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- Jan 1, 2006
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Contestants must create a scene depicting a place of cultist worship. E.g. a place used for dark rituals, gatherings, summonings etc.
- 1st place: 750 experience points
- 2nd place: 600 experience points
- 3rd place: 450 experience points
- Entry: 150 experience points
- Judge: 25 experience points per entrant
| CONTESTANT | ENTRY |
Sapprine |
Entry for Hive's HD Terraining Contest #1Despite the Lich King's defeat, remnants of the Cult of the Damned still roam the Plaguelands and the ruins of their former bastion of Scholomance. Dark unholy rituals light the night sky around Caer Darrow. Abominations are stitched, ghouls...
www.hiveworkshop.com
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JnM |
HD Contest # 1 Entry by JnMSpecial thanks to: - Sapprine for hero glow model and feedback - illbean for feedback - Armelior for feedback
www.hiveworkshop.com
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FeelsGoodMan |
Entry for Hive's HD Terraining Contest #1
www.hiveworkshop.com
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CustomCreations |
Entry for Hive's HD Terraining Contest #1When they will enter this world all shall be lost and we will receive what was promised...
www.hiveworkshop.com
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Le Shaysonio |
Entry for Hive's HD Terraining Contest #1
www.hiveworkshop.com
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BranaR |
HD Terraining Contest #1: Place of Cultthose structures look imported; do they have ORM and Normals to be considered HD?
www.hiveworkshop.com
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Shayoo |
Entry for Hive's HD Terraining Contest # (WIP 2 FINAL)The "Ravenclaw Cult" was once a keep built in a natural obsidian volcanic cavern, for sorcerers who had betrayed the guardian Medivh in their arts. For eras in the shadows,
www.hiveworkshop.com
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FinalScore = (30*Reached_Votes/POSSIBLE_VOTES) + (70*Average_Judge_Score/POSSIBLE_SCORE)
| Contestant | Aesthetics /35 | Creativity /30 | Detail /35 | Total /100 |
| Sapprine | 31 | 22 | 30 | 83 |
| JnM | 21 | 28 | 23 | 72 |
| FeelsGoodMan | 33 | 27 | 35 | 95 |
| CustomCreations | 19 | 22 | 25 | 66 |
| Le Shaysonio | 26 | 27 | 29 | 82 |
| BranaR | 32 | 25 | 27 | 84 |
| Shayoo | 18 | 28 | 17 | 63 |
HD Terraining Contest 1: Judging
Sapprine
I like the use of the camera here, the low angle and placement of the ziggurat and citadel make for a very ominous and looming overall aesthetic. And although I generally don’t like the use of units in scenic terraining, it works here. Not just because the units of reforged fit much more seamlessly together with the environment now that they have more details, but also because animations and placements are done cleverly. The palette is overall befitting of the challenge, but the green light of absolute eye-blasting horror, although befitting of a cult, is not a good match for this scene. It is too strong and too overt, I would absolutely tone it down maybe like 100 times and then some.
Aesthetics: 25/35
Creativity: 15/30
Detail: 20/35
Final thoughts: This is an overall well executed scene for what it is, a decent representation of a place of occult worship, though a bit lacking in creativity it is made up for by the use of clever camera usage and unit placement. I’m not a big fan of the choice of trees for this scene, I think there are much better choices out there, some crooked conifers would fit this scene much better. As mentioned, I would tone down the green beam a lot, and rather use environmental shadows to outline the edges in order to guide the focus to the ritual.
JnM
This terrain doesn’t give me much of a “place of occult worship” vibe, while I generally like wide camera angles I don’t think it works for this contest. There is a bit much of a “end of the world” feeling to it, and not in the way you’re thinking, not in line with the theme of the contest but rather that you can see how the map ends right behind the border of the mountains. A bit more depth-work and a thicker fog emulation would go a long way to make this scene seem more alive. The choice of going for a dawn-like atmosphere is a bold one, and it could have worked in a sort of “lets take the notion of hope and twist it around to something dark” kind of way, but I feel like there are a bit too many ideas working in discord here. It is difficult to know what the focal point is: Is it the statue in the background, the weird runes in the village or the strange raining black flames? All of these three ideas could have worked in isolation, but I think you should have picked one and focused more on it, rather than including them all in one scene.
Aesthetics: 15/35
Creativity: 10/30
Detail: 15/35
Final thoughts: As mentioned above, I’d have given this terrain a couple more rows of mountains in the background and amped up the fog to give the shot a bit more depth. You could’ve fooled around more with the tile-work, to give it more detail, and the trees could have been more varied, both in scale and look. I think there’s a lack of focus in this one, as if you had too many ideas and didn’t know which one to run with, and those black stains on the skybox are just that, stains. Usually, when deciding between an idea that seemed good on paper and visual appeal, it’s more or less always better to go with visual appeal when concerning scenic terraining.
FeelsGoodMan
This is simply epic, I love pretty much everything about it! There is a part of me that hopes that the central piece is made from doodads, but I kinda suspect it’s a model of sorts, but it still looks kickass. I like the up close and personal touch, the units are well placed and doodad placement is superb, the color palette and composition is brilliant, I honestly think I have nothing negative to say about it. Well done!
Aesthetics: 32/35
Creativity: 26/30
Detail: 30/35
Final thoughts: This is my winner, I think the idea is creative, it’s not your standard demonic or undead occult scene, but more of a druidic ritual which is fresh and great, it gives me a bit of Assassins Creed Valhalla, Wrath of the Druids vibes. The only thing I could nitpick is the little bit of foreground on the right side, while I like the inclusion of some foreground here, I think it could’ve looked better with some tufts of shrubs or grass lining it, as it stands right now it looks a bit too bare, but this is not a big point at all and certainly personal preference.
CustomCreations
This is an example of why I don’t like units in terrains, while they still look miles better than they did in classic wc3, they still don’t fit with the overall scene and sort of stand out too much. Otherwise it is a very empty scene, the fog is far too oversaturated, the completely black ceiling could’ve done with some love and those weird orange parts on the walls are just, well, weird. It has potential, but it looks like you didn’t finish it, like it’s still a WIP.
Aesthetics: 10/35
Creativity: 10/30
Detail: 5/35
Final thoughts: I’d tone down the use of units here, or at least re-orient them into a circular pattern and make them less apparent, the fog should also be toned down and the scene should rather have been enhanced with the fog editor instead of the standard environmental fog effect. There is a lack of details pretty much everywhere, the ground could have done with some love, with more clutter and occult stuff just slung around to make it seem more lived-in. When I look at the ceiling, I can’t help thinking that it could’ve looked super cool to have like a cracked sort of surreal ceiling with stars above to make this summoning ritual seem like it’s ripping into reality and breaking the world to summon this demon into existence.
Le Shaysonio
“Basic” is the first word that comes to mind when seeing this, it doesn’t look so much like a scenic terrain rather than a playable terrain that you screenshotted. It has decent details, decent tilework a decent color palette and the idea is decent enough, in that it is acceptable within the concept of the contest, but nothing especially more than that.
Aesthetics: 15/35
Creativity: 5/30
Detail: 15/35
Final thoughts: Seeing as the statue being prayed to seems to be Lady Vashj, it’d be really cool if this scene had more of a Cthulhu/aquatic theme, a more blueish palette could really help make it stand out and some pools and tentacles and other cthulhu horrors, like the faceless stuff, could work with this. Obviously I’d prefer a more scenic camera angle instead of the top-down strategy game view, but as mentioned above: It’s a decent and very standard terrain.
BranaR
I like this alot, in some ways it seems like the prequel to FeelsGoodMan’s terrain, or just a slightly more toned down version of it. But where I think this one really shines is in the composition and transition between foreground and background, I’ve heard that backdrops are more difficult to make now, so keeping that in mind I find this very impressive. And while it certainly gives off an occult vibe, and just like the aforementioned terrain, it has a dark druidic feel to it, which I am a sucker for, it seems a bit lacking in direction. There isn’t much of a focal point, except the banshee to the side, which is a strange focal point I think. There isn’t a lot going on, no summoning or anything, not saying that there has to be, but yeah. It’s overall a very neat and brilliantly composed terrain, I especially like the tilework.
Aesthetics: 31/35
Creativity: 20/30
Detail: 30/35
Final thoughts: For me this is a close second, I really like the overall tone and setting of the scene, and it certainly has potential. I’d personally have worked a bit more with the ground, although the tilework is amazing, it could do with some more details, some grass and slight height variations, maybe a bit of rubble or something. And the lack of a good focal point is the main drawback of this terrain, which a nicely composed scene, it lacks drama, something to draw you in, something to focus on. It’s great to see you getting involved with the community though, BranaR
Shayoo
This one is a chaotic mess, I like the concept a lot, the ghostly ethereal feel is fresh and different, and somehow the chaos of it all is also a bit appealing. But there is just a little bit too much clutter, the scene is too crammed and a bit confusing, and there are a bit too many colors clashing in terms of presentation. The clutter of units who seem to be supposed to make out the focal point of the terrain is rather confusing and far away, but it does give off a vibe of a crowd gathered to do some dark stuff, so I guess it falls within the theme of the contest. Tilework is more or less just one tile, but it doesn’t detract too much from the scene, as it doesn’t really cover a lot of the terrain overall. But I really like the constructions, they are very well made.
Aesthetics: 18/35
Creativity: 20/30
Detail: 20/35
Final thoughts: Although I find it a bit hard to see what’s going on down in those streets, I still think this terrain could do with an overall darker tone, most doodads should have been toned down to an almost black tint, and then you could’ve used light sources to highlight certain aspects of the terrain, this could probably also make the scene with the units better. I’d have widened the camera angle slightly by removing one of the columns on the left and pulling the other one back a tad, same goes for the rock formation on the right side. But overall I like the constructions and I can see that a lot of time went into making them, building with doodads is not always easy, so I appreciate the effort here.
Closing thoughts on the contest
It warms my old terrainer's heart a lot to see so many entries in a terraining contest, and I must say that overall I think you all did a very good job! I hope you all keep at it and continue to develop your level designing skills, and if any of you have any questions regarding my judgments and/or want any more guidance or just chitchatting, don’t hesitate to hit me up and show me what you’ve made, I am always up for sharing more of my thoughts and “wisdom” with those who are willing to listen
Sapprine
I like the use of the camera here, the low angle and placement of the ziggurat and citadel make for a very ominous and looming overall aesthetic. And although I generally don’t like the use of units in scenic terraining, it works here. Not just because the units of reforged fit much more seamlessly together with the environment now that they have more details, but also because animations and placements are done cleverly. The palette is overall befitting of the challenge, but the green light of absolute eye-blasting horror, although befitting of a cult, is not a good match for this scene. It is too strong and too overt, I would absolutely tone it down maybe like 100 times and then some.
Aesthetics: 25/35
Creativity: 15/30
Detail: 20/35
Final thoughts: This is an overall well executed scene for what it is, a decent representation of a place of occult worship, though a bit lacking in creativity it is made up for by the use of clever camera usage and unit placement. I’m not a big fan of the choice of trees for this scene, I think there are much better choices out there, some crooked conifers would fit this scene much better. As mentioned, I would tone down the green beam a lot, and rather use environmental shadows to outline the edges in order to guide the focus to the ritual.
JnM
This terrain doesn’t give me much of a “place of occult worship” vibe, while I generally like wide camera angles I don’t think it works for this contest. There is a bit much of a “end of the world” feeling to it, and not in the way you’re thinking, not in line with the theme of the contest but rather that you can see how the map ends right behind the border of the mountains. A bit more depth-work and a thicker fog emulation would go a long way to make this scene seem more alive. The choice of going for a dawn-like atmosphere is a bold one, and it could have worked in a sort of “lets take the notion of hope and twist it around to something dark” kind of way, but I feel like there are a bit too many ideas working in discord here. It is difficult to know what the focal point is: Is it the statue in the background, the weird runes in the village or the strange raining black flames? All of these three ideas could have worked in isolation, but I think you should have picked one and focused more on it, rather than including them all in one scene.
Aesthetics: 15/35
Creativity: 10/30
Detail: 15/35
Final thoughts: As mentioned above, I’d have given this terrain a couple more rows of mountains in the background and amped up the fog to give the shot a bit more depth. You could’ve fooled around more with the tile-work, to give it more detail, and the trees could have been more varied, both in scale and look. I think there’s a lack of focus in this one, as if you had too many ideas and didn’t know which one to run with, and those black stains on the skybox are just that, stains. Usually, when deciding between an idea that seemed good on paper and visual appeal, it’s more or less always better to go with visual appeal when concerning scenic terraining.
FeelsGoodMan
This is simply epic, I love pretty much everything about it! There is a part of me that hopes that the central piece is made from doodads, but I kinda suspect it’s a model of sorts, but it still looks kickass. I like the up close and personal touch, the units are well placed and doodad placement is superb, the color palette and composition is brilliant, I honestly think I have nothing negative to say about it. Well done!
Aesthetics: 32/35
Creativity: 26/30
Detail: 30/35
Final thoughts: This is my winner, I think the idea is creative, it’s not your standard demonic or undead occult scene, but more of a druidic ritual which is fresh and great, it gives me a bit of Assassins Creed Valhalla, Wrath of the Druids vibes. The only thing I could nitpick is the little bit of foreground on the right side, while I like the inclusion of some foreground here, I think it could’ve looked better with some tufts of shrubs or grass lining it, as it stands right now it looks a bit too bare, but this is not a big point at all and certainly personal preference.
CustomCreations
This is an example of why I don’t like units in terrains, while they still look miles better than they did in classic wc3, they still don’t fit with the overall scene and sort of stand out too much. Otherwise it is a very empty scene, the fog is far too oversaturated, the completely black ceiling could’ve done with some love and those weird orange parts on the walls are just, well, weird. It has potential, but it looks like you didn’t finish it, like it’s still a WIP.
Aesthetics: 10/35
Creativity: 10/30
Detail: 5/35
Final thoughts: I’d tone down the use of units here, or at least re-orient them into a circular pattern and make them less apparent, the fog should also be toned down and the scene should rather have been enhanced with the fog editor instead of the standard environmental fog effect. There is a lack of details pretty much everywhere, the ground could have done with some love, with more clutter and occult stuff just slung around to make it seem more lived-in. When I look at the ceiling, I can’t help thinking that it could’ve looked super cool to have like a cracked sort of surreal ceiling with stars above to make this summoning ritual seem like it’s ripping into reality and breaking the world to summon this demon into existence.
Le Shaysonio
“Basic” is the first word that comes to mind when seeing this, it doesn’t look so much like a scenic terrain rather than a playable terrain that you screenshotted. It has decent details, decent tilework a decent color palette and the idea is decent enough, in that it is acceptable within the concept of the contest, but nothing especially more than that.
Aesthetics: 15/35
Creativity: 5/30
Detail: 15/35
Final thoughts: Seeing as the statue being prayed to seems to be Lady Vashj, it’d be really cool if this scene had more of a Cthulhu/aquatic theme, a more blueish palette could really help make it stand out and some pools and tentacles and other cthulhu horrors, like the faceless stuff, could work with this. Obviously I’d prefer a more scenic camera angle instead of the top-down strategy game view, but as mentioned above: It’s a decent and very standard terrain.
BranaR
I like this alot, in some ways it seems like the prequel to FeelsGoodMan’s terrain, or just a slightly more toned down version of it. But where I think this one really shines is in the composition and transition between foreground and background, I’ve heard that backdrops are more difficult to make now, so keeping that in mind I find this very impressive. And while it certainly gives off an occult vibe, and just like the aforementioned terrain, it has a dark druidic feel to it, which I am a sucker for, it seems a bit lacking in direction. There isn’t much of a focal point, except the banshee to the side, which is a strange focal point I think. There isn’t a lot going on, no summoning or anything, not saying that there has to be, but yeah. It’s overall a very neat and brilliantly composed terrain, I especially like the tilework.
Aesthetics: 31/35
Creativity: 20/30
Detail: 30/35
Final thoughts: For me this is a close second, I really like the overall tone and setting of the scene, and it certainly has potential. I’d personally have worked a bit more with the ground, although the tilework is amazing, it could do with some more details, some grass and slight height variations, maybe a bit of rubble or something. And the lack of a good focal point is the main drawback of this terrain, which a nicely composed scene, it lacks drama, something to draw you in, something to focus on. It’s great to see you getting involved with the community though, BranaR
Shayoo
This one is a chaotic mess, I like the concept a lot, the ghostly ethereal feel is fresh and different, and somehow the chaos of it all is also a bit appealing. But there is just a little bit too much clutter, the scene is too crammed and a bit confusing, and there are a bit too many colors clashing in terms of presentation. The clutter of units who seem to be supposed to make out the focal point of the terrain is rather confusing and far away, but it does give off a vibe of a crowd gathered to do some dark stuff, so I guess it falls within the theme of the contest. Tilework is more or less just one tile, but it doesn’t detract too much from the scene, as it doesn’t really cover a lot of the terrain overall. But I really like the constructions, they are very well made.
Aesthetics: 18/35
Creativity: 20/30
Detail: 20/35
Final thoughts: Although I find it a bit hard to see what’s going on down in those streets, I still think this terrain could do with an overall darker tone, most doodads should have been toned down to an almost black tint, and then you could’ve used light sources to highlight certain aspects of the terrain, this could probably also make the scene with the units better. I’d have widened the camera angle slightly by removing one of the columns on the left and pulling the other one back a tad, same goes for the rock formation on the right side. But overall I like the constructions and I can see that a lot of time went into making them, building with doodads is not always easy, so I appreciate the effort here.
Closing thoughts on the contest
It warms my old terrainer's heart a lot to see so many entries in a terraining contest, and I must say that overall I think you all did a very good job! I hope you all keep at it and continue to develop your level designing skills, and if any of you have any questions regarding my judgments and/or want any more guidance or just chitchatting, don’t hesitate to hit me up and show me what you’ve made, I am always up for sharing more of my thoughts and “wisdom” with those who are willing to listen
| frostwhisper | Celaquil | frostwhisper | Celaquil | frostwhisper | Celaquil | frostwhisper | Celaquil | Judge average | Judge percentage | Poll votes | Poll vote percentage | Result | |
| Contestant | Aesthetics /35 | Aesthetics /35 | Creativity /30 | Creativity /30 | Detail /35 | Detail /35 | Total /100 | Total /100 | Total /100 | ||||
| FeelsGoodMan | 33 | 32 | 27 | 26 | 35 | 30 | 95 | 88 | 91.5 | 0.92 | 46 | 0.46 | 77.99 |
| BranaR | 32 | 31 | 25 | 20 | 27 | 30 | 84 | 81 | 82.5 | 0.83 | 16 | 0.16 | 62.60 |
| Sapprine | 31 | 25 | 22 | 15 | 30 | 20 | 83 | 60 | 71.5 | 0.72 | 20 | 0.20 | 56.11 |
| Shayoo | 18 | 18 | 28 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 63 | 58 | 60.5 | 0.61 | 5 | 0.05 | 43.87 |
| Le Shaysonio | 26 | 15 | 27 | 5 | 29 | 15 | 82 | 35 | 58.5 | 0.59 | 5 | 0.05 | 42.47 |
| JnM | 21 | 15 | 28 | 10 | 23 | 15 | 72 | 40 | 56 | 0.56 | 4 | 0.04 | 40.41 |
| CustomCreations | 19 | 10 | 22 | 10 | 25 | 5 | 66 | 25 | 45.5 | 0.46 | 3 | 0.03 | 32.76 |
FeelsGoodMan (1st Place Winner)BranaR (2nd Place)
Sapprine (3rd Place)
Contest | Poll
Assigned staff: @Archian
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