I am thinking of bringing back this competition because it might get mafia more active. What's your opinion on bring back this? Is it a good idea? If people want it, I will create a sign up thread (I'm thinking of starting it in May).
Being the host of #2 and a participant in #1, it's not that great of an idea. People join, then do nothing. Most themes are either done right away or at the last minute, leading to a poor quality product. Also you have many people with their own ideas that will always conflict, and this can turn poorly if you assign teams because some people just won't work with others. Finally, you have the issue of the winning theme, or any theme that makes it onto the server. Too many authors on the theme leads to delays in fixing things, or ownership arguments down the road. If you do it, the winner should NOT be automatically accepted as you've seen what has happened to Transport, Eclipse, Asylum, etc. The novelty wears off and the theme dies a terrible death.
I once thought about making smaller contests, without that "easier approval" prize, just to encourage people discussing theme ideas. For example, someone hosts an 1~2-weeks contest with a theme like "Powerpuff Girls" or "No voting phase", then people can form teams however they want to create a draft for the theme (no code, just roles). The hard part is encouraging people to participate since no reward would be given, except for the fun of creating themes.
-cough- *a host I recall doing more than you during the second one. -_- Answer: Yes. Reason: Theming is fun, new ideas, activity, why the hell not?, etc. Must Fix: Team sizes. Teams of no more than three. Competitiveness: Stagger the results. Eliminate themes that aren't cutting it as you go. If a team doesn't keep up the quality and show improvement over time, they don't make it to the the final judging and the public poll. Instead, they get cast off into the land of Theme Development and will have to come to Review later if they ever finish. Designated coaches: Idk how much of a QC you have presently but stick one of them with each team to keep things progressing smoothly and to help with coding things. The host of the competition would also be available to help everyone but would be entirely impartial whereas the coaches are rooting for their team. Reward: The fun of it. Like, why the hell do people need a reward for having fun in a creative process and for, in the case of most folks, learning a new skill with people who know more about it? If Mafia hadn't started going to hell and stuff like this kept up, I might still be around. If it starts coming back, I might actually return. :D With a new Geass theme happening and a potential TCC, you may see the return of the Master Metapod.
As someone who has 0 experience with code outside making a failed solo theme with more errors than I had on my last English test (which is to say a lot) and the first round of this (Last place OP), I would do this. call it a "theme design contest" rather than a "theme creation contest." Prize is people who know how to code themes will look at your design and might help you code it, but even that is indefinite. Would 100% be really fun. Doesn't even need to be teams, could be individuals. Just remember to inform me when it happens :P
First off, hi Solace, hope you're doing well! Secondly, given the current nature of the number of people in Mafia, this is perfect. Smaller teams will ultimately mean better work, the cut-offs will ensure quality work is made at the end along with encouraging people to participate, the Designated Coaches thing reminds of The Voice which gives a nice vibe to that, and you're on-point with the Reward. Approval usually happens for the more-liked themes in the set of created themes anyway (see Dinos and School), so it shouldn't be a main point. Making a theme just for approval takes away from the point of making a theme, so I'm in agreement with your statement. Also, js, I'm working on a new version of Flock for Gen 6 too. Should be awesome when I'm done! :D #Flock2015
Don't remake Flock. It was removed and taken down from adoption for a reason. If I come back, I still have the code and will re-submit it. Anyway, The Voice is a nice analogy to what I would have in mind and since this has jumped to 5 votes for yes since I last saw it, I'm becoming more and more interested. :D
Gonna bring this back to life because it's a fantastic idea and since it is summertime for most if not all college students at this point plus the high schools getting out soon, kicking this off right away would be a fantastic idea. I feel like we should follow Solace's format, with 6, maybe 8 teams max (depends on how sign-ups go). I'd be more than happy to be a designated coach, I'm really excited for this idea because I want Mafia back to the numbers we used to have on nights other than Game Night.