Mini comp thread locks - discuss / flame here

flaagan

To keep other places (like P&P) properly focused, please discuss the locking of mini-comp threads here.

My take on the whole thing:
- locking the thread was overstepping the bounds
- in future cases, if the entry does not fit the contest, PM the entry owner stating so, and move the thread to the P&P section of the forum.

It's a lot more courteous to let someone keep their thread open and just have it moved than to lock it outright. While I understand hawken's intent (keeping contest entries within the specs of the contest), the method used has obviously upset some people. I know if it had been my thread I'd probably be flaming the bejesus out of hawken right now for doing so without any prior notification.

Justin Meisse

agreed, locking should be reserved for cases were performance enhancing drugs are involved.

Rhinokey

its not for prizes or shits let people make what they want, if its publicly deemed not in bounds then they don't get voted.

Jesse Moody

[ QUOTE ]
its not for prizes or shits let people make what they want, if its publicly deemed not in bounds then they don't get voted.

[/ QUOTE ]

Exactly. So quick to lock threads are moderators here I don't see this one sticking around too long.

Choldens isn't following guidelines either but his isn't locked. Polycount has some favorites and guys can get away with whatever the fuck they want while others are targeted. Maybe I'm overstepping my bounds here but I'm pretty out spoken and I'm just calling it how I see it.

Let the dudes make what they want. If it doesn't qualify they just get eliminated but don't lock their thread on them. Jesus...

Wells

is locking threads really that big of a deal?

i guess i've never had to go through the trauma personally, but seems like it was easy enough for him to show his art in p&p.

aesir

I think we just need to decide whether these contests are serious or just fun and silly.

cholden

To be fair, my thread was posted after the locks.

That said, I've always been adamant hawken be exiled to Monster Island. It's just a name, it's really a peninsula

MoP

I didn't lock it. I could unlock it if I wanted, and I was kinda leaning towards doing that, because personally I think it should be allowed since the brief was pretty vague and mostly the contest is for fun anyway.
Basically I'm waiting for Hawken to unlock them... if he doesn't, I might.

notman

Just to remind you guys, hawken was trying to enforce the rules of the challenge. He volunteers his efforts, so no one should get too harsh on him...

That being said, the threads probably shouldn't have been closed, just not included in the final submissions and a PM sent when it was first noticed that they weren't following the rules.

Spark

I didn't lock it, and he did state the rules that the competition were to abide by, so maybe by locking the threads, it makes people focus on the rules for the competition.

Spark

nacire

The terms were pretty subjective and I'm sure Hawken was just trying to adhere to what he saw as the terms himself. Also, I'd imagine there was no bad intentions in locking them. I do agree though that some of the entries that haven't been flagged as breaking the rules, aren't really following the brief either.

Ferg

If it's eligible for the contest, it wont get locked. If it's not, it should be in P&P.

The contest forum for is for contest projects. If it doesn't follow the rules of the contest, it doesn't belong in that forum. That's the whole point of having it separate. If we start blurring the line, it'll just become a cluttered P&P knockoff forum...

edit: yah, rules probably could have been clearer, and maybe some entries were allowed that shouldn't be... or some were locked that shouldn't have been. I guess it shouldn't be too surprising, though, that there are communication problems on a game industry forum.

HonkyPunch

The rules were a bit vague, so it's understandable that people would get miffed when their thread gets closed. I suggest that in the future, the specifications of a contest are made abundantly clear, so as not to anger those who's entries get the shaft simply because the rules aren't specific.
Although, careful reading is encouraged as well.

ElysiumGX

I don't mean to attack Hawken, he is the only moderator putting in a proper effort towards a Polycount contest forum, but...

He needs to be just as strict about his guidelines if he insists on managing the entries.

"Pick any character from any (1st person or 3rd person) "next-gen" game.

The first half of the rule simply states "pick any character".

The second half is meaningless, because the term "next-gen" is meaningless, and only used by marketing types to sell shitty games to fat wallets.

Maybe I'm overstepping my bounds, but someone had to push Mr. Moody off his soap box.

Funny thing is, I've seen the locked threads, due to curiosity. But not many of the others, because there are simply too many to view in a short amount of time. So they get more attention than my entry, but just as many comments.

A proven recipe for a Polycount challenge people will actually participate in, just say "something low poly".

rooster

I thought myself about doing a fighting character, logic being, are fighting games in the 3rd person? yes. And I dont want to pick on Merskum but if you're going to allow a pinata (is that game 3rd person? its more like theme park no?) then it seems fair enough to allow fighting game characters.

Wells

it's not pick a character that you see in the third person, it's pick a character from a game in the '3rd person' genre.

as easy to follow the rules as it is to pick them apart - it just depends on your temperament.

my argument falls apart discussing pinatas and their ilk, so I'm ignoring it.

ElysiumGX

Define, "3rd Person" Genre. You mean shooter? Does Mario Galaxy count? I shoot star bits from 3rd person.

ok, now i'm just being an ass.

danr

eh? "3rd person" isn't a genre, it's a camera position. Are you lot on drugs?

Emil Mujanovic

I don't think hawken is at fault here, so unwind your fucking panties and go make some art!
Sure, locking threads probably wasn't the wisest of choices, but hawken obviously has the final say of what complies with the contest rules and what doesn't.
Also, big fucking deal if your entry was finished then locked. At least you have a finished piece of game art.
And this talk of "elite" Polycount members getting special treatment... FUCK OFF! Its like when fat people say "real beauty is on the inside". Its a load of shit and an excuse because you don't get replies to your threads.
My entry hasn't had a single reply... It doesn't bother me. I'm still working on my entry and will still post it when its done. Whether it has had any crits or not.

Now fucking get over it! There's no crying on Polycount.

-caseyjones

adam

Move the thread to P&P, then lock it but not before linking to the new P&P thread.

Simple really. Let's move on, yah?

Saidin311

I don't want to start anything here. Not sure where I should ask this. Are the Orange Box games considered Next-Gen? Not that I have the skills to enter in the LPC challenge, but jokingly I'm working on a little diddy but I won't enter it if it's from a game that doesn't qualify.

Armanguy

its on the 360 it has bloom and normal maps so yes the orange box is next-gen

HonkyPunch

Actually casey there's a lot of cry-
Nevermind.
Agreed in full. It's about the art, not winning, although at best that's an optimist's answer and also coming from someone who's never finished a piece of game art to date, Aka myself.
But I digress, more art, less tears!
Toil!

Slainean

Besides that, I was unsure if a lot of the games picked were really next-gen. "Next-gen" is now the current generation, but for some reason we are still abusing that terminology even here on PC and it's leading to a lot of confusion.

Normal mapping seems to be the common denominator in so called next-gen games. Normal-gen???

MLinderholm

Fun thing is that I haven't seen any of the ones getting their threads locked complaining about it. The Heihachi model was just moved to the P&P "What are you working on?"-thread for example. Then other people started posting the flames

IMHO moderators who lock threads probably have a reason for doing so, and should be allowed to. Hawken did say that the rules for the latest LPC were a bit too vague and that it was unfortunate. No biggie. Now lets do some art :P

achmedthesnake

i'm still iffy bout the 'third person' aspect - i don't really agree with the tekken example (great art that it was)- as most of them (despite the advanced graphics) are still shown from a primarily fixed side-on veiw...correct me if i'm being dumb.

sorry to be a wiener - but i'd agree that with any comp - you kinda have to be serious about sticking with the specs to acccuratley simulate 'industry' workloads/processes - if that's how you see these comps.
next-gen = newest platforms + normalmapping + bloom + lens flare x eye bleeding

Emil Mujanovic

I do remember hawken mentioning first and third person shooter games more so than first and third person perspective games. Even in the contest thread the examples that were given indicated this.

-caseyjones

rooster

achmed: side on. is that a first, 2nd or third person view of the game characters? hint: its not first or 2nd