SMSC - be artistic or realistic as a criteria

[vilvoh]

I've received some emails from SMSC participants that think we should consider the realism factor when accepting the images from the candidates. Some people think that in some editions, the scenarios and pictures were just created for the photo, and they're not part of a real game.

My personal opinion is that quite often the topic requires situations and environments that rarely happen in a real game. Therefore, sometimes is a matter of plasticity but others a matter of being realistic.

I would like to know your opinion about this issue, and if we should specify this point at each edition or not.

[Zeno]

Well, I never heard the SMSC purpose was about looking for realism... personally, if you want to pick a screenshot of your game or you want to build a specific scenario in order to take a nice screenshot is up to you. There are people who play ST in sandbox, others play against IA, others prefer network playing; every player chooses its style. Don't see any reason to make it different with the SMSC.

[Lmallet]

I also don't know how you would prove that pictures where not "planned"...  less rules make for less headaches for those who have to run the contest.

[diegoviagens]

I'd rather have a realism factor, because this is a
Competition compliance to fit the challenge.
I guess too bad if you create a landscape to participate in
a challenge.
One example was the latter that occurred on
transit disastrous, in my view,
should certainly be a factor realism.
that's my point of view


Hugs

[An_dz]

I see no problem creating the landscape for the contest. The objective is take the most beuatiful screen.

It's not so easy create the whole landscape for the contest, you try to make it look cool, it can take you 3, 4, 5 hours, sometimes days. But they look great, it's not because the image is all planed or it's just a savegame I play that it will look cooler or not.

I used Image Editors on my screens too, cause sometimes I didn't want that citycar on that position, so I took it off. I used also to "enlarge" the image, my screen is 1152x768 and I always used my shots to make wallpapers, but to make them fit a 1152x768 size will not work just taking the screen, the menus are over it, so I move it ingame and then make a perfect wallpaper.

The SMSC is a propaganda for Simutrans, and taking Beautiful screens help people get interested on the game. It's just like paid games, they create the landscape, tweak the image. Just to make people look how amazing the game is.

Well, I'm defending it for myself cause I did it, but that's my opinion.

[sdog]

Just try one SMSC where contenders are encourage to use real game screenshots, and the next one where everyone should be as creative as possible. Of course it can't be checked if it is real, but that's not important.

[diegoviagens]

I see no problem creating the landscape for the contest. The objective is take the most beuatiful screen.

It's not so easy create the whole landscape for the contest, you try to make it look cool, it can take you 3, 4, 5 hours, sometimes days. But they look great, it's not because the image is all planed or it's just a savegame I play that it will look cooler or not.

I used Image Editors on my screens too, cause sometimes I didn't want that citycar on that position, so I took it off. I used also to "enlarge" the image, my screen is 1152x768 and I always used my shots to make wallpapers, but to make them fit a 1152x768 size will not work just taking the screen, the menus are over it, so I move it ingame and then make a perfect wallpaper.

The SMSC is a propaganda for Simutrans, and taking Beautiful screens help people get interested on the game. It's just like paid games, they create the landscape, tweak the image. Just to make people look how amazing the game is.

Well, I'm defending it for myself cause I did it, but that's my opinion.

certainly one of the most discussed here is how I would
prove that the game is real or not?
This can be very concerning, but has the games that are
in the face that are created for that challenge SMSC. In
least we could do if they wanted a real game,
that at least create an environment that seems real,
therefore has some SMSC that so clearly showing that
that there has been created and no less care to disguise.

I have the opinion of sdog should specify whether the SMSC may or may not be realistic or creative

[Fabio]

All the screenshots I partecipaded with were ad hoc maps. I havent played a real game for years (well, maybe one or two), but I love the game and try to contribute to it.
And my screenshots were intended to "share ideas" and be interesting.
Maybe, when one posts a screenshot, they should state if it's from a real game or made ad hoc, as you normally state the pakset. And let the voters consider this element in their vote.

[mobo]

Same over here, i also always made them up for the contest. And I'm starting to wonder whether anyone really participated with a realistic screenshot. For me the contest is mostly a tool to show/advertise pak32 a little bit, i don't really care too much whether i win or not. I agree with fabio, we could ask the people to state whether its real or made up.

[BBGunn]

Wow.

Every time I saw a new SMSC contest, I thought, "My city in my game doesn't look THAT good" or "My train station is not that wonderful" or "Should I be playing with pak96.comic instead of pak64/pak128?"  I thought that people were putting a lot of time into their save games to make them look beautiful enough to take a snapshot and win the SMSC contest.  I was thinking, "Wow, I'm not that good at Simutrans, or not that artistic."

Now here are people admitting that they made up scenarios to create the best snapshot for the contests.  It's sad.

I'm not saying that there should be a rule against this; like other people have said, it would be very, very difficult to prove that someone did not just make an ad hoc screenshot.  However, for someone like me, who was inspired by the SMSC contests to try to make his save games look more artistic, to find out that those screenshots did not come from "real" games is a bit depressing.

[An_dz]

@Kujichagulia
That doesn't mean that our saves are not artistic, it's just cause the Contest was not about it or it was not finished yet. Here are some screens from one of my saves:
     

[grampybear]

 Every once in a while I have to remind myself this is still only a game. The contest brings a lite side to the game and whether someone put time into creating a ad hos scene or took time and pain to create a scene in a game, we all gain. My entries have been from real games but I have incorporated into my games scenes or ideas I have seen in other entries to the improvement of my play and enjoyment. No regulation should be added to control entries, if the entry is about the subject, it's ok.

[Sybill]

My screenshots were all from real games, mostly just from one. I altered them by placing single houses, or buy houses, or create an additional highway or something, and i spend a lot of time waiting for a good moment with many planes at the airport or trains in the station. When i didn't have a game with matching features like large underground stations i didn't participate.

[vilvoh]

As the March edition is close to begin, actually I was going to post the announcement today, we can keep on discussing until we get to a conclusion, that would be applied in the next edition (April)

[Fabio]

Honestly, I would start asking all the contestants to state whether it's from real game, real game + editing or set up.