Moderating Unofficial Contests

PixelPest · Postby **PixelPest** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 2:40 pm

There are so many unofficial level contests on these forums and it's just a mess. Sometimes they have terribly written rules and guidelines in poor English along with poor concepts and indecent judges. Should there be a system involving level contests that requires approval by a Moderator, etc. before they are allowed to be posted? Also, could there be a system of deleting contests that have too few contestants/judges etc.?
Please discuss/burn/comment on/refuse/agree with this idea.

Tango · Postby **Tango** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 3:57 pm

I believe that way before, you needed permission to make contests. Then the rules changed.

I have some suggestions if there will be needed some requirements to post a contest

A. The member need ask Level Judge permission
B. It need had post at least 1 level that get on "Pretty Good" or "The Best"
C. The contest judges need have at least 3 Judges determined before the post of the Contest
D. The contest need follow at least default rules.
E. The contest need can't get a deadline minor than 2 weeks and greater than 1 month.
F. If the contest not have at least 2 contestants in 1 week, it's removed.

Just some ideas.

Emral · Postby **Emral** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 7:43 pm

I think all we need is the host in question to send a draft of their contest to a staff member for approval, including a judge lineup.

Postby **Ness-Wednesday** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 7:46 pm

Well a lot of people take judging a little too seriously and humorously, the person who the most of them is Harvey36Dice since of course there isn't a level better than his.
But of course, a lot of them become disasters and mainly get locked which is already starting to become a little too much.
Besides The Thwomp King's contests, I think all of the other "unofficial" contests should be going though this.

Fuyu · Postby **Fuyu** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 7:48 pm

@Enjl: Yeah, but there's gotta be some guidelines to approve contests imo.

@Miles Troopa: Rules A, C and F sound ok. B is completely unnecessary, as long as the contest coordinator knows how to review levels it is fine by far. I can't quite understand the purpose of the D rule. And last but not least I disagree with the rule E, people got stuff to do irl, one month may not be enough.

Mable · Postby **Mable** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 7:55 pm

Imo the ones who host them should be able to take critic about their judging and others opinion about their judging.

So that things like this can be prevent qhere the hoster goes all crazy.
There have been few of these contests where i saw unfair judging

http://www.smbxgame.com/forums/v ... 87#p181187

Postby **Ness-Wednesday** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 8:05 pm

Tinkerbell wrote: http://www.smbxgame.com/forums/v ... 87#p181187

*facepalm*
But, this is a good example of as I said, people taking judging too seriously than in official contests.
If anyone has read the reviews, I don't think that they have read enough guides on level design (no offense but I'm only saying this if you haven't read Joey's clashing guide yet).

Example:

LordYoshi999 wrote:There's a lot of clash between SMW and SMB1

Wait....

Joey wrote:SMB1 + SMW: Actually, this can look pretty good.

JOEY!!!!

See, it just makes no reasonable sense what so ever.

Emral · Postby **Emral** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 8:19 pm

Natsu wrote:@Enjl: Yeah, but there's gotta be some guidelines to approve contests imo.

If the staff member deems the draft appropriate, he gives permission. If not, not. I think every staff member and level judge is aware of how a decent contest should look like, so defining a set of rules would be superfluous.

Mable · Postby **Mable** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 8:37 pm

Ness-Wednesday wrote:
Tinkerbell wrote: http://www.smbxgame.com/forums/v ... 87#p181187
*facepalm*

That doesn't help out at all now. Just look how ignorant that was and then suddenly it was requested to be locked leading me into to think the host isn't able to take critic.

Also the clash guide is irrevelant. It depends on how you use those styles. If you use them in a bad way people will hate it oc.

PixelPest · Postby **PixelPest** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 9:03 pm

Enjl wrote:I think all we need is the host in question to send a draft of their contest to a staff member for approval, including a judge lineup.

I think that is the best idea that's come out of this, and that the judge line-up should be previously decided. (At least three judges? Four?) How would people prove their contest has been approved? (So that it is not locked for not yet being approved.)

Fuyu · Postby **Fuyu** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 9:06 pm

Enjl wrote:
Natsu wrote:@Enjl: Yeah, but there's gotta be some guidelines to approve contests imo.
If the staff member deems the draft appropriate, he gives permission. If not, not. I think every staff member and level judge is aware of how a decent contest should look like, so defining a set of rules would be superfluous.

It has been proven by many ... err ... 'awesome' users that they aren't aware of such thing. But I guess leaving the matter for the staff to decide wouldn't be that bad of an idea now that I think about it.

Postby **Ness-Wednesday** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 9:10 pm

Tinkerbell wrote:
Ness-Wednesday wrote:
Tinkerbell wrote: http://www.smbxgame.com/forums/v ... 87#p181187
*facepalm*
That doesn't help out at all now. Just look how ignorant that was and then suddenly it was requested to be locked leading me into to think the host isn't able to take critic.

Also the clash guide is irrevelant. It depends on how you use those styles. If you use them in a bad way people will hate it oc.

I just don't want to be reminded about that since I already got into enough trouble from my horrible reaction to the results.

I think I'll probably just stay out from entering these contests, besides if people should judge in these they should at least PM them about tips after the contests results instead of ending it like how it was.

PixelPest · Postby **PixelPest** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 10:18 pm

I just don't want to be reminded about that since I already got into enough trouble from my horrible reaction to the results.

I think I'll probably just stay out from entering these contests, besides if people should judge in these they should at least PM them about tips after the contests results instead of ending it like how it was.[/quote]
That sounds like quite a waste of time if they've already given constructive criticism and told you what to improve on. Now please stop complaining about that contest; we've heard quite enough of that. (The topic was locked to end it and let's not start it up here.)
Adding poll.

Postby **Ness-Wednesday** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 10:44 pm

PixelPest wrote: That sounds like quite a waste of time if they've already given constructive criticism and told you what to improve on. Now please stop complaining about that contest; we've heard quite enough of that. (The topic was locked to end it and let's not start it up here.)
Adding poll.

Agreed (That was the idea about the post above you replied to, just don't point it out because it would make things get even more worse then how bad it was)...
I'd rather just don't pay any mind about unofficial contests, and wait for an official contest (CC,SVC,MAGLX) even if it would take a long time.

silent_ · Postby **silent_** » Sun Dec 27, 2015 12:32 am

i just think unofficial contests shouldn't be allowed at all.

Postby **Ness-Wednesday** » Sun Dec 27, 2015 12:42 am

Kep wrote:i just think unofficial contests shouldn't be allowed at all.

That's a great idea!

Joey would eventually do the following things:
1.Make an announcement that unofficial contests will no longer allowed anywhere.

2.Any unofficial contest will be deleted this also goes for the future.

Yes, I can see the bright future now!

PersonNamedUser · Postby **PersonNamedUser** » Sun Dec 27, 2015 3:20 am

I think we should just ban ALL contests and not ever have any.

Magician · Postby **Magician** » Sun Dec 27, 2015 3:32 am

How about, instead of contests, put more emphasis on group discussion threads about level design?
You could have people submit designs under a theme and participants discuss each other's levels one by one, including what they liked and disliked.

Something sort of like a writer's club, except for SMBX levels. They could be unofficial, unofficially rated, and there wouldn't necessarily be a "winner" except perhaps by how the levels are received by judges in the main levels forum unless they're submitted as casual levels. These types of threads would be less likely to have the same problems as contest threads that you guys seem to have, because no one who runs the risk of bias has any "authority" over what level is better or not, and it's all just opinions that people hash out.

How many people would be into that sort of thing, or willing to try it out regardless?

PersonNamedUser · Postby **PersonNamedUser** » Sun Dec 27, 2015 3:38 am

Magician wrote:How about, instead of contests, put more emphasis on group discussion threads about level design?
You could have people submit designs under a theme and participants discuss each other's levels one by one, including what they liked and disliked.

Something sort of like a writer's club, except for SMBX levels. They could be unofficial, unofficially rated, and there wouldn't necessarily be a "winner" except perhaps by how the levels are received by judges in the main levels forum unless they're submitted as casual levels. These types of threads would be less likely to have the same problems as contest threads that you guys seem to have, because no one who runs the risk of bias has any "authority" over what level is better or not, and it's all just opinions that people hash out.

How many people would be into that sort of thing, or willing to try it out regardless?

I think that this is a great idea instead of a bunch of contests to see who is the best level designer. Because it would be less likely for
the feedback on the level to contain bias. So I agree that this a great idea.
P.S
That other post i made, i was just joking.

HeroLinik · Postby **HeroLinik** » Sun Dec 27, 2015 5:10 am

PixelPest wrote:poor concepts and indecent judges.

I'll have you know that I'm a judge in Thwomp King's contests, and I've been a level judge and have judged official community contests before.

That aside, what you seem to be getting onto is rather interesting. There's been a big surge in the number of unofficial contests in the last few months or so and while some of them have organised rules, for the most part, we are getting them from people that aren't organising the rules properly and are just picking judges because they are their friends and not because they have judged before. Another pitfall is the lack of a prize. Over 75% of the unofficial contests I have seen don't have a decent prize of some kind. If they're doing the contest, then why are they not getting a decent reward for it. Saying that the prize is just satisfaction for winning isn't enough because this will be forgotten over time. Look at the official contests; they have actual prizes like a new medal and a change of name colour.

Also, I don't know what happened with this topic but it's just begging to be created.