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Randomised Scenario Contest


tridash

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Originally Posted By: The Mystic
Definitely at least as bad as mine, though I think my record is probably worse.


Actually, I have 54 active topics on my computer right now, in various states of completion, right from "needing a few fixes to release" to "drawn half a town, and not quite fully plotted". This isn't counting the separate folder of potential scenario plots I've got saved, or duplicate versions of the same scenario, either (for instance, I have two distinct versions of Reverence right now). Oh, and then don't forget I periodically sort through my unfinished scenarios and delete the ones I think are weakest/have the least work done (meaning I don't even know how many I've started any more) - this is actually how I released this scenario: I was clearing out my folder again, and saw that it was good enough to finish, and only needed a little work.

But, what I actually meant by "my record" was that I am a prolific starter of scenarios I never finish, not that I have a lot of scenarios - just check the hype forum over at Shadow Vale, or ask somebody about Discord. tongue
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Make a scenario where the party has to solve a mystery.
The scenario will take place in a snowy climate.
The party will spend most of the time fighting undead cultists.
Three things will be important to the plot: a vengeful spirit, dangerous cutlery, and a glorious mustache.


This will be made in BoE, I might work the whole thing in one day though.
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Originally Posted By: Shadowcat
Originally Posted By: The Mystic
Definitely at least as bad as mine, though I think my record is probably worse.


Actually, I have 54 active topics on my computer right now, in various states of completion, right from "needing a few fixes to release" to "drawn half a town, and not quite fully plotted". This isn't counting the separate folder of potential scenario plots I've got saved, or duplicate versions of the same scenario, either (for instance, I have two distinct versions of Reverence right now). Oh, and then don't forget I periodically sort through my unfinished scenarios and delete the ones I think are weakest/have the least work done (meaning I don't even know how many I've started any more) - this is actually how I released this scenario: I was clearing out my folder again, and saw that it was good enough to finish, and only needed a little work.

But, what I actually meant by "my record" was that I am a prolific starter of scenarios I never finish, not that I have a lot of scenarios - just check the hype forum over at Shadow Vale, or ask somebody about Discord. tongue
Well, you've certainly done more than me, and definitely released more.

Between BoE and BoA, I have about half a dozen started scenarios that have a progress of anywhere from "barely started" to "at most half-finished." I too have deleted scenarios that I can't seem to finish, although I keep any custom graphics I create (about 30-40, mostly terrain).

the only scenario I actually DID complete (but never released) was my own personal HLPM for BoE back when it was still shareware. It's kind of amateurish, so I'm in the process of a ground-up rewrite, with plans to port it to BoA.

The only thing I made and released was a script generator for making custom items in BoA.
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Not sure if this would be where I'd ask, but are you accepting applications/requests for judges, or is that too early? It seems as if quite a few people are entered in the contest and thus would be ineligible for judging.

 

Or was this decided in the original chat I unfortunately missed?

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Actually, I did make a sort of HLPM-type scenario for BoE that got released... though, I don't consider it finished.

 

Lampshade: Should be somewhere in this thread; try in the last couple of pages. I'm not entirely sure whether Mistborn's set was "complete" or whether it was meant to complement one created by Wyrmfire, but I suspect it's the latter. Of course, it may be enough for you, for all I know.

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One of your characters could be a baker - the person you're trying to save, perhaps? Maybe the ogres haven't killed and eaten him yet because they're forcing him to make this cake from his grandmother's secret recipe (a family secret, if you will)?

 

Or depending on why the ogres want the person they've kidnapped (as opposed to him just being a general prisoner they intend to eat/trade for other prisoners), maybe the cake was how they captured him - poisoning the cake with a sleeping potion in order to get them?

 

Or, finally, maybe the town where this guy is from is having a wedding. Maybe he's the groom, or the person conducting the ceremony - it doesn't have to relate directly to the plot really, it's just background details for a character, and the cake ties into that?

 

As I see it, the cake doesn't need to be central to the plot - it just needs to be important enough to register with the player. Any of those ideas above would do that, in my opinion.

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— Zorry to haf kept you vaiting.

— We've made the most AMAZING cake! You won't believe it!!

— Heir ist cake... But...vhere are bride und groom?

— Where...is...EVERYONE?

— This is BIG trouble!

— Za bride ist LEAFING?

— You're taking the bride...AWAY?!

— But...Zhere von't be anyone to eat zees cake!

— What?! This can't be! We worked ALL DAY on it!

— YOU FOOLS!

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I'd just like to pipe in that I too am a bit surprised at the number of entries. Here's hoping that all 18 contestants manage to finish their scenarios! By the way, I won't be entering as I am still trying to complete my scenario for the previous 24h contest... Ahem. I am willing to judge though if we can't find enough judges.

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Originally Posted By: Smoo
Here's hoping that all 18 contestants manage to finish their scenarios!
I hope that too, though I hasten to point out that there are a total of twenty entries.

Twenty entries!

Here is some more information about the contest, which tridash will edit into the original post. First, deadlines:
  • Final entries are dues by the end of Saturday August 14.
  • Judging will occur starting Sunday August 15th and all reports from judges are due by the end of Sunday August 29th.
  • Results will be reported publicly on Tuesday, August 31st.
As you can see, the contest will extend past July. This will give contestants more time to test their scenarios. As a general rule of thumb, aim for development to be completed by August, so you have a couple weeks to have your masterpiece beta-tested. And of course, nothing stops you from creating an improved version of your scenario after the contest, so it's better to release early than release never.

(I'm not sure what timezone will be used for deadlines -- for now, assume GMT.)

Everyone who creates a scenario will earn the respect and admiration of the community, but there will be a fabulous prize to the designer who produces the most outstanding work. A Best Scenario award will be given to the designer who produces the best entry. The prize? A Spiderweb Software game of that designer's choice!

(We'll supply the winner with the registration code for the game, and make sure Jeff knows we're buying it under your name. Own all the games already? No worries -- if you're willing to wait, I hear there's a new one coming out soon.)

Finally, it has to be pointed out that there are a lot of new designers who've signed up for the contest. To celebrate this, there will be an identical prize for the Best Scenario by a New Designer!

(Note that it's entirely possible for a new designer to win the Best Scenario award, and thus have the two awards given to new designers.)





(Twenty entries!)
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I wonder if I qualify as a "new designer"... technically, I've been designing scenarios on-and-off for awhile, but only one of those was ever released, and only one other ever came anywhere near completion (and then I had to go back and expand it into an additional outdoor section, so it's less near completion than before).

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Will there be some criteria judging how strictly the scenarios meet their criteria? For instance, I know I'm de-emphasizing some of the random aspects that were provided to me. Will this de-emphasis result in a penalty? (I'm not sure how much I care--I'm not really driven by the prospect of supreme victory and a $30 game, but I'm at least curious.)

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I think the simplest definition is the best -- if you haven't released a scenario yet, you're a new designer. Correct me if I'm wrong, but that makes these people the new designers:

  • The Mystic
  • B.J.Earles
  • Fractal
  • Dan
  • Handyman
  • Metatron
  • Grail Shadowblade
  • Acky
  • Celtic Minstrel
  • Faerie_Storm
  • Abrum
  • lampshade
Profound apologies if you're on the list and you have released a scenario -- there are a lot I have yet to play. I don't have you on the list, w-dueck, because I think I remember you releasing a BoE scenario (correct me if I'm wrong). Hope you find your backups.

 

@B.J.Earles: I can't speak for the other organizers, but I don't see any big difference between having a nearly completed scenario, and one that's being beta-tested while you work on your contest scenario.

 

@Handyman: By all means, work on what will give you the better scenario. If you got 'delicious cake' as one of your items, you don't have to make the entire scenario revolve around the cake. That said, your items still have to factor into the plot. Put it this way: the judges should be able to see that your scenario was created based off your description, and that you didn't take a half-completed scenario and try to shoehorn the items into it. If some things aren't as important as others, but still present in the scenario, I wouldn't sweat it.

 

On a more personal note, a camp I fund-raise for has a shortage of counsellors next week, so I'll probably be busy volunteering there then. This won't affect my chances of producing an entry that much, since I was going for something 24hr-ish anyway, but still...

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Originally Posted By: Master Ackrovan
By "powerful being", is that strictly limited to magical power? Or will it count if the party has to interact with, say, a powerful politician?

Politician should count. I mean, Micah is powerful( he rules Avernum, after all), rven though he has no magical power. On the other hand, he does control a good deal of magical power indirectly through the ToM and others, so you could argue it that way.

But I do think a powerful politician or king should fit the bill.
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Originally Posted By: CRISIS on INFINITE SLARTIES
As a side note, I always wondered why the magical gloves that enhanced spellcasting ability were called Micah's Gloves.

I thought that they just gave +1 to Magical Efficiency, not actually increased spellcasting ability.

Perhaps they were a research project supported by him? Kind of like how Al Gore invented the Internet, that kind of thing.
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If they exist in later Avernums, I don't know what they do there. They have existed, however, since Exile 1, and in Exile they improve spellcasting ability just as if you had raised your Intelligence to the next threshhold (9, 12, 16, etc). They will actually raise this above the normal maximum you can reach from stats, making them quite good.

 

Also, besides the Orb of Thralni, I can't think of any other possessively named equipment from Exile 1. So it's a real oddity.

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Yeah, but none of those were in Exile 1. (I think that except for one shield from Exile 3, those all originated in Exile 2.) The point is that at the time Micah's Gloves were named, name-bearing items were exceedingly rare; the only other example we have was an immensely powerful and totally unique artifact strongly associated with the person whose name it bears (to the point that you find it on his dead body). So what does Micah have to do with them?

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Originally Posted By: Enraged Slith
Originally Posted By: Dantius
Originally Posted By: Shadowcat
Don't post screenshots of your scenarios, post your scenarios.




...yeah, I think he got that when ES posted it, thanks.

Originally Posted By: Nikki
Look at me, I can't even be bothered to write my own message! I am truly the more optimal spammer!
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Originally Posted By: Shadowcat
What's a town?
BoA is divided into two main types: towns and outdoors. Basically, a "town" is any section that isn't part of the outdoors; this includes dungeons, forts, hideouts, and yes, actual towns. If you walk into an area where your characters are lined up as you move them around, you're in a town; if they're in a small group moving all at once on a single space, you're outdoors.
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*UN*officially, but speaking as one of the organisers of the contest, I don't think anybody will be disqualified for going over a little, but scenarios that stick to all the rules (including the 1/10 limitation) will probably fare better in the final rankings. *Shrug*

 

The idea is to get people to make scenarios, and the 1/10 was designed to get people thinking small so that scenarios got finished. If you finish a scenario that's a bit bigger, I don't think anybody here is gonna complain.

 

Edit: Also, Mystic? Fail.

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