Portable-making contest again?

[Life of Brian]

Well, considering this is a competition the focus is on producing quality work. However, even if you don't think you will win please enter the competition! The only entry fee is what it takes to make a portable you will love and enjoy and the more people who participate the better this whole thing will be.

Alright, I want any final opinions - shall we just make this one large contest with no subdivisions? Portables that have already been started are allowed to enter (assuming they're not too far along) and the only real requirement is that it must be a video game system made portable with its own screen, batteries, and onboard controls. Yes?

[Zeturi]

I think that sounds fine. What about Bibin, though? His project doesn't really need a screen, considering it's an instrument.
I don't think we need any prizes, 'cept maybe a cool title.

[ShockSlayer]

My vote is for one large contest, any consoles are game. Screen, batteries, and on-board controls(meaning it all has to be in your hands, basically) seems like good quantifiers to me.

If you are wondering about submitting a projct you previously started on, I'm sure that as a community we will be fair and just in deciding whether its eligible or not, the good-will spirit of the compo pretty much knocks out any unfair judgment. I guess final verdict will be handed out by LoB(he's a mod, and seems to be running this thing anyways, unless you guys want me to do it. )

One other thing to mention, is everyone who's submitting a prize down with sending it straight to the winner themselves, or all to one person to conglomerate and ship out as a prize package? Thoughts? (oh, a title would be cool, too!)

SS

[Life of Brian]

What about Bibin, though? His project doesn't really need a screen, considering it's an instrument.

He and I spoke, and we agree it doesn't really fit into the competition.

[Zeturi]

Oh, okey. I've planned my first portable... and it's coming along nicely!

[bacteria]

Well, considering this is a competition the focus is on producing quality work. However, even if you don't think you will win please enter the competition! The only entry fee is what it takes to make a portable you will love and enjoy and the more people who participate the better this whole thing will be.

Alright, I want any final opinions - shall we just make this one large contest with no subdivisions? Portables that have already been started are allowed to enter (assuming they're not too far along) and the only real requirement is that it must be a video game system made portable with its own screen, batteries, and onboard controls. Yes?

Either a compo is based on who can make the best system within a time constraint, eg 6 weeks or whatever, like we had last year (therefore already stated systems didn't count), or the onus is on entering quality portables which aren't completed yet (so finished systems can't be dug up from the grave) - this appears to be the focus on this compo from what I read, hence why portables "in build" are accepted in this one (that's how it looks anyway, which is great). On that basis they should be included as eligible as ones that don't start for a few days - technically speaking, many here are already planning or starting their build pre-compo anyway, so therefore by definition, if a system is 1% completed or 60% completed it was still started before the date and just as eligible - although obviously if it is 90% done then that is stretching it a bit!

Make it one large contest, no sub divisions. Logic being that you end up with multi sections and less systems in each to pick; also, it is great for a newcomer to enter their best system to put against someone like Triton or LOB for example, it will ensure the newcomer makes extra effort in their system and also keep the old-hands on their toes too.

What will be interesting is if many people make different systems apart from just SNES or N64 or NES systems - there are lots of other systems out there!

Also good will be multiple entries - I will be trying to get two systems in the compo if I can, time permitting.

[Life of Brian]

^ Excellent input, John.

Also good will be multiple entries - I will be trying to get two systems in the compo if I can, time permitting.

I think I just might do the same, since I tend to juggle two or three projects at a time anyway. I'm surprised and happy about the amount of portables that were already in the works. Hopefully this competition will give everyone a deadline to help push their creations to completion.

[thewizdawg]

Maybe for a prize everybody could chip in 5 bucks and the winner gets a gift certificate to newegg, batteryspace, or something along those lines?

[eurddrue]

I'd throw in $5. I'm also down for more than 1 entry!

[Metallica Man X]

Here's a Q! How about how the voting will be done?

I'd suggest a point system!

That way, people who are submitting their first ever portable can get bonus points for it being their first ever, and also a point subtraction system which would take points away for how long you've had to build it. So project started & completed during the constrained time will gain bonus points, and project (like mine) will lose a few points for being started way before hand.

Points:
Overall Design (aesthetics--how cool does it look?): 1-10 points (1 being ugly junk box, and 10 being killer!)
Project length: If the project was started prior to this event, and merely being complted during it, -1 point for each month of time spent working on it before this event. +3 points if started within the event time. +2 points for finishing within the constrained time.
Project Order: +2 points if it's your first portable, +3 if it's your first, and it's completed during this event. +0 if it's not your first (completed or not).

This could allow first-timers to gain a boost against the vets out there

Please note, this isn't perfect...I think it still needs some work, buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut.....it's on the right track.

[eurddrue]

I've been working on mine for roughly 8 months, it's probably not eligible is it? That system looks like it would work, metallica, but it is a bit too complicated for my taste. I like the, you get 3 votes, first person you vote for gets +3, second 2, last gets 1.

[thewizdawg]

I was thinking about how the winner(s) should be judged today. An idea I had was to use the Dances with the Stars judging. Have a couple (3 or 4) impartial judges, maybe Ben could be one. They would rate each project on a scale 1-10(?). Then the folks would made a portable would vote on them(but not on their own), maybe on a scale of 1-5(?). Then other forums members would vote on their favorite and that score would be tailed with the rest of the scores to get a total score. We could also post this to the whole darn internet thing and have anonymous voting but that would be just for fun(or maybe a point ).

Also I think we should have 2 categories, first time modders who make a portable for this contest and then those who already made a portable and create a new one for this contest(doesn't matter if it is 2, 10, 60 or 80% done). Ones that were already made don't count. And the total time to complete would be 4-5 months.

[Zeturi]

I dunno, if the whole internet voted, the winner would probably be best looking, and that's it (Really biased). Too many internet buddies would vote for friends. I think it's better to be restricted to our forums, considering we have big number of people too.
4-5 months seems waaaay too long. Since most folks have started their portables anyway, and many will have the entire summer for free time, I think that might be a bit long. And interest might drop if it lasted that long. A shorter time period sort of keeps us on our toes about it, and conscious on others' progress.

[XCVG]

Here's a Q! How about how the voting will be done?

I'd suggest a point system!

That way, people who are submitting their first ever portable can get bonus points for it being their first ever, and also a point subtraction system which would take points away for how long you've had to build it. So project started & completed during the constrained time will gain bonus points, and project (like mine) will lose a few points for being started way before hand.

Points:
Overall Design (aesthetics--how cool does it look?): 1-10 points (1 being ugly junk box, and 10 being killer!)
Project length: If the project was started prior to this event, and merely being complted during it, -1 point for each month of time spent working on it before this event. +3 points if started within the event time. +2 points for finishing within the constrained time.
Project Order: +2 points if it's your first portable, +3 if it's your first, and it's completed during this event. +0 if it's not your first (completed or not).

This could allow first-timers to gain a boost against the vets out there

Please note, this isn't perfect...I think it still needs some work, buuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuut.....it's on the right track.

I like this idea.

I was thinking about how the winner(s) should be judged today. An idea I had was to use the Dances with the Stars judging. Have a couple (3 or 4) impartial judges, maybe Ben could be one. They would rate each project on a scale 1-10(?). Then the folks would made a portable would vote on them(but not on their own), maybe on a scale of 1-5(?). Then other forums members would vote on their favorite and that score would be tailed with the rest of the scores to get a total score. We could also post this to the whole darn internet thing and have anonymous voting but that would be just for fun(or maybe a point ).

Also I think we should have 2 categories, first time modders who make a portable for this contest and then those who already made a portable and create a new one for this contest(doesn't matter if it is 2, 10, 60 or 80% done). Ones that were already made don't count. And the total time to complete would be 4-5 months.

The problem with catagories is that we don't really have enough people, and it turns people off. One catagory is best. Also judges might be a good idea, but again not enough people really.

I think the contest should be about 3 months long. 2 just isn't enough time. Or possibly bonus points for getting it done sooner?

[bacteria]

How about a slightly different voting system entirely - no system is perfect by any stretch of the imagination, and you can easily have say 4 entries you really like out of 20 yet can only vote for two or three of them, you can also quite like a system but not be able to vote for it, same result - no vote.

How about voting a bit like in a magazine review - everyone can vote for each system entered (but not their own one(s)) for say:

Build quality
Overall appearance and quality
Innovation / uniqueness factor
"Would you be proud to own it" factor

Each category giving a vote 1-5 (5 being awesome); each portable therefore with a maximum of 20 points.

I suggest no loss of points for systems started already as they are either accepted or not, and LOB has made it clear systems in build already are accepted. Also no points for systems completed before time - either a time deadline is enforced for close of compo or after a certain number of entrants met. No extra points for noobs or first systems, needs to be a straight competition without conciliation points. Someones first portable can be awesome after all, no reason for it not to be.

People voting for and against members on the basis of friends/foes and not for the quality of the systems they make should be outlawed (ie votes cancelled) as it would make the voting system unrepresentative (voting for friends detriments everyone else, voting against people detriments the compo spirit of community). This might be controversial, but this is a portable making contest after all! Otherwise you can easily get say half a dozen members forming a league to give each other maximum points, allowing everyone else to effectively then only make one of those six tops - its a bit like why politicians in the UK in the past (Liberals) wanted "proportionate representation" as if you think about it the minority party with the lowest vote number will always weld power as their votes added to either of the other parties will make a majority (also why when such a party looks like they might win an election they dismiss proportional representation BTW!). Anyway, sure you see the logic.

One other suggestion - if the winner(s) prefer not to accept the generous donated prizes on offer, or some of them on offer, that they can request the gifts to be directed to someone else of their choosing instead.