Summer 2009 Contest Discussion

[PCGUY]

Discussion section for the SpudFiles Official Summer 2009 Contest

http://www.spudfiles.com/forums/spudfil ... 18397.html

[MF11283]

who should I PM with a question about the rules, dont want to ask it on here because it could reveal info about my idea

Michael

[inonickname]

Any admin or mod will be fine, but people on here are pretty decent. You wouldn't have an idea stolen.

[Technician1002]

Any admin or mod will be fine, but people on here are pretty decent. You wouldn't have an idea stolen.

It's very hard to steal an idea when you post it here and it is known it's your idea. Older stuff such as my posts on QDV, hopper gumball feed, and propane rate metering instead of volume are fair game as they are already posted. I'm sure if a copy shows, there will be weight given to the originator of anything posted here.

The problem is not theft of the idea, but identification of the submitter in judging. That is the problem. The entries are to be not identified to an individual. Posting here could reveal the submitter. Best bet would be to PM PCGUY. I presume he will have a fair panel of judges and will sequester himself to prevent bias.

All entries are submitted to PCGUY so PM'ing him for clarification reveals nothing not revealed by submission of an entry.

[clide]

Cool, I'm glad there is another contest, and thanks to the sponsors for your support.

I doubt I will be able to enter this time, but trying to keep the cannon submitters anonymous seems like it will be more of a problem than it's worth. I understand the idea behind it to try and eliminate bias, but I think there are several problems.

1. For anyone who has submitted cannons in the past then it would be trivial or automatic for many (most?) members to be able to identify the submitter based on build style, photo/video style, people in photos/video, background, and writing style. Does anyone really think they wouldn't instantly recognize a JSR gun based on just the photos and video?

2. How do questions about the gun get addressed? For something truly new and innovative it is highly unlikely that everything about the gun can be explained in a way that everyone can understand fully in a single post

3. How are videos handled? If you want to produce a HD video then even a short one can be several hundred MB. To make it convenient to download and watch it would need to be uploaded to YouTube or something similar. If the submitter uploads then they can be identified. If PCGUY manages a special account for uploading videos then the submitter doesn't have control of updates to the description, comments, annotations, etc.

4. Credibility. I guess I'm a pessimist, but for $300 I wouldn't be terribly surprised if somebody lied and faked their way to an entry. If something looks questionable then I think a person's credibility can and should have a role in the voting

5. Credit. Maybe I'm a little vain, but I like people to know that I am the one who made something. Yeah it is only a week or two that it goes unattributed, but you can get tens of thousands of people looking at your work in that time period if it gets linked to from a popular site, and none of them will know who made it.

I think I had more, but that is all I can remember for now.

Also a question, does it matter if the cannon used for the penetration contest has been posted already or not? If it does matter then what sort of parts can be reused without considering it an old gun? Seems like there would need to be a threshold since most spudders try to reuse parts to save money.
If it doesn't matter if the cannon has been posted then it seems like another problem for trying to maintain anonymity.

[inonickname]

Does anyone really think they wouldn't instantly recognize a JSR gun based on just the photos and video?.

Uh duhh, the feet and molesterating smilies.

I reckon trying to have anonymity is going to be an incredibly hard task, and wont end up working.

[Brian the brain]

Come on..it would be fun guessing who made what!

And yes...it makes voting fair.


Imagine the moment the winner is announced!!

You will finally know who made that fantasic cannon!
It raises the tension...the thrill..

And you could for instance try and build in a completely different style from what you are known for.

Like my hardwood stocked Brass T-Bolt is styled nothing like the trademark flat black all metal short stuff I did before that...It's very refreshing!

[psycix]

I reckon trying to have anonymity is going to be an incredibly hard task, and wont end up working.

True. I already have posted videos recorded in my backyard, bedroom or garage. If I would record a vid for the contest, you could probably find out that it was me (or my little brother...)

[john bunsenburner]

Well perhaps PCGUY could make a youtube account for this contest and pm the pass and user to the contestants.

Also you can send answers to question to PCGUY, they will have to be formated in a way that they anwer a page or so of questions, and need to include little or no small talk or jokes, PCGUY can just copy paste it into the quick reply box.

If members guess the cannon good for them, we could make a game out of it(damn it i can't write "THE JOHN BUNSEN 001" on my gun then...) and see if people can guess the final gun's builders.

Also builders will get alot of credit once the winners are announced and you are under them, i guess if each entry gets it's own thread we can simply update it with our names and done!

I don't understand the credibility comment as everythign goes through PCGUY, and cannons that are some where else on the net will quickly be recognized by other members, afterall this community gets around. I think it is a risk we will have to take but which cannot be eliminated(and the best cannans are all here and i doubt anyone with a bit of brain would enter the HEAL or something as their own, and if they do it ill quickly be recognized and dealth with a permanent ban).

[jrrdw]

If you do recognize a cannon, keep it to yourself. Wait until the winners are announced then say who you thought built it. Somebody might use someone else's style or a similarly of it.

Try and remember even the judges wont know who the entries are, we all are getting a number to identify the entries. Go with the flow.

@John, sentence breaks are needed in you post.

[john bunsenburner]

Happier? typical, i try to help and someone comments on my grammer

[WOW!!]

Finally got the kick in the a$$ to start the new cannon!

[jrrdw]

Happier? typical, i try to help and someone comments on my grammer

No, I'm not because I had to quote you to read this, and then tell you about it.

[SEAKING9006]

Aww, damn. Right when my last report card costs me my computer and I start to finish my two current projects. Getting funding and finding the time to work on the videos/pictures is going to be a pain in the ass. At least I'm sitting on a drawer-full of concepts and ideas.

I am most likely not going to enter, because I lack the tools and copper pipe that I'd need to win the Innovation category, and I can be damn sure my parents won't let me go for a damage build. I mean, I could totally win that but I have nowhere to shoot it. I could easily do either straight up penetration or just smashy smashy brute force, but with nowhere to do it, it's a no-go. Innovative design is not something I want to risk, because there's no way I'd be able to out do some of our builders from overseas, in the land of cheap copper and high pressure repeaters. Over here, I can just order some massive fittings and make a huge piston valve. But still, no way to shoot it anywhere. Have fun, guys. I look forward to voting on your creations.

[chenslee]

I am planning on building a completely new second cannon using what I learned from the first, but not using any old parts. It will be a substantial refinement over the fist which I consider a prototype.

My question is, would a completely new and refined build of an existing design paradigm qualify for this contest?