Smash Bros. 3D/U OST Contest! Round 27 - Midgar (Grading)

[APC99]

Depends.

It may take a while this time around.

I have midterms...

That stinks, luckily here in Wisconsin they give us finals 2 weeks after Christmas break.

 

[Superyoshiom]

That stinks, luckily here in Wisconsin they give us finals 2 weeks after Christmas break.

I can't have that, personally. I just think about exams during break and my holiday is ruined

 

[Frostwraith]

Exams two weeks after Christmas? Lucky you.

I have exams just right after Christmas and New Year. (As in, starting in January 3rd.)

 

[LF2K]

Kind of fitting the Garden of Hope might take a while. Plants take time to blossom.

 

[D-idara]

Finished my first semester today...got a whole month of vacations! I'm gonna draw a lot and play the hell out of DKC Tropical Freeze!

 

[TJ-Works]

Looks like Sakurai's having a Pokemon special with this weeks Smash Bros. updates.

Maybe we'll finally see a Pokemon-themed stage in next 2 days (that hopefully isn't Pokemon Stadium 3.)

 

[Robert of Normandy]

Looks like Sakurai's having a Pokemon special with this weeks Smash Bros. updates.

Maybe we'll finally see a Pokemon-themed stage in next 2 days (that hopefully isn't Pokemon Stadium 3.)

[laughs]

 

[Superyoshiom]

Looks like Sakurai's having a Pokemon special with this weeks Smash Bros. updates.

Maybe we'll finally see a Pokemon-themed stage in next 2 days (that hopefully isn't Pokemon Stadium 3.)

Well probably get that stage on 3DS, and the Wii U gets pokemon stadium 3 :/

 

[D-idara]

Geez, Sakurai, either give us N's Castle or Gateway Colosseum, no Pokemon Stadium or Poke Floats bull****!

 

[Robert of Normandy]

Geez, Sakurai, either give us N's Castle or Gateway Colosseum, no Pokemon Stadium or Poke Floats bull****!

[laughs]

 

[Ascended]

I'd be down for a Pokemon Stadium 3.

 

[LF2K]

I'd be happy if they pulled Pokémon Colosseum. It is a home console game, after all!

 

[Jumpman84]

Geez, Sakurai, either give us N's Castle or Gateway Colosseum, no Pokemon Stadium or Poke Floats bull****!

Hey! Don't you be disrespecting our Pokemon Stadium or Poke Floats, foo! Those stages are classics and are OVER 9000 times better than your pitiful stages!!
(Too bad we don't have a Mr. T smilie...)

 

[Robert of Normandy]

I'd be happy if they pulled Pokémon Colosseum. It is a home console game, after all!

Realgam Tower Colosseum stage plz. Or Mt. Battle. Or the Under. Or anywhere from Colosseum/XD plz.

 

[BridgesWithTurtles]

All of this stage talk has me wondering how a "create a stage" contest, similar to this one, might be interesting.

 

[LF2K]

Now there's an idea...

 

[D-idara]

All of this stage talk has me wondering how a "create a stage" contest, similar to this one, might be interesting.

Oh...OH!

 

[PixelPasta]

All of this stage talk has me wondering how a "create a stage" contest, similar to this one, might be interesting.

That's a great idea, each 'topic' could be for a series or game! Do you know if anybody is going to make it?

 

[BridgesWithTurtles]

That's a great idea, each 'topic' could be for a series or game! Do you know if anybody is going to make it?

Not that I know of, but personally, I think it'd be fun and I'd be willing to be a judge in such a contest. If anybody else is interested, maybe we could come up with something fun.

 

[Superyoshiom]

Hey! Don't you be disrespecting our Pokemon Stadium or Poke Floats, foo! Those stages are classics and are OVER 9000 times better than your pitiful stages!!
(Too bad we don't have a Mr. T smilie...)

We need another Pokefloats stage. There are so many Pokemon now, it'd be a shame if they ignored the idea.

 

[PixelPasta]

Not that I know of, but personally, I think it'd be fun and I'd be willing to be a judge in such a contest. If anybody else is interested, maybe we could come up with something fun.

I'd certainly like to take part in such a contest.

 

[D-idara]

Not that I know of, but personally, I think it'd be fun and I'd be willing to be a judge in such a contest. If anybody else is interested, maybe we could come up with something fun.

I could get behind that, a stage-creation contest, but we need judges and stuff all set-up :v

Also, MK7 has the best Rainbow Road music ever.

 

[Ascended]

I could get behind that, a stage-creation contest, but we need judges and stuff all set-up :v

Also, MK7 has the best Rainbow Road music ever.

I'm up for being a judge.

 

[D-idara]

I'm up for being a judge.

I think it's necessary that we get two or three kinds of judges, we need to get a judge who loves competitive stages, a judge who loves crazy stages and maybe a neutral one o>o

 

[Hippopotasauce]

I think it's necessary that we get two or three kinds of judges, we need to get a judge who loves competitive stages, a judge who loves crazy stages and maybe a neutral one o>o

I think it'd be best for every judge to be neutral, and for them to have a good knowledge on stages.

 

[LF2K]

On the topic of music, what constitutes a "medley"? Would two or three songs together count as a medley? Or do medleys have a lot of songs in them?

I'm planning ahead for some stages, so I'd like to know. Then I can scrap my setlists if I need too...

 

[Robert of Normandy]

On the topic of music, what constitutes a "medley"? Would two or three songs together count as a medley? Or do medleys have a lot of songs in them?

Two or more songs strung together is a medley.

 

[D-idara]

I think it'd be best for every judge to be neutral, and for them to have a good knowledge on stages.

I think all judges being neutral makes the contest a little boring, it's more fun when you've got different perspectives on things.

 

[Hippopotasauce]

I think all judges being neutral makes the contest a little boring, it's more fun when you've got different perspectives on things.

Maybe, but averaging between two extremes can lead to mismatched results that may not be true to the judge's opinions.

 

[Toxicroaker]

I may use competitive stages only... But who wants to make a competitive stage? Oh, my stage is like final destination, but it has a single platform on the right that will teleport to the other side every 30 seconds... Boring... Why would anyone do that? Why would anyone want to judge that?

 

[BridgesWithTurtles]

I may use competitive stages only... But who wants to make a competitive stage? Oh, my stage is like final destination, but it has a single platform on the right that will teleport to the other side every 30 seconds... Boring... Why would anyone do that? Why would anyone want to judge that?

I would. Judging categories could be much like they are in this contest, encouraging participants to take sometimes contradictory approaches to their entries in order to create a balanced stage. Example for grading criteria:

1. Importance: Is the location of this stage important to the series/game it's from? How iconic is it as a whole?
2. Aesthetic: Does the stage offer anything aesthetically, such as a new art style? Is it too similar in appearance to another stage?
3. Playability: Is the stage playable, or is it a poorly-constructed closed-in box with spikes aligning every surface? How conducive is the stage layout to a fun match?
4. Distinctiveness: How unique is the stage? Is it just another Battlefield reskin, or does it offer a fresh new layout? What sort of gimmicks/terrain does it make use of?

Criterion 1 obviously takes into account more "casual" concerns, while Criterion 3 is obviously geared more toward the tournament crowd, while still being very applicable to everyone (something that'd be considered "unplayable" would be something like a stage that's a closed-in box or a small stage with 10 different hazards, not something like Wario Ware or Flat Zone). Criteria 2 and 4 are attributes interesting to most players overall, but both 1 and 3 are also applicable to the majority of players to some extent. All of these qualities on which entries are judged would require the participant to find a nice balance in order to create a high-ranking stage, so they'd work together to set a high standard, while also being loose enough to allow for some diversity. For example, it'd be great if an entrant could perfectly balance all four criteria, but somebody could still win with a "boring, competitive" stage (or likewise, an over-the-top, 75m-like stage) if they still offer enough quality in other categories.

 

[Hippopotasauce]

I'd hate to derail this thread into planning for another one, but I have a few questions about entries in this hypothetical stage contest thread.
Would an entry require a drawing, or would extensive description cover it? Can pictures of the game the stage originates from take the place of a drawing, or would the drawing get extra points if put alongside the pictures? Or would just giving a good idea of what the stage would look like cover all of that?
How would an entry be laid out? If for this thread there's a specific "series, origin, link" template, would an entry have to follow a similar structure for the thread or would it be more complicated?

 

[BridgesWithTurtles]

I'd hate to derail this thread into planning for another one, but I have a few questions about entries in this hypothetical stage contest thread.
Would an entry require a drawing, or would extensive description cover it? Can pictures of the game the stage originates from take the place of a drawing, or would the drawing get extra points if put alongside the pictures? Or would just giving a good idea of what the stage would look like cover all of that?
How would an entry be laid out? If for this thread there's a specific "series, origin, link" template, would an entry have to follow a similar structure for the thread or would it be more complicated?

Personally, the way I'd probably do it is by allowing people to just post pics from a game and give a description, but an actual drawing of some sort would be preferable. If a contestant wanted to simply provide a description, it'd have to be a very good one, and should use in-game photos to help get their point across. Too simple of a description would be difficult to judge, and wouldn't warrant very many points from the judges, I assume.

I also apologize to the judges if this conversation has sort of derailed the thread. There's not much else to discuss until the grades come in anyway, but I still feel responsible since I brought the idea up.

 

[PixelPasta]

I would. Judging categories could be much like they are in this contest, encouraging participants to take sometimes contradictory approaches to their entries in order to create a balanced stage. Example for grading criteria:

1. Importance: Is the location of this stage important to the series/game it's from? How iconic is it as a whole?
2. Aesthetic: Does the stage offer anything aesthetically, such as a new art style? Is it too similar in appearance to another stage?
3. Playability: Is the stage playable, or is it a poorly-constructed closed-in box with spikes aligning every surface? How conducive is the stage layout to a fun match?
4. Distinctiveness: How unique is the stage? Is it just another Battlefield reskin, or does it offer a fresh new layout? What sort of gimmicks/terrain does it make use of?

Criterion 1 obviously takes into account more "casual" concerns, while Criterion 3 is obviously geared more toward the tournament crowd, while still being very applicable to everyone (something that'd be considered "unplayable" would be something like a stage that's a closed-in box or a small stage with 10 different hazards, not something like Wario Ware or Flat Zone). Criteria 2 and 4 are attributes interesting to most players overall, but both 1 and 3 are also applicable to the majority of players to some extent. All of these qualities on which entries are judged would require the participant to find a nice balance in order to create a high-ranking stage, so they'd work together to set a high standard, while also being loose enough to allow for some diversity. For example, it'd be great if an entrant could perfectly balance all four criteria, but somebody could still win with a "boring, competitive" stage (or likewise, an over-the-top, 75m-like stage) if they still offer enough quality in other categories.

This sounds great!
So, do you think that each 'round' should be focused on a particular franchise (where any game from that series can be used as a source), or should they be specific games? The first option would have more variety in submissions, but we'd run out of rounds fast because there are only so many viable franchises to use. The second option would allow for lots of rounds, but there is a high chance that everybody' submissions would be roughly the same idea (since they can only use one game as a source).

And as for what information would be required in a submission, I propose:
Name of Stage: What the stage would be called on the stage select screen.
Game of Origin: Obviously, the game where the stage is from.
Description: A physical description of the stage. Should be accompanied by a few images.
Gimmicks/Hazards: Information such as whether it is scrolling/stationary, what elements on the stage can interfere with the fight and interact with players, or whether there are any physics alterations or added mechanics.
Game Version: Wii U or 3DS.
Unlockable?: Whether it would be on the starting stage line-up, or whether it would require unlocking - possibly a method of how to unlock could be listed.

 

[Hippopotasauce]

Sounds like a great lineup, but I don't think unlockability is necessary to evaluate

 

[D-idara]

This sounds great!
So, do you think that each 'round' should be focused on a particular franchise (where any game from that series can be used as a source), or should they be specific games? The first option would have more variety in submissions, but we'd run out of rounds fast because there are only so many viable franchises to use. The second option would allow for lots of rounds, but there is a high chance that everybody' submissions would be roughly the same idea (since they can only use one game as a source).

And as for what information would be required in a submission, I propose:
Name of Stage: What the stage would be called on the stage select screen.
Game of Origin: Obviously, the game where the stage is from.
Description: A physical description of the stage. Should be accompanied by a few images.
Gimmicks/Hazards: Information such as whether it is scrolling/stationary, what elements on the stage can interfere with the fight and interact with players, or whether there are any physics alterations or added mechanics.
Game Version: Wii U or 3DS.
Unlockable?: Whether it would be on the starting stage line-up, or whether it would require unlocking - possibly a method of how to unlock could be listed.

I think we should use specific games as sources, it'd make for much better choices!

Sounds like a great lineup, but I don't think unlockability is necessary to evaluate

Like a character or a piece of music, the way of unlocking a stage can be some reference to something iconic, so I think it IS worth a mention.

 

[Ascended]

So, we gonna do this stage contest thing or what? I'm still down for being a judge.

 

[BridgesWithTurtles]

So, we gonna do this stage contest thing or what? I'm still down for being a judge.

The most important thing to consider before actually creating a contest is this: Are there enough people willing to participate for it to be worthwhile? A stage designing contest would require a lot more time, effort, and artistic talent from its participants than this contest does. This is one thing that must be considered, if you ask me. Maybe the best advice could come from the judges in this thread.

 

[LF2K]

A stage contest would take a lot more effort. And another thing is that the stages we come up with probably won't end up in the final game.

With this contest, we at least know what the stages are. Then we can have fun piecing songs together. And even if a song doesn't make it, we didn't waste a whole lot of effort.

Just my two cents. Sounds like a fun idea, but it'll take a whole lot of effort.

 

[Toxicroaker]

A stage contest would take a lot more effort. And another thing is that the stages we come up with probably won't end up in the final game.

With this contest, we at least know what the stages are. Then we can have fun piecing songs together. And even if a song doesn't make it, we didn't waste a whole lot of effort.

Just my two cents. Sounds like a fun idea, but it'll take a whole lot of effort.

Though this may be true, there are a LOT of people that would enter it. It could easily be one of the best contests there are.