Rapid Age development competition

[Dot]

If it helps and if there is some way of getting the zipped age files to me, I could host them on my dot.mac site (10 GB storage). They can then be downloaded via a web browser.

Files must be smaller than 2GB.

Any use?

Thanks for the form, Lontahv.

[Dot]

Apologies for double posting...

Here's my attempt to pull together the method for judging the RAD ages. It melds ideas from ametist, Corvus, Lontahv and myself.

We're judging each age on the following criteria:
1 Stability:
--ingame testing
--looking at the model
2 Quality:
--ingame testing
--good mesh
--looking at the model
--good textures
3 Economy:
--ingame testing
--looking at vert-count, texture size, and overall file size.
4 Content
--ingame testing
5 Creativity
--ingame testing
6 Functionality
--ingame testing
7 Aesthetics
--ingame testing

The maintainers will judge mainly by how it looks in-game and the writers will judge mainly based on the way the age was made in Blender.

We explore the ages on our own (or in pairs), scoring them as individual judges from 1-5 on each criteria. Lontahv has made a useful summary sheet for this process: http://lontahv.googlepages.com/RAD_judge_sheet.jpg

Judges can also award special 'gold stars', commenting on something extremely well done. This is not part of an age's overall score though.

At the end of individual testing, we come together as best we can (perhaps the GoMa web chat) to discuss and collate comments and results. To come up with an overall score for each age, the numbers are added and then divided by the number of judges.

Things we need to do next:
Sort out exactly where to download the ages from
Make sure the GoMa website chat is working (I'll check this with Nynaveve)
Agree a time and place to discuss the results
Check with Grogyan the exact deadline for announcing the results

[andylegate]

In the interest of helping move this along, and since today is Sunday, I will go ahead and post my teams Age here as a zipped up file. We have it stored on the Maintainers Server, which has an issue with the ULM so we can't store Ages there with use with it to download that way anyway. Has something to do with the way 1&1 does their hosting.

In anycase, the judges can download our Age in the link provided below. I will mirror this message over at the Maintainers Guild too. Simply unzip the folder and follow the instructions in the Install_Instructions.txt file. It's easy.

Rapid Age Development submission.
From: Maintainers Guild
Team: Andy Legate, Jishin, Nynaveve, and PhilippH
Name of Age: Zephyr Cove
Length of time for development: 13 day, from concept to first version of finished product.
Special properties: Zephyr Cove will be meant for more than just this competition. Zephyr Cove will be an Age made by the Maintainers and will be continually expanded upon for the enjoyment of the explorers. Every few weeks, new things will be added and new places to explore.

Link to download: Zephyr Cove

Enjoy!

[Aloys]

Trying to sum up a bit all the infos we have so far. (please add anything I might miss)

Rapid Age Development Contest
Deadline for submissions: 9st of March 2008 Noon PST (8pm GMT?)

Judges:
GoW: Aloys, Lontahv, Zander
GoM: Amethyst, Corvus, Dot

Ages submitted so far:
Shell 110 - by Grogyan
Shell 201 - by Paradox
Zephyr Cove - by the GoM team (Andy Legate, Jishin, Nynaveve, and PhilippH)

(is there more than those 3 Ages?)

Judgement criterias (Each criteria will get a score from 1 to 5)
1) Stability
2) Quality
3) Economy
4) Content
5) Creativity
6) Functionality
7) Aesthetics
8) Overall score

----------------

For the judges:

Download the Ages
Zephyr Cove: here
Both Ahra Pahts Shells: here.

Judging
Lontahv did a usefull summary sheet here.
Although we don't really have a formal judging process, we indivually download the Ages, visit them throughly, and then rank them. Then we gather on some yet-to-be-decided chat to discuss and decide the final results. Proposed chats so far are:
IRC: #RAD on the tsunami.justirc.net server
GoW chat (to be confirmed)

Things left to decide
- Where and when to meet to discuss the results
- When to post those results
- I was under the impression that we (GoW judges) would look at the Blender files for the Ages, did I get that wrong?

[Dot]

Thanks, Aloys, for the links to the ages submitted so far, and the summary of what we're doing. Looks like we're singing from the same hymn sheet.

On where to gather to chat about the ages, we could also meet in the Cavern itself, perhaps in a private hood.

Yes, the GoW judges will need to look at the Blender files.

[Aloys]

On where to gather to chat about the ages, we could also meet in the Cavern itself, perhaps in a private hood.

That's so obvious, I don't know why no one thought of that before.. Then we might just met in the GoW Kirel and from there either move to someone's Relto, or just stay there.

Yes, the GoW judges will need to look at the Blender files.

Then we will need our estimed RAD contestants to post those Blender files somewhere.

Also, I now had a good look at all three Ages and I have to say they are all great, although in totally different ways. I can't wait to hear everyone's comments on them later today.

[Chacal]

I posted a FTP account that can be used for uploading .blend files as well.

[andylegate]

May I ask what the purpose behind needing the blend files is?

While I'm not suggesting that anyone would dare do anything with our blend files.....I still fail to see the reason behind it.
Aren't the Ages being judge as an Age?

Here's what I'm getting at:

Judges that judge pies that are made, simply judge the pie on it's looks, smells, tastes, etc. They don't demand the recipie.
Beauty judges don't demand the medical records of contestants to see what makes them tick.
Art judges don't ask the artist to produce their paints and brushes.
People that review and judge Games, of all console types do not demand the source code for those games. They base their judgement on how the game performs, content, graphics, playablility, how much they either did or did not enjoy that game, etc, etc.

So, again, could this be explained to me?

[Chacal]

If this was, say, a contest on the MOUL site, I'd say you are correct.
But this is a GoW-GoMa contest. It seems logical to evaluate technique.

[andylegate]

Then I'll have to get consent for the rest of my team first. If even one refuses, well then we'll withdraw I'm afraid.

Not being bratty, but a LOT of trust has to go out before you simply hand over your blend file. While I'm sure that trust is there, I can't just hand it over. We have some pretty big plans for this Age, and it's not mine to simply hand over. It belongs to 4 of us. I do wish we had been informed of this at the beginning of the contest as it being a criteria however.

I'll get back to you guys.