Would you be interested in seeing the revival of the Adventure Building Challenge?

[Legacy_simuseb]

               

This topic was originally titled: Are there any competition's going on? 


Original Post:


I always find my self dabbling with the tool set, and so I return again. I remember there was a monthly competition going on for builders to create a module based around a theme. I don't remember what it's called, but I was wondering if such a thing was still happening? 


New Post:

 

Since this has become a thread used to discussed our plans for the ABC, I decided to rename it more appropriately. As per the topic title, would you be interested in the revival of the Adventure Building Challenge? Feel free to participate in the discussion surrounding it. Don't know what the ABC is? 

Please check this link for more information

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_CaveGnome]

               

The ABC (Adventure Building Challenge) is currently stopped, but the Custom Content Challenge is still going strong. You could probably create prefabs or mini-modules for showcasing new content others create within the CCC (look in the Custom Content and Community Expansion Pack section for more info).

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               

Yes, unfortunately there was not enough interest in the Adventure Building Challenge to sustain it. If a group of people want to get together to do it, we should figure out how to get such a thing to happen without leadership. So the thing can take on a life of its own.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_simuseb]

               

Really? Damn that sucks. I lost my chance to participate in it last year when I experienced computer issues. I felt it was exactly what I needed to get me to actually finish a module '> When did it stop? Honestly though, I think this small community *needs* something like that. Even if very few people participate, I feel the building community needs a presence leaning over them, poking them and going: "Hey, build something!" You know, encouragement. Hmm...

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               

Thats why I started it, but between low turnout and other interests at the time, I let it go fallow. If you want to do this in April I could set up some posts for you. BUT I would really like it if interested people would figure out how to get this rolling without a leader.

 

Perhaps a shared account at the new vault so that we can all edit the vault entry of the challenge. Or maybe we need to work on the new vault so that some entries can be open to uploads from approved accounts rather than the only the owner.

 

Anyone else have any ideas as to how to cut out the leadership and just allow people to make this thing happen when they want?

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_rogueknight333]

               

I do not understand how "cutting out the leadership" would work. How would that be different from just letting anyone who wants to make modules as they please, which of course they are free to do anyway? The whole point of something like the ABC, it would seem, would be providing a certain amount of structure and leadership, however loose. As the OP notes, some builders might well benefit from a bit more of a formal process than they are prepared to provide themselves.

 

I think the problem with the ABC was that there simply are not enough builders around these days (particularly considering that many of us who are about are so because we have other ongoing projects of our own) for a challenge scheduled to take place every month to be sustainable. I think something of the sort might go better if reconceived as a bimonthly or perhaps quarterly exercise (or perhaps even simply something announced sporadically at convenient times if something with a lot less structure and formality is desired) rather than a monthly one.

 

Note, for anyone wondering what we are talking about, that you can check out the original Adventure Building Challenge thread, or those concerning the February 2013 or March 2013 challenges specifically, for more information about the ABC as originally conceived.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               

You don't need leadership to have structure. We can set up a structure for how a challenge operates without having one person responsible for it. A challenge is pretty much all honor system anyway, so I don't see why that is a problem.

 

In any case, the main point I was making is that it would be better if posting challenge entries to a vault did not hinge on one person. It would be better if we could work out another way to handle this. Perhaps every entry is posted to its own vault page, and all the links to entries are held in a thread on the forum. And perhaps all vault entries would have an agreed upon tag so they could all be found together with one search. Or perhaps we can work out a shared login for the Adventure Building Challenge vault entries, and a select group of people can manage it rather than just one person. Maybe. These are just ideas, but I think we could find an alternate solution to one person being in a kind of "judge" position for the challenge.

 

Likewise one person should not be needed to organize it if you had a simple structure which anyone could fit into. Perhaps by starting a thread with "Hey, I want to hold an Adventure Building Challenge, and am announcing one now. Anyone else that wants to participate with me is welcome. This challenge is about X, uses X custom content, and starts on X date."

 

I think that could work well as long as we establish a template and norms for starting and holding a challenge, then anyone could start one whenever they felt like it.

 

I thought the best part of the ABC was the deadline, and then following that a period of review by other participants. Its really the restricted time frame and shared experience building modules in parallel that makes the challenge special. i don't think it has much to do with their being someone in charge of it. The trick is creating a very simple but strong structure that anyone can follow.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_MagicalMaster]

               

I think the problem with the ABC was that there simply are not enough builders around these days (particularly considering that many of us who are about are so because we have other ongoing projects of our own) for a challenge scheduled to take place every month to be sustainable.

 

Exactly.  I was able to spare a month for Siege but it got me very behind on other RL stuff and other projects (which is why the second half of Siege has been so slow).  I think another part of the problem is that the people interested in participating all participated in the first month or two -- and there weren't more builders waiting in the wings for months 3 and 4.

 

Oddly enough, if you had "limited" the entry to like 3 people per month or something it would have burned through interested builders less quickly.  Instead we had a flood of people which then petered out.

 

I think something of the sort might go better if reconceived as a bimonthly or perhaps quarterly exercise (or perhaps even simply something announced sporadically at convenient times if something with a lot less structure and formality is desired) rather than a monthly one.

 

Absolutely.  I'd think every 3 or 6 months would be a good goal to hold the ABC.  Every month simply isn't sustainable.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_simuseb]

               

I thought the best part of the ABC was the deadline, and then following that a period of review by other participants. Its really the restricted time frame and shared experience building modules in parallel that makes the challenge special. i don't think it has much to do with their being someone in charge of it. The trick is creating a very simple but strong structure that anyone can follow.

 

^ Agreed


Hmm, I would propose this:

 

• Every 3 months (give or take) someone posts an announcement for the next ABC. In the first instance this could be you- or someone else. This announcement contains a poll that will decide the next challenge.


• Over the next month it is decided who will host the next ABC. Perhaps this is decided as a group, or maybe the previous host pasts on the totem to another.


• The cycle repeats. 

So this way there would still be a host for each individual competition, but there would be no one leader of the entire thing. This is very much like a democracy when you think about it '>

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               

Sounds great. Should we start this up? I have no problem with running less frequently either. It would be nice to see this happening again.

 

My proposal for the next ABC is a HAKless challenge. Make an adventure without HAKs.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_MagicalMaster]

               

No offense Henesua, but I would suggest something more focused than that (even if it's multiple options).  I'm fine with the idea of using no haks -- but all that does is limit people to default tilesets/models/2da rules.  Doesn't suggest a story or theme or whatever except "You have to be able to portray it by default."  And you can portray a LOT by default.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               

No offense taken. I like to leave theme open because I don't have a problem coming up with ideas, and prefer creative license, but if people want a tightly defined challenge suggest it.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_MagicalMaster]

               

No offense taken. I like to leave theme open because I don't have a problem coming up with ideas, and prefer creative license, but if people want a tightly defined challenge suggest it.

 

Here's my take on it:

 

I'm currently happy without the ABC.  I'm working on finishing Siege, I've been doing some work on a PW, I'm helping some other people on a project in NWN (teaching them how to use the toolset and code), I'm running a top end guild in WoW, I play still other games at times with friends, and I still have a relatively busy real life.

 

If I happened to just suddenly think of something I wanted to do in NWN really badly...I'd simply do it.  I wouldn't wait for the ABC.  And I seriously doubt I will think of something new I absolutely feel I want to work on.

 

What I find interesting about the idea of the ABC is precisely the limitations which are imposed.  The time limit means you have to keep it reasonable in scope and you have to figure out what you can feasibly get done.  And a theme actually IMPROVES creativity.  Which is easier to think of something to actually write?

 

1. I want you to write an essay on politics, you have a month.

2. I want you to write an essay on feudal politics in Medieval Europe, you have a month.

 

For most people, #2 is far more likely to give them an idea because the scope is more narrowly defined.  It means you can focus your thoughts and figure out a topic you want to write on.

 

Because of this, I think such a topic would draw more people in because of thinking "Huh, what would I even want to build?" they would think "Huh, a challenge to build something about <X>?  That gives me an idea..."

 

And that doesn't stop you from leaving a wild card option in for people who want the freedom -- but providing some prompts will help a lot of people.  Nor does the prompt even have to be a theme -- here's a bunch of example prompts:

 

- Build a module meant for level 40 characters

- Build a module meant for level 20 characters

- Build a module meant for level 1 characters

- Build a module meant to take you from level 1 to 10

- Build a module meant to take you from 20 to 40

- Build a module meant to go after the first NWN campaign

- Build a module meant to go after HotU

- Build a module where you character LOSES experience as you go through it for some reason

- Build a module where your character has anmesia

- Build a module based on stealth

- Build a module based on divine spellcasting

- Build a module based on arcane spellcasting

- Build a module based on physical prowess

- Build a module based on pirates

- Build a module based on undead

- Build a module based on Drow

- Build a module based on dragons

- Build a module based on political manuevering

- Build a module based on two countries at war

- Build a module based on a city under siege

- Build a module based on a town ABOUT to come under attack by something

- Build a module about exploring the planes

- Build a module based on a book/movie you like

- Build a module based on events that happen in a book/movie that are only mentioned in passing

- Build a module that has to be completed within one hour

- Build a module based on a murder mystery

- Build a module based around an adventuring party that you lead

- Build a module based on discovering secrets about some artifact

 

Etc.  Those are some I came up with off the top of my head.  And, personally, that's the main thing that would draw me back into the ABC -- because, as I said, I don't feel a need to do anything new due to my current projects but seeing what I could come up with within a month for a topic would be interesting.

 

Can even choose prompts based on what people think the Vault is lacking.  Do we need more Shifter specific modules?  Let's make that a prompt.  Do we want more Ninjas?  Sounds like a prompt.  Do we want more modules that play after a current community module (for example, what might the Bounty Hunter from rogueknight333's Snow Hunt do after completing his mission)?  Might be a good prompt.

 

Plenty of possibilities and I think that kind of stuff will draw people in more than just leaving it purely open ended (and again, can always include a "Just do whatever you want" option if people have something specific in mind already).

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               

Thats all fine, MM, but you are greatly overstating your case if you aren't going to be participating anyway.

 

I think we should do two things:

1. Define the common parameters which all Adventure Building Challenges will follow, and publish this.

   
2. Get a show of hands for a group that want to participate in the next ABC, and let them decide on the particulars of this next particular challenge: theme, custom content, start and stop dates.

I am quite busy as well, but I am willing to enable others to get this rolling again. Who is game?

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_MagicalMaster]

               

Thats all fine, MM, but you are greatly overstating your case if you aren't going to be participating anyway.

 

I'm pretty sure I said the exact opposite -- that I doubt I'd participate in a "Just do whatever you want" deal but would be quite interested in a themed event to make me go out of my comfort zone and compare it to what other builders come up with.