Community-wide Mod Contest

And also can you post the mod on multiple forums as long as you enter it on one forum?

In the fine print (not really) if you post a mod on more than one site, it gets disqualified.

Are Angel or CS members of any other forums? If so... do you guys plan on joining the contest too? If yes... please let me know now so I could just hit "right click, select all, right click, and delete" on my write-up. And No, I'm not saying you'll make yourselves the winner(s) (not trying to offend you guys)... I'm just saying what's the point? It'll be us going up against the guys that made the Doomsayer and the Guru MK III... our chances wouldn't exactly be very good~

Are Angel or CS members of any other forums? If so... do you guys plan on joining the contest too? If yes... please let me know now so I could just hit "right click, select all, right click, and delete" on my write-up. And No, I'm not saying you'll make yourselves the winner(s) (not trying to offend you guys)... I'm just saying what's the point? It'll be us going up against the guys that made the Doomsayer and the Guru MK III... our chances wouldn't exactly be very good~

I think you need to watch the movie, Any Given Sunday. And try to get the message it puts out.

Are Angel or CS members of any other forums? If so... do you guys plan on joining the contest too? If yes... please let me know now so I could just hit "right click, select all, right click, and delete" on my write-up. And No, I'm not saying you'll make yourselves the winner(s) (not trying to offend you guys)... I'm just saying what's the point? It'll be us going up against the guys that made the Doomsayer and the Guru MK III... our chances wouldn't exactly be very good~

I think you need to watch the movie, Any Given Sunday. And try to get the message it puts out.

Agreed, You should also check out the movie 300--get it? Some of us have the attitude displayed in 300---fight to the death even though winning may not be an option! I plan on entering the latest Rogue Weapon currently under construction, even know I'm fairly sure it will be outclassed. The point is that I will make an attempt, thats what makes us all better in the end--we try even though we may fail. If you really want to back out--go ahead, but the first step to being beaten is beating yourself by quiting.Fight with Honor!

Are Angel or CS members of any other forums? If so... do you guys plan on joining the contest too? If yes... please let me know now so I could just hit "right click, select all, right click, and delete" on my write-up. And No, I'm not saying you'll make yourselves the winner(s) (not trying to offend you guys)... I'm just saying what's the point? It'll be us going up against the guys that made the Doomsayer and the Guru MK III... our chances wouldn't exactly be very good~

They are a part of/running the contest, why would they enter their own contest just to win it?

I do not care if I win this contest because well....I'll be working on a BBB, I already have two and after I've finished mine I probably won't need another one. A Nite Finder would be nice though.

I'm in. Hey, what if I use a super-über rare gun like the Larami Ball Blaster? Would that take away from my "Mod Difficulty" score, because the blaster is hard-to-find?

To answer your question and reiterate what FA24 said, I wouldn't put it past the Mod Difficulty score in terms of how hard it was to acquire said blaster, so no. Mod Difficulty refers to how easy/hard it is to duplicate your mod. And for fuck's sake, don't ask the same question goddamned twice. It's not like you're going to get a faster response.

Okay I read all the posts several times but I`m still not sure if I`m aloud to put an AT2K pump in the gun I`m planing on entering... so can I?

You are allowed (not aloud) to put a 2K pump on the gun you're using. It may or may not potentially hurt your cleanliness score, but you can do it. We are not going to do a case-by-case evaluation for legal parts, here. Some of you guys are reading too far into this.

Will some crazy integrations count? As in like, 2-3 guns in one big beastly Mofo?

It may or may not potentially hurt your Functionality and Cleanliness score, but yes, you can.

Is there a deadline for the contest? Oops, I missed that part. Sorry.

Reading is fundamental. A good portion of the questions you guys are asking were already answered in the first post.

Could I do a mod that fires thistype of ammo- homemade rockets? This gun would also fire stefans, but have various other types of ammo like these rockets.

Again...reading is fundamental. Read the Creativity section of the first post. Yes, this will help your Creativity score. And again, asking twice will not get you a faster answer. It's not like we're ignoring this thread or the questions you guys have. Be patient.

Wait, is the modded BBB modified by your schematics, or the way the winner wants it modded? I know it probably doesn't matter but I just like to know things.

Slug is modding it, you don't get to mod it or submit blueprints for Nerf particle accelerator.

Are Angel or CS members of any other forums? If so... do you guys plan on joining the contest too? If yes... please let me know now so I could just hit "right click, select all, right click, and delete" on my write-up. And No, I'm not saying you'll make yourselves the winner(s) (not trying to offend you guys)... I'm just saying what's the point? It'll be us going up against the guys that made the Doomsayer and the Guru MK III... our chances wouldn't exactly be very good~

I'm sorry, I was unaware you underwent an experimental surgery to have your balls removed. I saved this for last because, well -- this is fucking pathetic. Yes, they can potentially submit things to be judged and their submissions will be judged with just as much scrutiny as any other submission. You obviously missed an important part of the first post, so I'm going to quote it for you:

"Once a winner is declared on each forum, those three winning mods will then compete against each other. The 6 judges that had not voted on their works will now give their scores. For example, the NH winner will now be scored by the NHQ and FU judges. The scores that were given by the first three judges will not be a part of the final score. In other words, the scores that the NH winner gets will not be used in the final judging, therefore allowing for a level playing field."

You acquiesce to defeat before you even begin. This isn't about making a correlation between a movie you saw, fellas, this is plain and simple confidence. Have confidence in your work and submit it. If you're uncertain of how it will do, bounce it off some of your friends for feedback, or spend some more time with it before you submit it. This isn't about the judges or how good you think someone else might be; this is about you doing something that will be beneficial to the community.



-Groove

I doubt I'll be entering this, but I may, depending on the answer to this question: Would something such as the Guru Mk. III be able to be entered? As in, homemade internals/sections into a blaster? If so, where do you draw the line? Replaced plunger tube and plunger are common "mods". Anyway, my next few projects are all hybrids like this, so I'd have no problem submitting one of them in this if it were allowed.

I doubt I'll be entering this, but I may, depending on the answer to this question: Would something such as the Guru Mk. III be able to be entered? As in, homemade internals/sections into a blaster? If so, where do you draw the line? Replaced plunger tube and plunger are common "mods". Anyway, my next few projects are all hybrids like this, so I'd have no problem submitting one of them in this if it were allowed.

Seeing as the Mk. III is essentially a homemade with a compound integration, no -- it would not be allowed. It is a homemade squeezed into the shell of a pre-existing blaster. A homemade is essentially starting from scratch, right? A modification is more or less taking pre-existing parts and reconfiguring/restructuring them to fulfill a specific need. In my own personal opinion, when you begin taking away the original parts of a blaster to the degree where there's more homemade parts than the original parts, then you're moving into homemade territory. I'll let badger expound upon this in greater detail and give the final word on the matter, seeing as this grand undertaking was originally his idea.

If you're unsure about something specific, PM one of the judges and ask. One thing you should not ask a judge is if you think yours has a good chance of winning. Like I mentioned in my previous post, if you feel unsure about your mod bounce it off your friends for some input before you submit it.


-Groove

Entering this contest myself would require me to post on the other forums. And that's not something I'm interested in doing.

As for the annoying questions about technicalities, if you are trying to modify something with the sole intent of winning this contest, then you have completely missed the point of why were are running it.
We want to encourage people to put more effort into making unique and effective modifications which also have easy to follow write-ups about them.

Groove... of all the admins and moderators... I <3 U T-T (and I mean that in a manly way, I still like girls)
I didn't mean to offend anyone in anyway, it's just that... when I saw that the final grand prize was a modded BBB by CS... I just really wanted to win. Anyone can understand that right?

Entering this contest myself ... that's not something I'm interested in doing.

Still, it might be worth winning just so you didn't have to build that BBB. Doing shit is hard work.

VACC

I understand that paint jobs do not count towards aesthetics (i.e. cleanliness), but would other cosmetic modifications count towards that category?

I ask only because I figure there are other ways to improve a blaster's appearance than just painting it.

What if we submit a gun, and create something better before the deadline? Are we allowed to change our submissions?

What if we submit a gun, and create something better before the deadline? Are we allowed to change our submissions?

Only one entry allowed period. Entries on more than one forum will disqualify your entries from the competition on all forums.

I think it would be best to wait closest to the deadline until your absolutely sure that's what your entering in, or if you believe that someone else may post your mod before you, then those are my only two reasons you should submit and entry.

Doing shit is hard work.

VACC

That was actually rather profound....

I am going to chime in here to reply to some of this. Many things have been answered already, but I just want to clarify a few things and answer a few other questions.

Would it be possible for one to submit a completed modification that has already been posted by said person as an un-finished project? If so, how different would it have to be?

Also, does the gun have to be war-legal?

No as you already posted it and it would no longer be new to the rest of the community. This competition is for new mods. Though the one you are referring to was never completed, it already exists.

And also can you post the mod on multiple forums as long as you enter it on one forum?

In the fine print (not really) if you post a mod on more than one site, it gets disqualified.

You are wrong here k9turrent. If someone posts a mod to NH as part of the competition, but also posts the mod to NHQ and FU as a part of their Modifications Forums, it would not be disqualified as it has only been entered for competition consideration at NH. That is the part of the point of the competition. For everyone to share their talents and works with the whole of the NIC.

Are Angel or CS members of any other forums? If so... do you guys plan on joining the contest too? If yes... please let me know now so I could just hit "right click, select all, right click, and delete" on my write-up. And No, I'm not saying you'll make yourselves the winner(s) (not trying to offend you guys)... I'm just saying what's the point? It'll be us going up against the guys that made the Doomsayer and the Guru MK III... our chances wouldn't exactly be very good~

I saw this post at work and while it has already been addressed by Groove, I feel the need to expand on it a bit. You seem to believe that CS and Fosaken are the gods of modding, but they have had their share of failures and flubs just like anyone else. I considered both of them my friends, but no one should revere them as being unbeatable if they were to enter this competition. In fact, I shall score for you two of their most notable creations from my point of view to show you how they would stack up in this competition. I shall use the Doomsayer and the Plusbow, though no homemades are allowed in the competition, I am using the Plusbow only because CS is, in my opinion, more known for fabricating than modifying than anything else.

Doomsayer
For cleanliness, it would get a 10 from me as it has no rough edges, no visible adhesives, and, save for the PETG barrels, looks stock.
Writeup quality would get a 10 as well since it details out every single step and has a picture for each step in the process.
Creativity would be a 10 as it solves the big issue with reloading. Plain and simple.
Now functionality would only get a 6 from me for several reasons. First off, if made exactly to specs by someone else, they may have problems pulling back the charging handle, making priming an issue. Also, it is one big fuckin' target for gun hits. Concealment may be a problem for some players. Finally, and this would suck Effeminateally, but accidentally smacking the turret into something could ruin your day and break your heart all at once. It may be versatile and useful in many scenarios, but it is a bit cumbersome and can limit mobility for some users.
Finally, from me, Doomsayer would get a 3 for Mod Difficulty. Since it has been posted, very few people have made one themselves. Even fewer have gotten the same performance level out of theirs. The writeup is very detailed, but it still requires a lot of skill to pull it off successfully on the first shot without breaking anything. There is little room for error and if you do make a mistake, you may not be able to recover from it without buying another blaster for parts or more. It is an awe-inspiring blaster, but not one that can made by anyone.

Plusbow
For Creativity and Writeup Quality I would give it a 10 as the writeup is virtually flawless and he came up with an economical alternative to mortgaging your parents' home to buy a Crossbow. It would get a 9 for Cleanliness because of the sharp edges at the grip (basing this on the ones I have held and seen). In regards to Functionality, I would give it an 8 as it can be a problem to prime at times due to the beefy spring, especially when on the run. Finally, I give it a 3 for Mod Difficulty as it requires specific tools and skills to even have a chance of building it properly. There are people that have made them with less equipment, but it is still hard to repeat. Not the project for the average nerfer.

Anyone has a chance in this competition.

I doubt I'll be entering this, but I may, depending on the answer to this question: Would something such as the Guru Mk. III be able to be entered? As in, homemade internals/sections into a blaster? If so, where do you draw the line? Replaced plunger tube and plunger are common "mods". Anyway, my next few projects are all hybrids like this, so I'd have no problem submitting one of them in this if it were allowed.

I haven't seen very many mods at all that replace the plunger tube and/or plunger with something fabricated, so they are by far not common "mods". The ones that do, like the guy that claimed he modded a NF to shoot 100 feet, yet his NF is now just the original grip and trigger assembly and the rest is homemade, is in my opinion, a homemade using Nerf gun parts. I'd have to say the same thing appleis here. Groove said it best.

Entering this contest myself ... that's not something I'm interested in doing.

Still, it might be worth winning just so you didn't have to build that BBB. Doing shit is hard work.

VACC

I say build it, and ENTER it!

That way, all the fools who would rather win by rule-lawyering, rather than by building something with heart in it, might have their heads explode when they try to figure out the ramifications of the prize potentially winning itself.

Wow Bob. I never thought of that. That would be interesting, to say the least.

I understand that paint jobs do not count towards aesthetics (i.e. cleanliness), but would other cosmetic modifications count towards that category?

I ask only because I figure there are other ways to improve a blaster's appearance than just painting it.

If your paintjob would make Da Vinci weep because of its beauty and it helps conceal the glue sculpture on the shell, you would be scored for the concealment factor, not the masterpiece. I would like more detail as to what you are asking here though. Your vagueness does not help me to determine an answer for you. PM me.

What if we submit a gun, and create something better before the deadline? Are we allowed to change our submissions?

I really don't think that the judges want to score mod #1 and then have you tell them that they wasted their time and you wish to instead submit mod #2 as your entry. No one is getting paid to do this and we all have lives. Submit the one you feel would be the best. Once you make an entry, that is it. You have just over 3 months to figure out for yourself what you want to submit. Plenty of time.

Edited by badger, 15 April 2009 - 09:31 PM.

I will not be entering this contest.
But I am looking forward to what the NIC can produce.

A technical question: Do we have to post the writeup to the official thread, as boom13 did, or for the sake of space and sanity, can we post the writeup to the main mods forum, and simply link to it from the official thread?

A technical question: Do we have to post the writeup to the official thread, as boom13 did, or for the sake of space and sanity, can we post the writeup to the main mods forum, and simply link to it from the official thread?

Do we post the write up in the modifications section as a stand-alone thread, and then provide a link to it in the submissions thread?

Yes

Yes.

For example, let's say I wanted to make a replica of Gun X (I don't want to give away any ideas just yet). Gun X would have internal electronics for highlights, since Gun X has lights on the side of it (think what Angel and SGM did with the Lancer). Or let's say I wanted to make "Chubbs the Second" and add cosmetic shell modifications. Would cosmetic modifications be disregarded in judging? Would I need to add some sort of functionality to them?

I'm getting tired of answering questions that you could answer by simply re-reading the rules.

For example, let's say I wanted to make a replica of Gun X (I don't want to give away any ideas just yet). Gun X would have internal electronics for highlights, since Gun X has lights on the side of it (think what Angel and SGM did with the Lancer). Or let's say I wanted to make "Chubbs the Second" and add cosmetic shell modifications. Would cosmetic modifications be disregarded in judging? Would I need to add some sort of functionality to them?

The closer to utterly stock it appears, the better... the paint job itself will not be a factor in the judging to be considerate of the artistically inept.

Which would infer that cosmetic mods are not going to be judged. So those that do nothing but add nonfunctional doo-dads or spend all of their time on laborious paintwork do not have any particular advantage in this contest.

If you modify the shell, it's best to do it so well and so cleanly that it would be difficult to tell that the blaster shell didn't come out of the mold that way.

Edited by CaptainSlug, 16 April 2009 - 11:30 AM.

If you modify the shell, it's best to do it so well and so cleanly that it would be difficult to tell that the blaster shell didn't come out of the mold that way.

If you have integrations in your gun that improve the function, but some tubing and the barrels are on the outside, would that take away from cleanliness?

If you modify the shell, it's best to do it so well and so cleanly that it would be difficult to tell that the blaster shell didn't come out of the mold that way.

If you have integrations in your gun that improve the function, but some tubing and the barrels are on the outside, would that take away from cleanliness?

You didn't read what you quoted.

YES. External piping and etc will take away from a cleanliness score because the STOCK SHELL does not have that.

I think everyone needs to stop worrying so much about what their score will be, and start worrying about how cool their new blaster will be. I think, in the grand scheme of things, you're going to have to compromise on some or all of the criteria if you want to make something that you personally will enjoy using. Don't try to maximise your score in each area, just make the best blaster you're capable of and let it win on its own. I don't even think it will be possible to max out in each score category. How high do you think you can get your Functionality score if you retain both a stock look and low mod difficulty?

Personally, if I get the money together in time, my blaster should do well in the Functionality category, but it will probably lose a few points in the Cleanliness category due to some external integration. Mod Difficulty will be decent, but not great, and I'm hoping people see it as rather Creative. Writeup Quality is, of course, solely up to the writer - so I only have myself to blame if my score there is low.

Off topic, I wonder how many of the youngin's recognize the quote in the subtitle for this thread. It makes me smile every time I read it.

Are we allowed to update our entries after posted? Mine is functional but I am not happy with trigger function.... Then again, I might never change it. I was not sure If I should paint it until I have a smoother trigger for fear of damaging finish while disassembling it.

Don