Trickster
Level: Smitemaster

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The Eighth Annual People's Choice Awards

Welcome to the Eighth Annual People's Choice Awards (also known as The Deadlies)! This is clearly the most important Awards year so far, since it's The Eighth!



Ahem. Anyway, 2011 was a fun year filled with some very creative hold designs. While 2012 bears the specter of some major DROD milestones approaching, let's not forget all the neat holds and architects that have made our gaming lives more enjoyable over the last year: some with clever lynchpins, others with interesting storylines, and many that once again showed you can use the DROD engine to make pretty much anything envisionable in a turn-based manner.

So without further ado, it's time to nominate our favorite holds and architects for awards! Due to current paucity of curious and/or shy bunbuns, I have been asked to take this bull by the metaphorical horns. Therefore, much of the language and design below comes directly from CuriousShyRabbit's previous years of award hosting (for which I am deeply grateful). Works eligible for the Eighth Annual People's Choice Awards are considered only for the time period of January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011. See the links below for some history of the categories and their previous winners.

Since I had to look back several years to identify all potential categories for The Deadlies, below I list each historical category with its full qualifications (even when there are no potential nominees for this year). Hopefully, this will make the process easier next year! The fourteen categories for the Eighth Annual People's Choice Awards are:

1. Best Custom Game Element
The versatility of the TCB and RPG scripting engines have made it possible for innovative architects to create their own custom monsters, custom protagonists, or other custom elements. This award is for a published DROD hold with an excellent implementation of a custom game element. The game element should work predictably (and without errors), it should be interesting, and it should be showcased in excellent puzzles. Holds or level sets with "custom character" scripts may be nominated.

2. Design Excellence in a Modification or Addition
This award is for a modification to, or utility for, DROD or DROD RPG. It can be a whole new room style, a clock, or a “cheat” like transparent tar. It can be a modification for any DROD engine, or anything that works specifically in conjunction with DROD, like a separate program to organize DROD data. The most professional-looking and useful modification or utility wins this award. Modifications or utilities usable with multiple holds or level sets and first made available in 2011 may be nominated.

3. Technical Design Excellence in Scripting
This award is for a published DROD hold where innovative and original scripting is a prominent feature. In contrast to the best custom game element award, where a constant script is used throughout a hold, this award is for a hold where different scripts are used in different rooms or levels, and these need not include custom characters or game elements. Scripting may be used for puzzle and/or storyline purposes. Holds or level sets with scripting may be nominated.

4. Technical Design Excellence in Layout and Aesthetics
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and this award is for a published DROD hold that has a beautiful design. The rooms and levels must be attractive, and they must work together as a whole in an interesting way. Holds eligible for this award may (or may not) include hold art, original avatars or sprites, or original image floor, pit or wall. Players can't just rush through this hold; they feel somehow compelled to stop and just admire the beautiful rooms and levels. Holds or level sets may be nominated.

5. Technical Design Excellence in Concept
This award is for a published DROD hold that is the first (or only one) of its kind. It features unique puzzles that fit together in an equally innovative way. This hold is a leader, where others are followers. A player's reaction is, "I wish I had been the one to think of this!" Holds or level sets may be nominated.

6. Creative Design Excellence in Storyline
This award is for a published DROD hold that has a detailed and engaging storyline. Characters are well-developed. The player is motivated to solve puzzles just to find out what happens next. Holds or level sets may be nominated.

7. Creative Design Excellence in Difficulty
This award is for a published DROD hold that is difficult, yet still fun. Solving these puzzles requires the player to think in new ways. While many players give up on other difficult holds, they persevere and struggle through this one, because it’s just such an amazing hold. Holds or level sets with an average vote of 7 or more "brains" (at the time of this posting) may be nominated. (For Smitemaster's Selections which have only decimal brain ratings, the cutoff is 6.7 "brains" or more.)

8. Creative Design Excellence in Entertainment
This award is for a published DROD hold of easy to medium difficulty that is the most fun to play. Playing through this hold is the perfect way to relax on a Sunday afternoon. Holds or level sets with an average vote of 6.5 or fewer "brains" (at the time of this posting) may be nominated. (For Smitemaster's Selections which have only decimal brain ratings, the cutoff is 6.6 "brains" or fewer.)

9. Most Promising Hold or Level Set
This award is for an excellent work in progress, which began public beta in 2011 and remained in beta through the rest of the year (private betas are not permitted, unless they also include a public board). Please consider the progress of each work only as of December 31, 2011. The hold or level set may feature an engaging storyline, beautiful custom artwork, a terrific layout, an interesting custom monster, an innovative use of scripting, or simply the best puzzles around. Holds and level sets which are published or abandoned after December 31, 2011 are still eligible for this award. Holds or level sets first placed into public beta in 2011 and neither published nor permanently abandoned during 2011 may be nominated.

10. DROD Hold of the Year
This award is for the best DROD Hold published in 2011. This beautifully polished and balanced hold features an excellent overall concept, creative and fun puzzles with just the right level of challenge, great level design, an engaging story, and perhaps just the right extra goodies (such as custom artwork or voice acting) to set it apart from the rest. If only one of this year’s holds could be preserved for future generations of DRODders to enjoy, this would be it. DROD holds may be nominated.

11. DROD RPG Level Set of the Year (none available this year)
This award is for the best DROD RPG level set published in 2011. This terrific level set is fun to explore, aesthetically pleasing, and the player encounters a variety of unique and interesting challenges. If you could take only one RPG level set to play and play again while stranded on a desert island, this would be it. DROD RPG level sets may be nominated.

12. Best Voice Artist in a Distinct Role
This award is for excellent voice artistry in a published DROD or DROD RPG hold. Good voice artistry sounds professional and adds another dimension to the character being played. When nominating an artist, please specify both the hold or level set, and the specific role played (each role is a separate nomination). Voice artists for distinct roles in holds or level sets may be nominated.

13. Novice Architect Award
This is the Rookie of the Year award for architects. This award is for an architect whose first stand-alone hold or level set was published in 2011. Excellent puzzles, well-designed levels, and possibly other architectural virtues such as well executed scripting, engaging storyline, and/or beautiful custom artwork show promise of great things to come from this architect. Architects who published their first stand-alone (non-compilation) hold or level set in 2011 may be nominated.

(retired) Most Promising Young Architect
Given that there are so very few architects 14 or under publishing holds, this category is being retired (at least for now).

14. Erik Hermansen Award for Lifetime Architectural Achievement
This award is for architects who have been creating great holds for years. To create one good hold requires creativity and skill. But to keep on creating good holds, year after year, requires special dedication and inspiration, well worthy of an award. This award is so prestigious, it can only be won once in a lifetime. Previous winners of the Erik Hermansen Award are Doom (2006), LarryMurk (2007), Jacob (2008), BoyBlue (2009), and Rheb (2010). Architects who have not previously won this award, published their first stand-alone (non-compilation) hold or level set in 2009 or earlier, have published at least one stand-alone hold or level set in 2011, and have created at least four stand-alone holds or level sets with an average vote of 7.0 or higher "fun" (at the time of this posting) may be nominated.

Nomination Rules
A list of eligible nominees for each category will be posted in the following message. If you choose to nominate yourself, or a stand-alone hold or level set or modification or utility that you are the architect of, you must post the nomination here in public. All other nominations should be sent to Trickster directly by PM, and shall remain private. You are permitted to nominate more than one nominee within each category. When the deadline is reached, all nominees will be revealed. If a category has no nominees, it will not be included in the voting this year. If a category has only one nominee, it will still be opened for voting, in which case the nominee must receive at least one vote to win.

Deadline for Nominations: March 10, 2011

Click here to PM Trickster your nominations!

Links
History of the People’s Choice Awards (This page still needs editing.)
The First Annual People's Choice Awards | Voting | Tiebreaker
The Second Annual People’s Choice Awards | Voting
The Third Annual People’s Choice Awards | Voting | Final Round | Tiebreaker
The Fourth Annual People’s Choice Awards | Voting | Tiebreaker | Winners
The Fifth Annual People's Choice Awards | Voting | Tiebreaker | Winners
The Sixth Annual People's Choice Awards | Voting | Tiebreaker | Winners
The Seventh Annual People's Choice Awards | Voting | Winners

(Last major edit: Monday 20-Feb-2012, 04:32 GMT)

____________________________
Trickster

Official Hold Progress
Favorite Unofficial Holds (I need to play more!)
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[Last edited by Trickster at 02-21-2012 04:38 AM]

Trickster
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 662
Registered: 07-03-2007
IP: Logged

Here are lists of potential nominees for the Eighth Annual People's Choice Awards!

(Please PM Trickster if anything in these lists is missing or needs to be removed. Thanks!)

Full List of Holds and Level Sets Published in 2011 (in order of publication)

1. Best Custom Game Element

2. Design Excellence in a Modification or Addition

3. Technical Design Excellence in Scripting

4. Technical Design Excellence in Layout and Aesthetics
All listed holds and level sets are eligible.

5. Technical Design Excellence in Concept
All listed holds and level sets are eligible.

6. Creative Design Excellence in Storyline
All listed holds and level sets are eligible.

7. Creative Design Excellence in Difficulty

8. Creative Design Excellence in Entertainment

9. Most Promising Hold or Level Set (alphabetical by current project title)

10. DROD Hold of the Year
All listed DROD holds are eligible.

11. DROD RPG Level Set of the Year
All listed DROD RPG level sets are eligible.
Sadly, there are none available this year! Maybe next year someone will be creative with RPG?

12. Best Voice Artist in a Distinct Role (alphabetical by artist: nominations must include hold or level set and role)

13. Novice Architect Award

14. Erik Hermansen Award for Lifetime Architectural Achievement

That's the lot of them. Let the nominations issue forth!

Deadline for Nominations: March 10, 2011

Click here to PM Trickster your nominations!

(Last edit: Monday 20-Feb-2012, 04:32 GMT)

____________________________
Trickster

Official Hold Progress
Favorite Unofficial Holds (I need to play more!)
My Holds

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[Last edited by Trickster at 02-20-2012 11:06 PM]

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5141
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Thank you very much, Trickster, for putting this event together this year. I'd like to announce the People's Choice Awards in the next Illumination, which I plan to release in another week or so. Hoping you don't mind, I've pushed back the date by which nominations need to be entered in your top post. If this is a problem somehow, just let me know.

____________________________
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.

Chaco
Level: Smitemaster
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Last time, Schik gave an incentive for people to get their nominations in early by giving out free Bar Swords.

A lot of people are complaining in the bar thread about the large number of LEDs required for the new bar riddle, so I suggest that the incentive happen again.

-

Also, we have a lot of precedent for voice acting awards being awarded to people who did voice acting for Smitemasters' Selections, so I think all the voice actors who did work for Finding the First Truth (who are listed in the Holds board writeup) should be eligible for nominations.

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

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[Last edited by Chaco at 02-19-2012 12:14 AM]

Jatopian
Level: Smitemaster
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As long as they're not professional VAs I think that's just fine.

____________________________
DROD has some really great music.
Make your pressure plates 3.0 style!
DROD architecture idea generator

TFMurphy
Level: Smitemaster
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Question: why is Finding the First Truth not eligible for this year? Perfection won a category in the 2nd APCA. So did Beethro's Teacher in the 3rd APCA, and Complex Complex in the 6th APCA. DDDD was nominated but didn't win in the 5th.

Precedent says that Smitemaster's Selections are fine. I think the only exceptions we've ever made are to bar the big three: KDD, JtRH and TCB.

Trickster
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 662
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NOTICE!

The final, final revisions have now been made to the nomination lists. There are two major, recent changes:

1) I have added Finding the First Truth to all categories, since historically, Smitemaster's Selections are eligible.

2) I changed the name of "Best Actor or Actress in a Leading Role" to "Best Voice Artist in a Distinct Role", and removed all indistinguishable roles from the list. It is now *required* that you name the hold and the role in order to send a nomination (meaning each role is a separate nominee), consistent with previous years. Each role has been listed separately for convenience. I also buckled and added west.logan's wife to the list, since she did speak a leading role and even though she's not a forum member I don't feel right excluding her from the category.

Older changes include the addition of missing categories, and a few entries which were added, removed, or switched. If you have already submitted nominations as of this last change, I will PM you to let you know (so no mistakes should result in the nomination process).

Please PM Trickster if you find any errors or need for corrections. Thanks so much for tolerating the errors and changes and fuss so far, everyone. My intent is to standardize the awards enough that it will be much less of a headache to set up in future years, but for this wolf anal-retentive is an art form...

____________________________
Trickster

Official Hold Progress
Favorite Unofficial Holds (I need to play more!)
My Holds

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[Last edited by Trickster at 02-20-2012 04:29 PM]

TFMurphy
Level: Smitemaster
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I'm unsure whether the "Leading Role" constraint is necessary: very few DROD holds have any voice acting at all, and while leading roles in those are usually the most memorable, I know there's the odd bit part that stands out and has got nominations in previous years. Calamarain also got nominated for "various" in Witherwood Castle during the 4th APCA, so it seems that the voice acting within a single hold was the most important distinction, rather than any single role within the hold.

That said, I have no real objections to the category being taken either way. I'm actually posting because I wanted remind people about something else, which was unveiled during the last APCA, but is still very very useful for this one's:

Schik's DROD Hold Mega-MiniMap Viewer Thingy: http://forum.caravelgames.com/map.php

Use it to remind yourself of a hold you've played. Or to see those aesthetics in a grand scale. Or maybe even to quickly look over a hold you don't have time to play (but really, if you do have time, it's usually worth seeing the hold 'in person', so to speak).

Note that rooms that you are not eligible to view (because the architect has set them to only be viewable if they're explored, or they're secret rooms) will not show up on this map viewer until you meet that requirement.

Trickster
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 662
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TFMurphy wrote:
I'm unsure whether the "Leading Role" constraint is necessary: very few DROD holds have any voice acting at all, and while leading roles in those are usually the most memorable, I know there's the odd bit part that stands out and has got nominations in previous years. Calamarain also got nominated for "various" in Witherwood Castle during the 4th APCA, so it seems that the voice acting within a single hold was the most important distinction, rather than any single role within the hold.

It wasn't an easy decision, and I agree with (and had considered) your concerns. There are three reasons I eventually went in this direction:

1) The most recent APCA where this category was included (the 5th) required nomination by particular speaking role.

2) Given the fact that some artists played more parts than others, if a blanket nomination by person were given it would be more a measure of "work done" than "quality of a particular role". If we're really awarding for voice artistry, it should be per role, I think.

3) I can't tell who is who if it's not a named role, so I doubt most Forumites can either. Three people are credited as "Gossiper", so which one would I vote for? Unless I'm provided with sound files I can put on the forum, there's no easy way to distinguish some of the speaking parts.

Note that the roles I include are those which are distinct enough to identify, not necessarily "leading roles" in the strictest sense of the term. I've changed the word Leading to Distinct in the title to clear that up (though the description remains accurate).

Thanks for the map viewer reminder, too! That awesome "Map" should really be a link on the top menu (maybe between High Scores and Search or something)...

____________________________
Trickster

Official Hold Progress
Favorite Unofficial Holds (I need to play more!)
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Trickster
Level: Smitemaster

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Just a note, since I've been asked about this twice now.

I'm fully aware that the holds Suwak0 Prizes, The Boss Lair, and The Zone have been published already. They still qualify for Most Promising Hold or Level Set, because they began public beta in 2011 and remained in public beta until 2012.

If we were to remove holds and level sets from consideration for this category because they were published, this might discourage architects from publishing holds in January, or it might disqualify people halfway through voting. In other words, it's not something I think we want to muck with.

If you choose to nominate or vote for one of these (or any others in this category), please consider the status of the hold as it was on December 31, 2011.

____________________________
Trickster

Official Hold Progress
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Neather2
Level: Smiter

Rank Points: 406
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I'd like to nominate Conspiracy, by myself, for the "Most Promising Hold or Level Set"

-Neather2

____________________________
Nothing to say. I just play the game. And you, sir, should play it too.

Conspiracy, my new hold, has just been released.

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[Last edited by Neather2 at 02-22-2012 05:54 AM]

west.logan
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 608
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I'll go ahead and PM you then.

By the way, should DiMono be added to the voice actor list?

____________________________
-Logan

Dischorran
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west.logan wrote:
By the way, should DiMono be added to the voice actor list?

No.

____________________________

Trickster
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Self-humiliation time!

In addition to my secret nominations I will add three I must (according to the rules) post here:

3. Riddle of the Bar, mainly for Penwielder's scripting (both storyline and gameplay-related).

4. Riddle of the Bar, for everyone's layouts and attention to detail, honestly. It was very interesting to see how each entrant fit fourteen rooms together in order to tell a story, and what elements they chose to illustrate the journey visually.

9. The Plague Within, mainly because I haven't played any of the others and I plan to finish this beast sometime in late 2012. And RPG holds don't get enough cred.

...that is all.

(EDIT: Added a third one above.)

____________________________
Trickster

Official Hold Progress
Favorite Unofficial Holds (I need to play more!)
My Holds

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[Last edited by Trickster at 02-22-2012 06:41 PM]

west.logan
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 608
Registered: 03-09-2011
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Though I dislike self-nominations, I would like to nominate myself, my wife, Snacko, and for number 12: Best Voice Artist.

____________________________
-Logan

Jatopian
Level: Smitemaster
Rank Points: 1842
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Snacko is your wife?

____________________________
DROD has some really great music.
Make your pressure plates 3.0 style!
DROD architecture idea generator

Banjooie
Level: Smitemaster

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IP: Logged

Jatopian wrote:
Snacko is your wife?

subj

west.logan
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 608
Registered: 03-09-2011
IP: Logged

Jatopian wrote:
Snacko is your wife?

O_O

____________________________
-Logan

mrimer
Level: Legendary Smitemaster

Rank Points: 5141
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Trickster wrote:
I assume mrimer is going to Illuminate this thread soon, given that we have only a week left for nominations.

That's right. I plan to send out the March Illumination with a mention of this sometime tomorrow.

____________________________
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.

hasondea
Level: Roachling
Rank Points: 10
Registered: 04-27-2013
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mrimer wrote:

Trickster wrote:
I assume mrimer is going to Illuminate this thread soon, given that we have only a week left for nominations.

That's right. I plan to send out the March Illumination with a mention of this sometime tomorrow.

Trickster
Level: Smitemaster

Rank Points: 662
Registered: 07-03-2007
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hasondea wrote:

mrimer wrote:

Trickster wrote:
I assume mrimer is going to Illuminate this thread soon, given that we have only a week left for nominations.

That's right. I plan to send out the March Illumination with a mention of this sometime tomorrow.

Y HALO THAR SPAM ACCOUNT

____________________________
Trickster

Official Hold Progress
Favorite Unofficial Holds (I need to play more!)
My Holds