A suggestion for BI

[CyclonicTuna 87]

I recently posted a thread, which is locked now btw, about how I felt that basically BI didn't really live up to the expectations and the franchise name of Arma 3. I stated that I thought that if it wasn't for the community, Arma wouldn't be half the game it is today.

However I've been thinking and came to the conclusion that nagging about this afterwards really isn't helpig much so I have come up with an idea.

Its really kind of cute that the developers post their favorite user missions on the facebook page every now and again, but I think that they should also realize that the meat and potatoes of the user generated content the addons and modifications are. And it seems that already, far sooner then after the releas of Arma 2, people are coming up with great idea's and improving the game by the day. Wether it be a incredibly detailled aircraft, or a way to improve that horrible command/action menu, or somthing as simple as adding interaction icons on the outside of vehicles so you don't have to search for them anymore in thin air.

What if BI just came with a concept for a annualy, or maybe even a quarterly contest in which the best addons and mods are rated by the community and BI, and based on those ratings there are some actual prizes handed out. I mean, these people are literally making the game better by spending hours of free time working on it, and ask for nothing in return.

I think if this is done right it can be a way for BI to truely thank the community (which I believe are keeping Arma from going over the edge at this point) for all the hard work. It could be as simple as a little recognition and a maybe a custom T-shirt, to a moneyprize, or gaming gear, depending on how far they are willing to go. Or perhaps create an event around it, somekind of awardshow with livestreams?

It has been proven many times, as BI as gamedeveloper should know, that a reward for certain actions is a great way to encourage people to keep doing the good thing.

So anyway, that's my idea.

[Tonci87 163]

Well we have the annual community awards... But Yes it would be nice if there were actuall rewards from BIS.

[iceman77 18]

I would vote no. There would be no way BIS could try all addons and/or missions made and make a legit decision. It would be biased - well known Mr. leet coder#1, well known mr. leet coder #2, well known mr. leet coder #3. Those people would automatically win, if anything, to save BIS the time required to give everyone a fair shake. That's my 2c, and as usual, I'm probably wrong. :rolleyes:

[gammadust 12]

@OP This very idea had occured to me, i expanded on its details trying to keep several concerns in mind. Could you improve, modify on it with more ideas?

My suggestion:

Regular Edition of Officially Sanctioned Addon Packs (Old School no?)

The concept is to promote a Prize/Competition/Contest for two main categories of Addons "Official Addon Pack" and "Community Favourites Pack", in common they share the sanctioning/curating process but at different involvements by Bohemia. Players would benefit from a quality assurance and an expected increase in availability on the servers pool. General cohesion between servers in regards to addons availability. Modders would have a set of standards to follow, would keep access to source for leaning purposes. Server Admins encouraged to install released addons, activate only those they want.

And starting with the hardest issue:

Addons Packs Distribution and Price*

• Paid DLC Pack for Full** version available through Steam
  
• Free DLC Pack for Lite** version equivalent (if agreeable through Steam also, otherwise relying on Arma Community's websites)
  

*Price is set by Bohemia

**Authors are expected to submit both versions, this might be easy to imagine for models (ie. lower resolution textures), but it is not as clear cut with other types, definite rules dependent on the category of addons would need to be set for each, specially in regards to its possible usage in multiplayer. The issue here is the risk of having too many addons fall into categories which are difficult to create reasonable differentiations feature wise, reducing in the same go the differentiation of the paid and free packs as well.

General Prize Concept

• Every six months, or other timeframe (it can be flexible), Bohemia would promote both an "Official Selection" along with a "Community Favourites" Addons Prize. For the latter general sub-categories such as:
  best island(s)
  best mission(s)
  best game mode(s)
  best asset(s)
  best new feature(s)
  etc.
  These could be voted on by all elements of the community to be part of the pack. Likewise for the former, Bohemia would have it's own take on the best addons for the time period
  
• These two sets of selections (main categories) allow to have associated different author compensation models (ie. a "Community Favourite" addon could earn "Official Selection" by Bohemia and make its author access a bonus or terms of compensation)
  

Authors Compensation Models (=Prizes)

• Ideally authors would receive a percentage of the paid version returns but this would rely on a perhaps too demanding Bohemia/Steam agreement and it might be more difficult to strike a deal (even if Steam already envisions this, it is apparently tied with the Steam Workshop, which would impose limitations on the scope of addons under submission - missions currently, limitation which could only eventually be overcome if somehow Bohemia implements config addons availability through the Steam Workshop, something unlikely to happen so soon at this point in time)
  
• Failing the above a one time compensation could be set, this would represent a certain risk to Bohemia (not selling enough paid DLC copies, but alternatively also potential for good profits)
  
• It is also possible to maintain separate a "Official Selection" pack from the "Community Favourites" pack instead in which case the latter could be taken out of a Steam restrictions allowing a more flexiable deal between Authors and Bohemia, this would most certainly imply own methods of distribution (which comparatively lessens exposure to potential market)
  

• Specific deals could always be preferred against the above compensation models (ie. addons which have a high reuse value - CBA and other frameworks)
  Or simply left out of the Competition altogether but still benefiting modders participating in these broader type of projects of a standard set of rules/guidelines to reach to,
  allowing better uniformization/compatibility (thinking of "AiA"/"A3 Rearmed" which just got itself a significant push with the mentioned future release of the entire Arma 2 library)
  

******

COMMUNITY

Player and end-users

• Player keeps an option to pay for a Full version or not while at the same time keep the ability to access servers using them (despite feature limited in some way). Everyone is happy
  

Authors

• Would submit their addons up to the selection process
  
• Would sign into a specific open-source license allowing a commercial exploitation exception by a 3rd party. Compensation would depend on exclusiveness of the final deal (see Addons Compensation)
  
• This license would only be in-force if the submission would be part of the final addons pack, maintaining the author free to collect donations if he so chose
  
• Would be required to provide both a "Full" and a "Lite" version of his addon. The limitations implemented for differentiation would still pass under Bohemia's sanctioning, an author would need to use good judgement here on how "crippled" the Lite version would be provided in regards to balance against another player using whatever player in a MP environment (ie. modder should always favour balance and diffirentiate by other cosmetic/minor features)
  
• The addon would need to be 100% functional along with the Arma 3 build by the time of a submission deadline
  
• Would be responsible to provide compatibility: a default installation would have the addon disabled allowing for Server Admins to only enable those they really want active
  
• After release support is provided at the authors' discretion (fire and forget - the addon is valued by what it is at the time of a submission deadline, not what it can eventually become - it is impractical otherwise, it would also complicate logistics of the updates in the DLC packs)
  
• The above addon could limited of subsequent participation for a certain period (ie. a full year - to offset abuse of the above condition) and only allowed back in if new features are implemented
  
• Would retain the possibility to host themselves own addons
  

Clans and groups

• Could participate as authors, promoting their scenarios/missions and their tighter community
  

Server Admins

• Would be encouraged to have all released Packs installed (at least Lite but preferably Full)
  
• Would enable the addons they want active exclusively on an OPT-IN basis (depends on Authors compliance)
  

Community Websites

• Promote the participation
  
• Promote rules and guidelines
  
• Contribute in the distribution (where applicable)
  
• Perhaps even host the voting process (raises issues in regards to centralization, but tighter involvement is a plus - ie. Community Website Prize category)
  

Bohemia

• Would supervise the process and be responsible for the main decisions involved (ie. Steam logistics if applicable, Compensation model, etc.)
  
• Would select according to own criteria the worthy addons of their Official stamp
  
• Would establish minimums for quality and other criteria (see Authors), decide ultimately to enforce them at its discretion, meaning: addons elected by the community could still be excluded from voting or even at a later phase if compliance was not achieved
  
• Maybe delegate some of this management with the community
  

Steam

• Would keep the distribution channel
  
• Support a model which relates with their vision of user-made content
  

@Iceman77

Why so fatalist... not that your "2c" are invalid or anything, they are NOT, but you appear to be unable to advance any workaround in regards to your own concerns. Of course if it was sponsored by Bohemia, any selection would follow their elected criteria, as would any contest for that matter and contests are not less useful because of that. From there and saying there would be some automaticality, you're maybe just alluding to a common pre-selection process which would filter submissions adhering to the base rules of the contest. Beyond that you're just speculating under no basis at all.

"It would be biased - well known Mr. leet coder#1, well known mr. leet coder #2, well known mr. leet coder #3."

You're just trying too hard to make it look non-legitimate, whatever that means in a contest context. Of course there would be a normal tendence to gravitate towards good coders, it's the whole point of a contest of course. Setting a level of quality on the way, that beginners and learners alike could aim for.

[dale0404 5]

This last happened in 2010:

http://www.armaholic.com/page.php?id=13592

Not sure what happened to 2011 or 2012. Unless I missed them!

[iceman77 18]

Of course there would be a normal tendence to gravitate towards good coders, it's the whole point of a contest of course. Setting a level of quality on the way, that beginners and learners alike could aim for.

Hi again! :cool: I see what you mean, but it isn't always "L33T code" that makes a mission great. There are several community members with exceptional imaginations & mission design concepts, that lack the "guru status" as a coder. These people scrape by with what will get the job done, but still some of their missions are simply amazing, but over looked by many because person X or person Y didn't make / "code" it.

In any case my initial statement is all in theory. For all I know BI would do a great job sorting winners.

[OrLoK 20]

Hello there

An easy way to level the playingfield is to make the users submit their mods/missions according to specific criteria.

IE Competition 1 = Design a MBT for nato. (all lods textures etc etc along with any other essential criteria)

Winner gets the vehicle included as a patch and it becomes an official part of the game. For many that would be enough of a reward and a rather nice touch to their CV. Other goodies like mugs t-shirts etc etc are fine.

Yes, only the good mod creators would be able to achieve this but whats wrong with that?

Good for the game and good for the community and ensures that Bohemia only need to sort though a half a dozen entries or so.

Rgds

LoK

[progamer 14]

Hello there

An easy way to level the playingfield is to make the users submit their mods/missions according to specific criteria.

IE Competition 1 = Design a MBT for nato. (all lods textures etc etc along with any other essential criteria)

Winner gets the vehicle included as a patch and it becomes an official part of the game. For many that would be enough of a reward and a rather nice touch to their CV. Other goodies like mugs t-shirts etc etc are fine.

Yes, only the good mod creators would be able to achieve this but whats wrong with that?

Good for the game and good for the community and ensures that Bohemia only need to sort though a half a dozen entries or so.

Rgds

LoK

They would have to be realistic though.

[celery 8]

I think that they should also realize that the meat and potatoes of the user generated content the addons and modifications are.

I'm quite positive that a game's playable content is its "meat and potatoes". You don't play addons: you play missions. The nicest and most painstakingly made addon is little more than a mission editor plaything until someone painstakingly creates a mission that makes proper use of it and brings it to life.

[CyclonicTuna 87]

The fact that some mods are extremely popular and almost everybody uses them doesn't have to play a huge role if you make sure you devide them properly. I mean you could have catagories like: Best newcomer, Best one man project. Let alone that you can destinguish diffrent catagories like: AI improvment, Visual improvement, Weapon add on etc.

The whole point would be to let the community decide first which addons they like best and narrow it down to say like, the top 50 mods, from which the 25 best are picked by Bohemia.

You could also for instance say that you can't enter with the same mod two years in a row. Just suggesting some things here.

@Celery Yes I guess you're right, the missions is what ultimately makes the game fun. But they don't improve the game as drastically as some of the mods do. And that in my opinion is why Arma is still around. Its because while Bohemia may be the mother, the community is what raises, nuretures and grows the game into adulthood if you ask me.

Edited October 10, 2013 by CyclonicTuna

[OrLoK 20]

They would have to be realistic though.

Hello there

I agree, thats what I was thinking on in the essential criteria part of my post. The devs can sort out the details :)

Rgds

LoK