Help make a competition FAQ for all future competitions

[FredH]

While we are waiting for the next comp, let's make a frequently asked questions guide for all future competitions:D It was brought up in bhg's challenge that the same questions are beings asked over and over again, so with a new guide in place, we can take quotes directly from this book of power.

Guidelines needed:
- How to use the submission form
- How to enter a competition
- How do restrictions work and why are they actually necessary for game art
- Why can't we have a more open theme?
- Why can't we have an environment contest?
- Why was I disqualified


etc etc
Anything you can think of, I'd love to hear it.

[Vailias]

Suggestions:

-Is the texture resolution total for all maps or fully used for each? Like a 512^2 for each mapping type, or 512^2 pixels to be split between all map types?

Full texture resolution for each map type, spec glow etc, whatever is allowed by the brief.

-Can we split our texture to smaller sheets?
Yes Yes you can, but the total res per map type may not exceed the posted limits.

and for some of the above guidelines:

-How do restrictions work and why are they actually necessary for game art?

The technical restrictions are required so that a game can process all needed data (models, shader effects, ai, etc) can be processed in a single frame. The character may be a focus of the scene, but a character by itself is not a game.
Polygons all take a certain time to render per frame, and texture maps each take memory, even when they are compressed. These are all finite resources.

Also restrictions make for a challenge. Anyone can make a pretty piece of art given no restrictions and unlimited time.

-Why can't we have a more open theme?
Firstly: Because make whatever you want competitions aren't really competitive. How do you objectively judge what makes the best whatever people want?

Second: restrictions make for creativity. Limitations become guidelines that can help steer your style and give your design focus. A design without purpose often is weak.

- Why can't we have an environment contest?
It has been tried on numerous occasions, and often fewer than 5 people finish a full environment, also fewer people enter.
Secondly environment art is a different discipline than character art, just from a technical perspective. Texture re-use is key, and polygon limits are harder to nail down for an entire environment because what really matters is the number of polygons being rendered in a frame.
What this does, especially from a competition perspective this starts to limit it to props or prop sets, and while extremely necessary to a game its often hard to get people excited about environment props meant for re-use.

[Jido]

Vailias example for textures can be broken down even further

Which maps are allowed to use?

Specify which maps types are permitted, required, or prohibited.
Examples:
A. Diffuse, Normal, Specular, and Emissive Maps are permitted.
B. Any Map type is permitted.
C. Any Map type is permitted, however Normal Maps are prohibited.


What size/res textures can I use? Does this include alpha channels?

A. Fixed Texture Space Example:
Only 1024x1024 of Texture Space permitted.
Must divide this space according to the number
of allowable Maps you wish to use.
Alpha channel permitted.
(ex: One 1024sq map, four 512sq maps, or
two 512sq maps and one 1024x512 map)

B. Limited Texture Space Example:
Two Textures at 1024x1024 Maximum each.
Alpha channel prohibited.
-1st Texture 1024x1024 for Diffuse required.
-2nd Texture may be divided according to
the number of allowable Maps you wish to use.
(ex: 1024sq Diffuse and 1024sq Normal, or
1024sq Diffuse and 512sq Spec, Emissive, Glow, Opacity)

C. Unlimited Texture Space Example:
Unlimited Textures at 1024x1024 Maximum each.
Alpha channels permitted.

FAQ Suggestions:
Each rule/guideline in the brief could be turned into a hyperlink or appended with a re-usable Help Balloon (?) to the end that would link to a corresponding Sticky in the FAQ. This would keep quotes from cluttering the Brief and promote competitors to read entire FAQ before returning to Brief.

[FredH]

Thanks guys:)

Gods of Phoenix --> Yup, I will make each guideline a link on the FAQ page. I'll put a brief sentence on top, and if you press it, you will be taken to the full description somewhere around the bottom of the page.

Vailias --> Good start man. But, my guidelines were only examples. I am going to have to go digging into competition threads to find more. I think another few that sometimes shows up is:
- what is a polygon? Tris = polygons?:p
- Is raytracing lighting allowed? (no)
- Which 3d programs are we allowed to use for this? (anything that makes 3d)
- Pedestals: Can I make weapons on the ground? (no, nothing that can be picked up is allowed on a pedestal)
- Can I make more than one entry? (no)
- Double sided polygons? (yes)

I am sure there are more.

[EVIL]

-Why was the deadline extended?
The reason of the extension is... Insert possible reason here...
All extensions are unable to be changed upon requests and we do not take any requests for possible deadline extensions, no matter what the reason might be.

[BiG ToE]

Does my character have to be rigged and posed?

It would be nice to see all characters rigged and posed for several reasons. 1. rigging a character is good practice, the more you do, the better you will get at it. 2. Most game characters will be animated, so why not have the character rigged up and ready to go. Showing how your character can move is a gerat thing. 3 posing your character for the final renders helps set a mood. A character standing in the same basic pose that it was modeled in, is boring. 4 Did I mention that animation your charater is fun.

[FredH]

Thanks guys, I have incorporated everything you mentioned. I have written or will write the following topics: (this is only half... I can't show the rest right now;) )

Contests:
- How contests work
- Joining a Competition, how?
- Why Enter?
- How long does it take to release the finals?
- Thumbnails - Why won't my new thumbnail show?
- About prizes
- About sponsors
- Community awards, why?
- Competition award icons, why?
- All artwork must be original
- Deadline extensions, WHY?
- Teams and how they work
- Does my character have to be rigged and posed?
- Artwork ownership
- Is joining multiple times allowed?
- Why restrictions are necessary for game art
- Themes, why are they so restricted
- W.I.P Competition, what does this mean?
- W.I.P, Do I really have to show my work in progress?
- How can I show images in my forum threads?
- Post effects, glows and particles
- How many competitions per year?

How to create what you need for contests:
- Initial concepts
- How to model your work under contest guidelines
- How to texture your models
- How to get things ready for final voting
- The voting process

About Artist Spotlights:
- How can I get into the light?
- Interviews, what is needed from me?

Advertising:
- How can I advertise with GameArtisans.org
- How can I sponsor GameArtisans.org
- Is Dominancewar.com included in advertising?
- How can my Game Company create a competition on GameArtisans.org?

About GameArtisans:
- Who can I contact about...
- How can I contribute to this FAQ?

Oops, I forgot to include the topics I mentioned earlier. I'll stick these in somewhere.
- what is a polygon?
- Is raytracing lighting allowed?
- Which 3d programs are we allowed to use for this?
- Pedestals: Can I make weapons on the ground?
- Can I make more than one entry?
- Double sided polygons?

[Antimagic]

Only half?:doh: