DOM WAR IV 'Team Spirit' thread!
mod
ok, so we have a thread about how everything was better when I was a kid and dom war was about team spirit yadda yadda yadda. Anyway, this one doesnt have that! all those who are excited and who still can plainly see the team spirit: welcome 
--I wanted to start a thread that focuses on POSITIVE SUGGESTIONS that will help keep team green running smooth and mean. and focus on helping each other out..
--please post any ideas or thoughts on how we can try to keep the crits flowing, team spirit high, and that anyone struggling gets as much attention as the heavy hitters. I want to help as many people as possible finish and not fall by the wayside.
Here are my ideas to get the ball rolling:
1. paintover thread
we've had this before, guass, ninjas and others all pitching in to kick people's work up a notch. worked great, and hopefully it'll work again, but maybe we can all try to contribute once in a while to take a break from our own entries
2. Crits wanted! thread
just an idea I had- we could have one thread where people who are specifically having a spot of bother post a link to their thread, where it's added to a list in the first post. This means anyone feeling charitable can instantly go see a list of people struggling and find an entry where they feel they can offer useful advice.
3. Dom War Tactics thread
this should focus on anyone with dom war experience (and just general workflow knowledge) posting what they did right and wrong in previous competitions/projects. This will help anyone new to the comp get an idea of how long they should spend on the concept, how should they begin getting ideas, how long to spend modelling, how much time will presentation need. A pool of knowlege from our collective experience of the wars past.
4. Community bases?
I don't know how the rules will be, but in the past there was an idea about having a shared base to pose models on. this might not be allowed, but if it is best to get some plans laid out early
what ideas do you have?
--I wanted to start a thread that focuses on POSITIVE SUGGESTIONS that will help keep team green running smooth and mean. and focus on helping each other out..
--please post any ideas or thoughts on how we can try to keep the crits flowing, team spirit high, and that anyone struggling gets as much attention as the heavy hitters. I want to help as many people as possible finish and not fall by the wayside.
Here are my ideas to get the ball rolling:
1. paintover thread
we've had this before, guass, ninjas and others all pitching in to kick people's work up a notch. worked great, and hopefully it'll work again, but maybe we can all try to contribute once in a while to take a break from our own entries
2. Crits wanted! thread
just an idea I had- we could have one thread where people who are specifically having a spot of bother post a link to their thread, where it's added to a list in the first post. This means anyone feeling charitable can instantly go see a list of people struggling and find an entry where they feel they can offer useful advice.
3. Dom War Tactics thread
this should focus on anyone with dom war experience (and just general workflow knowledge) posting what they did right and wrong in previous competitions/projects. This will help anyone new to the comp get an idea of how long they should spend on the concept, how should they begin getting ideas, how long to spend modelling, how much time will presentation need. A pool of knowlege from our collective experience of the wars past.
4. Community bases?
I don't know how the rules will be, but in the past there was an idea about having a shared base to pose models on. this might not be allowed, but if it is best to get some plans laid out early
what ideas do you have?
Replies
But regardless how and if this is set up, we need to all be as constructive as possible...I see way too many posts (not just here but every forum I go to) where people dont provide anything but a "yea..looks kool but the design looks wierd" type of reply. Cant wait for the competition though...looking forward to throwin' down for the PC this year.
nynedown; The "technical" problem thing can be dealt with in the technical forum... and the general advice/workflow thing has kind of been going on all the time in the P&P Forums. I really dont see the need to make a separate forum for the same stuff that goes on everyday just for this competition.
Heres my idea;
Everyone try to post at least 1 comment per day to a artist they have not commented on already. This can of course include paintovers if you wish.
Also keep in mind that every time you comment on someones work, they are likely to return the favor and also consider that the more thought you put into your comment, the more likely they are to give you a thoughtful comment back.
as for the technical aspects, I agree we do already have resources in place for that- my concern was mainly helping people plan their time based off others experience, so that they don't suddenly find they can't finish, or something takes way longer than expected (*cough* presentation*cough*)
1 comment a day suggestion sounds good to me!
the 'crits wanted' thread and 'paintover' thread, i think, should be along the lines of
- one poster - 'Thread Starter' opens up the thread, and compiles a list of requests that he receives _via PM_
- these requests have username; 2d / 3d; type of help needed / unspecified; url
for example: indian_boy; 3d; concept art check; 'url'
or: indian_boy; 3d; texturing help; 'url'
or: indian_boy; 3d; unspecified; 'url'
- imho it should only be used when in times of desperation / complete confusion / at milestones. everybody can do with crits, but this particular thread should be used only when its _really_ urgent and you just can't figure it out, or when u've reached a milestone that you want a few peers to look at and comment on
- once the request-maker has gone past said milestone, or issue, s/he should pm the Thread Starter, and notify them, so that their link is removed from the list.
also, paintover and 'crits wanted' thread can just be one?
just a few thoughts at making an efficient 'machine' for those wanting to help.
can't wait for the war to finally start
always been a great learning experience
edit: 1 comment a day sounds awesome
anyway, those are some great domwar sticky sugestions! hope to find some of those around when the big contest starts
- get struggling entries noticed / highlighted
and
-make it as easy as possible for these threads to be found by those inclined to help
anyone have alternate solutions?
edit: the 'what are you working on' idea occurred to me as well, but i think that would result in a lot of double posting. it'd be nice to see a concentrated stream of updates from people, would it matter if images were posted there and your thread? would it detract attention from the WIP threads?
What about some place where people can post inspiration pics related to this years theme or even just helpful reference for anatomy, topology, colour or composition etc.
You don't have to post your entire reference folder, just stuff you think could help get peoples juices going or help out other people.
Could be a part of the community thread or something like that.
Edit> also, spy threads are cool to get an idea of what the enemy's top guys are doing. I know, personally, I have no time or patience to surf ALL of the thread son all of th edifferent forums..but having a thread on our turf pointing out a few heavy hitters could be helpful.
I think some of what Yozora said is very true. When you take the time to type a constructive comment, the person recieving will probably visit your thread in return and give back some crits.
Another think that is apparent on all art related forums and especially during competitions is that a thread with work that is not all that hot, maybe of a student or otherwise, gets overlooked / avoided. Somehow people are much more inclined to post to hot stuff and shout "Kickass!" or something while leaving the work that maybe needs it most alone. Just something to think about for whoever reads this.
Go PC!
ps. I got MoP to change the thread title to something more positive
I know it sounds elitist and fundamentally broken, but I think it's a good compromise between giving your entry the attention it needs, and doing your part to equip PC with the ammo it needs to win the war.
I also like the idea of consolidating threads for help into a single thread, and having people post there specifically if they want help. This thing is growing huge and...lets face it...we all probably have some form of ADD, so making things focused will work better.
Rather than calling it a 'crits wanted' thread, call it "For the love of Greentooth, help me!" Or something to that effect. In addition to this, you'd have your standard thread collating all entries with links as we've had in previous years.
I'd also like to see some real encouragement for people, particularly the elite to really get out and help and likewise encourage the new guys. You don't all have to go to Gauss-like efforts, but too often even in the first Dominance War you'd see someone post something and get no replies whatsoever. It's quite disheartening. Game Artisans offers a mark of appreciation - a little icon under a user's name, for members who spend time and effort helping out their fellow members in competitions. I don't that that's what we'd want to do here, but maybe some recognition for those who go above and beyond might be a bit of an incentive.
might I suggest a modeling buddy, you get stuck in a rut with modeling (much like a paint over) they give a model suggestion over? (proper edge flow or proper sub d modeling etc)
Dunno just a thought, alot of people might learn from it that way?
...just feels more Polycount don't it? haha
If you want to make it a "Polycount" thing then you're gonna need to make a thread/page of people who would like to make buddies with a random someone and list their MSN/ICQ/email/whatever addresses for easy access. A lot of people wouldnt want to just add people randomly, but if you welcome them to add you to MSN then its a different story.
I use MSN alot and I only have like 1 person interested in game art on my list
For anyone who wants to you can add me; ukchichiri@hotmail.com
I'm not a pro, still looking for a job but I'm always up for talking about game art related or just random stuff.
Maybe instead of just 1 buddy you can make a group of buddies all motivating eachother with crits and stuff. Would be quite cool to have these little groups, kind of like working in a team, except you're only giving eachother crits and suggestions/motivation.
"Everyone try to post at least 1 comment per day to a artist they have not commented on already. This can of course include paintovers if you wish."
+1 on this idea!
On that note, I think it'd be great if you also make it a point, if not everyday than at least a few days a week, to comment on the more unnoticed! I think someone also mentioned this, but it would be great if you make a point of commenting on someone who you see has gotten no/very few comments. I think those are the people who really want any reply most!
(Ps Isn't the Dom War supposed to start on the 12th? And techincally it's already that 12th over here... so when is it officialy starting?!?!?! Unless I've got the day totally wrong somehow... :P)
think?" isn't exactly an engaging question. Be specific. Any honest artist should be able
to look at their own work, identify (at least a few) problems, and ask for help on those issues.
As well, if you have something about your piece thats really nagging you hop on to
your thread ASAP, let it out, and I am sure others who've faced the same issue as you
will want to share their solutions, know-how or experiences.
I think you'll find, that if you treat your thread somewhat as a blog for your
Dominance War entry that it'll come out a lot better than you imagined.
-2cents
Edited: Misread what Adam wrote.
Push yourself and push others to do the best work they can and hopefull PC will come out on top this year
now, wheres the brief already, I'm getting trigger happy :P
ALL HAIL POLYCOUNT!!
I will say that I don't think the buddy system is isolating (as mentioned earlier). If you have friends here, then by all means C&C them as much as you like. But I think buddying up might mean people focus too much on the buddy and others will get left behind.
I think the 1 comment a day idea is great. Especially if you select a random thread. Even if you come across a piece that is in its early stages or you dont have alot to say on it. Try your best to think of something to say to push the idea forwards. Coz every little helps.
anyhoo..
I do know a way to improve the 1 comment a day idea though...Hows about 2 comments a day?
Can we do something about the 'I'm in!' threads? If Bobo comes up and says "I'll try to do something this year! Stay tuned for a sketch in maybe two months!", he'll instantly get 20 responses, whereas a new guy who actually put in effort already gets ignored, because Bobo threads are just too tempting.
I think that extends to all others - threads getting started with no content at all just detract from the whole thing and put people who are active already further down the page. Since the usual response is "less talk more art, you n00b", why not ban them entirely? I'm sorry if I sound pessimistic in such an optimistic thread.
I like the comment-a-day idea. Definitely something I'll strive for
"OMG BoBo!"
"We can't lose now!"
"It's just a trick, he's not going to do anything."
"This happens every year, he just wants the adoration"
"Fuck YES!"
"I want your babies!"
"BoBo's gonna smack some GameArtisan ass!"
etcetera.
Now that we've had that, there's no need for a thread until you've got some art
There are some interesting things in this thread. But it is a little sad that we had to actually make a thread to get people in the spirit. This is Polycount, the best game-art community in the world. All the things mentioned in this thread is how we already roll. We've done so in the past and will continue to do so.
Critic may be very positive, but the most important thing is the auto-critic. It's not good complain about not receiving critique. Almost all the comments given on a forum are very subjetive, type give or take. Furthermore, in most cases we all know all our errors... ¬¬
References are always one of the keys to do things good. If you don't see a form.. is as simple as taking a look over some references.
Just stay 2 days without working in a model, and when you work on it again, you will see a lot of bad things ^^. You surely won't need too much advice.
It's also very important to create the mood to receive comments. In this forum i have readed threads pimping not very good works, and the comments reached 2+ pages. People asked for help and tons of polycounters replied more than 1 time.
If someone makes a great work, no doubt his thread will get too many replies. I have seen several times like too many "unknown" artists become very well known with ONE work only. We tend to associate Quality to a nick/name, and Bobo is an example hehehe. Don't envy him and worry about doing a great work.
I don't know if i will participate :S. In the past comp i did a few concepts and that's all, if i don't have a true solid idea, i won't enter.
Also. If its a problem with threads getting too big maybe people should try and refrain from saying only "Whoa!...cool model". Although I do like praise, who doesn't. I think i'd much rather hear some cold, harsh but fair crit to push my work forward. Sometimes knowing whats wrong with a piece is much harder to see that whats right with it IMO.
I know from last year that I started the competition and rush headlong into an idea that didn't really work as a Dom War entry. So i got dishearted with it and sort of let it slide. Maybe if people had took the time to look down at the bottom of the threads and given some C&C then maybe it would have revitalised my creativity and urged me to get something done. (I was at CGsociety last year so I'm not saying it was anyone here ignoring me). I know I only have myself to blame really. But some helpful words might have changed things.
if nobody is interested, you dont feel like being a part of it.
in all honesty, i think the "woah cool model" response helps - if its the truth, then why not say it? - but it should _almost_ always be coupled with crits. But, if a page has dropped alot, then a random 'nice job so far' tends to push ppl a long way. I know it used to push me alot. Especially last year, when school was holding me back, i had polycount trying to push me forward. Time was my ultimate demise x x.
So, what i'm saying is, sometimes a 'gj' or 'keep it up' feels good to hear, especially to new / budding artists.
Spark
P.S: I am looking forward to Bobo's entry sometime in August:P...I can't wait!!! hahah jk:)
I would love to see Bobo enter and finish this year. His folio has been in my favorites for years but it never seems to get any bigger........
Lets hope tomorow is the day. This should be good.
This is a great idea and will help drive traffic to peoples WIP threads that may normally get overlooked.
it's actually really hard to tell that Per is photoshopped there
- BoBo