SDC 4 ~ The Age of Sail
Official Rules of Scenario Design Contest Number Four
1.) All entries must be received before November 1st, 2002.
2.) Final results will be displayed on January 1st, 2002.
3.) All entries must include two zip files (if applicable); one containing the scenario files, the other containing sounds. If dialog graphics or videos are also part of the scenario, these may be included in a third and/or fourth zip file as applicable.
4.) All entries must be e-mailed to the SDC. An e-mail listing a URL where the scenario may be downloaded from is NOT acceptable.
5.) All entrants must obtain a code name before submitting their scenario (see code names below).
6.) The e-mail for SDC #4 is
arcticor@aol.com (submissions must be sent to this address)
7.) Zip files must not be larger than 1.5 megabytes in size.
8.) All scenarios must reside within the SDC #4 theme; the Age of Sail, between the years 1500 Anno Domini and 1801 Anno Domini.
9.) Maps and resources provided by Scenario League are NOT required for use by designers. These are supplementary items only intended to help designers as an aid. All designers are free to use their own designs.
10.) The scenario MUST be designed on the MGE (Multi-Player Gold) or ToT (Test of Time) Civ2 platform.
11.) The scenario must be designed for PBEM (Play By E-Mail) in mind. This does not rule out single player scenarios (see objectives explanation below).
12.) Multiple submissions per designer are allowed.
13.) Maximum team size per entry is 3 persons.
14.) Teams may NOT submit more than one entry.
15.) Questions and comments about SDC #4 can be e-mailed to
warvoid@aol.com
Code Names
Code names are used to confirm identities of scenario designers and to aid in the judging process of the scenario by masking the designers true identity and prevent any possibility of biased judgement.
To aquire a code name, simply e-mail the SDC administrator, WarVoid, at
warvoid@aol.com . A response will be sent supplying a code name. Write this code name down and when you send the e-mail with you scenario submission attached, include the code name in the text area of the e-mail to confirm your identity.
The scenario will then be forwarded to the judges using the code name rather than the authors true identity.
Explanation of the Age of Sail and Design Objectives
The Age of Sail, roughly 1500 AD thru 1801 AD, covered the time span from the first beginnings of global naval warfare and piracy up to the Napoleonic Wars, which effectively was the first "world" war. During this time, the world saw the most violent colonial wars that would ever occur. At the same time, vast changes occured across the world; piracy became commonsport, colonial levies became the norm, massive armies dominated vast empires not seen since the days of the Mongol and Roman empires. At the same time, man was bounding forward technologically with the development of the musket and cannon and their subsequent refinement.
Never again would the world see such great wars, such pioneering bravery and such suspense as was held during the Age of Sail. This era combined both legendary intrigue and military revolution as tactics and amphibious warfare became a finely tuned art. The fortress was developed and all around the world massive stone castles were erected and armed with cannon turrets, even to defend the smallest colonial outpost.
It is this setting in which you, the designer, may choose a campaign in which to build your scenario around. To help you understand what is expected of you and your entry, i've prepared some guidelines, like the introduction above.
-PBEM vs SP ~ Some people have asked me, why PBEM instead of single-player? Well the answer is this. PBEM is a relatively new concept to Civ gaming. It has not only brought life back into the scenario community, but it has opened a whole new field of multiplayer gaming. Therefore, to present a new and true challenge to designers, scenarios should be designed for PBEM instead of the normal single player. The administration realizes that scenarios are naturally intended for the single player, and that to create a PBEM scenario requires a lot of work. With that in mind, we WILL be accepting single-player scenarios. You will NOT be penalised for submitting a single-player work. Judging is based on the OVERALL PLAYABILITY of the scenario, not whether it is strictly PBEM of SP.
-Original Artwork ~ A scenario is often judged by it's originality, especially in the sense of artwork. When a judge, or rather, anybody opens the scenario, it is always the graphics which make the first and most striking impression. Unmodified and heavily recycled graphics are not always a designers best choice. Even simple modifications to units from other scenarios can make a scenario much better.
-Accuracy and Authenticity ~ As the SDC's namesake suggests, the theme this year is based upon a historical and realistic background. As such, a designer should strive to make sure his/her scenario is accurate to the setting they are attempting to portray. If you have a question, ask around in the forums, there are always plenty of people with a lot of knowledge willing to lend a helping hand.
Each designer and/or team should strive to do the best work possible. Do not be intimidated by other "veteran" designers. We have seen many instances where an unknown has come forward from out of nowhere with an excellent scenario.
In-Depth Explanation of a Basic Scenario's Requirements
To help newer designers, and even some old forgetful ones alike
this is a general compendium of what your scenario should include. Of course, as with any designer, this list may be either lengthened or shortened as per each scenarios specific criteria. The list provided here includes some of the "must haves".
-Defined Objectives ~ Objectives for the scenario and a wingame/losegame status declared. This can be through use of either the standard city objective scoring, through an alternate point system, or even the standard empire-building score. So long as the scenario objective is defined, almost any for of scoring is allowed.
-Pedia.txt ~ More often than not, almost always one of the things forgotten in a scenario. The pedia.txt file should ALWAYS be included, even if it is unedited from the original version. For those wishing to add depth, descriptions for wonders and improvements may be edited in to the pedia.txt file.
-Readme ~ Every scenario submitted should have some sort of a readme file with it detailing the scenarios background (general introduction), objectives, credits and other notes.
-Events ~ Every scenario, no matter how small, should have an events file with it. Even the simplest events file should load the music track of your choice and set certain scenario rules (i.e. schism, play wonders, etc.).
-City.txt ~ An optional item, but one that any veteran designer will quickly look for when viewing a new scenario. Considering the period of gameplay and typical civilizations that will be present, to have the Dutch founding cities like Nagasaki just isn't going to cut it.
-Labels.txt ~ Another optional item, even moreso that the city.txt file. Any designer looking to add further depth to their scenario may like to utilise the options found in the labels file. For instance, one might wish to use the Barbarian civ for the scenario as pirates, therefore changing the labels file information to rename the Barbarians to Pirates and their leader to someone like Henry Morgan or Edward Teach would be an appropriate step.
-Rules.txt ~ If you don't know why you should include this then you REALLY need to find a design tutor.
Questions and Comments
If you have a question of comment about anything relating to the SDC, don't hesitate to speak up about it. As the old saying goes, he who hesitates is lost.
For those that wish to view the original discussion about the contest, you may view it
here.
This is excellent. 
