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The only truth you need to know about CCs!
lunaw78
Posts: 293 Arc User
First of all, CCs (Costume Contests) are unique to this game! In no other game, you will never meet such amaizing event!
What is not that amaizing about CCs, well, is their Judges! In most of the cases, Judges are not fair when it comes to pick up the best costume! They pick costumes that sometimes doesn`t even match the cat (category), the gender of the costume and many other cat specifications!
If you ask me, most of the Judges are simply blind when it comes to choose the best costume!
Many people loose CCs just because Judges are not objective enough to pick a best costume!
I have been in some CCs (not too many) and I cleary see that most of the Judges aren`t fair when it comes to pick a costume! And when you ask the judges why they didn`t pick your costume as best, they bring up some stupid arguments like: "your costume is too sexy", "I don`t like the mettalic texture" and many more of these kind! And when you say to them that these reasons aren`t that solid to reject your costume, they simply start saying that: "start doing your own CCs and judge them"! With that reason is cleary tha the CC judging will not improve this way!
If you wanna know how many CCs I have won? Well, ... none and I don`t thinink I will won one single CC in this game! Why? Becuase of the reasons I listed above! And I don`t think I will ever participate at a CC, except the cases when someone want to judge costume, and believe me, I`m not the person who choose crappy costumes as best ones!
But this is only an example on how UNFAIR Judges can be in CCs! If this will still continue as it continues today, I only hope CCs will have the same fate as PvP! And by saying that, I say everything!
Have a wonderfull day! And "happy" CCs!
Edit Note: I deleted all the pictures and all my meanie comments about that costume who won that CC, as a suggestion provided by some persons! Thank you!
What is not that amaizing about CCs, well, is their Judges! In most of the cases, Judges are not fair when it comes to pick up the best costume! They pick costumes that sometimes doesn`t even match the cat (category), the gender of the costume and many other cat specifications!
If you ask me, most of the Judges are simply blind when it comes to choose the best costume!
Many people loose CCs just because Judges are not objective enough to pick a best costume!
I have been in some CCs (not too many) and I cleary see that most of the Judges aren`t fair when it comes to pick a costume! And when you ask the judges why they didn`t pick your costume as best, they bring up some stupid arguments like: "your costume is too sexy", "I don`t like the mettalic texture" and many more of these kind! And when you say to them that these reasons aren`t that solid to reject your costume, they simply start saying that: "start doing your own CCs and judge them"! With that reason is cleary tha the CC judging will not improve this way!
If you wanna know how many CCs I have won? Well, ... none and I don`t thinink I will won one single CC in this game! Why? Becuase of the reasons I listed above! And I don`t think I will ever participate at a CC, except the cases when someone want to judge costume, and believe me, I`m not the person who choose crappy costumes as best ones!
But this is only an example on how UNFAIR Judges can be in CCs! If this will still continue as it continues today, I only hope CCs will have the same fate as PvP! And by saying that, I say everything!
Have a wonderfull day! And "happy" CCs!
Edit Note: I deleted all the pictures and all my meanie comments about that costume who won that CC, as a suggestion provided by some persons! Thank you!
Post edited by lunaw78 on
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This discussion has been closed.
Comments
There is little room for objectivity in something as subjective as a CC.
'Caine, miss you bud. Fly high.
Most likely there will be people who don't like the winners.
Like in every CC.
And playing by myself since Aug 2009
Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
Nemcon and Nemesis Guide
Custom Alerts of Champions Online Complete Guide
Nemcon and Nemesis Guide
Custom Alerts of Champions Online Complete Guide
If you want to see an unfair costume contest, there used to be a SG in City of Heroes that would solicit donations from other players for the prizes. They'd gather millions of Influence, dozens of super expensive enhancements, and so on.
The one of their CCs I attended, second through fifth place all went to people in the same SG as the person running the CC. First place went to a level 1 with no SG. But their global name was the same as the leader's, but wih a 1 added to the end. That was also the last CC they ever held on our server. Nobody was dumb enough to fall for it, and a lot of people blacklisted them from everything.
@flamingbunnyman in game. Formerly @Roderick in City of Heroes.
Im going to start off by saying that I don't go to CC's. I'm not part of any clique or "In crowd" and I'm certainly not popular enough bother with them. So I'm not saying this in defense of anyone.
But looking at your costume, I can honestly see why you didn't win. Its nothing special or eye catching. Remove the Santa hat, and its just a set of red tights. Take away one item and there is nothing about that costume, at all, that even implies Christmas.
Perhaps, instead of wondering about the unfairness of it all. Perhaps, instead of all this wasted energy here, instead of crying unfair. Perhaps, a better option might be an honest self examination of what you could of done different. What could of been improved. And perhaps investing insight into understanding what it is the judges really wanted to see, and why they felt yours didn't meet that.
I can't contribute anything about Costume contests, duo to the UNFRIENDLY EUROPEAN HOURS they take place
6:00 pm ...yeah... Europe has to Sleep/is sleeping
But I read a lot about CC Favoritism on Chats
If I saw that costume for the Mrs. Clause category I probably would have picked it. It is Hilarious.
Yours was really good by the way, great work on it (no sarcasim.)
But the one who won made me laugh at work.
On a more serious note, your accusations of "favoritism" are not the first, nor are they the last. Are there individuals that win more often than others? Certainly. But being "popular" isn't enough (mostly) to win a CC, and oftentimes recurring winners are just that good.
A CC is, by its very nature, subjective. This means that your costume is being judged not just against the other competitors, but also the judge's tastes. A costume may not win simply because there was another costume they liked more. There isn't a whole lot you can do about this, unfortunately, but attending multiple CC's by them and noting what looks win more often can help you nail their tastes. (Of course, if they rotate judges, then you're SOL)
You have said you asked the judges why you didn't win. That's good. You then proceeded to ignore their feedback. That's bad. You're not going to improve your skills as a costumer if you reject criticism out of hand.
And before you say, "Well, Pot, you've won CC's, so I don't have to listen to you", I lost CC's for six straight months before I started winning. Sometimes it's really a matter of patience and cycling through multiple costumes before you find that winning formula.
Try reading Flare's guide to hosting CC's. Though it's written for hosts, there are some general costuming guidelines in there that are good to follow and will give you an idea of how to approach a CC.
And get a good look at the winners. There's often a good reason they won, and some may even be willing to share costuming tips with you.
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
[thread=139701]My old, old guide for Ego Blades. Updated for On: Alert.[/thread]
[thread=154211]The Costume Contest Schedule. Stay up-to-date without having to log in![/thread]
Also, don't go to costume contests to win. That's not the point. The point of costume contests is to get together and show off your creation and have some casual good times with fellow tailoring enthusiasts. I'm tickled pink if random people at the contest whisper me and tell me my costume is cool, more so than if I actually win the thing.
The judges can pick anyone they want as the winner. They are under no obligation to follow any criteria whatsoever at any point in time no matter what anyone says or thinks. If they want to close their eyes, wiggle their mouse around like crazy, and pick whoever their cursor lands on as the winner, then they can do that and no one has any right to question their decision. Judges generally aren't given enough time to really scrutinize and consider the participants anyways, so it's really not fair to criticize their decisions. The few times I ended up as a judge I felt really rushed and had to resign myself to the fact that giving me enough time to really think about it would make the whole thing take way too long.
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
Better yet, run your own durn contest.
Sheesh.
Whoever you are, be that person one hundred percent. Don't compromise on your identity.
I've been around for over 2 years now, and I have to say... I've lost more CCs that I can count by now. And I have lost count of how many I won too. And took me over 1 year to win a CC!
For me, it's not about winning or losing. It's about go to the theater, have a good time, have fun with the other contestants, check their costumes, get some new ideas, cheer for the winners, brainstorm with others, ask others for their opinion in your costume, laugh about the "outside the box" (in a good way) costumes, and if I get a PM with an "awesome costume, dude!" or "I laughed so hard at your costume! Nice idea", that, right there, it's a win for me...
I wasn't able to attend the Christmas CC cuz I had some problems with my PC, but I had a couple of costumes prepared to it... And most of them were "outside the box", like the winner for Mrs. Santa.
As a judge of a weekly CC myself, I have to say... It's a hard job. Judge around 20 to 40 costumes it's not an easy thing to do, and sometimes we pick some winners closer to our personal taste. Of course WE do!! WE are judging. CCs are and always will be subjective. Maybe my taste (or other judges taste) does not match your taste or other contestants taste, but let's face it, I've been to CCs that I totally disagreed with the winners, but I'd never rant about it... It's their taste!!
Make your own CC and you'll see... It's not that easy to pick winners. But be prepared, cuz not everyone will be pleased by your picks either...
That is their right, complaining about it only makes you come out looking like a sore loser...
How dare they offer creative and constructive feedback if you ask them.
How dare they give away their own resources and items that they have earned at only the cost of your own costuming ability and time.
HOW. DARE. THEY.
I've also seen one costume contest where the same person won 3 or 4 categories, he was a friend of the group running the contest-- and the people running the costume contest said it was a 'mistake'- letting other people join the festivities.
I've seen some female players win costume contests with cobbled-together costumes that had nothing special going on at all (I saw one in glowing tights and a visor take 'tech').
What do I do? If it seems to me judges are picking friends, chicks they want to impress, or otherwise have tastes I don't care for- I just don't go. It's a matter of opinion and taste. However, that opinion and taste is not protected by a magic bubble and -CAN- be questioned, I just don't think it's worth the drama.
I bet you that most of these are showing 90% or more skin and/or have the boob slider to 11.
@flamingbunnyman in game. Formerly @Roderick in City of Heroes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44AmqL5tWCM
That above about wraps it up.
Come on, fellas- about 30% of online gamers are women. Many are married but still.
Handle: @drgmstr
"Embrace your dreams"
Come Check Out My PRIMUS Database Page!
Don't go in to win. Go in to enjoy the community and the other costumes. Don't sweat the losses, even if it looks rigged or you think the winners sucked. Everything beyond the fun of participation is gravy. If you repeatedly walk out of CCs unhappier than when you went in, rethink your participation.
I like your costume because it's something a superhero would wear, and it has a small Christmas twist to it. But in this game, in the costume contests, people aren't interested in the superhero. They're interested in what clever thing you can do with the costume creator.
So try playing to that.
And playing by myself since Aug 2009
Godtier: Lifetime Subscriber
Absolutely CCs are bigger than winning and losing I won some and lost exponentially more. It is about having something different than the current leveling or game play to enjoy. It is about community, lame puns, witty thoughts and making sure winners get the clap. Never go in expecting to win. Subjectivity is impossible to quantify. I know I sometimes differ with the judges on their decisions but it is their decision and I shouldn't make it about my opinion unless I am judging. I have known individual judges to give awards after the CC's because they felt strongly in their choice even if the majority voted differently. It is unfair to the winners who put thought effort and time into their ton's looks because I thought I saw something better. Sometimes people feel so strongly they make a scene in chat at the CC and I can tell you it only serves to alienate these folks from many judges in other CCs who also attend CCs they are not judging. CCs are successful with a good community to back them up and make them fun for the attendees and judges.
I don't win very many CCs because I'm uncomfortable ditching my character just to have a better chance at winning, but there are a few exceptions to the 'characters don't win' "rule." Don't worry, if you frequent CCs at all, I'm sure you know who they are!
I personally think Champions would have done much better championing concept and character creation not just costume creation.. but don't bring a knife to a gun fight.
Some people make crazy outlandish costumes for contests. I think that being ultra creative is great, yet I'm glad they stay in the theatre so I never had to run missions with them.
Too bad she didn`t won! Sry for her! :biggrin:
And to answer to your replies, maybe that "Mrs. Santa costume" is hilarious (at least is not for me), he still does look like he used the Random Button at Tailor with bit of changes.
For how long I play this game? 1-2 years
Well, yea CCs would be a place for brainstorming and you guys said that I ignore the judges oppinion? I think in most cases they don`t even explain more accurate why they choose a specific costume!
As far I know no judge didn`t criticize any of my CCs costume.
Just for your information, there isn`t too much Christmas costume parts, I`m not even talking about packs because there`s no Mr. & Mrs. Santa Costume pack in game! So you must make a costume based of what you have/brought!
I guess you will win only if your costume is a WTF factor right? My costume was way too boring to pick as best costume, I guess!
Thank you.
That wouldn`t improve any CC judging! And will not help me winning any CC, If I`m the judge!
How they dare to choose onle WTFs costumes?!
Well, that`s preety unfair and second this game IS ABOUT HEROES! And doing a silly/not looking good costume, like the "Mrs. Santa" there, isn`t a clever thing at all, at least is not for me! It still looks like a mutant, gigantic, ugly "Mrs Santa" to me!
And your point... is? I`m not a sore loser, if that is you were gonna say! I have been at some CCs and I don`t think that all of my costumes were that bad that I couldn`t win! I just bring out a point of view!
And why no CC judge don`t make a dam thread with some tips on how to win a CCs? What they only do? They only announce the cats in the CC chat! That`s all! No any tips at all! And again, how I`m supposed to win a CC? Reading their minds?!?
The problem is solved anyway, because I`m not gonna went to any CCs from now on!
Nemcon and Nemesis Guide
Custom Alerts of Champions Online Complete Guide
I'm with the people who state this.
I completely disagree with those blasting the OP for not taking feedback. Because it contradicts the above sentiment directly.
Simple logic: If these are as subjective as stated (and they are) then the feedback is worthless because of the level of subjectivity.
Let's use an example from the original post:
That is feedback offered. And none of it is constructive. So the judge didn't like the metallic texture? Ok. So next contest you go and make a leather texture. But that judge doesn't like leather. And actually DOES like metallic. Because it's SUBJECTIVE.
And then the person has lost again. By listening to feedback that has no value.
See, if the reasoning is that the judges are judging based on their own tastes and that this is completely subjective (which I absolutely agree with) then 99% of the feedback you get will have no value for you when entering the next contest. (Unless it's run by the same judge).
So let's break this down with the other example given, the Mrs. Santa contest.
The OP took a straightforward approach. And made a Missus Santa who was a Missus.
The winner made a crossdresser, silly guy costume.
The judge, being completely subjective to their own personal whims, voted for the silly one.
There's nothing constructive to be gained from feedback in this instance. It relies solely on a person's opinion at the time. Asking for feedback? I don't see much value in that.
So I agree with the people that say there's really nothing you can do about it because it all hinges on what that judge likes, what makes them laugh, etc, etc, etc.
I really think trying to implement feedback from the judges is just chasing your own tail.
Go with the aesthetics you yourself find appealing. And build your costumes/designs/looks based on that. It will in the long run make you a better designer.
There are, granted, things you can learn. Feedback you can get. But I'd seek it from other sources than judges of the contests you enter. I'm talking basics of fashion design. Or character design. Basics of graphic design and use of color and stuff like that. Get a foundation and then use that foundation to express your own individual artistic tastes. Then you'll have costumes you love, and you'll get people to notice what you do.
Chasing the whims of one judge from one contest to another judge from another contest is just treading water artistically.
Nemcon and Nemesis Guide
Custom Alerts of Champions Online Complete Guide
This is largely incorrect because some of the same people are recurring hosts/judges. That feedback gives an insight into the nature of a particular judge (or team of judges) subjectivity. If someone is a devotee of costume contests, participating with some degree of frequency, then knowing what the individuals who are going to judge her contest do and don't like is not at all worthless.
'Caine, miss you bud. Fly high.
I agree with you, the contests should be about heroes, not the costume creator itself, but it doesn't really matter. Whoever puts the money behind it gets to pick what it is.
You either have to play their game or start your own, with your own rules.
Gravitar thinks that your costume sucks, and strongly suspects that you were dressed by a color blind hobo.
Are you sure you want her opinion?
@flamingbunnyman in game. Formerly @Roderick in City of Heroes.
I see.
Well, two things. First, what this guy said:
Second, (and you do mention parts of this) is there not in fact an quite solidly objective part of being able to make an outfit? In fact, part of the reason why a lot of the most zany and strange looking designs win is because they're treading new ground - they're using techniques and looks that nobody has ever attempted to combine or create before, which not only earns some pretty big props in terms of subjective opinion on the costume, but also, objectively, is quite impressive in how the costume creator managed to set up the look. I mean for example, like it or not, Slapperfish's deranged obese ****************** creations are still technically very impressive and well put together, no matter what you might think of them.
That's just one aspect of a costume of course - A costume creator can also show expertise in things like laying out proportions, colors, visual design, and so forth. Still brings up the question as to whether the host of any given contest is in such a position to give feedback, but there certainly have been cases where there are judges that can rudimentarily explain or apply qualities of an outfit like that, but on the other hand, simply have some alternative approaches to how it should fit together.
In any case, every drop of feedback is helpful in some way (short of feedback that sounds like this.), as it gives a bit of insight as to what others get from it as a first impression. If you like and agree with the advice? Cool, incorporate it into the outfit, and see whether it turns out good. If you think the judge in question will be holding a contest again? Great, you can use that feedback to not only just directly adjust your outfit, but to also get an idea of what said judge likes. And if you don't agree with the input? It's easy enough to ignore it - because it's perfectly possible that the feedback in question won't fit what you were trying to go for on the outfit. The nuance, of course, exists in whether the person giving feedback recognizes that their feedback comes from a subjective position ("Your costume is too metallic!" versus "If you were going for x, I think it would look better if you used cloth.")
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
Straxus' post (#13) is pretty much everything I would say. And a few others have pointed out that you should go to have fun--not to win.
The link to my guide is in my signature--feel free to check it out.
Flare's guide to hosting and judging costume contests!
(link under construction)
I'm quoting this because I think it's the most reasonable thing said in this thread. There have been a lot of reasonable things said, but this one sums everything up nicely.
Champions Online: Be the hero you wish you could be in a better game.
I don't
They're tedious and annoying
You can usually tell who's going to win a CC if you know who the judges' friends are ^^
That said, CC's are useful for costume ideas
Here we are now going to the West Side
Weapons in hand as we go for a ride
Some may come and some may stay
Watching out for a sunny day
Where there's love and darkness and my sidearm
In game as @forgemccain
I didn't win any category with any of my costumes, even ones that I thought I had a fair shot and got lots of compliments for in private tells. Also, with few exceptions the people I would have picked for top didn't win either. And yet I had a great time, and walked away totally happy with how things went because I was not the judge and I go these things to have fun and see what crazy things other people are trying with costumes. Things like the non-judge who commented how my snow goon costume was nightmare fuel is worth far more to me then a few measly G I could just grind out by spending the same amount of time actually playing. Also the holder of that contest gave money to *everybody* who lined up that end, even non-winners, so it was a profitable evening anyway (though I wouldn't expect to see that sort of thing happen to often obviously).
This is aside from the fact that I had no actual issue with the pick for Mrs Clause as I love off-the-wall approaches to things, even if it meant that my wife's entry (the hoofed lady in the skirt sharing the square with me) was also passed over. Most of the other picks for winners were not bizarre looking, so obviously that one the judge just found particularly striking.
The point of a CC is to show off to the person running it so they can say what looks good to them and what don't and throw a person the prize. Sometimes more popular people have an edge than some unknown (two people show up in same costume, one is the friend of the host the other is unknown. Who do you think will get accused by the host for being a copycat? The unknown guy in most cases.)
I guess that is just the nature of the beast but it isn't really a contest per se but the use of the word contest is a title. In reality, it's "Come line up and based on what I think is a good costume gets a prize". But that is not as catchy as saying costume contest.
And that right there, seems to be part of the problem. If you are relying on packaged costume parts as the main focus of your theme. You are kinda missing the whole point.
If I could only make a Santa using only Santa parts. What exactly would I be judged on in a contest? My appropriate use of parts? The colors I chose?
In real life, at a real costume contest. Would you, yourself, pick the store bought Spiderman costume complete with plastic face mask, held on by a rubber band. Or would you pick the one that was home made, and done custom, and looks like it took more effort then just opening the package and putting it on?
There is a palpable uneasiness with CCs as of late and this has turned many people away from participating in them. The OP felt it right to bring it up and made a few valid points, some of which I agree with. But first, I really have to address the common rebuttal I keep seeing concerning this issue...
- "If you don't like it, host your own contests."
Sure, the person could do that... but if he is aspiring to actually winning a contest, he can't really do that while hosting his own contests now can he?
- "They're the ones handing out the prizes, they can do whatever they want."
Of course, but does that mean they can't strive to be fair and honest to all the participants? Or staying true to the categories they have chosen and so on?
- "CCs are for fun, not for winning."
Oh I agree, we should go to CCs to have fun first and foremost, I won't argue that. However... Unfairness is not 'fun', no matter how you put it. Just like in any other competitive field, being beaten by a good opponent is okay because it's fair, both side have even chances. But when the worst of the worst wins because judges apparently don't value good qualities in a costume or are highly biaised toward certain players or whatever, it's incredibly frustrating and, again, not 'fun' in the least.
- "If you don't like it, don't go."
Right. I like making costumes, I like showing them off in CCs, but I can't critisize anything I feel that's wrong with them? Not a very healthy attitude.
Now to address the actual issue...
1) Probably the biggest problem of all... Most judges do not have consistent criterias established among themselves on which to base their selections on; it's pretty much a free for all which often leads to odd choices or judges not really having any defined idea of what to look for.
2) Judges are just regular people, some of which don't have a knack for it and just don't have a very keen eye to make the best choices.
3) Time plays against the judges. Most CCs with no switching last 20-30 minutes with a judging period of 10-15 minutes which is VERY little time. You only really spend a few seconds per costumes which is hardly enough time to make a clear decision, even less time to debate among your peers to make a final decision. I know when I'm judging I always feel pressured to do it rapidly, something I really dislike.
4) It takes all sorts to make a world. Participants like judges have different tastes and so there's ALWAYS going to be someone unhappy. However if you uphold the the highest standards and really strive to pick the best of the lot, you are less likely to get death threats.
5) Favoritism is also an issue. CCs usually attract the same people day after day after day. You would have to be pretty delusional to think CCs are biais-free. One judge picks a friend or a guildie as a winner and then that friend later returns the favor and so on... From the perspective of people outside of the CC circle, it looks like a really closed off community because of this. Resisting favoritism is hard but it's imperative that judges stand against it.
6) Another issue - one that ties with #1 - is judges picking wacky, weird, funny, effed up costume for categories that does not really call for such a choice. Actually, this was pretty much the OP's biggest complaint and one of my personal pet peeve as well. Originality is good but it doesn't necesseraly equate quality or good looking. If a costume made you laugh, fine, give them a honorable mention for their effort but pick a proper winner for the said category. So if you have a cat like, I don't know, 'Military' and someone shows up with nothing but a pink j-string and a bazooka in hand and you somehow find it hilarious, should it really take precedence over someone who's actually dressed up as a military guy? Is it fair to pick the former over the latter? In my opinion it isn't.
7) Because it exists... just plain bad taste.
Anyway, enough of me ranting endlessly... I was tossing around the idea of writing a guide on judging costumes and another for creating good costumes. Would people like that? Yay or Nay?
So I'm an illustrator and professional designer. And I have a bit of experience in the area of receiving a critique.
I'll share one of the zaniest stories of my artistic career, just to give you kind folks some insight into what is worthless feedback.
Back in 1994 I was a production intern and aspiring comic book artist at Valiant Comics. This was shortly after Shooter was ousted from the company. Bob Layton was running the show with help from Barry Windsor-Smith. They hadn't quite launched "Birthquake" yet. So they were still ramping up for their mega deal with Acclaim.
It was an amazing experience. Functionally I mainly got to handle getting the pages of finished artwork prepared for various stages of production. This meant cleaning up inked pages from stray marks. Setting down speech balloons the letterers had already prepared. Getting high quality copies of those pages to the colorists to color. And taking those finished colored pages to the printer to separate on time.
Grunt work. But I also got to be in the office around a whole host of professionals working in the business I wanted to work in, right at the time I was in college and trying to get work doing that kind of work.
A-freakin-Mazing.
So I got to show my art around to pretty much everyone I could.
And I got a lot of feedback.
So Don Perlin used to work there. The same Don Perlin that used to draw The Avengers (my absolute favorite comic of all-time), and various other Marvel Comics I grew up reading. And I got a chance to show him my stuff.
Mr. Perlin can be kind of gruff, so I wasn't expecting friendly or fuzzy feedback. Which is cool. You get thick skin doing this kind of work or you give it up.
But instead Mr. Perlin just told me I needed to work on my anatomy.
Here's the thing, it was a brushoff. It wasn't feedback.
I very well may have needed to work on my anatomy, but that wasn't really evident in the pieces I had shown.
How did I learn this?
Because that next week, a promotional ad for the upcoming Timewalker series came into the office. Drawn by Mr. Perlin. The hero, Ivar, was drawn with ... get this ... TWO LEFT HANDS.
I had to do a little copier/cut-n-paste magic to flip that hand back to a right hand.
So the guy telling me I needed to work on my anatomy was turning in artwork with two left hands.
It's a very funny story.
But overall worthless feedback.
Telling someone you don't like metallic texture isn't really helpful feedback. It's their opinion. And so you get insight into the details of what that person likes. But you don't get any good feedback to help you as an artist or designer.
And yes, I did work on my anatomy. But really? TWO LEFT HANDS?
/chuckle
My overall point is, as an artist or designer you are going to get a ton of feedback. And it's really on you, the artist, to sift through the "I don't like metallic texture" type of feedback, to get to the feedback that actually can and will help you improve.
And to the OP ... Me? I like the metallic texture and what it can let you do in this game's character creator. But that's just me.
P.S. I also got to show my stuff to Bob Hall. The creative force behind Shadowman at the time and also a former artist on The Avengers. He sat down with me and gave me a good 10 minutes of feedback, all of which really helped push me forward. And gave me some tips on how to improve my anatomy. There is definitely spots where you can get good feedback. I'm just not convinced the OP was going to get it from judges saying "I don't like metallic textures" or "Too sexy."
The OP was not asking about how to improve. They want to win. Being given information on what will make a judge dislike your costume is relevant to a desire to win.
Awesome story BTW (seriously. not a "cool story bro comment).
'Caine, miss you bud. Fly high.
Don't make sucky costumes.
Caliga's PRIMUS Database! --XXX--The Caliga Build: Threatening Haymakers! --XXX-- Caliga and Conquer fanart!
Its all a question of what a person finds funny or awesome or not everyones different. BUT I will say this some CC are blatant super group recruitment drives and anyone not in a SG is more likely to win.
Nepht and Dr Deflecto on primus
They all thought I was out of the game....But I'm holding all the lockboxes now..
I'll......FOAM FINGER YOUR BACK!
I have a section for 'social'. I make notes of things like RP events, Costume Contests, etc.
I highly recommend you do what I do.
When I see someone win X Supergroup's costume contest, I'll make a note of them. What they wore, what categories they won, etc. I'll go to another X Supergroup costume contest, and if I see this person win repeatedly, I'll just not attend the costume contest- especially if this person is playing an alt and is a part of the SG (I've seen this happen). I won't waste my time on this group any more, and I will find other things to do.
I do this for RP events as well. I have my own personal 'not ignored' blacklist. I keep a log of people I'll avoid in any RP at all, but not outright cut off. There are entire SG's that, no matter what they offer, I won't RP with them because of the way they've treated others and their characters.
Yes, costume contests are supposed to be fun- and I've won two myself, and I enjoyed most of the others. I don't go in to win, but I always think 'it'd be cool if I did'. But, I know that it's all a matter of preference for the judges.
I will also say that I've seen groups pick their own members under alt accounts, and use costume contests as a way of making each other look and feel better than the 'unwashed masses'. The actual wording I use for this sort of thing isn't appropriate for the forums, but it involves hands and genitals as a gesture of friendship.
Is it 'just my opinion' if a judge picks a winner I think was 'meh' at best? Sure. It's opinion vs. opinion, and no one is wrong or right and opinions can be questioned and criticized. In the end, I'm not going to change the way X Supergroup does their costume contest. However, I don't have to participate. I can share my observations and notes with others. When X Supergroup advertises in Zone Chat about their Costume Contest, I can be a jerk and ask in that same Zone chat 'Will @mrdudeguy from your SG win two categories again with one of his alts like last week and the week before?' It's a jerk move, but it's not completely without merit.
It's not that the OP is wrong for their complaint. But it's all about picking your battles and knowing how to fight them, if it's worth fighting.