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Best Files » PTC08 - Pretty Town Contest Winners 2008
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PTC08 - Pretty Town Contest Winners 2008
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Author |
File Description |
Aro |
Posted on 09/16/08 @ 01:35 AM
File Details |
Version: |
The Conquerors 1.0c |
Style: |
Other |
Screenshot:
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These are the winning entries from 2008's Pretty Town Contest; the theme was "winter". You can find out more information at Age of King Heaven's PTC 2008 page.
PTC 2008 Results Page
"While many thought this year's theme, the season of winter, was restrictive, the entries we recieved this year *proved* that snow and ice could be just as pretty, if not prettier, than any spring or summer counterparts. We recieved entries from many talented designers, and while santa was nowhere to be seen (*sigh*), these cold, beautiful entries stood out from the rest."
Winner!!!
Bargravia by Julius999
Total: 79/80
Second
The Kingdom of Drakia by Cknchaos
Total: 71/80
Third
The Mountain Township by Scud
Total: 65/80
Runner Up
Footprints in the Snow by Lord Basse
Total: 63/80
Honorable Mention
St Albrecht's by OtmShankIiI
Total: 58/80
Congratulations to the winners! Thank you as well to everybody who entered the PTC this year! |
Author | Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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Possidon
Official Reviewer |
Posted on 06/17/21 @ 05:25 AM
This pack is a collection of the 5 highest scoring entries to 2008 Pretty Town Contest; the winner, runner up and four honourable mentions. In this review I will look at all four scenarios and base my scores on a weighted average between al six scenarios. The contest in 2008 require all submission to fit a specific theme. The theme select for 2008 was Winter, meaning all entries most built towns set in the snowy, wintry climate.
The six scenarios are as follows:
1st Place: Bargravia by Julius999
2nd Place: The Kingdom of Drakia by Cknchaos
3rd Place: The Mountain Township by Scud
4th Place: Footprints in the Snow by Lord Basse
5th Place: St Albrecht's by OtmShankIiI
Playability: 5
All four of these scenario are thoroughly enjoyable, although I didn’t find any of the same quite at the same level as some of the scenarios from the previous two years contests. Each scenario is a city tour of a large city designed to be the most beautiful as possible. The tours a well guided and there is much to see and admire in these designs. Dialogue is also used really well as well to create some interactive atmosphere. Wintry scenarios can be quite restrictive to design, but all of these maps showcased some incredible innovation and design skills making them highly enjoyable. Being all under a similar theme showed a range of different designs styles, which was interesting to see, considering that they were all using similar terrains and eye-candy objects.
Balance: 5
Not applicable as there is not fighting or cinematic elements to this scenario.
Creativity: 4
Compared to earlier PTC entries, the 2008 edition showcased some great innovation of originality. There were some highly creative little tricks on display such as Bargravia’s well made from a damaged stone wall and Footprints in the Snow’s map-copied buildings. There was also a greater emphasis on atmosphere in these entries, notably in Footprint in the Snow’s love story, which sets it apart from being purely a map design showcase only.
Map Design: 5
I found that compared to early contest entries the 2008 PTC had a far greater display of beauty in its map design. Maybe e its because the standards had increased over the four year gap between this contest and last, as well as the introduction of other tools such as Trigger Studio. There was much more terrain mixing and use of trigger tricks to create effects used here than I have seen in the previous PTC entries from 2002-2004. Bargravia was the winning entry this year and was designed by Julius999. This was his first win in the contest and he has gone on to be the king, winning several more since. Bargravia showcases some incredible map design skills with its beautiful mixing of wintery terrain to give off the climate of a town on the edge of winter, with some thick patches of snow and ice and others where the snow is only just starting to settle/melt. There are plenty of nicely laid out buildings in the small town and other creative areas such as the ruins and fortress to the east. Drachia is the second place entry and was designed by Cknchaos, who has scored highly in every PTC to date thus far. Drachai boats a large kingdom of multiple cities surrounding a large lake.Each part of the kingdom has a slightly different design and landscape showing off a talented designer of multiple styles. Again terrain mixing, layout and eye-candy are highlights here. I especially love the central lake with its thick ice shore and shallows connecting pieces of frozen ice. Scud’s The Mountain Township is probably the busiest of the scenarios with its huge mass of cliffs and mountains covered in thick forest. Yet, as you follow the zig-zagging paths through the mountain pass you can;’t help feel the realism of the place and admire the beauty of the forests and small settlements you come across on your journey. The layout of the scenario is its strength as the scenario looks busy and pathfinding could have been a huge issue but it isn’t. Footprints in the Snow is the smallest of the entries, taking up a small corner of a tiny map, but it makes up for this with an exquisite small town and an atmosphere that far exceeds the other entries. The design on display is lovely with excellent use of terrain mixing and elevation. Careful consideration has been put into the layout of the map with the placement of buildings and trees. This was Lord Basse’s first PTC entry and he has come a long way since, being a multiple winner of the contest with some of the most popular maps including Sagropireia and Agartha. Finally we come to St Albrecht’s. This city has a more blocker design, with its buildings and roads being much more square in design. However not too also boasts some nice terrain mixing and eye-candy objects. I especially love the rivers and the added detail of the small ice blocks floating down them.
Story/Instructions: 4
Sotrylines were not a requirement of the contest. Each scenario required the designer to provide an optional in-game guided tour to guide players around the city and explore the culture and history of the town, but that was it. Some scenarios, such as Footprints int he Snow took the opportunity to explore this further with an added storyline within the tour itself. Each guide is well written and there is added sense of atmosphere with in game dialogue and history sections.
Additional Comments:
Overall these five scenario are exceptionally designed and I believe will still stand up today as some awesome and inspiring winter designs. A recommended download.
Possidon[Edited on 06/28/21 @ 07:52 AM]
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HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
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4.6 | Breakdown |
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Playability | 5.0 | Balance | 5.0 | Creativity | 4.0 | Map Design | 5.0 | Story/Instructions | 4.0 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 1,339 |
Favorites: [] | 3 |
Size: | 445.43 KB |
Added: | 09/16/08 |
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