I didn't resort to name calling, I simply said you're a bitter and discontented gamer.
I highly suggest you refrain from directly attacking any individual on posts, as it is against the code of conduct.
There is no need for me to defend myself. My country has this thing called freedom of speech. Perhaps yours doesn't, my condolences if that is the case.
Please do not try to associate me with personal attacks on any particular individual like you have in this thread. If you do not comprehend the subject matter of my posts, and consider them vague... you are entitled to your opinion and I do not condone anyone attacking you about your opinions.
I'm going to suggest we move beyond the past few posts and on to some more constructive conversation. How does an author attract plays without compromising story all while staying within the "sweet zone" (for lack of a better description) time frame? Do you break your quest into more than one Act? If so, how do you keep continuity? Do you add an NPC that behaves as "Q" does to James Bond, passing gadgets from the previous quest? It's safe to say we learned during the contest that the longer the Foundry, the more intimidating it appears to players. Perhaps we could share ideas on how to make things seem less daunting?
"I don't know, I'm making it up as I go..." Featured Foundry Quest:Whispers of an Ancient Evil [v3] - NW-DQ4WKW6ZG Foundry Quest: Harper Chronicles: Blacklake - NW-DCPA4W2Q5
If you're doing a linear quest with no branching paths, then you can easily break things up into multiple acts. You could conceivably choose to say the items are carried by an NPC perhaps, or not carry anything over. Why start a quest that's linear with items filling up a bag?
If you're not doing a linear quest, then you could conceivably make multiple "second acts" to flow into, depending on what path they took, like; Good Act 2, or Evil Act 2. You could go pretty deep with that, but that would require a large undertaking, and your players to be honest with what they did last mission.
These choices considered, your option would probably be ideal, Ian, with only two downsides that I can see associated with it; one, it still requires player honesty, and two, you still have the issue of carrying items in the players bag, and there is a limit of those, as I found out.
In conclusion, you can't with out compromising the story's integrity, and that's fine.
If you're not doing a linear quest, then you could conceivably make multiple "second acts" to flow into, depending on what path they took, like; Good Act 2, or Evil Act 2. You could go pretty deep with that, but that would require a large undertaking, and your players to be honest with what they did last mission.
That also gives the player the option to replay the quest line for a different outcome, thus increasing the number of plays.
you still have the issue of carrying items in the players bag, and there is a limit of those, as I found out.
See! Something new learned every day! (I was unaware of a bag limit also, though it didn't pertain to my quest.) Excellent, hopefully this helps other authors with planning in the future.
"I don't know, I'm making it up as I go..." Featured Foundry Quest:Whispers of an Ancient Evil [v3] - NW-DQ4WKW6ZG Foundry Quest: Harper Chronicles: Blacklake - NW-DCPA4W2Q5
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sarlacc1979Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild UsersPosts: 47
There is no need for me to defend myself. My country has this thing called freedom of speech. Perhaps yours doesn't, my condolences if that is the case.
So you are allowed freedom of speech and I am not? Interesting. And a code of conduct violation? I noted the tone of your posts and I strongly disagreed with you about your characterization of the contest, its participants and the game in general. There is no need to defend yourself, I disagree with you and that's it. If you want to continue this discussion regarding our different points of view I'd be happy to but iandarksword is correct, we shouldn't let this interrupt this thread any more than it already has.
Please try my Foundry campaign, "Olivia's Trials".
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sarlacc1979Member, Neverwinter Beta Users, Neverwinter Knight of the Feywild UsersPosts: 47
edited October 2014
I like the idea of a "Q" type character helping the player with gadgets but I never liked taking inventory space away from the player. In one of my quests the player needed to unlock a door with a key from a specific bad guy but I didn't give them a physical key I just had the prompts tell them they acquired the key and then interact with the door to "unlock" it. I think it worked pretty well for that particular situation.
Please try my Foundry campaign, "Olivia's Trials".
Judging Details: Starting Tuesday 9/2, we will start featuring the contest entries that are eligible for winning. We ask that all entrants make sure their Foundry quests are eligible for featuring and have been submitted for featuring. Due to the high volume of entries, we will be featuring the quests in batches to ensure all entries receive enough visibility. Each batch of entries will be featured for 1 week at a time and we will only count the stars accumulated during that week. Once a given entry's week is over, we will record the accumulated stars for quests featured that week in our super-secret ledger. When we have featured all of the eligible entries, we will declare the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize winners based upon their accumulated stars. We realize that this will result in us having to push back the date of our winner's announcement, so we've gone ahead and added 2 more "Judges Choice" prizes. These winners will be chosen by the Neverwinter team and they will each receive a Dragonborn Legend pack!
I like the idea of a "Q" type character helping the player with gadgets but I never liked taking inventory space away from the player. In one of my quests the player needed to unlock a door with a key from a specific bad guy but I didn't give them a physical key I just had the prompts tell them they acquired the key and then interact with the door to "unlock" it. I think it worked pretty well for that particular situation.
This option applies to players who may not have ample bag space, and let's face it, without buying the Greater Bag of Holding (via Cash Shop or Auction House) bag space can be extremely important, especially during events. It's important to consider those factors may affect players (though not all of them.) I remember the many "go fetch" quests in the Baldur's Gate games, and having less than ample inventory space required some inter-party inventory management.
"I don't know, I'm making it up as I go..." Featured Foundry Quest:Whispers of an Ancient Evil [v3] - NW-DQ4WKW6ZG Foundry Quest: Harper Chronicles: Blacklake - NW-DCPA4W2Q5
I'm going to suggest we move beyond the past few posts and on to some more constructive conversation. How does an author attract plays without compromising story all while staying within the "sweet zone" (for lack of a better description) time frame? Do you break your quest into more than one Act? If so, how do you keep continuity? Do you add an NPC that behaves as "Q" does to James Bond, passing gadgets from the previous quest? It's safe to say we learned during the contest that the longer the Foundry, the more intimidating it appears to players. Perhaps we could share ideas on how to make things seem less daunting?
I'm still learning how to attract plays, have no idea how I get/got any plays at all for any of my quests other than a few trade reviews here and there. But there's a couple of things I try to do to get that sweet spot.
1) The narrative hook - A well written description of the quest. That's the first thing people see about your quest. Take the time to write something compelling that is a) not too vague b) not too long. It shouldn't be a book to introduce your work. And state what type of quest it is, as lot of people still don't know about the tag system. Is it a grind? Story heavy? Hack'n'slash? Just list a couple features. Also, make sure to check for spelling and grammar errors.
2) Playtest for zergability - How fast can someone play your quest if they don't read anything and run through it all? What are they looking at if they just run? What if they have the fastest mount? You can have the most amazing, brilliant story every written but some people just won't read it. I playtest mine to see how fast I can get through it without reading anything and avoiding as many encounters as I can. If I can do it in under 15 minutes, then I add things to slow people down, be it additional encounters, more invisible walls or change their positions, longer interactable timers, etc. But I don't add more script, as that can be just clicked through in a milisecond. As I add, I continue to playtest. If my zerging is around 15 minutes, I stop there. That seems to be working for me and it's keeping the play average times for my foundries between the 15-30 minute mark, where I want it.
These next two are things that I've not really done as an author, but have been successful for me as a player.
3) Cliffhangers - Sometimes a good story needs a couple chapters. The trick is finding a good place to break it up at in the story. One that'll keep the player vested to learn more. A small plot twist, rather than a huge climatic event, could be all it needs to hook the player to play the next chapter. If the story feels complete at the end of the chapter, I might not feel urged to play the next one.
4) Continuity - For me, refreshers help. I hate it when I plan to play through someone's campaign, get pulled away, and can't return for a day or two and forget what I was running three chapters in. At the start of a new chapter/act, do a write up recapping the last quest before they can continue. Be it through an author npc, or forced dialogue pops up. I prefer it being done within the foundry itself, rather than the quest description.... Need items from the last quest? "Whoops, you dropped your bag. You stoop to pick it up" and lo and behold, there are the needed quest items. So if the player had taken time away before they did the next act, they can still "pick up" where they left off.
Just some ideas and ramblings.
Hidden Valley Ranch - NW-DPNGENL6E D&D Adventures Part I House of 1000 Corpses - NW-DIEYVLCML D&D Adventures Part II Well of Dragons - NW-DTPJEKZCT Third Place Winner CotD Foundry Contest
It's Just a Flesh Wound Pt. 1 - NW-DM8GHAME2 Monty Python!
It's Just a Flesh Wound Pt. 2 - NW-DFADOS4EX Monty Python!
I'm still learning how to attract plays, have no idea how I get/got any plays at all for any of my quests other than a few trade reviews here and there. But there's a couple of things I try to do to get that sweet spot.
I can't help you there, considering I have less than 200 plays. lol. This was my first published quest, and like everyone was saying from the start... it will be a contest between the first few entries featured (pointed out that spot 1 and spot 2 will likely win no matter what)... other than that I think it's painfully obvious that 15 minute quickies pretty much rule the top of the charts.
I wanted to create some kick *** custom maps, and I feel that I have done that very well. It was pointed out to me prior to doing beginning, that people would likely rate long quests poorly. Those people that stated that were right. The key motivator (however unfortunate) for foundry players is the daily foundry unrefined astral diamonds. People just want 4 quickies they can do in an hour or so.
Other than that, the competitors between them really come down to three different things: Satire (Tired of Being the Hero), Combat, Farmability. That's right... Fast, Funny, Hack n Slash, replayable. Let's face it, people grind alts and bots in the foundry. The story quest grind just isn't doing it for them. Bill's Tavern is still high on my list, if for nothing else... the fact i can play it 4 times in a row without a thought in the world running through my head that will interfere with a conversation on skype or cellphone.
I don't think content plays a role at all. There just aren't any rewards that would keep people coming back for content. No matter what you believe, or how hard you analyze foundry quests.... the f2p community just isn't an audience you can market content too.
Hell man, they can't even get rid of the spam bots.
Has anyone actually broken down the quest database for 'success keys'? I've never read anything too indepth about it.
That depends on your definition of "success." If an author set out to create lavish, down to the pebble detail maps, and that was their goal, then the player base recognizes it through reviews and emails, then that author has succeeded. In truth, to notice that level of detail often requires multiple plays, but not necessarily thousands upon thousands. If the author set out to create a farm that garners them hundreds of thousands of plays, but has no story, and very little challenge, and they get 100,000 plays, then they've succeeded. Players will often play these type of quests many times over, until a better method with a greater pay out comes along, then the previous quest is left to rot in purgatory.
When a contest is involved, particularly one that involves popularity, there is no longer anything the author can control. Sometimes in contests, the audience goes for the most artistic, most in depth story, most immersive experience. In other instances, the audience prefers more concise storytelling with a fair amount of action. The best thing that any author can do is put the best of their current abilities out for an entry, and hope for the best. The key to success is different for every unique instance. Sometimes its simply a matter of timing, and catching the right audience at the right time.
As far as factors that may seem detrimental to the contest success of a given entry, any quest that the author gives a list of reasons "not to play" in the description doesn't look inviting to play and tells players the author is very specific in the audience they were searching for. In a popularity contest, it's not the best strategy to limit your audience, or to scare potential players who might otherwise be able to overlook the length if the story catches their intrigue. These type of quests tend to rate higher, but not get many plays because the author has found a niche of the player base that thoroughly enjoys the content the author is presenting, much like a cult following in the motion picture industry. It's like creating a "members only" experience that while pleasing to the members, it may not strike the same ire with the general public.
"I don't know, I'm making it up as I go..." Featured Foundry Quest:Whispers of an Ancient Evil [v3] - NW-DQ4WKW6ZG Foundry Quest: Harper Chronicles: Blacklake - NW-DCPA4W2Q5
I can't help you there, considering I have less than 200 plays.
Actually, you're just over 400 plays. You have a little less than 200 reviews, 90+ or so of which are 5 star reviews. That means almost 50% of your total reviews are 5 star ratings alone (this means people enjoy your work profoundly.) Not everyone who plays quests chooses to review them, and some of those 500 plays could account for replays as well. Look at the spread instead of just focusing on the negative or low rated reviews, it's better than you probably think.
The key motivator (however unfortunate) for foundry players is the daily foundry unrefined astral diamonds. People just want 4 quickies they can do in an hour or so.
In this thread alone, this has been discussed multiple times, if you're going for a massive amount of plays, create a farm that drops exceptional loot with very low challenge encounters. Because people have dailies to keep up with, and dang it, they want their artifact gear to level 100, like, yesterday. Better make sure it's on a flat, straight line, too, because that sparkly path is for lemmings and will lead players right off a cliff.
I don't think content plays a role at all. There just aren't any rewards that would keep people coming back for content. No matter what you believe, or how hard you analyze foundry quests.... the f2p community just isn't an audience you can market content too.
Custom content will always be second fiddle to the existing/current game content. Custom content isn't a market, it's a supplement to the game that by nature is voluntary both for the author and player. It isn't a requirement for the author to create custom content to progress in the game and likewise it isn't a requirement for the players to partake in the custom content.
"I don't know, I'm making it up as I go..." Featured Foundry Quest:Whispers of an Ancient Evil [v3] - NW-DQ4WKW6ZG Foundry Quest: Harper Chronicles: Blacklake - NW-DCPA4W2Q5
Actually, you're near 500 plays. You have a little less than 200 reviews, 90+ or so of which are 5 star reviews. That means almost 50% of your total reviews are 5 star ratings alone (this means people enjoy your work profoundly.) Not everyone who plays quests chooses to review them, and some of those 500 plays could account for replays as well. Look at the spread instead of just focusing on the negative or low rated reviews, it's better than you probably think.
I already knew that people would leave ignorant comments about sparkly trails, and 'too long' or 'too hard' or whatever else flipped their boat when they played through Arselu'Tel'Quess. Bad reviews don't bother me one bit, I put the time into my foundry, and the only thing that bothers me are the limitations of the current Foundry Editor. It is aggravating that they put so many restrictions on the foundry because of bot farming or whatever. Considering the loot drops available, why not at least give us a more powerful tool? I mean is there a single author that isn't here for the creative outlet? Frustrating to say the least.
What I was asking for about keys of success were the numbers...crunched. Example, most of the geared people told me my quest was a piece of cake and that the maps are gorgeous. A few people actually traded me tips and said thanks. However, quite a few people told me the encounters were too hard for solo... then complained about having to use all their potions. Too me, that sounds like **** complaints. What I can't decide is whether to just ignore them and make it as challenging as I can for those of us with geared characters or if I should be marketing to the n00bs.
This was my first foundry, I knew going in that I could get better results by making it shorter... which I almost did. I think If i condensed my 2nd map (the castle) into a 15 minute quickie with a ton of easy mobs.... it would easily become a noobie farming map. However I have more fun in the Foundry making things like my front gate where you have to 'solve a puzzle' of sorts. Most people have no problem getting up to the gatewheel, but some just can't figure it out (which dumbfounds me). I gotta say I got sick of the /whispers "how do I get into your castle?".
the only thing that bothers me are the limitations of the current Foundry Editor. It is aggravating that they put so many restrictions on the foundry because of bot farming or whatever. Considering the loot drops available, why not at least give us a more powerful tool? I mean is there a single author that isn't here for the creative outlet? Frustrating to say the least.
Many of us have been clamoring for improvements, some since Beta. Your frustration is shared by many in the Foundry community. Most appear to have adopted a "wait and see, but don't hold your breath" mindset.
What I was asking for about keys of success were the numbers...crunched. Example, most of the geared people told me my quest was a piece of cake and that the maps are gorgeous. A few people actually traded me tips and said thanks. However, quite a few people told me the encounters were too hard for solo... then complained about having to use all their potions. Too me, that sounds like **** complaints. What I can't decide is whether to just ignore them and make it as challenging as I can for those of us with geared characters or if I should be marketing to the n00bs.
There is too much variety in gear across the entire player base. Unless people tell you what gear they're carrying, there's no way of knowing. It would be near impossible to try to create a "one size fits all." Like many others my quest also ran the table for reviews. If you create something people like, then your audience will come to you, it may not be huge, but it'll be there and eventually may expand. As far as how hard or easy to make quests, that's entirely up to you, and you can always go back and change it one way or the other as feedback dictates until you feel comfortable with it.
"I don't know, I'm making it up as I go..." Featured Foundry Quest:Whispers of an Ancient Evil [v3] - NW-DQ4WKW6ZG Foundry Quest: Harper Chronicles: Blacklake - NW-DCPA4W2Q5
The one thing i know for sure, is that until they give us back a decent Detail Object/Cluster Object limit (like it used to be 3000/3000 now only 1700 total), I really can't do any of the things I want too do.
I already knew that people would leave ignorant comments about sparkly trails, and 'too long' or 'too hard' or whatever else flipped their boat when they played through Arselu'Tel'Quess.... Most of the geared people told me my quest was a piece of cake and that the maps are gorgeous. A few people actually traded me tips and said thanks. However, quite a few people told me the encounters were too hard for solo... then complained about having to use all their potions. Too me, that sounds like **** complaints. What I can't decide is whether to just ignore them and make it as challenging as I can for those of us with geared characters or if I should be marketing to the n00bs.
Well, I can't give you any crunched numbers, but I can share more about my own experience with your quest. My take on it was a bit different from some of the other reviews here... which just goes to show that there is both a level of subjectivity and a variance in experience even among experienced Foundry Authors.
I actually started playing through your contest entry with a lower level character. A Trickster Rogue, in fact. No real reason for that character choice; it's just what I had loaded at the time and figured I'd give it a go. If I recall correctly, I jumped through a couple of shorter maps before getting to the *big* custom fortress map. My first impression was that I wish more of the story had taken place in those early maps to justify the time spent loading them, but it wasn't a big deal. Just a sluggish start for me. However, that sluggishness became a big issue on the final map. Since I was too low level to have a mount, it meant running. Lots and lots of running. Long distances. On the one hand, it gave me an opportunity to appreciate just how long it must have taken to lay out that place. That's a lot of object moving! On the other hand, I also noticed that the size of the space meant that there were lots of areas with little "dressing" (furninshing, details... the kind of stuff that gives maps extra character). I guessed that you may have run out of resources in the Foundry because you spent them on building the actual structure.
By the time I ran into a place with a couple of stacked encounters -- a real challenge for a low-level Rogue, I'm tellin' ya! -- my sense of sluggishness began turning into frustration. Then... somehow... an enemy got stuck in the geometry near one of the teleporters. Try as I might, I couldn't lure the critter out. I had to exit the map and then re-enter. That meant starting the long runs through relatively undetailed areas again. I quickly fizzed out and quit the adventure.
The next day, I tried it again. I have been following your rather passionate posts about the contest over the past few months, and was eager to see what you had come up with. This time I brought along one of my really well-geared Level 60s. As you would imagine, things moved a LOT faster this time. Stacked encounters? I'm always leery when I see this in a Foundry, though they really posed little challenge for this character. Unfortunately, at one point in the quest, I realized I was missing one of the objectives (one of the phylacteries). Obviously the sparkly trail was no help (heh... we all understand that here). And because of the multi-level design of the map, not to mention the labyrinth created by your placement of teleporters, it took me a while to find my way back and see what I'd missed. That feeling of frustration was creeping back again.
I knew others had posted strongly favorable reviews, so I pressed on and blamed my struggles with my own choices as a player. Then, near the final objective in the quest, another enemy got stuck in the wall right near where I was supposed to click on something. I could see it's arms sticking through the wall, and it left me in combat mode. That meant I couldn't click on the objective and finish the quest. I ran to the far side of the map hoping that the enemy would reset or something, but it was still stuck in the wall. I killed myself off to respawn, but the critter was still stuck. None of my character's abilities had a knockback effect, so I assumed it was either a weird fluke or else there may be a problem with your mob placement. Heck, maybe it was just one of those weird things that happens in the Foundry sometime.
So... in order to finish the thing, I exited the map and did it all over. Again. And I completed the quest feeling frustrated and disappointed. I know that's not consistent with the other feedback you've received, but it was my experience. I'm only sharing it here because you seem to be eager for more feedback, and because you asked about whether you should dismiss negative reviews.
In looking through some of your other reviews, I noticed that there were a few who mentioned things like the length of your adventure or the negative consequences of such large maps. I wonder if those players may have had similar experiences to my own (especially on an un-mounted character). I don't know... but the trend may be the kind of feedback worth considering for future endeavors.
Of course, in the end, Authors simply can't please everyone. The nature of the game and the Foundry means that different level characters will have different experiences in their quests. I run into those kinds of feedback all the time on my various quests; some players say they found one too easy, then someone else comes along saying it was too difficult. If a player wrote a particularly thoughtful or constructive complaint, I sometimes send them an in-game mail asking for more information about their experience, and that has been really helpful in improving my designs in other quests.
Then there are those who throw the complaints about disappointing results in the final chest. Yeah, it's disheartening to see those 1 or 2 stars dropped on you and <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> up your average. I want to reach through the computer screen, grab the anonymous reviewer by the collar, shake them about, and shout at them, "Aw, c'mon! Don't you know that we can't control the final chest? Heck, I even put it in the adventure notes? Don't you read? No, of course you don't. Grrrr."
That's when I need to pause and remind myself why I build adventures in the Foundry in the first place. I do it because it's fun. It's not about winning a contest. It's not about having my ego stroked with positive reviews. It's not about riding a Silverback Bear with my Imp at my side. (Okay, well, it's a little bit about the mount, the companions, and the cool Moonstar cloak. Heh...) Instead, it's about enjoying a game. Sometimes I enjoy playing through the content. Sometimes I enjoy contributing to the content. And the day that it stops being fun -- the day that I find myself griping and complaining more than smiling and feeling satisfied -- that's when I'll move on to something else. Because, you know, nothing is worth the frustration once it gets to that point for us.
In the end, I appreciate your quest even if I didn't share the same positive experience others have reported. I truly I hope you'll make more... if you have fun doing so. My experience is that Authors just get better and better as they try new things and explore new creative ideas with the Foundry. Cheers.
Well I appreciate your feedback. I concur that I tried to make something too big. When I started this contest, I hadn't played around in the foundry since beta. I had already finished this huge structure when I realized i didn't have 3000/3000 object/cluster limits anymore. I almost deleted the first and last map, thinking a quick 15 minute run through my castle map would suffice for the contest. Honestly, It probably would have done much better.
Hindsight is 20/20 though. I definitely understand the frustration of running my maps without a mount. I do that in foundry on my avatar. I probably should stick to using structures like that for a backdrop instead of dimension.
I was really hoping to make a grand looking keep... befitting of housing a gargantuan Dracolich. I even put a small dracolich hanging from a ceiling... and many mausoleums to signify the keep's purpose at a glance. When I look at it now... I just see a waste of a month of my life. Way too big. There just isn't enough detail limit to make anything that big seem detailed.
I plan on keeping any future works I do on a much smaller scale. I was hoping that the giant pools of water would break up the large&stark feeling of the place... however... i'm not so sure if it does. The foundry editor is just too weaksauce to let me accomplish what I want too. That's the simple truth. I'll have to stick to smaller scale projects.
Time to post my reviews for the final batch of quests:
You Cant Call Yourself That - 3/5
What the hell did I just play? Mad props for all the different ways of solving puzzles and different endings, but the tone and setting just weren't really my thing.
Assault on Pyremourne - 5/5
An engaging story, great maps, and well-placed encounters make this an excellent quest. Well done!
Black Ice and Plaguefire - N/A
Since I'm obviously not going to review my own quest, I'll just say that I had a blast making it and I hope everyone enjoyed it. If anyone didn't pick up on it, most of what the cultists are talking about in the safehouse are references to various other contest entries. I figured it would be a nice touch to tie everything together, and really make it feel like the Cult has many different plans all going on at the same time, orchestrated by the various cells.
One of the complaints I got a lot was about the last map being too dark, or too foggy, or too hard to see, or filled with white clouds? I was really confused until I realized that, apparently, if you turn your graphics settings way down then fog backdrops become opaque. Something to watch out for in the future, I guess.
Time to post my reviews for the final batch of quests:
I was concerned about this. I've been patiently waiting for my entry to be featured, but it never was. I had posted my quest here. I admit, I took a few liberties with the lore and background for the contest, but I intended the quest to be a light-hearted spin for everyone. I definitely published my quest before the due date, so I am not sure why it never appeared.
I really don't want the large amount of effort I put into making my satirical quest to be ignored in the contest.
I was concerned about this. I've been patiently waiting for my entry to be featured, but it never was. I had posted my quest here. I admit, I took a few liberties with the lore and background for the contest, but I intended the quest to be a light-hearted spin for everyone. I definitely published my quest before the due date, so I am not sure why it never appeared.
I really don't want the large amount of effort I put into making my satirical quest to be ignored in the contest.
Did you click "Submit to Cryptic" in the upper right of the quest details tab?
If you only published it you didn't give them permission to feature it.
Since I'm obviously not going to review my own quest...
You may not be able to post a review of your adventure, so I'll jump in and do it for you.
BLACK ICE & PLAGUEFIRE - 5/5
Fellow Foundry Authors, take note: THIS is how it's done, folks. DTZ has provided us with an exemplary adventure filled with so many elements that are simply done right. A truly enjoyable experience.
The quest offers an abundance optional character conversations and items to investigate, providing not only amusing "easter egg" moments but also added color and detail to the story. (I actually *wanted* to click on every NPC and read their conversations!) And the story itself is terrific, beginning with well-executed investigation sequences that lead the adventurer deeper into the lore of the game and into a truly heroic challenge. The pacing of the tale was flawless.
The maps are well furnished, with the final environments being especially cinematic. Ascending the dimly lit caves, surrounded by evidence of the spellplague, was truly creepy. And there's one chamber that houses some ancient bones and black ice that made me simply pause and enjoy such a well-crafted scene. Matching this final map are NPCs that have been costumed beautifully to fit the environment.
I especially enjoyed the excellent use of an NPC companion who was actually helpful and informative for progressing the story. Being able to split up and choose different paths was also fun and provides incentive for replay.
Finally, the combat for the adventure was very balanced. Enemy placement was sensical, and the combats varied nicely as I progressed through the maps.
All-in-all, one of the most enjoyable Foundries I've played. Kudos!
Did you click "Submit to Cryptic" in the upper right of the quest details tab?
If you only published it you didn't give them permission to feature it.
I'm rather sure I did. I cannot check at the moment, but I will be sure to check as soon as I can. I remember hitting the Submit to Cryptic button though.
Assuming I did, I am not sure how it could even be a part of the contest now. Since all the other entries have past, they would have to either ignore my entry or post it in its own separate week, which would be awkward and potentially unfair, whether or not it be in my favor.
Assuming I did not, I will rage at myself for a while. I was looking forward to sharing my quest with a chance of getting a reward. In addition, the featured quest would have helped me on my path on the Foundry achievements. It doesn't seem like that will be possible now.
I'm rather sure I did. I cannot check at the moment, but I will be sure to check as soon as I can. I remember hitting the Submit to Cryptic button though.
Assuming I did, I am not sure how it could even be a part of the contest now. Since all the other entries have past, they would have to either ignore my entry or post it in its own separate week, which would be awkward and potentially unfair, whether or not it be in my favor.
Assuming I did not, I will rage at myself for a while. I was looking forward to sharing my quest with a chance of getting a reward. In addition, the featured quest would have helped me on my path on the Foundry achievements. It doesn't seem like that will be possible now.
If you submitted it for featuring, when you enter the foundry editor for that quest it will have a 'withdraw' button that is reddish in color. This button should be located in the image frame on the top right of your screen. That's a surefire way to know whether or not it is submitted for featuring. You'll either have a 'submit' button or a 'withdraw" button.
It says withdraw, but it also says I submitted it for featuring on the 19th of August. I am definitely certain I submitted it before that, for I made sure to finish it before August 1 because I was going to leave on a trip. I actually remember having to rush a few parts in order to finish it before the 1st.
Regardless, there is basically no way I can actually prove that, and I doubt Cryptic would be able to either since it's been months since then.
EDIT:
This was on the locked official thread:
- Update: Contestants need to have their submissions submitted for featuring by the 9/2 at 6AM PDT, as we will feature the first batch of eligible entries starting 9/2!
My quest was submitted before then. I am not sure what happened, but it seems my quest was not qualified.
It says withdraw, but it also says I submitted it for featuring on the 19th of August. I am definitely certain I submitted it before that, for I made sure to finish it before August 1 because I was going to leave on a trip. I actually remember having to rush a few parts in order to finish it before the 1st.
Regardless, there is basically no way I can actually prove that, and I doubt Cryptic would be able to either since it's been months since then.
EDIT:
This was on the locked official thread:
- Update: Contestants need to have their submissions submitted for featuring by the 9/2 at 6AM PDT, as we will feature the first batch of eligible entries starting 9/2!
My quest was submitted before then. I am not sure what happened, but it seems my quest was not qualified.
Mine says submitted 9/2. It's quite obvious they let the software determine who was eligible if you are the only person submitted beyond 9/2 that didn't get featured. I could be wrong of course. I also have no clue whether that was the last time you actually edited it or not. For the record, it's hard to believe that it somehow was changed without you editing it beyond 9/2 though. No offense intended.
I use a certain version system that tells me when my last edit was made to the quest and how many times I've changed it from the original. According to my latest version number in my quest description, I last edited it on 8/20 in order to take away a few spoilers and adjust the description's average duration. I stopped paying attention to it around that time in order to start my next foundry, which is still a work in progress.
Also, I am not sure what you mean by beyond. Do you mean before or after 9/2?
It's not a third-party system. I do it manually for any project I do that has the potential for multiple versions. Foe example, my foundry's current version is 1.07.2014820. Major version 1, minor version 7, date 8/20 of 2014. I should have clarified that on my earlier post. I used to forget to do it, but after practice over the years, I do it automatically now.
My quest was submitted before then. I am not sure what happened, but it seems my quest was not qualified.
What makes you think that Cryptic has completed featuring ALL the CotD quests?
I don't recall seeing any notices anywhere.
If there were over a hundred entries, at 6 featured per week, that'd be 16.6 weeks.
If the contest ended 9/2 and featuring started 9/6 then we should be done around the end of December.
Comments
I highly suggest you refrain from directly attacking any individual on posts, as it is against the code of conduct.
There is no need for me to defend myself. My country has this thing called freedom of speech. Perhaps yours doesn't, my condolences if that is the case.
Please do not try to associate me with personal attacks on any particular individual like you have in this thread. If you do not comprehend the subject matter of my posts, and consider them vague... you are entitled to your opinion and I do not condone anyone attacking you about your opinions.
Have a nice evening.
Featured Foundry Quest: Whispers of an Ancient Evil [v3] - NW-DQ4WKW6ZG
Foundry Quest: Harper Chronicles: Blacklake - NW-DCPA4W2Q5
If you're not doing a linear quest, then you could conceivably make multiple "second acts" to flow into, depending on what path they took, like; Good Act 2, or Evil Act 2. You could go pretty deep with that, but that would require a large undertaking, and your players to be honest with what they did last mission.
These choices considered, your option would probably be ideal, Ian, with only two downsides that I can see associated with it; one, it still requires player honesty, and two, you still have the issue of carrying items in the players bag, and there is a limit of those, as I found out.
In conclusion, you can't with out compromising the story's integrity, and that's fine.
That also gives the player the option to replay the quest line for a different outcome, thus increasing the number of plays.
See! Something new learned every day! (I was unaware of a bag limit also, though it didn't pertain to my quest.) Excellent, hopefully this helps other authors with planning in the future.
Featured Foundry Quest: Whispers of an Ancient Evil [v3] - NW-DQ4WKW6ZG
Foundry Quest: Harper Chronicles: Blacklake - NW-DCPA4W2Q5
So you are allowed freedom of speech and I am not? Interesting. And a code of conduct violation? I noted the tone of your posts and I strongly disagreed with you about your characterization of the contest, its participants and the game in general. There is no need to defend yourself, I disagree with you and that's it. If you want to continue this discussion regarding our different points of view I'd be happy to but iandarksword is correct, we shouldn't let this interrupt this thread any more than it already has.
Did you not read the updated contest details re: Judging?
Judging Details:
Starting Tuesday 9/2, we will start featuring the contest entries that are eligible for winning. We ask that all entrants make sure their Foundry quests are eligible for featuring and have been submitted for featuring. Due to the high volume of entries, we will be featuring the quests in batches to ensure all entries receive enough visibility. Each batch of entries will be featured for 1 week at a time and we will only count the stars accumulated during that week. Once a given entry's week is over, we will record the accumulated stars for quests featured that week in our super-secret ledger. When we have featured all of the eligible entries, we will declare the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd prize winners based upon their accumulated stars. We realize that this will result in us having to push back the date of our winner's announcement, so we've gone ahead and added 2 more "Judges Choice" prizes. These winners will be chosen by the Neverwinter team and they will each receive a Dragonborn Legend pack!
Encounter Matrix | Advanced Foundry Topics
Featured Foundry Quest: Whispers of an Ancient Evil [v3] - NW-DQ4WKW6ZG
Foundry Quest: Harper Chronicles: Blacklake - NW-DCPA4W2Q5
I'm still learning how to attract plays, have no idea how I get/got any plays at all for any of my quests other than a few trade reviews here and there. But there's a couple of things I try to do to get that sweet spot.
1) The narrative hook - A well written description of the quest. That's the first thing people see about your quest. Take the time to write something compelling that is a) not too vague b) not too long. It shouldn't be a book to introduce your work. And state what type of quest it is, as lot of people still don't know about the tag system. Is it a grind? Story heavy? Hack'n'slash? Just list a couple features. Also, make sure to check for spelling and grammar errors.
2) Playtest for zergability - How fast can someone play your quest if they don't read anything and run through it all? What are they looking at if they just run? What if they have the fastest mount? You can have the most amazing, brilliant story every written but some people just won't read it. I playtest mine to see how fast I can get through it without reading anything and avoiding as many encounters as I can. If I can do it in under 15 minutes, then I add things to slow people down, be it additional encounters, more invisible walls or change their positions, longer interactable timers, etc. But I don't add more script, as that can be just clicked through in a milisecond. As I add, I continue to playtest. If my zerging is around 15 minutes, I stop there. That seems to be working for me and it's keeping the play average times for my foundries between the 15-30 minute mark, where I want it.
These next two are things that I've not really done as an author, but have been successful for me as a player.
3) Cliffhangers - Sometimes a good story needs a couple chapters. The trick is finding a good place to break it up at in the story. One that'll keep the player vested to learn more. A small plot twist, rather than a huge climatic event, could be all it needs to hook the player to play the next chapter. If the story feels complete at the end of the chapter, I might not feel urged to play the next one.
4) Continuity - For me, refreshers help. I hate it when I plan to play through someone's campaign, get pulled away, and can't return for a day or two and forget what I was running three chapters in. At the start of a new chapter/act, do a write up recapping the last quest before they can continue. Be it through an author npc, or forced dialogue pops up. I prefer it being done within the foundry itself, rather than the quest description.... Need items from the last quest? "Whoops, you dropped your bag. You stoop to pick it up" and lo and behold, there are the needed quest items. So if the player had taken time away before they did the next act, they can still "pick up" where they left off.
Just some ideas and ramblings.
House of 1000 Corpses - NW-DIEYVLCML D&D Adventures Part II
Well of Dragons - NW-DTPJEKZCT Third Place Winner CotD Foundry Contest
It's Just a Flesh Wound Pt. 1 - NW-DM8GHAME2 Monty Python!
It's Just a Flesh Wound Pt. 2 - NW-DFADOS4EX Monty Python!
I can't help you there, considering I have less than 200 plays. lol. This was my first published quest, and like everyone was saying from the start... it will be a contest between the first few entries featured (pointed out that spot 1 and spot 2 will likely win no matter what)... other than that I think it's painfully obvious that 15 minute quickies pretty much rule the top of the charts.
I wanted to create some kick *** custom maps, and I feel that I have done that very well. It was pointed out to me prior to doing beginning, that people would likely rate long quests poorly. Those people that stated that were right. The key motivator (however unfortunate) for foundry players is the daily foundry unrefined astral diamonds. People just want 4 quickies they can do in an hour or so.
Other than that, the competitors between them really come down to three different things: Satire (Tired of Being the Hero), Combat, Farmability. That's right... Fast, Funny, Hack n Slash, replayable. Let's face it, people grind alts and bots in the foundry. The story quest grind just isn't doing it for them. Bill's Tavern is still high on my list, if for nothing else... the fact i can play it 4 times in a row without a thought in the world running through my head that will interfere with a conversation on skype or cellphone.
I don't think content plays a role at all. There just aren't any rewards that would keep people coming back for content. No matter what you believe, or how hard you analyze foundry quests.... the f2p community just isn't an audience you can market content too.
Hell man, they can't even get rid of the spam bots.
That depends on your definition of "success." If an author set out to create lavish, down to the pebble detail maps, and that was their goal, then the player base recognizes it through reviews and emails, then that author has succeeded. In truth, to notice that level of detail often requires multiple plays, but not necessarily thousands upon thousands. If the author set out to create a farm that garners them hundreds of thousands of plays, but has no story, and very little challenge, and they get 100,000 plays, then they've succeeded. Players will often play these type of quests many times over, until a better method with a greater pay out comes along, then the previous quest is left to rot in purgatory.
When a contest is involved, particularly one that involves popularity, there is no longer anything the author can control. Sometimes in contests, the audience goes for the most artistic, most in depth story, most immersive experience. In other instances, the audience prefers more concise storytelling with a fair amount of action. The best thing that any author can do is put the best of their current abilities out for an entry, and hope for the best. The key to success is different for every unique instance. Sometimes its simply a matter of timing, and catching the right audience at the right time.
As far as factors that may seem detrimental to the contest success of a given entry, any quest that the author gives a list of reasons "not to play" in the description doesn't look inviting to play and tells players the author is very specific in the audience they were searching for. In a popularity contest, it's not the best strategy to limit your audience, or to scare potential players who might otherwise be able to overlook the length if the story catches their intrigue. These type of quests tend to rate higher, but not get many plays because the author has found a niche of the player base that thoroughly enjoys the content the author is presenting, much like a cult following in the motion picture industry. It's like creating a "members only" experience that while pleasing to the members, it may not strike the same ire with the general public.
Featured Foundry Quest: Whispers of an Ancient Evil [v3] - NW-DQ4WKW6ZG
Foundry Quest: Harper Chronicles: Blacklake - NW-DCPA4W2Q5
In this thread alone, this has been discussed multiple times, if you're going for a massive amount of plays, create a farm that drops exceptional loot with very low challenge encounters. Because people have dailies to keep up with, and dang it, they want their artifact gear to level 100, like, yesterday. Better make sure it's on a flat, straight line, too, because that sparkly path is for lemmings and will lead players right off a cliff.
Custom content will always be second fiddle to the existing/current game content. Custom content isn't a market, it's a supplement to the game that by nature is voluntary both for the author and player. It isn't a requirement for the author to create custom content to progress in the game and likewise it isn't a requirement for the players to partake in the custom content.
Featured Foundry Quest: Whispers of an Ancient Evil [v3] - NW-DQ4WKW6ZG
Foundry Quest: Harper Chronicles: Blacklake - NW-DCPA4W2Q5
I already knew that people would leave ignorant comments about sparkly trails, and 'too long' or 'too hard' or whatever else flipped their boat when they played through Arselu'Tel'Quess. Bad reviews don't bother me one bit, I put the time into my foundry, and the only thing that bothers me are the limitations of the current Foundry Editor. It is aggravating that they put so many restrictions on the foundry because of bot farming or whatever. Considering the loot drops available, why not at least give us a more powerful tool? I mean is there a single author that isn't here for the creative outlet? Frustrating to say the least.
What I was asking for about keys of success were the numbers...crunched. Example, most of the geared people told me my quest was a piece of cake and that the maps are gorgeous. A few people actually traded me tips and said thanks. However, quite a few people told me the encounters were too hard for solo... then complained about having to use all their potions. Too me, that sounds like **** complaints. What I can't decide is whether to just ignore them and make it as challenging as I can for those of us with geared characters or if I should be marketing to the n00bs.
This was my first foundry, I knew going in that I could get better results by making it shorter... which I almost did. I think If i condensed my 2nd map (the castle) into a 15 minute quickie with a ton of easy mobs.... it would easily become a noobie farming map. However I have more fun in the Foundry making things like my front gate where you have to 'solve a puzzle' of sorts. Most people have no problem getting up to the gatewheel, but some just can't figure it out (which dumbfounds me). I gotta say I got sick of the /whispers "how do I get into your castle?".
*shrugs*
There is too much variety in gear across the entire player base. Unless people tell you what gear they're carrying, there's no way of knowing. It would be near impossible to try to create a "one size fits all." Like many others my quest also ran the table for reviews. If you create something people like, then your audience will come to you, it may not be huge, but it'll be there and eventually may expand. As far as how hard or easy to make quests, that's entirely up to you, and you can always go back and change it one way or the other as feedback dictates until you feel comfortable with it.
Featured Foundry Quest: Whispers of an Ancient Evil [v3] - NW-DQ4WKW6ZG
Foundry Quest: Harper Chronicles: Blacklake - NW-DCPA4W2Q5
Well, I can't give you any crunched numbers, but I can share more about my own experience with your quest. My take on it was a bit different from some of the other reviews here... which just goes to show that there is both a level of subjectivity and a variance in experience even among experienced Foundry Authors.
I actually started playing through your contest entry with a lower level character. A Trickster Rogue, in fact. No real reason for that character choice; it's just what I had loaded at the time and figured I'd give it a go. If I recall correctly, I jumped through a couple of shorter maps before getting to the *big* custom fortress map. My first impression was that I wish more of the story had taken place in those early maps to justify the time spent loading them, but it wasn't a big deal. Just a sluggish start for me. However, that sluggishness became a big issue on the final map. Since I was too low level to have a mount, it meant running. Lots and lots of running. Long distances. On the one hand, it gave me an opportunity to appreciate just how long it must have taken to lay out that place. That's a lot of object moving! On the other hand, I also noticed that the size of the space meant that there were lots of areas with little "dressing" (furninshing, details... the kind of stuff that gives maps extra character). I guessed that you may have run out of resources in the Foundry because you spent them on building the actual structure.
By the time I ran into a place with a couple of stacked encounters -- a real challenge for a low-level Rogue, I'm tellin' ya! -- my sense of sluggishness began turning into frustration. Then... somehow... an enemy got stuck in the geometry near one of the teleporters. Try as I might, I couldn't lure the critter out. I had to exit the map and then re-enter. That meant starting the long runs through relatively undetailed areas again. I quickly fizzed out and quit the adventure.
The next day, I tried it again. I have been following your rather passionate posts about the contest over the past few months, and was eager to see what you had come up with. This time I brought along one of my really well-geared Level 60s. As you would imagine, things moved a LOT faster this time. Stacked encounters? I'm always leery when I see this in a Foundry, though they really posed little challenge for this character. Unfortunately, at one point in the quest, I realized I was missing one of the objectives (one of the phylacteries). Obviously the sparkly trail was no help (heh... we all understand that here). And because of the multi-level design of the map, not to mention the labyrinth created by your placement of teleporters, it took me a while to find my way back and see what I'd missed. That feeling of frustration was creeping back again.
I knew others had posted strongly favorable reviews, so I pressed on and blamed my struggles with my own choices as a player. Then, near the final objective in the quest, another enemy got stuck in the wall right near where I was supposed to click on something. I could see it's arms sticking through the wall, and it left me in combat mode. That meant I couldn't click on the objective and finish the quest. I ran to the far side of the map hoping that the enemy would reset or something, but it was still stuck in the wall. I killed myself off to respawn, but the critter was still stuck. None of my character's abilities had a knockback effect, so I assumed it was either a weird fluke or else there may be a problem with your mob placement. Heck, maybe it was just one of those weird things that happens in the Foundry sometime.
So... in order to finish the thing, I exited the map and did it all over. Again. And I completed the quest feeling frustrated and disappointed. I know that's not consistent with the other feedback you've received, but it was my experience. I'm only sharing it here because you seem to be eager for more feedback, and because you asked about whether you should dismiss negative reviews.
In looking through some of your other reviews, I noticed that there were a few who mentioned things like the length of your adventure or the negative consequences of such large maps. I wonder if those players may have had similar experiences to my own (especially on an un-mounted character). I don't know... but the trend may be the kind of feedback worth considering for future endeavors.
Of course, in the end, Authors simply can't please everyone. The nature of the game and the Foundry means that different level characters will have different experiences in their quests. I run into those kinds of feedback all the time on my various quests; some players say they found one too easy, then someone else comes along saying it was too difficult. If a player wrote a particularly thoughtful or constructive complaint, I sometimes send them an in-game mail asking for more information about their experience, and that has been really helpful in improving my designs in other quests.
Then there are those who throw the complaints about disappointing results in the final chest. Yeah, it's disheartening to see those 1 or 2 stars dropped on you and <font color="orange">HAMSTER</font> up your average. I want to reach through the computer screen, grab the anonymous reviewer by the collar, shake them about, and shout at them, "Aw, c'mon! Don't you know that we can't control the final chest? Heck, I even put it in the adventure notes? Don't you read? No, of course you don't. Grrrr."
That's when I need to pause and remind myself why I build adventures in the Foundry in the first place. I do it because it's fun. It's not about winning a contest. It's not about having my ego stroked with positive reviews. It's not about riding a Silverback Bear with my Imp at my side. (Okay, well, it's a little bit about the mount, the companions, and the cool Moonstar cloak. Heh...) Instead, it's about enjoying a game. Sometimes I enjoy playing through the content. Sometimes I enjoy contributing to the content. And the day that it stops being fun -- the day that I find myself griping and complaining more than smiling and feeling satisfied -- that's when I'll move on to something else. Because, you know, nothing is worth the frustration once it gets to that point for us.
In the end, I appreciate your quest even if I didn't share the same positive experience others have reported. I truly I hope you'll make more... if you have fun doing so. My experience is that Authors just get better and better as they try new things and explore new creative ideas with the Foundry. Cheers.
Hindsight is 20/20 though. I definitely understand the frustration of running my maps without a mount. I do that in foundry on my avatar. I probably should stick to using structures like that for a backdrop instead of dimension.
I was really hoping to make a grand looking keep... befitting of housing a gargantuan Dracolich. I even put a small dracolich hanging from a ceiling... and many mausoleums to signify the keep's purpose at a glance. When I look at it now... I just see a waste of a month of my life. Way too big. There just isn't enough detail limit to make anything that big seem detailed.
I plan on keeping any future works I do on a much smaller scale. I was hoping that the giant pools of water would break up the large&stark feeling of the place... however... i'm not so sure if it does. The foundry editor is just too weaksauce to let me accomplish what I want too. That's the simple truth. I'll have to stick to smaller scale projects.
Nuff said.
You Cant Call Yourself That - 3/5
What the hell did I just play? Mad props for all the different ways of solving puzzles and different endings, but the tone and setting just weren't really my thing.
Assault on Pyremourne - 5/5
An engaging story, great maps, and well-placed encounters make this an excellent quest. Well done!
Black Ice and Plaguefire - N/A
Since I'm obviously not going to review my own quest, I'll just say that I had a blast making it and I hope everyone enjoyed it. If anyone didn't pick up on it, most of what the cultists are talking about in the safehouse are references to various other contest entries. I figured it would be a nice touch to tie everything together, and really make it feel like the Cult has many different plans all going on at the same time, orchestrated by the various cells.
One of the complaints I got a lot was about the last map being too dark, or too foggy, or too hard to see, or filled with white clouds? I was really confused until I realized that, apparently, if you turn your graphics settings way down then fog backdrops become opaque. Something to watch out for in the future, I guess.
Check out my Foundry questline, The Brightstone Explorers' Guild, now archived on Youtube!
I was concerned about this. I've been patiently waiting for my entry to be featured, but it never was. I had posted my quest here. I admit, I took a few liberties with the lore and background for the contest, but I intended the quest to be a light-hearted spin for everyone. I definitely published my quest before the due date, so I am not sure why it never appeared.
I really don't want the large amount of effort I put into making my satirical quest to be ignored in the contest.
Did you click "Submit to Cryptic" in the upper right of the quest details tab?
If you only published it you didn't give them permission to feature it.
Encounter Matrix | Advanced Foundry Topics
You may not be able to post a review of your adventure, so I'll jump in and do it for you.
BLACK ICE & PLAGUEFIRE - 5/5
Fellow Foundry Authors, take note: THIS is how it's done, folks. DTZ has provided us with an exemplary adventure filled with so many elements that are simply done right. A truly enjoyable experience.
The quest offers an abundance optional character conversations and items to investigate, providing not only amusing "easter egg" moments but also added color and detail to the story. (I actually *wanted* to click on every NPC and read their conversations!) And the story itself is terrific, beginning with well-executed investigation sequences that lead the adventurer deeper into the lore of the game and into a truly heroic challenge. The pacing of the tale was flawless.
The maps are well furnished, with the final environments being especially cinematic. Ascending the dimly lit caves, surrounded by evidence of the spellplague, was truly creepy. And there's one chamber that houses some ancient bones and black ice that made me simply pause and enjoy such a well-crafted scene. Matching this final map are NPCs that have been costumed beautifully to fit the environment.
I especially enjoyed the excellent use of an NPC companion who was actually helpful and informative for progressing the story. Being able to split up and choose different paths was also fun and provides incentive for replay.
Finally, the combat for the adventure was very balanced. Enemy placement was sensical, and the combats varied nicely as I progressed through the maps.
All-in-all, one of the most enjoyable Foundries I've played. Kudos!
I'm rather sure I did. I cannot check at the moment, but I will be sure to check as soon as I can. I remember hitting the Submit to Cryptic button though.
Assuming I did, I am not sure how it could even be a part of the contest now. Since all the other entries have past, they would have to either ignore my entry or post it in its own separate week, which would be awkward and potentially unfair, whether or not it be in my favor.
Assuming I did not, I will rage at myself for a while. I was looking forward to sharing my quest with a chance of getting a reward. In addition, the featured quest would have helped me on my path on the Foundry achievements. It doesn't seem like that will be possible now.
If you submitted it for featuring, when you enter the foundry editor for that quest it will have a 'withdraw' button that is reddish in color. This button should be located in the image frame on the top right of your screen. That's a surefire way to know whether or not it is submitted for featuring. You'll either have a 'submit' button or a 'withdraw" button.
Regardless, there is basically no way I can actually prove that, and I doubt Cryptic would be able to either since it's been months since then.
EDIT:
This was on the locked official thread:
- Update: Contestants need to have their submissions submitted for featuring by the 9/2 at 6AM PDT, as we will feature the first batch of eligible entries starting 9/2!
My quest was submitted before then. I am not sure what happened, but it seems my quest was not qualified.
Mine says submitted 9/2. It's quite obvious they let the software determine who was eligible if you are the only person submitted beyond 9/2 that didn't get featured. I could be wrong of course. I also have no clue whether that was the last time you actually edited it or not. For the record, it's hard to believe that it somehow was changed without you editing it beyond 9/2 though. No offense intended.
Also, I am not sure what you mean by beyond. Do you mean before or after 9/2?
What makes you think that Cryptic has completed featuring ALL the CotD quests?
I don't recall seeing any notices anywhere.
If there were over a hundred entries, at 6 featured per week, that'd be 16.6 weeks.
If the contest ended 9/2 and featuring started 9/6 then we should be done around the end of December.
Encounter Matrix | Advanced Foundry Topics