---
EatThePath
Profile Blog Joined September 2009
United States3943 Posts
September 28 2012 19:38 GMT
#7
Horrible idea, ferisii will always win. XD
Comprehensive strategic intention: DNE
The_Templar
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
your Country52797 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-09-28 19:40:13
September 28 2012 19:40 GMT
#8
T_T
well I lose
Moderatorshe/her
TL+ Member
Fatam
Profile Joined June 2012
1986 Posts
September 28 2012 19:40 GMT
#9
I'M TIRED OF THESE MOTHAFUCKIN ROCKS, ON THIS MOTHAFUCKIN RAMP
Search "FTM" in SC2 | Latest Maps: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/sc2-maps/528528-2-ftm-siegfried-station http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/sc2-maps/525489-2-ftm-crimson-aftermath http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/sc2-maps/524737-2-ftm-grime
ScorpSCII
Profile Joined April 2012
Denmark499 Posts
September 28 2012 19:50 GMT
#10
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.
Mapmaker | Author of Atlas, Rao Mesa & Paralda
freshnw
Profile Joined August 2012
United States26 Posts
September 28 2012 21:35 GMT
#11
Yes this is a smart way to showcase great aesthetics being displayed in other threads.
The_Templar
Profile Blog Joined January 2011
your Country52797 Posts
September 28 2012 23:15 GMT
#12
Relevant: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=251461
Thread for recognizing some of the best map art.

mappers spend more time on their aesthetics before they release their maps

T_T T_T
Moderatorshe/her
TL+ Member
NewSunshine
Profile Joined July 2011
United States5938 Posts
September 28 2012 23:33 GMT
#13
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.
"If you find yourself feeling lost, take pride in the accuracy of your feelings." - Night Vale
fenX
Profile Joined February 2011
France127 Posts
September 29 2012 00:26 GMT
#14
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.
My map thread : http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=195518
EatThePath
Profile Blog Joined September 2009
United States3943 Posts
September 29 2012 00:40 GMT
#15
Oh I forgot, fenx would win all the time too. We're doomed.
Comprehensive strategic intention: DNE
NewSunshine
Profile Joined July 2011
United States5938 Posts
September 29 2012 02:09 GMT
#16
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.
"If you find yourself feeling lost, take pride in the accuracy of your feelings." - Night Vale
eTcetRa
Profile Joined November 2010
Australia822 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-09-29 03:50:32
September 29 2012 03:43 GMT
#17
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!
Retired Mapmaker™
NewSunshine
Profile Joined July 2011
United States5938 Posts
September 29 2012 03:49 GMT
#18
On September 29 2012 12:43 eTcetRa wrote:
Retiring from serious mapmaking for a while.

DUDE, wtf.
"If you find yourself feeling lost, take pride in the accuracy of your feelings." - Night Vale
eTcetRa
Profile Joined November 2010
Australia822 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-09-29 03:55:38
September 29 2012 03:51 GMT
#19
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.
Retired Mapmaker™
hobbidude
Profile Joined December 2010
Canada171 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-09-29 05:20:11
September 29 2012 05:19 GMT
#20
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.
Fearlezz
Profile Joined April 2010
Croatia176 Posts
Last Edited: 2012-09-29 14:08:36
September 29 2012 07:34 GMT
#21
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.

I used to love those weekly terrain exercises on SC2Mapster, but after a while less people were participating and so I lost interest. But after reading all the responses in this thread, I kinda agree with fenX.

One way to do it is you could tell people to submit 1-3 screenshots taken somewhere on their melee map to enter into the aesthetic part of the MotM competition. You can still judge the maps by usual merits in the "top map" part, but the "top aesthetics" can be done by pool voting.

This way great melee maps still win in "top map" part, great art has "top aesthetics" part to show off and people can spend their time focusing on what they want on their melee map. Someone can be crap at proportions and layouts, but have hope to enter in order to get noticed in the art department. Someone else can show that innovative third base cliff position. And if you think you can win in both, my hat's off to you

The main point is, aesthetics from submitted screenshots are judged by voter pools, maps are still judged by judges as before, and most importantly, no mapper has to spend their limited time to create a beautiful piece of art/terrain that will never be used for anything meaningful, ever.

edit: After thinking about it, if done this way it would be hard to set "themes" for the aesthetic exercises. And that part was very fun about SC2Mapster terraining. Hm...
Samro225am
Profile Joined August 2010
Germany982 Posts
September 30 2012 21:59 GMT
#22
if you really want to have a competition/polll of aesthetics than get it more into the direction of an exercise with a given topic. otherwise i see no reason why to vote on what is done best, because people tend to be biased on certain themes.

example: image of the month (hard to say if one really deserves it) vs. best jungle theme with only 4 textures (because other texture slots in "a real life situation" might be needed for tech highround areas.

if you do not want it too technical, then make more open themes like "wild west" which appears random at first but will lead to intersting ideas.

also i oppose the idea of a poll. people tend to click on the "beach" map. if people write a short reasoning why they like aan image that text could at least be used on a wider stage, e.g. a blog post
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