Halloween Deco Contest

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+Nyx
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Halloween Deco Contest

Post by +Nyx »

The theme has been decided on and Baby Spendy will reply with her choice. I'll edit this post to include all the further details regarding the contest (dates, rules, etc) after that :)


Contest Information:

This month's main theme is: Frightening Fairytales + Tales of the Supernatural (Entrants may decorate in line with one or the other, or both if they wish).

Players wishing to participate will place a rune to their house in the chest in TC. You may submit your rune at any time, even if you are not yet finished with your decor. The houses will not be judged until the end of the contest. Houses should be decorated within the main theme. Participants should select a sub-theme and decorate accordingly. The theme should be obvious to the judges simply by viewing the space, however it is allowed for a participant to add further information into a book that is locked down in plain sight at the entrance. You may opt to decorate any way you desire, but your deco should have some directed theme beyond just "visually pleasing". Clever and elegant decoration will be rated much more highly than a house that has simply slapped down some addons or put deco willy-nilly around their plots.


Rules:
These rules are subject to change at any time.
- Participants may decorate a maximum of 2 house plots to be considered for the contest. Houses may be combined as part of a larger plot, but must be easily accessed via a rune marked within 10 tiles. If your rune is marked further than 10 tiles from the entrance, you will be disqualified. If your entry plots are combined with more than the allowed 2 entry plots, you must put up walls to delineate which plots are not part of the contest entry. Failure to properly define the space entered for the contest (when that space is directly connected to other plots not entered) will result in disqualification.
- If submitting more than one plot, they must be combined plots. You cannot submit 2 castles or a home in one area and another placed elsewhere. You also cannot submit a plot on the west side of a 10-house compound, and the other plot on the east side. They must be connected directly to each other.
- The submitted property must be owned by the person who signed up by dropping the rune.
- One entry per account. Any attempt to circumvent this rule will result in disqualification.
- Deco must be shard-appropriate, and to a clear theme. Be creative!
- Pre-made addons may be used, but may detract from the overall score if used in lieu of actual decorating skill.
- The administrators (+Veritas, +Colibri, and myself) will judge the plots.
- House location will not be taken into account when scoring the properties. This is decoration only, so those with plots in the stars or other 'special' places will not receive any special consideration for environmental perks they did not design, just as houses in less attractive locations will not be marked down due to their placement.
- Any infractions resulting in jail during the course of the contest will disqualify that player. NOTE: This means infractions above 'warning' and/or jail tasks above 10.
- Houses must be "open to the public" from November 1st - 6th, as all participating houses will be displayed for everyone to visit during the judging period.
- If you enter the contest you must actually participate - if you submit a rune and then all you have is a couple of misc deco items on an otherwise not-to-theme house, you will be disqualified.
- If you are disqualified for any reason you will not receive a participation reward.

To enter the contest:
- Mark a rune close to the house you will be decorating for the contest. You may submit the rune at any time, even before your decoration is completed.
- Drop the rune into the Sign-up chest in TC
- Decorate your house and complete it before November 1st.

On November 1st, the rune box will be removed and gates to the houses will be made available for the public to visit the participants' submissions. The administrators & guest voter will visit the submitted houses and score them according to the criteria outlined in the rules. The winners will be announced on or before November 6th.


Special terms for this contest:
- The previous contest winner, Baby Spendy, has chosen the theme of this contest and will vote with equal weight as the staff. Any attempt to solicit her vote will be considered cheating and result in disqualification.
- This month's deco contest will also include a voting system for players to vote for the best-decorated plot. The "players' choice" winner will receive a special prize, to be announced at the time of awarding. Players' choice voting will begin on the day the contest is closed and gates to the entrants' plots are made available, and will end on November 5th. Players are not permitted to solicit votes in any way. Doing so will disqualify the participant from the entire contest. This should not be a popularity contest for who has the most friends on the shard. It became such for the last deco contest, and if it happens again I may opt not to offer the player's choice voting in further contests. Vote for the best execution of theme, regardless of who decorated it.


Prizes (subject to change):
1st place - 400 ED + banner
2nd place - 200 ED + banner
3rd place - 100 ED + banner
Players' Choice Winner - To be announced


Happy decorating!

- +N
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BabySpendy
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Re: Halloween Deco Contest

Post by BabySpendy »

Thankyou Nyx,
Okay so the theme is going to be ''frightening fairytales + tales of the supernatural'' I hope you all have fun with this theme and I look forward to seeing your entries!
Happy Gaming all ;D
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+Nyx
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Re: Halloween Deco Contest

Post by +Nyx »

The rune submission box is now in Town Center. Anyone wishing to enter the contest may drop a rune to their plot(s) in the box to be automatically entered. You can submit your rune at any time before the contest's close.
EndeR
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Re: Halloween Deco Contest

Post by EndeR »

Just curious... Can winner (baby spendy) still enter following deco contest that they pick theme for?
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+Nyx
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Re: Halloween Deco Contest

Post by +Nyx »

No. As I announced previously, and is stated above, she will perform as a judge for this contest.
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Amerissis
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Re: Halloween Deco Contest

Post by Amerissis »

Hi +Nyx was wondering if there is anyway I can get the rune I put in the Halloween deco contest chest back,I put the wrong one in there by mistake :/
Aryck
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Re: Halloween Deco Contest

Post by Aryck »

Would it be ok if I named the 2 houses Contest House 1 and Contest House 2? There is more to my house than the 2 plots that I wish to have entered in the contest and walls would mess up the whole design.

If not and I am disqualified would my house still be on display for the public? Thanks for your time.
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+Nyx
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Re: Halloween Deco Contest

Post by +Nyx »

You would need to block them off. If disqualified, the houses are not displayed as part of the contest, no.
Aryck
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Re: Halloween Deco Contest

Post by Aryck »

:(

Don't really understand why such a rule exists. It saddens me I came back mainly for this contest and now I won't be able to participate.
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+Nyx
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Re: Halloween Deco Contest

Post by +Nyx »

Because it's not a fair contest if someone has more than 2 houses joined together, all built and decorated to the theme, and doesn't clearly define which portions are to be judged as part of the contest. We're busy folks, we're not going to spend time hunting up what to look at. Further, for the player's choice voting, players who visit the entries need to be able to very easily determine where the entry plots start and stop.

You're free to wall them off, use hedges or other impassible deco to clearly define the entry space. If you're not willing to abide by the rule put in place to help keep the contest fair between folks with many plots and those with only 1-2, then simply don't enter.
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+Nyx
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Re: Halloween Deco Contest

Post by +Nyx »

Aryck, I see your petulance hasn't been cured in your time away.

I'll humor you with one final answer: 2 plots is reasonable, as it is the default limit for any account (so the only ED purchase required is to combine them). Most players have 2 plots combined within their first few months, if they want them, so it isn't unfair to them to allow 2 plots entered into the contest. Allowing 3+, which many players never even bother to get (because of the heavy ED investment for the added slots) would give an unfair aesthetic advantage to anyone who either donated for tons of ED or has been here a lot longer.

If you have any further gripes, save them. The contest has been held this way for quite some time now, with no issues beyond the occasional numerous-plot owner who wants the rules changes especially for them. This works, and it's as fair as is possible on a shard like ours. Block your plots off or don't, that's really up to you.
Ruby Red
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Re: Halloween Deco Contest

Post by Ruby Red »

On November 1st, the rune box will be removed and gates to the houses will be made available for the public to visit the participants' submissions. The administrators & guest voter will visit the submitted houses and score them according to the criteria outlined in the rules. The winners will be announced on or before November 6th


Sadly the chest is still at the town center. Yes the one that was to have been pulled.. so When is the judging happening, or have you already decided a winner & the rest of us don't matter.
Ruby Red
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Re: Halloween Deco Contest

Post by Ruby Red »

am I just missing something here?
Alex
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Re: Halloween Deco Contest

Post by Alex »

@Ruby Red: I am sure Nyx is busy with r/l stuff and will get to it as soon as she has time again.
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Melkor
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Re: Halloween Deco Contest

Post by Melkor »

Probably has to do with the "unresolved internal matter" she mentioned in the Harry Potter Thread.

The Deco contest will be judged I'm sure. Just enjoy playing till it happens.
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