Event E2/Proposal Sseth

{{E2 | Username= Sseth| Event Name= Screenshot Stories| Brief Description= Create a comic made from up to 20 original or doctored YPP screenshots. | Audience= everyone / artistic types| Unit of Entry= Individual entries, multiple entries allowed| Expected Participation= 10+| Platform= forum (Just Midnight players so far, because this the only ocean where I can provide prizes.) | Elapsed Time= 2 weeks| Participation Time= very flexible, depending on participant's effort. 10 minutes up to 2 weeks| Judging Time= 3-4 days| Extended Description= Create a comic made from up to 20 original or doctored YPP screenshots.

The Story
Tell a piratey story from the world of YPP. You may use up to 20 pictures to tell your story, but less are also fine, of course. It can be something that really happened to you or pure fiction. It doesn’t need to be a complicated plot with twists and interwoven strands, but it should have something like a story line. (We’re asking for comics and not an assortment of funny, but unrelated screenshots. We also don’t want one picture cartoons.) Think of something that can be told in 20 screenies or less. Also consider if you can tell it via interesting screenshots. It’s not necessarily boring to take 20 shots of one pirate and a speech bubble, but maybe there are more interesting ways to show what’s happening. Try to use the possibilities the game offers to present your story. But the most important part is: Make it funny, thrilling, puzzling or otherwise interesting. Make your readers laugh, - or cry if you prefer that. Be creative!

There will also be a small topical limitation added, to make this a little more of a challenge. But I’m not yet telling what it will be...;)

The Screenshots
Now that you got your story, create the screenshots. Anything that can appear in your game window when playing YPP can be on your pictures. From a scene in the inn to a duty report or a puzzle screen. Your pictures do not need to be an entire game window. If you only need certain parts of a scene, feel free to cut out that part. But a single picture also can‘t be bigger than a game window. You can create the shots by setting up scenes ingame with the help of your crewmates or hearties. You can roam around on the ocean of your choice and try to run into a suiting scene. (But please use your common sense here and don’t use shots of others in situations they might not feel comfortable with.) You are also allowed to edit your screenshots. You don’t have to though. You may add a narrator’s comment, add more pirates to a scene, change the text of speech bubbles, edit out unwanted stuff or even create an entire scene from several other screenies. For those who want to take the effort or think they need a very special environment: You may also use the Island Editor to create a background. There’s one limitation to tinkering screenshots. You may only use game graphics. You can do with these graphics whatever you like, but usage of non-game visuals is not allowed. No flying saucers over Alpha Inn or yellow submarines on a blockade screen. Nothing that doesn't belong into the game, after all we want game-based comics.

Explanations and discussions how to take screenshots can for example be found here or here.

Your Comic
Now that you have your pictures, you’re almost done. It’s not necessary to create a fancy layout, like it’s found in many printed comics, but of course you may do so if you feel like it. What you should do is arrange the pictures in a way, that the reader can follow your story easily. Providing the links to the screenshots in the right order will do for that. Combining several pictures to one file is also possible, but make sure your files don’t get too big. And don’t forget to give your comic a title.

Submissions
Save your pictures as .jpg or .png format and upload them (eg. to a site like Photobucket or Image Shack, if you do not have webspace of your own). Then post links to them (in the right order, of course!) in the entries thread. Your entry should include the title of your comic, your pirate name and the links to your comic. You may also add a short description (up to 30 words) and one picture as a teaser, if you want. You may enter as many times as you like, but you can only win one prize.

Judging= Winners will be determined by a number of judges. There will be points awarded for certain aspects of your comic: The judges‘ main focus will definitely be on how catching and creative your story is and how clever you used the screenshots to tell it. Another aspect will be how you included the requested topic limitations. The effort put into the screenshots will also play a minor role - setting up or editing a complicated scene takes more than just posting a shot of a few rocks, of course. What we want to see are funny, thrilling or otherwise captivating stories from the world of Puzzle Pirates. In this contest a great idea could make up for not being very familiar with digital programs. A comic made with simple screenshots, that makes the reader roar with laughter or shiver with excitement will be more likely to win something than one that uses brilliantly edited, complicated pictures, but tells a boring story. What we also do not want to see, of course, are obscene, insulting and otherwise inappropriate scenes. Prizes= Prizes from my pocket are on Midnight. 1st place 10k poe 2nd place 5k poe 3d place 2,5k poe 4th to 6th place can chose a shopping voucher worth 1k for one of our crew's stalls (Tailor, Ironmonger, Apothecary Weavery or Distillery on Turtle Island) (I'm not a cheapskate, just not a very wealthy pirate. I'm trying to add to the prizes and save up on other oceans, but so far the above is all I can afford.)

I'd love to offer a familiar or trinkets as prizes (well, if the OMs feel it's appropriate). Especially because that would make it possible to enter for pirates from other oceans than Midnight.| Volunteer Assistance= Donation of prizes is always welcome. One more judge might be needed. | OM Assistance= Locking the entries thread in the forum after the deadline, maybe a sticky in the forums. Providing prizes would be lovely.| Workshop Coaching= 1) I hope allowing tinkering doesn't give graphic artists too much of an andvantage, because I want an event everyone can have a go at. I don't want to forbid tinkering because that would take a lot of fun out of the event. I hope the description of the event and the explanation of the judges' priorities makes clear, that people who aren't very familiar with digital programs also have a chance. I'm also considering one exception from the "game graphics only" rule. Maybe it would be a good idea to allow the addition of plain "non-game" text to pictures. That would make it easier to include a narrator's comment.

2) I'll add a topic limitation - something that should be topic of the comic or be included. I've thought of something, but I'm still not entirely sure if that limitation is too open/too strict. I haven't posted what it is yet in case the event makes it to the shortlist - participants should have the same amount of time to think of a good idea.

3) Is the size limitation to 20 screenshots per comic appropriate (should it be more/less or no limitation at all)?

4) I've thought of 2 different ways to do the judging, which would both work for me. But I'd appreciate advice from someone with a little more experience at judging art contests, which way of judging would be be better.

5) I hope the form of the entries (providing links in a forum thread) is practicable. I'm not very familiar with the wiki, so I'm not sure if posting entries in the wiki might be a better idea. I'm also not sure if I should name explicit limitations to file sizes.

Previous Similar Events= In the Weekend Screenshot Contest entrants had to submit one screenshot of the entire game window for certain categories (puzzles, etc..). In my contest players are asked to think of a story and then create it via screenshots by setting up certain scenes ingame or doctoring screenshots. There's also the Spring Screenshots Contest being run at the moment, which is very similar to the Weekend Screenshot Contest. It's not actually an event, but I think the Funny Screenshots Thread is also worth mentioning here.| Qualifications= No previous experience in running events, besides some small crew events. But I participated in loads of ingame and forum contests and think I got a good idea of what to pay attention to. Support from hearties and crewmates (that is: Judging and donation of prizes.)| }}