By that logic you might as well suggest we go for a no-imports contest
Using imported HD assets doesn't automatically circumvent the limitations of the editor, so one can still innovate and find new ways to "beat" the HD world editor while also using imported models.
I don't think this should be the aim of a scenic terraining contest, or rather: It could be the aim of a scenic terraining contest, just not all of them in general.
This is a HD scenic contest though. Had it been any scenic terrain contest then by all means. However, it's not just any terrain contest. It's specifically a HD terrain contest.
The limitations that are part of the HD editor are not supposed to be there, and it is not because of these limitations we should be going for HD, but despite them
Whether or not they are intended/supposed to be there I don't think we should fall back on SD simply because the limitations are "harder" to circumvent if we stick to HD.
This is why I think allowing SD models for the exact reasons you list as reasons against the argument supports it: We can circumvent the fog and sky issue by the use of Glow/Black glow models, custom cloud models and custom skyboxes, this is not lazy or "archaic", it takes a lot of skill and practice to use those resources and techniques efficiently, and so long as it provides the most desirable and appealing results, I hardly see why this should be considered a bad thing.
I'm not saying using these resources well is lazy or archaic, or lacking in skill in any way at all, I'm saying resorting to using SD assets in a HD terraining contest simply because they can easily circumvent certain issues/bugs is lazy. Like I said before, there is no innovation, just a fallback on what is "safe" and feels comfortable to work with.
Yes and no, and also: So long as the baseline rules are equal to and understood by all participants, then the only "inequality" between participants is their skill and knowledge, which is true for any and all contests in existence.
Well sure it is equal for all (as it should be). I'm just talking about SD assets giving old-timers the upper hand since they have been around for ages and know all the old techniques and tricks to achieve good results. When only using HD mode even old-timers are in fresh waters, still figuring out how to achieve the results they want.
It is true that Talavaj's modular doodads, oGre and Nan0's stuff and the likes are exceptional for terraining, but those are hardly reasons to exclude them from the contest, they are open resources for all to use.
I'm not saying they should be excluded because they are good, I'm saying all SD models should be excluded because the main goal is to create a scene that looks amazing, something which is easier to do with SD assets. Not only because there are a lot of good SD models, but also because of the vast library of models that exists within the category. Because of that I believe most people who actually knows how to make good terrain will simply just fall back on SD models (except if they're really trying to stick to HD).
Also, I have found in my fiddling with the HD editor that a good mix of old and new is preferrable, and I don't think the challenge of the contest should be to work within limits to achieve a desired result, rather the achievement of the desired result in and off itself should be the challenge. The Wc3 Editor, new or old, is a challenging and limiting tool to work with regardless, why should we aim to make it even more challenging and limiting on purpose?
That would be true for a regular terrain contest, however, this is a HD contest, intended for HD mode specifically. That in itself implies a limitation. All contests are about working within limits to achieve a desired result, including terrain contests.
Nah, it's HD because we use the HD Editor, and most of us will be mostly using HD assets anyway, while only supplementing with SD models when necessary.
You say most of us will be using HD assets, but there's literally nothing stopping me from using 100% SD assets, in the HD editor. The light and shading doesn't even work in the HD editor, so it will look just like SD mode. I fail to see how that is an OK or permissible submission to a HD terraining contest.
Overall though, my main argument is as such: We have a plethora of assets made by exceptional modders at our fingertips
We do indeed, but they should be used in "open" terrain contests. Allowing SD assets in HD contests incentivizes using old models rather than creating new and better ones with ORM textures and reflective materials etc. It is no secret that lots of the models that are used in pre-HD scenic terraining were made specifically for scenic terraining.
I find the distinction between "SD/HD" to begin with rather silly: There was always a difference in quality of resources that were made by the modding community even before Reforged, but back then it was just a matter of whether an asset was of good or bad quality, not which "category" of quality it belonged to.
The categories are not so much akin to their "quality", but rather how the models are made. The main thing that distinguishes a SD model from a HD model is their ORM textures. ORM textures adds a level of realism by making the models be affected by light sources and shadows in different ways, whereas SD models stays unchanged. The distinction between HD and SD is not purely because of this, but rather because Blizzard chose to split the game into two "modes" called SD and HD. It's just easier to refer to the assets in HD mode by saying HD assets, and the old assets as SD assets.
People have different opinions of course, and in a normal situation I'd be down to use any kinds of assets in the terrain contest.... as long as it was just another terrain contest. This however is specifically a HD contest, so it should stay true to its title. Deviating from HD assets in a HD contest is a slippery slope to pure SD model terrains submitted to HD contests.
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I used mostly vanilla assets, along with some custom models from Hive, but that's pretty much it. I didn't use any resources that weren't public at the time of the contest, and I didn't make or edit any assets for the contest. May I ask though, what assets did you think were custom?
