*** September 2009 Challenge - Passage of Time ***

[Ashenvale]

Damn you all, you tormenting devils!

An author I often tandem with had an adventure manuscript greenlit for possible publication around December or January. I've done one map of a dungeon complex for that adventure already. He's ased me to do two more maps showing a small but thriving medieval village and the same village after it's abandoned and largely overtaken by vines and forest. It would be perfect for this challenge!

But I'd structured my real work (painting) and my moonlighting (this stuff!) to begin the maps in mid-October. I've no idea how I'd re-jigger things to get them done by September 25th!

But, ooohhhh, it's sooooo tempting!

You vile villains!

[Gandwarf]

Yeah, I blame Ascension...

[bryguy]

The format is up to you. Practically you can submit only one image though, as our thumbnail scraper just gets the first picture. This means if you want to do four maps to show the passage of time, you should stitch them all together into one picture.

Would it be acceptable to make an entry and refer it to a previous map that was not an entry to show how time has changed the area shown in the entry?

[Gandwarf]

Well, I would say you need to enter something you specifically created for this challenge. This does mean however you can take a previous map and create a second version of it specifically for this challenge (the second map showing the passage of time affecting the first map). You wouldn't be breaking any rules.

I would still advise you to try and combine the two maps in one image though as people will vote looking at the thumbnail thread... and there will be only one image per person in that thread.

[armoredgear7]

I'm thinking I'll make something for this challenge too. It probably won't be as time-intensive as Oten-Jo, which is nice since I start school again next week.

[töff]

Well, I would say you need to enter something you specifically created for this challenge

I had the need to do my Woadsbury map project anyway. Does that disqualify me?

[Gandwarf]

As long as you aren't submitting finished maps that you did before the challenge, everything is OK.

[bryguy]

Well, I would say you need to enter something you specifically created for this challenge. This does mean however you can take a previous map and create a second version of it specifically for this challenge (the second map showing the passage of time affecting the first map). You wouldn't be breaking any rules.

I would still advise you to try and combine the two maps in one image though as people will vote looking at the thumbnail thread... and there will be only one image per person in that thread.

So a map based off of a region of another map (Modified of course to show difference in time) would be acceptable?

[Gandwarf]

Yes, that would be acceptable. Because you would still be submitting something unique, something you are creating specifically for this challenge.

[Immolate]

I don't wish to complicate matters on this challenge, but if you allow someone to use prior work as a point of comparison for the challenge, don't you open the door to people introducing their masterpieces, long since done, into a contest where others cannot possibly produce a comparable work in the given time? How do you instruct the voters to ignore the beauty of the prior work and be unaffected by it?

I really don't wish to be difficult, but someone could truly give themselves a huge advantage without violating the rules as stated so far in this thread, and all without ever intending to. I would hate to see someone put serious time into an "after" map of their masterpiece, only to have the administrators of the contest decide during the process that it's really not fair. I would also hate to see a lot of folks feeling like they lost because of someone else's prior work instead of because the other guy did a better job.

In the interest of good criticism, I would like to offer a viable alternative to the present course. I don't know enough to offer a perfect one, but that doesn't relieve my obligation to make the attempt. Perhaps if you limit prior work to that which is unpublished and on which substantial work has not already been completed...

I think the same predicament is present with using the work of others in that using an existing map or other piece as a take-off point will result in people weighing-in the quality of the borrowed work.

Again, sorry for lobbing bombs, or monkey-wrenches, or whatever.