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1) Players will turn in their fortress as-is, at no additional penalty

45 (60%)

2) Players will be given a short extension, dependant on how near they are, and how many players are unfinished

27 (36%)

3) Players will be disquallified from scoring

2 (2.7%)

4) Something else (please explain)

1 (1.3%)

Total Members Voted: 75

[nil]

Are we absolutely dedicated to sharing the same embark?  Having everyone just choose their own would be the simplest option, and, arguably, the fairest (we're all fighting on 'home turf,' so to speak; otherwise you have players wondering what the hell to do with their extra miner or players forced to use tricky metalworking or farm setups they've never used before).

[Martin]

If the autumn dwarf caravan doesn't bring an anvil, tough shit.

I think the game guarantees that the autumn caravan has an anvil - at least has one on a wagon. Not sure about on a pack animal if the wagon bypasses.

So I think acquiring an anvil is entirely within the control of the player. Even if the caravan gets eaten by grue, you'll still get your anvil.

I agree that I'd like to see albedo as a competitor. That said:

EMBARK NOW!!

Let my fish dissectors fight off skeletal whales with nothing but a pile of cave spider socks!

[Albedo]

You know, Albedo, from how interested you are in this, I think you would like it far better as a competitor than a judge.

Agreed, but between time constraints and a dino PC, ain't gonna happen atm, sadly. 

(I also have high standards for what I consider "master", and, tho' I may know things about stuff, and be able to tell it when I see it, imo I ain't it.) 

Any embark profile is going to favour some playstyles and hamper others.  And either make the challenge harder or easier, depending on many, many variables.

There's a lot to be said for "Embark Now!", some of which JG just said (if indirectly).

* It's "neutral" - not my ideas, not your ideas, not anyone else's (who's playing). 
* Everyone has seen it before (even if they didn't like it then either).
* It's a real challenge.

[Martin]

* It's a real challenge.

That's the spirit! Let the 'DF N00b Challenge' pick stuff. We're masters, damnit! We make crossbows out of fluffy warbler remains and turn vomit into magma!

(And I'd put albedo in master territory, personally)

[Devin]

I would like to compete also.

A word of embark advice: include several pieces of stone in case there's an aquifer and no stone otherwise available.  They'll let you build mechanisms for screw pumps which you need to get through it.

In the event of a map without vegetation, all the extra wood possible is a good plan.

Turtles for meat, bone and shell are the optimal food pick, along with a full set of seeds, the more of each type the better.

[Slogo]

I wouldn't say no to a Play Now! Challenge but we'd need to know the map type first to make sure we aren't screwing ourselves over. A 5 year challenge with an 4-level aquifer and not starting stone is likely to produce boring mega-projects for example.

[Glacial Eidolon]

I'm actually a noob, but I'm just going into this challenge for fun. It's all good when I reach my inevitable death...

...Actually, scratch that. I really need to figure out how the game works before I enter the Master's challenge, or else the entire point of the Master's Challenge goes away.

Sign me out for now, because I don't think I'm ready for this.

I stand by my decision.

[gumball135]

I'm actually a noob, but I'm just going into this challenge for fun. It's all good when I reach my inevitable death...

...Actually, scratch that. I really need to figure out how the game works before I enter the Master's challenge, or else the entire point of the Master's Challenge goes away.

Sign me out for now, because I don't think I'm ready for this.

Aw, comon. Be a sport =p I suck, and I'm still joining. At the very least, it'll be a bit of fun, and our misguided attempts at fortress building will provide comic relief for the veterans

[Albedo]

Yes, do try! I have my own personality quirks, don't let that sway you from entering.

Don't worry (or not overly) about "getting screwed" - Sol' will (I trust) find a map that has what you need, both in material and challenge, without being insta-kill.

In the end, it'll be hard to judge if a contestant "survived" a truly deadly map - between 3rd party utilities and save-scumming, the rawest n00b could fake something together, if after many tries to get it right.  The yardstick, I think, is in "how" one survives, and what one has to show at the end of the time period - therein lies the diff.

(Another reason I'd like to see every seasonal save submitted - even if we, as judges, don't look at every one, we might compare any of them, so it acts to keep a bit of honesty in the mix.) 

If I were to join, it would not be in the hopes of winning against truly creative minds, but to see how my efforts compare against others.  I'd hope to rank in some category, but... well, I saw the last submissions.  Impressive and sobering.

[Solifuge]

Hey peeps, I am entirely back, and trying to get all caught up on this business. I'll try to address questions to the best of my ability... admittedly I'm surprised by how many more pages of response there are now that weren't here when I left!

Also, Glacial Eidolon, please do stay in the contest... the challenge will be something that anyone can tackle, and will provide room for a variety of playstyles. The fun is in seeing how different people handle a given challenge, not who is the "best" at a game with no success criteria!

[Glacial Eidolon]

...And my mind changes yet again. I suppose I'll try to the best of my ability, then; no harm in giving it a go except the abject embarrassment when you fail utterly. But, as they say, losing is fun.

But I really do want an anvil.

[Solifuge]

Alright, tallying up current contestants and judges and all that Jazz right now. Also, a map preview has been uploaded to the first post; y'all best get settled on the Embark Profile you want to use, because we're going to be getting this show on the road post haste!

[Glacial Eidolon]

No water, very little farming area, no extras like magma or underground rivers, terrifying and untamed wild surroundings - unfortunately I play vanilla-graphics DF so I don't know if there's any enemies or not - no sand, terribly few trees, and no obsidian to create fast short swords...

Sounds like Fun!

...At least we'll have flux and iron.

[Neyvn]

That's a lot of Foxes on the Map Archive...

Can you re post that with the Vanilla tileset, everyone knows that one or has had experience with that, so it makes it easier to understand. I never use Graphics or Tilesets cause I find that it confuses me...

[Albedo]

Yes, vanilla, please, if at all possible.

no extras like magma or underground rivers

Might just not be showing.

Hope so!, Otherwise... "warm, temperate" - I wonder if there'll be enough water to collect? This could get ugly...


Some thoughts on embark:

Could take a hint from GE, and toss in some obsidian stone to make ss's from.  With all that as "terrifying", some weapons are going to be needed asap - and piercing weapons (2 picks and a crossbow) ain't gonna get much traction against what's likely to show.