Stories Contest: Unfinished Stories POLL

DarkCloud · December 19, 2002, 21:36

Just wondering: should we revert to the old rules which accepted unfinished stoires into the polling as an incentive for the authors to finish their stories?

I suggest this as the voting and nominations for the contest have been lagging as of recent.

And, at least one story, http://apolyton.net/forums/showthre...&threadid=63955 Gandhi Kahn the Wise
cannot be nominated becasue it is as yet unfinished... and I assume that there are many more good works in progress which deserve to be nominated.

Therefore, I propose that you vote YES and return to the old rules, accepting unfinished stories so that the contest will be invigorated with youth!

OR...

COMPROMISE OPTION an unifinished story that is nominated gets +0 votes until it's finished and a FINISHED story gets +2; therefore, it is harder for an unifinished tale to win; but it provides enough incentive for both the tales AND the contest to flourish. AND an unfinished story can be pulled from the contest if the author does not wish it to be in the contest (this is allowable only up until the Semifinals; at which point its nomination becomes automatic and cannot be pulled.

ChrisiusMaximus · December 19, 2002, 22:12

Ghandi Khan the Wise is finished as far as I know, and your last poll on this said no!

I thought we were going to look at this in the new year.

Jeremy 2.0 · December 19, 2002, 23:10

Are we in such dire circumstances that we have to accept unfinished stories?

I'm asking a question because the answer may well be yes. I am 100% against the idea of including unfinished stories without more information.

Let's keep this a writer's group. Writers finish stories - that's one thing that separates them from everyone else. Great ideas are a dime a dozen. It's the WRITER who types out that last sentence.

If I allowed myself to post unfinished stories you'd see a flood of stories with my name on them. I'm determined to finish a project before it sees the light of day. I've posted a grand total of two stories on here in a year as a result. I'd like to change that and I have high hopes of posting story number three no later than this weekend.

Have we arrived at the point where we need unfinished works to flesh out the contest?

ChrisiusMaximus · December 20, 2002, 03:03

I strongly believe that to allow an unfinished story to win over a finished one is proposterous, and I feel the majority of writers agree with that.

EDIT Darkcloud are you going to keep starting polls until you arrive at a choice you prefer. I think some people are away at the moment and wont get to see this one before you close it, and as such I do not feel that any result you get from this will be a true representation of the real opinion of the regulars to this forum.

Youre last poll just a week or so ago overwhelmingly voted not to let em in till there done!!

Richelieu · December 20, 2002, 09:37

As far as i am concerned, if i find an unfinished story so good that i am willing to choose it over a finished one, that's my choice and i don't see why i shouldn't be able to.

ChrisiusMaximus · December 20, 2002, 13:27

As far as your concerned eh, well as far as Im concerned its totally unfair for an unfinished story to win over and above a story thats been completed by the writer.

On more than one occasion now the majority of people who have voted on this issue have said no they do not want unfinished stories to be in the contest, so why should the majority do what you would prefer ?

Darkcloud I ask you to hold this until most people it concerns are back from the Xmas break. Richelieu your entitled to your opinion but your not entitled to force that on the majority who disagree with you.

DarkCloud · December 20, 2002, 15:43

Quote:

Ghandi Khan the Wise is finished as far as I know, and your last poll on this said no!

I thought we were going to look at this in the new year.

It's close enough

And it's finished! I must second it!

Quote:

EDIT Darkcloud are you going to keep starting polls until you arrive at a choice you prefer. I think some people are away at the moment and wont get to see this one before you close it, and as such I do not feel that any result you get from this will be a true representation of the real opinion of the regulars to this forum.

Youre last poll just a week or so ago overwhelmingly voted not to let em in till there done!!

YOU said to revote when I proposed the compromise option! In fact, you said revote in the new year.

Hold this; very well... It can keep going on... I don't know when I'll implement it- only when this thread a: slips from this page, or b: ceases acquiring votes.

-

Quote:

Have we arrived at the point where we need unfinished works to flesh out the contest?

Well, yes, for the majority in the past, most stories were nominated when they were 1/2 completed, then finished as they were voted on... It's how it worked, and as soon as we implemented the new rules, the contest slowed and died- only to be restarted recently.

-

Quote:

As far as your concerned eh, well as far as Im concerned its totally unfair for an unfinished story to win over and above a story thats been completed by the writer.

Frankly, I agree with Reichelu, many unfinished stories are better than some which are finished- they are merely long works in progress- being nominated gives the authors some incentive to finish as well...

-
And once again, the ONLY reason I amde a new poll was because we agreed to create one with the COMPROMISE option allowed.

ChrisiusMaximus · December 20, 2002, 20:02

Darkcloud at the time of posting this its dead level at 4 votes each for a straight yes or no to this, 1 vote for a compromise and 2 for a banana

Geez what does that tell you about the dilemma were facing.

Cant we have a peach option as well.

gooberboob · December 20, 2002, 21:49

I can't vote, but I think unfinished stories should be allowed in the contest; however, the author cannot submit another one until the story that won the contest is finished

DarkCloud · December 21, 2002, 14:30

Well, now it's 7 no

Just wondering goober- why can't you vote?

Quote:

however, the author cannot submit another one until the story that won the contest is finished- for 2 contests to come

That sounds fair- perhaps we should add it as an adennum to the compromise option.

gooberboob · December 22, 2002, 15:16

AOL is anti certain cookies, so it claims my session is invalid, additionally, my friends cannot log in at my house, and I cannot completely log off

DarkCloud · December 23, 2002, 17:05

Hmm... okay, We'll just count yours as a +1 vote to YES in that case.

ChrisiusMaximus · December 23, 2002, 19:42

Goober I had the same problem but I changed browser to MSN and it worked fine. Ming said that sometimes if you log off and back on this can help but whenever I post via AOL I cant vote either!

Try using MSN or some other browser and it might work .

gooberboob · December 23, 2002, 20:42

i'd love to, but i don't pay the bill$$

ChrisiusMaximus · December 23, 2002, 21:09

I havent changed my account its still with AOL I sign on in the usual way and minimize the aol browser, then open MSN browser from windows and voila. As far as I know it doesnt cost any extra at least I hope not.

Jeremy 2.0 · December 23, 2002, 21:17

Goober, minimize AOL once you used it to logon and then open Internet Explorer.

IE is the "MSN browser" Chris is alluding to.

gooberboob · December 23, 2002, 22:10

it doesn't work for me

Bugs ****ing Bunny · December 24, 2002, 03:56

The compromise option looks good to me.

ChrisiusMaximus · December 29, 2002, 09:05

I would like to suggest a framework for the contest:

Finished and unfinished stories can be nominated and seconded by any reader unless the author says otherwise.

When there are enough ie 8 seconded, run the prelims and take the three highest to the finals, but only if declared finished by the author.

If an unfinished story gets more votes than a finished one in the prelims it still cannot go to the final vote and a story lower down the vote count will superseed it taking its place.

I say only three in the final because you get a 1, 2 and 3 place and no real loser.

Any story that has been nominated or seconded be it finished or not can participate in the next round up to a maximum of three attempts, this I feel will give incentives to the writers to finish their stories and also to withold them from a particular round so as to allow them time to complete them. It would be a waste to let your story enter three times only to not get through to the finals because it is not finished.

The stories that do make the final vote cannot be reentered in the next story contest as they have already achieved a place in the annals of apolyton.

Scrap the prize as I feel it detracts from the real purpose of this which is to say thank you to the writers for sharing their stories with us.

In short as an example who would mind being second or third to some of the great stories here.

All three finalists of each round should have their works entered into the Apolyton archive of great Civ 3 stories.

I personally dont see a need for running the contest just for the sake of it and if it takes longer for each round then hopefully the quality will be greater.

There was a few great writers here in the beginning of this forums life, I now feel that all the writers currently contributing and all their different styles are equally as great as those early masters.

I know Ive posted a lot of ideas here but I think this could serve as a framework for the future of the contest. I look forward to hearing other thoughts and suggestions.

Chris.

DarkCloud · December 29, 2002, 20:33

Here are my revised rules: The Italicized ones will determine on the results of the voting in the Unfinished Stories Thread.

And I think that the following is good- but I’m not a moderator and can’t do this.
All three finalists of each round should have their works entered into the Apolyton archive of great Civ 3 stories.

Welcome to the Stories Forum
Welcome to the Stories Forum, if you are here, you are probably interested in one of the following:

1. Reading some really good or maybe also some not-so good (but hopefully not ) stories.
2. Engaging in group efforts in the form of Succession Games/NESs/other multiplayer activities.
3. Participating in an international simulation with one of the many Succession Games/NESs/other multiplayer activities.
4. Writing a story to hopefully win the story contest.
5. Bringing something fun and new to the forum.
6. Writing a story for people's (including your own) enjoyment.

A few notes on the story contest.

If you write a story on these boards, you are eligible to be in the story contest. To nominate yourself, go to the nomination thread at the top of the forum, it's the one that is titled Round #: Nominations.

Read the story contest rules below for the full spiel.

Stories Contest Rules

Nominations/Semifinals
Any Finished or unfinished stories can be nominated and seconded by any reader unless the author says otherwise. However, finished stories will receive +2 votes to their number of votes received. Thus giving them an advantage over unfinished stories.

When there are enough (i.e. 8) seconded in the nominations round.

The Preliminaries will be run, with four stories making their way to the finals; but only if declared finished by the author.

If an unfinished story gets more votes than a finished one in the prelims it still cannot go to the final vote and a story lower down the vote count will supercede it taking its place.

I say only three in the final because you get a 1, 2 and 3 place and no real loser.

Winners

The winner of the semifinals will receive a discount at the Apolyton Store of ___% for his endeavors.

Stories Contest Method

1. At the beginning of the Semifinal round of each contest, a new Nominations round will be set up.
2. All nominated but unseconded or seconded but above the 8 story limit from the previous contest will transfer to the next; waiting to be seconded
a. Exceptions to rule 2: Once a story has been in two nominations rounds but never seconded, it drops out of the contest.
3. Once 8 seconded nominations are obtained, a preliminary round with unlimited voting (checkboxes) is created to last for 5 days.
4. After 7 days, the top 4 are transferred to a final poll with radio buttons which lasts 7 days.
b. In the case of ties in the preliminaries, all of the stories that are tied for the 3rd and/or 4th spots go into the finals.
5. In the case of a tie in the finals, there will be a 2-day runoff vote. If there is still a tie, the two stories share the award.
6. Once in one preliminary round, a story can never enter another contest again.
7. You can request that a story be kept out of a story contest (for example two parts of one series you don't want competing).
8. All stories in the contest must be civ-related
9. The top 3 stories from each round are put in the story contest history thread as well as http://apolyton.net/civ3/stories/.
10. The winner gets a discount in the apolyton store!
11. Every 4 contests, the top two from each individual finals, including more than that if there were ties, are put in a 7-day radio button "BEst of the Best" poll. The winner is then put in the two places mentioned in rule 10.

Stories Contest History
To be written

The only tie in the Finals round happened in August 2002 between WTE-OZ WOLF's epic tale and DarkCloud's Civ III Poem; with WTE-OZ Wolf winning the competition by 4 votes in the runoff.

In early December 2002 DarkCloud took over the stories contest after it had been determined that both civman2002 and ___ had abandoned their efforts to revive the contests.

(Credits to: civman2002, metaliturtle, Chrisus Maximus, DarkCloud)

TheGuitarist · December 29, 2002, 20:44

Excellent. Make it so, number one.

DarkCloud · January 8, 2003, 21:12

BUMP* The Compromise option; however, does not seem to be winning, so I may have to omit it... although the voting does continue... for a time...

Any other opinions on the new rules idea?