Author Topic: Building Contests 2013: Rules and Instructions  (Read 12600 times)

Offline samoht04

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Building Contests 2013: Rules and Instructions
« on: December 08, 2012, 06:40:35 AM »



  The Building Contests give you the chance to show the forum what you can do. The chance to put your work up against other builders in a friendly competition to create the best entry for the task, whilst you take up the challenge you will find yourself experiencing new styles, themes and ways of building and learn as you practice your skills more and more. Each task will be different, it's up to you to create the stand out entry and win the votes of the forum! Let the contests begin!


General Contest Rules:

  • Third Party Custom Content is banned due to Forum Rules.
  • Modifications that affect the abilities of Buildmode and Buymode are banned.
  • All Expansion Packs and Stuff Packs are allowed, unless stated otherwise.
  • Promotional Items/Content is banned.
  • Custom Patterns from the Swap Shop and the Official Exchange are allowed, as long as a download link and credit is given to the original creator of the pattern. Patterns from other websites may not be used.
  • Store Content:
    • Store Content is banned.
    • Free Store Items are allowed, as long as they are free for the duration of the contest.
    • Registration Rewards are allowed, if the Expansion Pack is allowed for that contest.
  • You may use content from a Store World once it goes Retail in Stores, so far only: Barnacle Bay, Hidden Springs and Monte Vista.
  • There is only one entry allowed per member.
  • You can not begin your entry before the stated start time.
  • The entry must be solely your own work, nobody else is allowed to give advice - such as in the Showboat Thread.
  • Do not reveal who you voted for anywhere on the forum, if found to be doing so the post will be edited or deleted.
  • Do not comment on entries until the contest has closed, the thread will be opened on expiration of the poll.
  • Rudeness will not be tolerated towards another member's entry, it will be reported to an Administrator.


Entry Rules:

  • A maximum of 10 Screenshots are allowed.
    • Videos and Montages are not allowed.
    • No links to more images are allowed, including the gallery..
    • If a collage contains four screenshots it counts as four images etc.
  • All relevant details must be given, they can be found in the entry instructions.
  • Live Mode is banned. If you would like to playtest your entry, you should save it to the library first so the copy you enter does not depreciate.
  • Links to any Free Store Content must be given.
  • If you post a download thread it must be locked on posting, see instructions thread below for more information.
  • Edit the details of your lot in Edit Town to include relevant information, see instructions thread below for more information.
  • Make sure your entry meets all compulsory specifications, anything optional will be stated as such.
  • All Entries must be built in either an EA World or the forum's world Union Cove.
    • EA Worlds include: Sunset Valley, Riverview, Twinbrook, Bridgeport, Appaloosa Plains, Starlight Shores and Moonlight Falls.
    • EA Store Worlds include: Barnacle Bay, Hidden Springs, Lunar Lakes, Lucky Palms, Sunlit Tides and Monte Vista
    • To download Union Cove follow this link.
  • You may build on Houseboats, as long as the Lot Size Requirements are met.
  • Blueprint Mode is Banned.
  • Entries must all be posted before the deadline.
  • A separate download thread is optional, bear in mind that when a contest closes it will be moved to the Graveyard as will your entry if you choose to only post it there.
  • All Apartment Markers are Banned: Hidden Room Markers and Level Skip Markers etc, unless a contest specifically allows them.


Cheats and Modifications:

  • Cheats are allowed, such as:
    • Buydebug on/off
    • MoveObjects on
    • ConstrainFloorElevation true/false
    • PlaceFriezes on/off
  • Modifications:
    • If you play with Modifications you may still enter, as long as the modifications effects do not transfer.
    • Modifications that enable abilities that are normally unavailable are banned, e.g. unlocking all items for community lots.





How the Contests work:

Each contest will run for two weeks, it will be posted on a ... and will end on the ... in two weeks time, depending on the contest being on schedule. When one contest is due to end the next will be posted and you will be allowed to begin building from the moment it reaches the start time in your region. There should always be a contest running, if there is not then it will only be for a short period of time, common cause for this occurrence would be an expansion pack coming out and the contest will be post-poned until after the final release date to allow the use of that content.

On the conclusion of a contest a poll will be added to the main thread where all the entries that meet the requirements will be added and voting will commence. Each poll will run for four days, you will have a maximum of three votes, if few people enter then it may be less votes. We recommend that for a fair voting system you allocate your votes to certain criteria, for example: your favourite, most suiting and most creative. Once the winner becomes apparent their entry will be entered into the Winners Thread and they will gain the boasting rights.



If you have any Contest Ideas or Questions then please PM the Contest Team samoht04, Lilygirl and Ausette.


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Offline samoht04

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Re: Building Contests 2013: Rules and Instructions
« Reply #1 on: December 08, 2012, 06:41:34 AM »

List of all Contests:

View below for a list of all previous Contests, the list will be updated as frequently as possible. All previous contests threads will be found in the Challenges and Contests section of the Graveyard.

2011:
2012: Short
2012: Long



Free Store Items
Please note that all of these items should be available during the time of the contest, if you see that it is now unavailable please alert one of the Building Contest team so that we can edit it out. Only sets that have at least one Build/Buymode item are included, anything that just contains CAS items are not included on this list.
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Offline samoht04

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Re: Building Contests 2013: Rules and Instructions
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2013, 06:31:57 PM »
Contest Tutorials:

Contest tutorials can be found in this post detailing the information you will need to know to enter the contests, if you feel there is something not available then please PM the Contest team..


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Offline samoht04

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Re: Building Contests 2013: Rules and Instructions
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2013, 07:18:45 PM »
Frequently Asked Questions:

If a question is asked that we think would be useful or a quick answer to a question we will post the question and the answer here.
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Offline samoht04

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Re: Building Contests 2013: Rules and Instructions
« Reply #4 on: January 06, 2013, 11:20:04 AM »
Some of you may have noticed Ausette now has a new title. This is because she has joined Lilygirl and I in organising and running the contests. If you have any questions please make sure she is also on the receiving end of any PMs.  :)

One of the major changes this year is that you now no longer need the separate download threads, you can just make one post in the main thread and attach the download to that post. It is simpler and is perfectly acceptable.

We apologise for the delay, the first contest will be starting sometime this week, last minute preparations are still needed and it's been a very busy start of the new year for all three of us.

Hope everyone had a very happy Christmas and new year and that we see some great entries this year from everyone, no matter what level of skill you believe you have, if you don't think you're that good at building well it's a new year and you might want an extra resolution that is easier to keep than the traditional ones! ;)
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Offline saltpastillen

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Re: Building Contests 2013: Rules and Instructions
« Reply #5 on: January 06, 2013, 11:44:59 AM »
Am I understanding it correctly: I can now use custom patterns from, for example,  the Exchange as long as I give credit and provide a link?

If this is correct I have a question about the linking. Since we are not allowed to link directly to CC heavy download sites, can we still use patterns from them and provide a link, or do we have to get an OK from you first?

Offline samoht04

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Re: Building Contests 2013: Rules and Instructions
« Reply #6 on: January 06, 2013, 12:00:23 PM »
Am I understanding it correctly: I can now use custom patterns from, for example,  the Exchange as long as I give credit and provide a link?

If this is correct I have a question about the linking. Since we are not allowed to link directly to CC heavy download sites, can we still use patterns from them and provide a link, or do we have to get an OK from you first?

You may use Custom Patterns now as long as a download link is given. If the site that hosts the pattern contains CC you can't post the link, due to the forum rules. I will have to talk to Carl and Pam to see if a workaround is possible of getting people to PM you for the link or not. Try and see if the pattern has been uploaded to the Official Exchange though, just in case.
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Offline ladyaya

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Re: Building Contests 2013: Rules and Instructions
« Reply #7 on: January 06, 2013, 03:58:52 PM »
You may use Custom Patterns now as long as a download link is given. If the site that hosts the pattern contains CC you can't post the link, due to the forum rules. I will have to talk to Carl and Pam to see if a workaround is possible of getting people to PM you for the link or not. Try and see if the pattern has been uploaded to the Official Exchange though, just in case.

What if you have no real idea where the pattern came from? It could have come with a store content or some sim you downloaded from the exchange for example.

Offline Gogowars329

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Re: Building Contests 2013: Rules and Instructions
« Reply #8 on: January 06, 2013, 04:47:44 PM »
What if you have no real idea where the pattern came from? It could have come with a store content or some sim you downloaded from the exchange for example.
If you don't know how you got it, I suggest not using it.
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Offline samoht04

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Re: Building Contests 2013: Rules and Instructions
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2013, 05:08:37 PM »
What if you have no real idea where the pattern came from? It could have come with a store content or some sim you downloaded from the exchange for example.

If you wish to use a custom pattern you must provide a link to download it or give credit to the original creator. If no link or credit is given then you can not use it, so as Gogo says - if you don't know it, don't use it.
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Chuckles_82

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Re: Building Contests 2013: Rules and Instructions
« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2013, 07:04:16 PM »
If a pattern is store content, then obviously you can't use it unless it was free. I'd suggest making a separate sims 3 folder for building contest entries, that only contains free store content, and any patterns that you know where they have come from. Be choosy in what you download, and only download something if you intend on using it - that way it will be easier to manage your custom patterns (for this folder).

Offline saltpastillen

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Re: Building Contests 2013: Rules and Instructions
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2013, 07:08:26 PM »
I reckoned that was how you meant it. I just wanted to ask since this was the "big" change in the challenge rules as far as I could see, and I didn't want anyone misunderstanding anything.

I personally think this will make the recoloring a lot more fun, and I can finally use some of the forum users creations in a challenge!

Offline samoht04

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Re: Building Contests 2013: Rules and Instructions
« Reply #12 on: January 23, 2013, 02:04:59 PM »
Apologies it's taken so long for me to get back to you on this, things have been very busy due to the Exam season but things are back under control for me again.

After discussing the Pattern Issue with Carl and Pam the only sites you can use Custom Patterns from are our own Swap Shop or the Official Sims 3 Exchange. You can't use patterns from any other sites that host custom content.
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Offline saltpastillen

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Re: Building Contests 2013: Rules and Instructions
« Reply #13 on: January 23, 2013, 05:44:04 PM »
After discussing the Pattern Issue with Carl and Pam the only sites you can use Custom Patterns from are our own Swap Shop or the Official Sims 3 Exchange. You can't use patterns from any other sites that host custom content.

Good to have a ruling on this. I would like this to be clarified in the rules (so as to avoid confusion) if that is possible. Not everyone reads the entire thread when checking the rules.

Offline Lady Bhugg

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Re: Building Contests 2013: Rules and Instructions
« Reply #14 on: February 01, 2013, 11:22:35 PM »
Question about building in edit town. How do I get the plants to grow in the garden if I don't have the lot playing? I've noticed in other contest entries that there are people on the lot, but the rules say not to do that. I've been wanting to enter for a couple of months but don't know how to do gardens etc. without it being "Live".

Lady Bhugg