IDEA for a New Contest????

[Bob-a-Ferret]

I think it is interesting that with all the customs we all do that there is not more contests. No seriously!
WHO DID IT BEST CONTEST with a different character chosen each month and all previous post of said character being put into the contest along with new creations? Example Deadpool Who made the best Deadpool to date?
Bi-Annual TEAM CONTEST Where entries are 5 or more characters on a team from a series say avengers, alpha flight, Xforce, wildcats, Justice league.
Annually there should be a MOST IMPROVED CUSTOMIZER CONTEST to give acknowledgement of those who made the greatest growth and increased ability.
And how about a ULTIMATE CHARACTER CONTEST where a character is chosen and the goal is to see who can make the most perfect version of the character and points are awarded for Originality, Sculpt, Articulation, Paints, and Embodiment of the character. I mean seriously I would love to see someone make the perfect Hulk fig with the right articulation, paint, sculpt and feel of the character. I mean sure the Marvel Select is the right feel but it lacks articulation. Marvel Legends has done 8 or so versions and not one has all the articulation he should have. and a cool way to show oricinality is having multiple heads to swap out along with weapons and maybe even clothes. One hulk fig to rule them all and this could be done in any scale so the same character could come up more than once, just in different scales.

And then there is the question of why not give the winners more than just the kudos for doing great in that contest but ranking them into categories example I think most people would agree that Hunter Knight and Loose collector and Shinobitron and others like them should be judged in a professional class or Iron Customizers and then those who are good but not as good as those aforementioned be ranked apprentice class and the rest of us Amateur class. and to move up you have to win so many contests over time.

Sorry I know I am probably just nuts but I was just thinking about it and I think it would be awesome to do this kind of thing

[cosmicfantasycustoms]

I like those ideas, I am currently working on hulks to do what you said, so are you in my mind?

[Patraw]

1) There are twice as many contests now as there were before, any more than that would almost certainly be overkill.

2) Doing a contest that focuses on a particular character is an extremely narrow focus. While one can argue that it's interesting to see different takes on a single individual, it's still pretty restrictive creatively, and you automatically alienate anyone who doesn't care for that particular character. In my opinion, a good contest theme should allow participants many options for what they can make, in order to appeal to different tastes/sensibilities.

3) There's a team contest active right now.

4) Allowing older customs as contest entries will compromise the anonymous nature of the entries. Also, it's not really fair to individuals who are making new stuff (you're not really doing any work if you're just re-submitting something you made in the past.) You also run into the issue of double dipping, should an individual be able to keep winning awards for the same custom figure over-and-over again?

5) Separating customizers into different categories strikes me as elitist. I think it's better if everyone starts from the same place (the voting process is the ultimate equalizer.) I often see newcomers whose work is every bit as good as well-known veterans--nobody should rest on their laurels. Everyone's contest standings/statistics are accumulated over time in their Figure Realm profile, that's already a "bragging rights" type of thing as-is that you can use to compare yourself to others if you so desire.

[Bob-a-Ferret]

OK first I am told I can come off mean so realize I am being totally open minded and I am not mad or offended in anyway but I am rebutting and debating this with you as I see your point and I agree but disagree and I want to see some things change for the better in my opinion of course if nothing happens meh it is all good this is just my opinion and nothing more. So PLEASE do not be offended.

I like those ideas, I am currently working on hulks to do what you said, so are you in my mind?

YES YES I am turn around I am right behind you. oops you didn't turn fast enough. LOL GREAT MINDS THINK ALIKE BRO You and I are on the same wave length alot of the time. Cause we are just that AWESOME!!!!!

1) There are twice as many contests now as there were before, any more than that would almost certainly be overkill.

I noticed 2 more added after I posted my first comment. That is awesome. As for OVERKILL your kidding right??? Or are you really saying it would be more work than is justifiable versus the effort to set it up? Cause I totally disagree if it is done correctly. However to just throw out 4 more contests a month I would agree. And I can understand that what I am purposing taking more time and effort to incorporate than may be justifiable. But I still think it would be awesome. Honestly though if done right and I am not saying doing 4 a month or anything like that. But rather that a few more well placed longer prep time contests would be awesome. Seriously where is the annual _____ contest? Where is the bi annual _____ ____ Contest? Where is the Quarterly _____ ___ ____ Contest. Fill in the blanks as you see fit. The monthly contests are great as is! I participate in them when I feel I have something to contribute or I want a challenge. But preplanned contests with larger windows I believe could really bring some amazing figures out of all of us.

2) Doing a contest that focuses on a particular character is an extremely narrow focus. While one can argue that it's interesting to see different takes on a single individual, it's still pretty restrictive creatively, and you automatically alienate anyone who doesn't care for that particular character. In my opinion, a good contest theme should allow participants many options for what they can make, in order to appeal to different tastes/sensibilities.

I can see where you are coming from but I am going to disagree, but this is why. First look at the number of deadpool customs that have been made. You are telling me that you are going to alienate someone by doing a deadpool contest??? I say BS! Sure not everyone wants to make one I freely admit that I really think that Deadpool is over done. I even swore I was not going to make one. but I have made and submitted one (DANG IT ALL. I either gave into peer pressure or really had to make an XForce version I will choose the later though both are probably true.) My point is you really are not going to alienate any more people than you are with the current contests. Now of course deadpool is just an example but seriously this true of most characters. Now I agree a good contest should allow as many participants as many options as possible don't get me wrong I am not saying a House of M Hulk contest though I might be interested in such a thing most are not going to be. but hulk has many versions from green,- grey,- intelligent.- Bruce,- crazy banner thinking he is hulk,- 2099,- red,- she-hulk,- ultimate, to create your own. So I believe there is room for anyone who to make a specific character.

3) There's a team contest active right now.

That was not there when I made the original post however I am almost done with the first of my entries for that. I am Kind of stoked about that.

4) Allowing older customs as contest entries will compromise the anonymous nature of the entries. Also, it's not really fair to individuals who are making new stuff (you're not really doing any work if you're just re-submitting something you made in the past.) You also run into the issue of double dipping, should an individual be able to keep winning awards for the same custom figure over-and-over again?

Ok again I see your point and double dipping would suck so I would almost concede! But I think if this was a special contest, not a monthly one mind you; everyone would be cool with it. Especially if entries can not have won any previous recognition, and new entries get a special category. So say it was the BEST Spidey contest of all time goes to one person could be an old entry could be new. Then best old Spidey creation went to the one everyone voted for that was not a new entry. Then best new entry received extra kudos for making an amazing entry for getting the most votes with in the time frame.
Now all of this takes more logistics than it may be worth I grant this but seriously that sounds like a fun contest to me.

5) Separating customizers into different categories strikes me as elitist. I think it's better if everyone starts from the same place (the voting process is the ultimate equalizer.) I often see newcomers whose work is every bit as good as well-known veterans--nobody should rest on their laurels. Everyone's contest standings/statistics are accumulated over time in their Figure Realm profile, that's already a "bragging rights" type of thing as-is that you can use to compare yourself to others if you so desire.

Ok here I can TOTALLY Agree with you with the exception I do not see it as elitist. But you are right there is totally newbies who are every bit as good as the vets. So I concede this point 100%. My thought was merely to try and help challenge and give recognition to those who may otherwise may get overlooked.

Now the point you did not bring up which I think is of more interest than most of the previous is the voting system. We are currently on a 1-5 system and I personally don't think I have given anyone below a 3 ever. I have been told the same by a few people on here whether that is the case or not I see this as a limited way to vote. You might as well just say like or dislike at that point in MY OPINION! I would rather have categories in which to vote on a scale system. Much like they do for Iron Chef and those style shows. Say for example the monochromatic contest instead of voting on our current system. We voted on a scale of 1-3 for sculpt, a 1-5 scale for originality, a 1-5 scale for difficulty, a 1-3 scale for paint apps, a 1-7 scale for coolness. Or some such thing then everyone can see what was liked about their fig and what they might need to focus on next time to do better. And no one has to feel like they are being mean by critiquing a fig. but the contestant can grow and even the winner can see what he/she may need to do to improve. Plus if you are doing this for bragging rights fine then people can brag about areas of specialty as well as overall customization. Sounds like a win win to me. But this again is how my brain works and I know that this is more logistics that needs to be programmed in and it may not be worth it time wise to the site manager to do this.

[cosmicfantasycustoms]

I thought that was you, we must be kindred spirits to have such great minds. still like a lot of the concepts you speak of and know there are limitations on the site, so not everything can be done. Really liked the idea of a couple of areas to vote on for contests, kinda like how projects are graded in school.

One thing I was thinking is how you mentioned a contest of just one person, really feel certain characters could really be done (hulk, deadpool, almost any dc character), but that contest could only be done so many times until you exhaust the characters. Unless you allowed the contest to be solely your own rendition (so make a custom of the character that has not been done and completely unique, so if its been seen can not do that version).

thought it would be interesting if members could go through the showcase and vote on older figs for favorites, best version or other things, or if not voting, giving options to check for categories (maybe even an other option where we can fill in). just a thought, I was looking at crowd favorite option and feel it should not be the creators option, but more of an item for their peers to give. so if there were more options for fellow realmers to give to each creator (such as most inventive, best sculpting, best painting, etc).

Well love the discussion and I know the realm will give us great contests, ideas and the best site all around.

[Bob-a-Ferret]

I thought that was you, we must be kindred spirits to have such great minds. still like a lot of the concepts you speak of and know there are limitations on the site, so not everything can be done. Really liked the idea of a couple of areas to vote on for contests, kinda like how projects are graded in school.

One thing I was thinking is how you mentioned a contest of just one person, really feel certain characters could really be done (hulk, deadpool, almost any dc character), but that contest could only be done so many times until you exhaust the characters. Unless you allowed the contest to be solely your own rendition (so make a custom of the character that has not been done and completely unique, so if its been seen can not do that version).

This is true, you would eventually exhaust the character supply but lets say it was done Quarterly that is only 4 characters a year. that is one character from DC One from Marvel one from SciFi like Star Wars, Star trek, Tron what have you and one from and alternate line say anime or movies or dark horse or whatever. You are going to have a limitless supply of characters. I do agree that a uniqueness character should be a contest I would love to see what is in the minds of other costumizers and flex my own imagination.

thought it would be interesting if members could go through the showcase and vote on older figs for favorites, best version or other things, or if not voting, giving options to check for categories (maybe even an other option where we can fill in). just a thought, I was looking at crowd favorite option and feel it should not be the creators option, but more of an item for their peers to give. so if there were more options for fellow realmers to give to each creator (such as most inventive, best sculpting, best painting, etc).

You know that is something I never thought of. I often go through peoples customs especially if they have commented on mine and go through and see what I think of their customs. I really enjoy some of the ideas I get and wish I could give them the proper kudos for their work. Unfortunately I sometimes lack the vocabulary to express how awesome they are and I hate sounding like a yes man. I think it would be really cool to be able to show or tell them in a way that would mean something to them aswell as to me. And as for the crowd favorite I agree that should be something that our peers choose not us. I think that would be awesome to vote on a customizer and let him/her know that this is there best work and why. I mean what is my actual best work? I don't know! This could be set up to reflect what someones best work is if we where on a reason scale and not a 1-5 like it scale. This could be interesting maybe spotlight the customizer like Toy fare did or something.
I am all about wanting our hobby to grow and expand and get the recognition it deserves and of all the sites out there the Realm is by far the best at doing this. But so much more potential exists

Well love the discussion and I know the realm will give us great contests, ideas and the best site all around.

Ditto I am excited for the future and I hope that it shines bright on all of us and the site can become more Fun and more interesting

[Captain Coder]

I wanted to drop you guys a quick note and let you know I have been following your ideas. Unfortunately, I just haven't had time to respond, but I'll see if I can make a couple quick comments.

Off the top of my head, here are some major factors I have to consider before adding or changing a feature on the website:

• Will the majority of users benefit from the change?
• Will the change be user-friendly and not add complexity to the website?
• Will the change put a load on the website? Adding a load basically means either slowing down the website, or costing more in monthly expenses by adding hardware to support it.
• How long will it take to complete the project? Actually, this one is only a factor if it's a larger project because then it has to be prioritized.

When I make comments to everyone's suggestions, I try to be truthful in my responses in whether it can be done or not in regards to these factors. I'm not being negative towards anyone's ideas, in fact, I love the ideas!

More Contests - As you'll discovered, we were already working on adding more contests to the rotation and testing that out now. Many thanks to Patraw for his great work in this area. Our biggest concern is watering down the contests, meaning too many contests and not enough entries. Hopefully the community will prove us wrong and we'll keep on chugging at the new pace. If the entries stay healthy, we may consider doing some other longer time-based contests like Bob-a-Ferret suggested.

Contest by Class - This one has come up a few times before. I actually don't think it's a bad idea, and I especially like the idea that customizers are bumped into the upper class after winning a certain number of contests. Bob-a-Ferret and Patraw both have valid points for and against it. True, the voting equalizes it, but it doesn't necessarily make it as fun to see the same group of winners every time. There are an elite (sorry Patraw for that word) few that could enter and win every contest. What fun is that for everyone else? Luckily, this hasn't been much of a problem yet, and there's been a good variety of winners. However, this would be an enormous project technically, and very challenging to present to the user world in a clear concise way to avoid confusion. It would also likely increase the number of contests, watering them down a bit. I do think this idea has some future merit.

Category Voting - I considered this when I created the contest voting. The reason I chose the simple 1 to 5 star rating was, well it's simple. I don't mean simple for me to develop, but it was quick and simple for the user to use. Also, at the time, that was the standard every website used. It you voted, or rated something, you gave it 1 to 5 stars. It was simple, familiar and I wanted to encourage voting. I wasn't sure that users really wanted to fill out a form for each custom to cast a vote. I'm still not really sure, but the voting seems to be pretty constant for every contest, so maybe it could handle some expanded options. It would also take some serious thought on how creating a new voting scheme wouldn't screw up the current ratings :/

Crowd Favorites / Liking / Most Popular - Really, there's only one reason some version of these features doesn't exist right now and that's because they are extremely resource intensive, and when I refer to resources, I mean hardware to support the features, which means money. Yes, they are awesome ideas and they should exist, but it's too expensive (in many ways) to get there right now. I have tinkered with ideas in this area before on our test servers, but I haven't come up with a good clean way to implement something yet. Hopefully some day as technology improves (and doesn't require as much hardware to run) we'll see some features in this area. Also, that social bar that appeared in the Custom Showcase recently when you are viewing a custom, that was sorta a test to see if users would actually take the time to use those social features...

Thanks for the ideas guys!

[cosmicfantasycustoms]

man this is why I use this site alone, captain coder you rock you listen to ideas and talk to the people on the realm. this makes you feel as you are part of the site rather than a visitor or just another number. I understand all the issues that allow or prevent certain ideas/functions, but the diplomantic democracy we have is why this site is my favorite. I really like the blast from the past feature, that was just added. I also agree that making things that would hurt the site or make it too difficult for casual realmers are not things that I want either. Any idea that can be refined to achieve certain goals mentioned, without affecting the overall effect of the realm is where my vote will always go. So thanks for looking, listening and the communication, very appreciated. keep up the great work.

[Bob-a-Ferret]

THanks for responding Capt. Coder! It means alot not just because of the time you put into it but the fact that you care enough about the site and the members to do so. To quote Cosmic Fantasy Customs cause I can not agree with him more.

captain coder you rock you listen to ideas and talk to the people on the realm. this makes you feel as you are part of the site rather than a visitor or just another number. I understand all the issues that allow or prevent certain ideas/functions, but the diplomatic democracy we have is why this site is my favorite. I also agree that making things that would hurt the site or make it too difficult for casual realmers are not things that I want either. Any idea that can be refined to achieve certain goals mentioned, without affecting the overall effect of the realm is where my vote will always go. So thanks for looking, listening and the communication, very appreciated. keep up the great work.

This site is by far the best for customs and customizers and you have made it so. Note that I am not trying to make more work for you or anyone else or take away from what has been created. Cause this is the best site period for what we do. But I think it can become more and be even better. None of my ideas should take away from the site ever!! I would not want that. But I think they have merit and should be considered and I know in your fairness you will do so. I know this cause I know your track record. LOL and no not the one in highschool cause based off that this site would be dead LOL JK. I understand and can see how the concern about watering down contest could be valid and honestly had not thought on that so much. In part because I am not purposing more monthlies cause I think The realm is good on that. I really do. I am thinking a quarterly bi annual and yearly contests something with a bigger window maybe 1-2 more possible entries that people could plan on and build for over a bigger span of time allowing for more entries. Now that is the vision not the reality I am sure.
ANd the voting Idea is to give a broader understanding of what you need to do to improve. Not saying the current doesn't serve but I think everyone has seen and understands the Iron chef style voting now. I think it has become as common now as the current system but I see it as preferable from the understanding perspective. Now putting this together is obviously much more complex in coding that the current I know this. I am willing to do this coding if so desired. No seriously I have thought this out a wee bit. But I would want this to be something everyone wanted too. But this is me casting my thoughts out to the site and seeing what is thought of... well my insanity. If good can come of it GREAT! if nothing no harm no foul. I have put this out to see if I can be of help Thank you for your time and consideration.


Also at COsmicFantasyCreations seriously dude We must be on the same wave length this is getting odd. LOL oh and the door behind you I might be behind it so open it and see. LOL