kieranmillar
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 2670
Registered: 07-11-2014
IP: Logged

Each year someone has hosted the People's Choice Awards (The Deadlies) to celebrate and recognise the community contributions during that year. Last year I hosted it, and if the community is OK with it, I'd like to host it again this year. Also, this year I'd like it to actually be reasonably on-time.

I'm not planning to host it tomorrow, I'd like to give people some extra time to play holds they've not looked at yet should they wish to, and am looking to start things off around the end of January or early February.

As always, the Deadlies are designed by awards by the community, for the community, so it's never made sense to have a Supreme-Dictator-for-Life such as myself decide on how things should be run, so this thread is everybody's opportunity to speak up about anything they disagree with or would like to change.

First off, I'm going to post a big fat list of every hold released this year, mainly for my own benefit later:



Secondly, each year we have typically had a "nominations" stage where people vote on which holds should be eligible for voting on in the actual voting stage. I feel that this nominations stage is a bit unnecessary with the exception of the community award, so I'd instead like to set up the list of what holds are available by just asking people publically in a thread like this one. I figure doing it this way will be easier and quicker for everyone. Note that the number of holds to vote on this year is smaller than last year, so it's not too much of a problem if numerous voting categories have almost all of the candidates to choose from.

Thirdly, here's the award categories as they stand, along with things I'd like to talk about:

1) Best Custom Game Element
I haven't played through many of this year's holds yet, so I don't know myself what custom elements are available. I know Homeward Adventure has fireballs, Blackout has the statue things and Narrow Perspectives has those black puff thingies, but are there any others? I think there's another one later on in HA? If you are aware of any custom elements or know their official names, please let me know!

2) Design Excellence in a Modification or Addition
As far as I am aware, the only thing eleigible for this category is some HD RPG wall textures by DezzTech, the walls for Deep Spaces and Fortress, and also the Deep Spaces wall fill texture. Are these worth voting on because they're very similar. Personally I'd categorise these together and then there's only one thing to vote on. What happens historically in these awards when there is only one thing to vote on? Do we award it by default, or does nobody win anything?

3) Technical Design Excellence in Scripting
Again I may need some help deciding how to cut down this list, or shall I just include the lot? Are there any holds this year that have absolutely no scripting at all?

4) Technical Design Excellence in Layout and Aesthetics
Putting everything up for voting seems only fair here.

5) Technical Design Excellence in Concept
Definitely going to need some help narrowing this one down.

6) Creative Design Excellence in Storyline
This one too. Maybe it's easier to let me know of any holds that definitely have no story?

7) Creative Design Excellence in Difficulty
I feel that the traditional 7 brains or higher cut-off is still appropriate. Here's the holds that fit under this criteria.


8) Creative Design Excellence in Entertainment
Similar thoughts as above. Here are this year's candidates:


9) DROD Hold of the Year
As always, every hold available for voting on, nothing to change.

10) DROD RPG Level Set of the Year
Another category with only one possible candidate, so do we skip it or does it win automatically?

11) Best Voice Artist in a Distinct Role
Was there any voice acting this year? I'm not aware of any.

12) Novice Architect Award
I believe the candidates this year are jokokoe and Insoluble.

13) Erik Hermansen Award for Lifetime Architectural Achievement
I believe there are two candidates this year: Jeff_Ray... and Jutt. The battle of the Js!

14) Best Community Contributor
I think this award worked well last year and plan to repeat the same thing this year, although I'm not looking to take the nominations just yet. I'll let you know nearer the time when I plan to take nominations and am feeling more prepared to organise this award (and again would prefer the nominations happen privately via PM for this category, so please don't post your candidates just yet!)

Any and all feedback is appreciated! Let's continue making the Deadlies awesome!

Chaco
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3624
Registered: 10-06-2005
IP: Logged

Some comments:

1) Fireballs are originally from my hold, Fireballs, which was made in 2008.

2) I believe historically, we've just given the award to whatever singular entry was unopposed.

3) Jutt's "Six Times Six", blorx1's "The Room of Humility" and jokokoe's "Do It Again" have no scripting in them whatsoever (not even any speech).

6) Nuntar's "Elemental Showcase 5.0", Jutt's "Six Times Six", skell's "Narrow Perspectives", Jeff_Ray's "Pass the Hold Around", blorx1's "The Room of Humility" and jokokoe's "Do It Again" definitely have no story at all.

____________________________
Quick links to my stuff (in case you forgot where it was):

Lucky Luc
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1215
Registered: 08-19-2012
IP: Logged

About the concept category: Maybe leave it as it is? I feel like "unique concept" is a pretty ambiguous definition, and if something isn't original at all, it probably won't get any votes anyway.
Still, if you want to narrow it down, here are some thoughts:

- Troshian Grounds (for the number-of-rooms-clear-gate)
- Narrow Perspectives (for the clever navigation system)
- Pass the Hold Around (for being a slightly different community hold)
- maybe The Room of Humility (though it seems like there were 2 (!) one-room-holds before)
- maybe Do It Again (though other seeding beacon levels have been made)
- Blackout (because I'm horribly egocentric and for FOV)

Not intended to be a complete list, just a few that came to mind.


They are never referred as that explicitly, but I've, um, borrowed the name "Weeping Angels" for the statues in Blackout (just like I've "borrowed" the concept). There are also some other custom elements in that hold (breathing dark matter and mother and ), but I'm not sure whether they're worth nominating.

I'm pretty sure skell intended to leave his monster nameless, so I'd go for "Unnamed Entity"

I guess Rheb's number-of-rooms-clear-gate-thingy could alternatively fall into this category, too? Otherwise I'm not aware of any more custom elements, but I'm far from having played through all the holds this year.

Insoluble
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 1638
Registered: 09-04-2014
IP: Logged

I'm just spitballing here, but what does everyone think about adding an award for best LP or best LPer*? There has been a lot of LP activity this past year from community members, and it seems like an appropriate category to add. I know the awards have technically been more architecture focused in the past, but it definitely feels like people contribute a lot to the DROD community by recording their play-throughs and adding commentary.

If others are in support of this idea, here is a partial list of community members who have recorded DROD LPs in 2015.



* For those unaware, LP = "Let's Play". These are YouTube videos of people playing through DROD holds and adding commentary.

____________________________
Links to neat forum tools that I always have trouble finding:

---

[Last edited by Insoluble at 01-05-2016 02:49 AM]

Chaco
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 3624
Registered: 10-06-2005
IP: Logged

Insoluble wrote:
I couldn't find a page for Nuntar, but he has done numerous cooperative LPs with others.

I believe this is Nuntar's YouTube user account:

SentinelProxima

He doesn't seem to have any solo DROD LPs yet! Maybe someday.

____________________________
Quick links to my stuff (in case you forgot where it was):

---

[Last edited by Chaco at 01-05-2016 04:16 AM]

DezzTech
Level: Smiter
Rank Points: 327
Registered: 03-31-2009
IP: Logged

I'm fairly certain none of my own silent walkthroughs qualify as let's plays.

____________________________

kieranmillar
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 2670
Registered: 07-11-2014
IP: Logged

To chime in on the LP discussion I personally don't think we should have a category for it, largely because the Deadlies have traditionally been an architecture-focussed set of awards. I know that the introduction of the Community Contribution award last year is a departure from this, but its purpose was primarily as a catch-all for non-architectural contributions that I thought might deserve some recognition.

I mean it's still the community's awards and not just mine, so by all means if enough people would like a Let's Play category then sure we can add one.

---

[Last edited by kieranmillar at 01-09-2016 06:53 PM]

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5056
Registered: 02-04-2003
IP: Logged

For what it's worth, I personally like the idea of an LP category.

____________________________
Gandalf? Yes... That's what they used to call me.
Gandalf the Grey. That was my name.
I am Gandalf the White.
And I come back to you now at the turn of the tide.

Jutt
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 863
Registered: 06-29-2007
IP: Logged

I definitely support addition of the LP category. In my opinion the Deadlies should be awards for all creative efforts. For example the graphical modification and voice acting categories are already examples that do not focus on architecture. It's just that traditionally the easiest, and therefore the most prominent way to contribute has been through architecture, which is reflected by the large number of architecture awards. Now that we suddenly have an active LP community, I think it's only fair to encourage their efforts by adding this award.

____________________________
Holds: An Architects Audition, Artful Architecture, Salamander, Elusive Exhibitions, Leftover Levels, Six Times Six
Collaborative: Way Forward, Advanced Concepts 2
Styles/Mods: Basalt, Sandstone, Garden, Clock using game elements

kieranmillar
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 2670
Registered: 07-11-2014
IP: Logged

Well February sure is approaching fast! Now that the RPG version 1.2.3 testing phase is over I'd like to move ahead with this again. Thanks to Chaco and Lucky Luc for helping out with nominees for some of the awards.

I'm happy to go ahead with an LP award, and will use Insoluble's list, as I don't watch enough of them to construct such a list myself. Thanks for the list Insoluble! If anybody knows of any others that deserve a nomination, then now's the time to speak up.

It's also time to open nominations for the Best Community Contributor award. This award is entirely driven by your nominations, so please contribute! For those who don't know what it is, this is an award that recognises contributions made by members that don't necessarily fit into the other categories. Anybody can be nominated for basically any reason at all. Here's how it works:

Send me a PM with a list of everyone you'd like to consider for this award. There's no limit to the number of people you're allowed to nominate, and if the list of nominees gets too large it will be culled to the 10 or so who had the most votes. However, for each nominee you must include at least one reason why you are nominatiing them. It doesn't have to be in-depth or anything, you just have to provide a reason. Also, you aren't allowed to nominate yourself.

The voting is planned for early Feb. This could be as soon as Monday if it looks like things have progressed enough, so get sending those PMs!

Click here to PM me with your nominations!

---

[Last edited by kieranmillar at 01-28-2016 10:16 PM]

skell
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 3734
Registered: 12-28-2004
IP: Logged

Lucky Luc wrote:
I'm pretty sure skell intended to leave his monster nameless, so I'd go for "Unnamed Entity"

I'd prefer to have it lowercase, to not indicate that it's name is Unnamed, but that it is simply unnamed. But if you want a name, officially it's called a seeker so let's go with it.

____________________________
My website | Facebook | Twitter

kieranmillar
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 2670
Registered: 07-11-2014
IP: Logged

So far I've had nominations for the community contributor award from 5 people (including myself) with a total of 7 people being nominated at least once.

I happy to go with this number as a minimum and put up the voting thread tomorrow, but will happily accept more, so this is your last chance to throw a nomination into the ring.

---

[Last edited by kieranmillar at 01-31-2016 02:19 PM]

kieranmillar
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 2670
Registered: 07-11-2014
IP: Logged

Looking a bit closer at one of the nominations that I've received, it's actually for the combined efforts of two different people. I've never had a nomination for multiple people as the same nomination before, and splitting them into two different voting options doesn't seem to make sense in context, so I'm going to take the decision to combine them into a single voting option. This means that, barring any additional nomiations, there will be 6 rather than 7 options to vote for.

Thread will be created after work tomorrow. In GMT time it will likely be 6 - 7 PM-ish time?

EDIT: Also I'm convinced by LuckyLuc's argument that every hold should probably be eligible for the Concept award, so they'll all be able to be chosen.

EDIT 2: Had another set of nominations which ups the number of nominees to 7 again! There's still time to nominate!

---

[Last edited by kieranmillar at 01-31-2016 10:26 PM]

kieranmillar
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 2670
Registered: 07-11-2014
IP: Logged

FYI Commence To Voting!