*** June Challenge Voting - A Home Away From Home

[Map Vandal]

My two votes went out to Gameprinter and Redrobes. Unfortunately I can't rep either one of you until I spread it around a little. I absolutley love the Assassin's Lair. That magic item is something that gives so much color and depth to any story. The drawing is amazing as well and makes it a no brainer for my first vote.

I also love the story surrounding Sorrosen and his caravan. The map of the caravan is outstanding. The entire image has such a wonderful life to it.

[RobA]

Kudos to everyone.

I voted for Assassin's Lair -- Gamerprinter as it was imoo the best interpretation of the challenge, plus a damn fine map, to boot.

My second vote was difficult. I ended up going for Druid's Tree -- MysticMagellan, but it was almost a toss up between that one, the mushroom, the inn, and the jar of refuge.

Rovingjack - you almost got my vote because of entering a hand drawn work, but I just couldn't give it to you as too much of the "map" element was missing.... great illustration though!

Ditto for the pocket island - just wasn't "mappy" enough, but great idea.

I had high hopes for the steam powered barrack (as an avid fan of steampunk) but the end result didn't do it for me. I think the contrast between the work itself and the quasi-Victorian subject was too much. Maybe we should have a steampunk challenge....

Congrats to the eventual winners, as well as to everyone who entered!

-Rob A>

[NeonKnight]

Well, voted for GamePrinter (does he really need another win ), and RedRobes.

Imolates was good, but it didn't really qualify as a 'home away from home' to me.

Other good maps were the Jar of Refuge (would have liked to see it finished), Jykke's Pocket Island (but it wasn't quite an map as it was a pretty picture, shame).

[msa]

I'm going to stop saying "this was a really hard vote" because, since I found this place a couple months back, they've *all* been hard votes.

My first vote went to Red 100%. It was a very nice combination of a map and a 3d model, and also had an air of playfulness and realism that was refreshing and enjoyable. I also really like RVs.

My second choice was a much harder choice between GP and Imm, which I think shared many of the same great qualities and attention to detail. In the end, I went with GP because he got so much of the story and detail on one very well-composed image, but it easily could have gone the other way.

[Gamerprinter]

Well, voted for GamePrinter (does he really need another win

Honestly, I just wanted one win this year. My schedule is such now that I hardly have time to participate in challenges. Unless a challenge idea really works over my creativity, I think I'll go into semi-retirement as far as CG challenges go - let some of the "new blood" earn some awards.

I'll still post maps in other forums - WIP, Finished or otherwise, and otherwise be a regular contributor, but I think this is the last challenge for me.

GP

[NeonKnight]

Hey just ribbing ya Gameprinter. You do really good work, and I am jealous. JEALOUS I TELL YA!

[Redrobes]

Ok I voted for the pocket island which I know is not quite a map but I like the concept a great deal and I think the visualization of it was well done. The second choice for me was hard with a number of maps in contention. I liked the idea of the track laying with sorta Dune type connotations to it. The tree was very well executed but didn't seem very portable even if it could move a bit. A home but not really a home away from home. The jar had some potential but it needed more meat on the render to do it some justice so it came down to immolate and GP's map. The phylactery idea is an old one but it was done very well. I liked immolates desks a lot tho as well as the general idea. Though looking at it at high res it seems that it would have been better with some antialiasing on the zoomed up backdrop texture. Still despite that it just nudged ahead. Sorry GP - it looks like your gonna take the prize anyway tho.

[MysticMagellan]

My first vote was easy to make. The Assassin's Lair was so well thought out, executed, and illustrated that it was easy to pick.

My second vote was hard. I jumped between the Steam Drawn Barracks, The Inn at the End of the World, The Pocket Island, and Sorrosen's Caravan. After much thought I narrowed my choices down to the Steem Drawn Barracks and Sorrosen's Caravan, and eventually voted for the Caravan based on two things - it seemed the most complete, and it looked like something I'd like to use in a game.

Great work everyone.

[armoredgear7]

The linework and overall clarity/polish on the Druid's Tree earned it my first vote. Color choices and setting really helped this one too.

My second vote has to go to the Assassin's Lair - cool concept and some very detailed mapping to back it up!

[Immolate]

I've been away from mapping for the last couple of weeks and wasn't able to put in the significant quantities of additional work I wanted to do on the Inn. Some things in life are hard to predict--like softball tournaments. My two youngest girls were both in the Tournament of Champions and All Stars.

To be honest, that would not have stopped me completely, but the urge to map does ebb and flow and there is no doubt that it has been at a low point of late.

I approached this vote more viscerally than the last. I wanted to vote for whatever hit me for whatever reason, without too much reasoning and rationalization behind it. So I picked the Assassin's Lair because I loved everything about it and the Magic Mushroom because I loved the idea of it.

I think there were other, better-executed entries than the MM, but if these things were always about technical skill, my entries would never get a vote.

Good job everyone and rep for those who made the effort.