NOT Sour Grapes

That would be fantastic, Eva. I really hope that's the case, since it's a huge problem right now enticing people to play a lot of arcs in AE as the current situation is that either your enemies are comparable to high-end in game factions but are worth less XP, or they're worth full XP but basically impossible for certain ATs to play, and even all ATs in certain combinations

I'm a very information oriented person, so of course the more details about the judging and selection process the Devs wanted to give the more I'd like it. But I also understand why they almost certainly won't divulge that information.

However, the one thing I'd really love is a list of all of the arcs that were actually in the judging. Here's why: To me there's a huge difference between my arc getting seen and judged and found lacking, and simply being removed from the running just because I made some mistake in the submission process.

As an example: if the devs really did see Freakshow U (just as an example) and didn't think it was good enough to make the cut and didn't think it was good enough for dev's choice, then it's a safe bet that it'll *never* win even if I submit it next year, and that it'll never be dev's choice - ever. That means it's time to move on (to new arcs; I'm not talking about quitting) - submit a different arc next year, and, unless F.U. somehow makes Hall of Fame (which it flat out doesn't appear to be on track for), that the arc is best thought of (for me) as in the "not a priority to keep up there when the time comes that I want the slot for something else." On the other hand, if it wasn't even looked at because it got disqualified for some reason (maybe the devs wanted all of the entries in a single e-mail, instead of one per e-mail... who knows) - that tells me that it *might* have a chance in the future, if I don't make the same mistake so that it actually gets looked at and judged.

A few more things. (1) I would love to know which arcs were close to getting nominations, but didn't quite make it. And (2) I really wished that the devs had actually given at least some in game feedback on the submitted arcs - I think I was secretly hoping that it would be a chance to have some idea what the devs thought of my arcs. Really, both points are related - both bits of feedback tell me if there's a point at all in making a few modifications to what I think is a good arc and trying again, or if it's just too far gone (at least in the dev's eyes), and it's time to move on to new ideas.

Any explication of the process is going to lead to second-guessing, rules-lawyering or worse. What happens if it turns out that a significant number of arcs were never judged because (e.g.) lots of people misunderstood the instructions, or because their automation trashed entries? They (and we) would never hear the end of it.

Whatever the reason, an arc that didn't win or place this year probably isn't going to do any better in the future. Accept it and move on.

Oh, and if the devs really think custom mobs are one of "the most important" elements...that's sad.

I wanted to post here something form someone with the EU view. It turned out in an angry rant how I feel about this.

Lets just say.
Next event please one with ingame prices only so that everybody benefits.

Don't the EU servers have their own separate staff though? If anything, EU players should complain to those staff members about not having similar contests, not the NA staff, who are legally powerless to do much here. If an EU player is using the NA servers instead of their own, which they have to buy a foreign copy of the game in order to do, that's not really the fault or responsiblity of the NA staff.

Probably more, actually. I'd be much more interested in those prizes.

Based on the quality of the spelling, idiosyncratic writing, use of repetitive gimmicks, etc., of a couple of the winning arcs I've run through, I don't think the decision was made based on technicalities. It seems unlikely anyone was penalized for not including one of the files if the judges thought the arc deserved to win.

Preference seems to have been shown for arcs that are constructed like short stories rather than missions. Intentional or not, arcs that won were diametrically opposed to farms.

Personally, I prefer arcs that are well-written and work well mechanically (i.e., don't waste a lot of the player's time running back and forth between levels looking for multiple chained spawns of bosses and glowies, or using enemies that have powers that totally hose the vast majority of characters). If someone wants to run through the mission completely ignoring the story they should have as much fun as someone who hangs on every line.

The thing to take away from this: think of it as a short story contest instead of mission contest.

The issue isn't that judges might have marked down an arch if a file was missing or corrupted. It's that the judges may have never even seen the arc.

I can't imagine why anyone who doesn't care about the story behind a mission would still be playing this game. If you don't care about story there are forms of entertainment just as rewarding that require far less effort, such as Bejeweled or network television.

I always presumed that the submissions of all the architect files was just so they had a static copy that couldn't be changed after submission, to judge. If it were the actual in game files, they can be altered, republished, or taken down at any time, which opens the door for all sorts of challenges and problems (ie people saying something was or was not in their arc, claiming someone altered or vandalized it through account hacking and requesting a re-do, etc.)

With a submitted copy, the were assured to have the exact verison of the story that was intended for them to recieve - and no changes or other funny business could then take place in regards to the arc between recieving it and judging, unless it was from their own end.