Annual 2006 Halloween Costume Contest
By
2Negative,
Posted on: 2006-12-04 15:42 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
[ QUOTE ]
I don't expect it, but it would be nice.
[/ QUOTE ]
I agree on both of those with you.
To any orangenames following this, the way this contest has been handled, and I understand the delays, that's not the issue, the choices that were displayed, the way the winner 'seems' to have been chosen. It doesn't reflect well on the company. I can really only speak for myself but, I'm getting the feeling that Co* just doesn't matter that much in the grand scheme of things at NCSoft. I don't like that feeling. It doesn't bode well for the future of my beloved game.
[ QUOTE ]
I'm trying to determine if you're being sarcastic or not. Because when I read the same thing.. I thought.. "yeah, of course, it would absolutely be best if the costume was run right and rewarded based on merit, but since that's obviously not happening, let's try option B".
Zeus - god of the lesser of two evils
[/ QUOTE ]
I was not being sarcastic in the slightest. I think the system we have now works far better than a "member voting" system would work. FAR better. I hope and pray that the judging will not be forked over to people who will, for the most part, NOT follow the "guidelines."
Perhaps a "fan favorite" vote or something, okay cool. But I dont think the overall winners should be voted on by players.
[ QUOTE ]
Yes, it would always be preferable to have this run by NCSoft (don't mistake them for devs... they're just the publishers).
[/ QUOTE ]
Pardon. I used the term "Devs" because when I was corresponding with Cricket about the contest, and what I had to do to claim winner-ship, she mentioned a comment that the Devs made about one of the pics I submitted. Several Devs, if I take her statement literally. I wasn't aware that the Devs weren't actually judging.
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Yes, it would always be preferable to have this run by NCSoft (don't mistake them for devs... they're just the publishers).
[/ QUOTE ]
Pardon. I used the term "Devs" because when I was corresponding with Cricket about the contest, and what I had to do to claim winner-ship, she mentioned a comment that the Devs made about one of the pics I submitted. Several Devs, if I take her statement literally. I wasn't aware that the Devs weren't actually judging.
[/ QUOTE ]
Actually you very well may be right now that I think about it. NCSoft are not devs.... but then again, I don't know if they're the ones doing the actual judging or not. They RUN the contests, but I shouldn't jump to the conclusion that they do the judging as well. For all I know, they run the contest, let Cryptic see the pics, and Cryptic has a corkboard with a bunch of pictures on it that everyone puts a vote in for. I really have no idea.
Although colloqually, I can see calling them all 'devs' simply for lack of a better word. I can now see calling them rednames and orange names, but that just seems a bit cumbersome.
Other than that.. I even agree with the intent behind your post, if not the point specifically. I also would like to see that the judges are those who actually follow the guidelines/rules of the contest. It just seems you and I disagree on whether or not that's being done in it's current state. I'm not lobbying for "give votes to players" or anything... I'm just saying it's an interesting idea in lieu of the current problems. But by all means... there could be an entirely different solution as well, one with less negative side effects.
Although in experience I find that when you leave things in the hands of the audience, things either turn out GREAT, or AWFUL. There seems to be no middle ground whatsoever.
Zeus - god of agreements, and disagreements
[ QUOTE ]
Other than that.. I even agree with the intent behind your post, if not the point specifically. I also would like to see that the judges are those who actually follow the guidelines/rules of the contest. It just seems you and I disagree on whether or not that's being done in it's current state. I'm not lobbying for "give votes to players" or anything... I'm just saying it's an interesting idea in lieu of the current problems. But by all means... there could be an entirely different solution as well, one with less negative side effects.
Although in experience I find that when you leave things in the hands of the audience, things either turn out GREAT, or AWFUL. There seems to be no middle ground whatsoever.
Zeus - god of agreements, and disagreements
[/ QUOTE ]
You're right, I don't see anythign wrong with the way it's currently being handled. I think they very accurately stuck to the judging guidelines. While I can see the "gripe" people have about someone winning for dressing as an NPC, do you think that would have been rectified if we gave judging to the mass populace? I don't think so. Certainly, different people would have won, but not because of the reasons people are using to complain about the current judging. The winners of such a contest would be either attractive or popular, or both. I honestly don't put enough faith in the masses to judge a costume contest on the costume's merrits. I've seen enough flaming, anger, personal attacks and off-topic ranting on this board alone to firmly put me in the "Leave it to the professionals, please" camp. I'm not saying they get everything right, but I think they get closer to "right" than the masses would. (Note that I'm not knocking any individual, but in groups.. people take on a wholly different behavior.)
I feel like I'm preaching. Apologies.
I participated in an audience judged costume contest once and it was a disaster. It was held at a halloween party attended by the Pagan and [censored] communities. The previous year, the judges had awarded prizes based on good work, creativity, and merit. I thought I would do pretty well- I had a completely handmade jedi costume, that looked pretty damn close to movie accurate, together with a lightsaber that I had built myself- it lit up and all.
But this was not to be- the contest's format had been changed to audience judging, the event planners mistakenly believing that it was more fair that way. The audience almost without exception voted for sexy and revealing costumes. The only exception to this were the categories where there wasn't something slutty to pick. One guy got best overall costume for wearing...a pair of jeans with a thong hanging out, a shirt and vest, and a cheap pair of angel wings. Why did this second rate costume do so well? Because the guy wearing it yanked his pants down and showed his umm..assets to the crowd, causing most of them to yell. In an applause based contest, that got him the prize. Never mind that alot of people in awesome costumes got nothing.
Fair, my butt.
A (Golden Gate) Bridge Too Far- arc 299315
Crazy NIMBY's, Railroad robber barons, and kickboxing Engineers, Oh My! Go back in time and join the fight to save a San Francisco icon!
[ QUOTE ]
I participated in an audience judged costume contest once and it was a disaster. It was held at a halloween party attended by the Pagan and [censored] communities. The previous year, the judges had awarded prizes based on good work, creativity, and merit. I thought I would do pretty well- I had a completely handmade jedi costume, that looked pretty damn close to movie accurate, together with a lightsaber that I had built myself- it lit up and all.
But this was not to be- the contest's format had been changed to audience judging, the event planners mistakenly believing that it was more fair that way. The audience almost without exception voted for sexy and revealing costumes. The only exception to this were the categories where there wasn't something slutty to pick. One guy got best overall costume for wearing...a pair of jeans with a thong hanging out, a shirt and vest, and a cheap pair of angel wings. Why did this second rate costume do so well? Because the guy wearing it yanked his pants down and showed his umm..assets to the crowd, causing most of them to yell. In an applause based contest, that got him the prize. Never mind that alot of people in awesome costumes got nothing.
Fair, my butt.
[/ QUOTE ]
Heh.. a great example of one of these things going "worst case scenario". I'm trying to think of an example of audience applause EVER being a good gauge, and it's failing me.
Although it does make me wonder... why pagan organizations and homosexual organizations always seem to get together. We had the same thing in my undergraduate university.
I have seen audience voting go VERY well. But again.. I've seen as you describe as well.
Zeus - god of diametric opposition
Off topic- why pagans and gays tend to get together? It could be that we're two misunderstood minorities, it might also be that Pagans tend to be accepting of sexuality and alot less judgemental than some other groups can be. Also, we both like to really party
But that costume contest forever soured me on audience judging. In addition to stupid or slutty stunts getting applause over the really good stuff, people also have a tendancy to vote for their friends or people that they know. So in addition to a lowest common denominator thing, it can quickly become a popularity contest. It's why when I suggested a contest for player submissions to be made into in-game costume items, I think I said that the submissions should be posted without names attached, so that people will be voting on the costume designs they like, and not the person who made them.
A (Golden Gate) Bridge Too Far- arc 299315
Crazy NIMBY's, Railroad robber barons, and kickboxing Engineers, Oh My! Go back in time and join the fight to save a San Francisco icon!
Cookie Girl ftw ^_^
-Jentia Argool(Bostic)
Freedom Server
Spines/Regen I5 Guide!
SG:-Civic Alliance
Jentia Argool (41)- Spines/Regen Scrapper
Justice Server - Jab Molassie (14) En/Ela Brute
Devil Mas(11) Dk/Dk Brute
Hechler Glocklan (20) Th/Dk MM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
http://kat.mossgreen.net/temp/titanis.jpg
http://kat.mossgreen.net/temp/titanis01.jpg
http://kat.mossgreen.net/temp/titanis02.jpg
[/ QUOTE ]
This costume is really good. I'd like to know why it wasn't shown with the others?
The only thing I can think of was that it didn't say "coh" or "city of heroes" in the pics.
[/ QUOTE ]
That was not a requirement this year... or last year for that matter. That was only a requirement in the first year.
Although I too would like an explanation... then again, I think an explantion to a lot of things is in order. Not a canned, form letter style, empty corporate PR statement, but rather a real live person trying to explain what happened kind of thing. I don't expect it, but it would be nice.
Zeus - god of excuses