RIZZASTERBuilding Contest Rules Review
/archive/maps/staff-notes/ · last edited 21 Feb 2019 · Community
A recent building contest on Rizzaster had to be paused mid-event due to a lack of clear guidelines around what counted as a completed structure. Several participants built partially finished buildings, which led to confusion during the judging phase. The main issue was that the rules didn’t define “completion,” causing some players to believe they could stop at any stage, while others aimed for full detail.
Moderators noticed that this ambiguity led to frustration among both players and judges, as some entries were far more elaborate than others. This made it difficult to fairly assess creativity and effort. The contest was eventually restarted with a more detailed set of rules that included specific criteria for what constituted a finished building, such as having a roof, a functional entrance, and a minimum number of rooms.
Following this incident, the rules were rewritten with input from the moderators and a few trusted players. The new rules include examples of completed builds and a checklist for participants to use before submitting their work. This change helped ensure that all entries were judged on a more level playing field and reduced the number of incomplete or inconsistent submissions.
The contest organizers also added a short tutorial session before the next event to go over the rules and examples. This proactive step helped prevent similar issues and improved overall participation and satisfaction. Going forward, all contest rules will be reviewed and updated at least once every few months to keep them relevant and clear.