Best of Forge: Spring/Summer 2009
That special time of the year is once again bearing down upon us, Hubbers. No, I'm not talking about Christmas, methinks the glaring heat of summer would detract somewhat from that festive cheer. I am of course referring to our very own twice-yearly celebration of all that is new and great within our humble pages, the Best of Forge. The commencement of this Forge Fest draws ever closer, so you'd better get your maps all finished up if you want them to be eligible.
For those who are not familiar with the Best of Forge, or BoF as it's known by the cooler cats among us, it's basically our way of sorting the wheat from the chaff over the last six months of Forging. A plethora of categories await all who wish to participate in this voting bonanza (did I mention that the decisions rest solely in your hot little hands? We are a community after all), each of which will eventually see one map rise above the rest and take up the crown within it's own field. Initially there will be nomination stages, in which maps will be put forward for entry, then the maps that receive the most nominations in each category will go through to the final voting stages.
But things are a little different this time around, we like to keep you on your toes after all. First off are the changes to the nomination process, namely that nominations will no longer be conducted via responses in a thread. Instead, dummy usernames will be set up on the forum to receive nominations via PM, one for each of the categories. This enables fully secret nomination, giving this BoF that cool, official sheen, and also prevents maps nominated first from grabbing attention and resulting in a flood of agreement, keeping things nice and open and giving all maps a fairer shot.
Furthermore, restrictions have now been placed on which maps are eligible for certain categories. Last time around there was some confusion about distinctions such as casual and mini-game, leading to maps being entered in multiple categories and even appearing in categories to which they clearly don't belong. On this basis, maps are now only eligible to be entered in the category under which they are posted on the forums. For example, if a map was posted in the Casual Maps section then it is ineligible for entry in to the Best Mini-Game map, Best Race Map, or any other gametype specific category that your keen imagination could conjure up. Best Objective and Best Slayer, categories which don't have their own specific map forums on Forge Hub, must stem forth from the Competitive section. A key aspect of this decision was, as stated above, that many maps were entered in to multiple categories during the last BoF, thereby splitting the map's votes and hurting it's chances of winning in any category.
Lastly is the addition of a 'veto' of sorts being implemented by the Staff to pass over maps which make it though the nomination stages yet clearly don't belong in their category. Aside from the logical restrictions on entry mentioned above, this veto stands as a last safeguard against the less specific categories being flooded with entries which stand out like a sore thumb amongst their nominated brethren. For example, if a remake is nominated for Best Original Map, even if it receives the most nominations of any map in that category, it will not progress to the final voting stages in said category since it obviously doesn't belong there.
These changes are intended to enhance the voting process and give more weight to the winners, ensuring that things run smoothly and effectively. More specific details on how things will go down this time around, including all the categories included in this BoF, will appear in due time. But consider this your heads up: Your map must be finished and posted within our fine forums by 12am (midnight) PST on Saturday the 11th of July for it to be eligble in this BoF. So that's it, get Forging and stay tuned.
*article written by Pegasi Delta