Skyrim Character Competition

Hello everyone,
Krene, a similar styled forum, is going host a mini competition, just for the fun of it. The objective of this competition is to see who has the most aesthetically pleasing Skyrim character. The invite is extended to everyone on Skyrim forums as I feel we have similar tastes and most here play the game.

Why a contest on character creation?
There is a contest on character creation as characters are often our perceived selves in our imagination. We can know more about each other through our characters and also get to participate in a fun, short event

Is there a reward?
No. The competition is a fun competition, for different Skyrim lovers to come together. The objective is to share our "art pieces" in a warm, friendly manner

Why is it not hosted on Skyrim Forums?
The idea was first spawned from Krene Forums and will thus stay there. However, we will be announcing the results to the rest of the Skyrim Forum and get this community as into it as possible

How do you take part?
Start by taking a screenshot of your character and sending it by message to me. He/she can be doing anything, be with anyone and be in whatever location you please After a week, all screenshots will be collaborated and put in a thread with a poll attached. These screenshots will be anonymous and numbered. They will be on a Krene forum thread, and will appear in Krene Forum's (http://www.kreneforums.com/forum) general board on 3rd-4th sep

People can then vote for which is the best looking character. At the end of another week, the votes are tallied and the one with the highest votes shall win the competition. You will be informed by me when the results come out.

Rules:
1. You may use mods to help you
2. You may not vote for your own screenshot. It is strongly encouraged however, that you vote for others that you deem pleasing
3. No mature content in your screenshot
4. Do not announce which is your screenshot
5. Anyone can participate- Remember to have fun
6. Dateline for submission-3rd Sep

While I like the idea of a character creation competition, I feel the parameters leave a lot to be desired. If mods are allowed, but not required, what chance do players who don't use appearance modifications have against people who do?

I can totally see a contest encouraging people to use their mods to create the "most aesthetically pleasing" character, because then you have an even playing field of mod users on PC, where the creativity is in deciding which mods to use and how to put them together to create the most aesthetically pleasing characters, which I have no doubt is the true intent of the competition. However, allowing people to do exactly this, without making it a requirement, means anyone using vanilla Skyrim character creation isn't on equal footing with modders, and isn't likely to make much of a splash at all, not against people who can mod the quality of the graphics plus the character model.

I do wish you guys luck with your competition, as in the spirit of Skyrim community unity a cross-forum activity seems like a good idea, but I know I won't be participating, and I know several others who feel the same of the rules and odds who will be abstaining as well. I hope you get a good turn-out, regardless.

Not to mention, no matter how hard you try, a photo of a tv screen just doesn't really look as good anyway, compared to a screen shot from a pc.
I like the look of my xbox character, she's a hot red-headed, busty Nord and that's good enough for me

Cordelia,
While the objective of the competition is to showcase one's character, we do hope it does not consume the other goals, such as exploring one's own creativity and most importantly, have fun. Winning is not the main goal here,(as there is no prize), but rather using what is available to you to the best of your ability. I understand if you do not wish to participate for fear of being in the vast minority without mods and hence lose. However, you could always participate without mods to show your support for the competition, have fun showing off your work anonymously and exploring your creativity.

Furthermore, I would not say that those with mods have an incredibly large advantage. In the end, it all boils down to our skill in our "screenshot taking"- The placement of the character, the angle of the shot, all play a crucial role in the final piece. I have seen shots without mods that look most pleasing as a result of perspective and lighting. At the same time, I have seen shots with mods that look dulled as a result of poor placement.

However, I appreciate your input. The next time a similar competition is hosted, we will do our best to give everyone equal footing. For example, limiting all participants to 2 mods(It is difficult for some players to remove all their mods as they may experience CTDs after long periods of mod usage) as well as setting minimum and maximum screenshot sizes. We cannot change the rules now, as the competition is already in play. I can though assure you that more of this will be taken into account the next time a competition is hosted.

Shadowkitty,
Yes, I have noticed that non PC/mac players have had difficulty submitting their screenshot. In the near future, we will host competitions that are more inclusive.

I'm so in on this. Screenshots is my thing! I suck at immersion and building a story for my characters, you know stuff that others do really well, but screenshots, that I can do

Geel-Kajin said:

Cordelia,
While the objective of the competition is to showcase one's character, we do hope it does not consume the other goals, such as exploring one's own creativity and most importantly, have fun. Winning is not the main goal here,(as there is no prize), but rather using what is available to you to the best of your ability. I understand if you do not wish to participate for fear of being in the vast minority without mods and hence lose. However, you could always participate without mods to show your support for the competition, have fun showing off your work anonymously and exploring your creativity.

Furthermore, I would not say that those with mods have an incredibly large advantage. In the end, it all boils down to our skill in our "screenshot taking"- The placement of the character, the angle of the shot, all play a crucial role in the final piece. I have seen shots without mods that look most pleasing as a result of perspective and lighting. At the same time, I have seen shots with mods that look dulled as a result of poor placement.

However, I appreciate your input. The next time a similar competition is hosted, we will do our best to give everyone equal footing. For example, limiting all participants to 2 mods(It is difficult for some players to remove all their mods as they may experience CTDs after long periods of mod usage) as well as setting minimum and maximum screenshot sizes. We cannot change the rules now, as the competition is already in play. I can though assure you that more of this will be taken into account the next time a competition is hosted.

Shadowkitty,
Yes, I have noticed that non PC/mac players have had difficulty submitting their screenshot. In the near future, we will host competitions that are more inclusive.

Click to expand...

It's too bad we couldn't split the competition between PC and Xbox/PS3 users. Although the latter won't be able to take screenshots without capture cards, contestants could still use cell phone pics, as long as voters take into consideration the quality factor of using such a method.

I've seen a few cell phone shots that looked great, not so much for the quality, but more so for the originality.

I'm on a PC and will still be submitting an entry, but for the next contest it would be great to see a separate bracket for non-PC users who would like to send in their Xbox/PS3 screenshots, perhaps with different rules adjusted for the quality.

Geel-Kajin said:

Cordelia,
While the objective of the competition is to showcase one's character, we do hope it does not consume the other goals, such as exploring one's own creativity and most importantly, have fun. Winning is not the main goal here,(as there is no prize), but rather using what is available to you to the best of your ability. I understand if you do not wish to participate for fear of being in the vast minority without mods and hence lose. However, you could always participate without mods to show your support for the competition, have fun showing off your work anonymously and exploring your creativity.

Furthermore, I would not say that those with mods have an incredibly large advantage. In the end, it all boils down to our skill in our "screenshot taking"- The placement of the character, the angle of the shot, all play a crucial role in the final piece. I have seen shots without mods that look most pleasing as a result of perspective and lighting. At the same time, I have seen shots with mods that look dulled as a result of poor placement.

However, I appreciate your input. The next time a similar competition is hosted, we will do our best to give everyone equal footing. For example, limiting all participants to 2 mods(It is difficult for some players to remove all their mods as they may experience CTDs after long periods of mod usage) as well as setting minimum and maximum screenshot sizes. We cannot change the rules now, as the competition is already in play. I can though assure you that more of this will be taken into account the next time a competition is hosted.

Shadowkitty,
Yes, I have noticed that non PC/mac players have had difficulty submitting their screenshot. In the near future, we will host competitions that are more inclusive.

Click to expand...

My $.02

While it is possible that a TV screen cap can be more aesthetically pleasing than a high resolution PC screen cap, even one that is enhanced with post-processing, it has been my experience that many people will include the production value of the shot in their evaluation, and thus rank a shot from a PC screen capture using mods and post-processing higher than a generic TV screen cap.

Not to mention mods + PC console commands + enhanced processing (e.g. ENB) + post-processing (e.g. Photoshop) can provide significantly more control over everything in a shot from the camera angle to the lighting to depth of field to the placement of objects.

So I have to agree with the other posters here that there should be separate "PC / modded / edited" and "console / vanilla / TV cap" categories, or at least a sub-category for the best "console / TV cap", as those who do not have access to all the benefits that PC players have are at a disadvantage.

I'd also suggest keeping the rules simple in any future competitions and focus more on the type of shot (e.g. female character, male character, combat shot, action shot, dungeon shot, lol moment, outside scenery, weather) and not try to get into how many mods or which mods or anything of the sort, just separate or recognize TV caps from console players independent from PC screen shots.

If you do try to add lots of specific rules outside format, be prepared for a never ending debate about where the line on the PC should be drawn from number of mods to what constitutes a mod to the capabilities of the graphics card to the use of any pre / enhanced / post processing.

Oh and thanks for sharing. I'm not sure I'll have a chance to participate in this contest, but will check out the submissions. I always enjoy seeing how creative people can be.

http://www.kreneforums.com/thread/612/skyrim-screenshot-vote?page=1&scrollTo=10990

The images are up! You may take a look at the contestants artworks

The competition will be over in 2 days, cast your vote now!

RESULTS:

The competition has come to an end, and here are the results.

Tied for first place, we have images 3 and 12, congratulations to the winners!

Image 3
Image 3 is the character of Katt Sand. She is an avid photographer, and has already compiled several quality albums on Skyrim Forums. She takes a great interest in modding, as she already has several albums to her name. You can view the albums on her profile page. (http://skyrimforum.com/members/kattsand.17183/)

Image 12
Image 12 is that of Black Orchid, depicting a character that has been rather fittingly named "Azazel the Bloodcloaked". She too has several albums, but the one dedicated solely to this terrifying character can be found here (http://skyrimforum.com/useralbums/azazel-the-bloodcloaked.952/view)

Thanks to all participants and voters, we hope you have had a wonderful time.

Geel-Kajin said:

RESULTS:

The competition has come to an end, and here are the results.

Tied for first place, we have images 3 and 12, congratulations to the winners!

Image 3

Image 3 is the character of Katt Sand. She is an avid photographer, and has already compiled several quality albums on Skyrim Forums. She takes a great interest in modding, as she already has several albums to her name. You can view the albums on her profile page. (http://skyrimforum.com/members/kattsand.17183/)

Image 12

Image 12 is that of Black Orchid, depicting a character that has been rather fittingly named "Azazel the Bloodcloaked". She too has several albums, but the one dedicated solely to this terrifying character can be found here (http://skyrimforum.com/useralbums/azazel-the-bloodcloaked.952/view)

Thanks to all participants and voters, we hope you have had a wonderful time.

Click to expand...

what armour and weapons mod are those in the bottom pic Damn.

Haha, you should contact Black Orchid on that one...Though it may be a trade secret.

On the one hand I wish I had seen this sooner. On the other hand there are huge huge huge disadvantages to us console users. Look at the winners - not only are they both using mods for looks but on the console we can't even have our weapons out and look at our faces. The only time we can rotate camera is when sheathed.

tx12001 said:

Geel-Kajin said:

RESULTS:

The competition has come to an end, and here are the results.

Tied for first place, we have images 3 and 12, congratulations to the winners!

Image 3

Thanks to all participants and voters, we hope you have had a wonderful time.

Click to expand...

what armour and weapons mod are those in the bottom pic Damn.

Click to expand...

Not sure about the weapons, but the armor is the "contractor armor" I believe

tx12001 said:

what armour and weapons mod are those in the bottom pic Damn.

Click to expand...

Armor:

Contractor Armor:
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/38386/?tab=2&navtag=/ajax/modfiles/?id=38386&pUp=1

Weapons:

Hellsword:
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/20022//?

Shadow of Death Scythe:
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/24605/?tab=3&navtag=/ajax/modimages/?id=24605&user=2&pUp=1


The black angel wings aren't part of the armor, but can be found here:
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/39959//?


Btw, this is just to let people know that I go on all the quests to get every single modded item that I have, and a lot of the quests (killing tough monsters, gathering expensive/hard to find ingredients, etc) aren't easy. In other words, every character that I create is an adventure in itself, and not just a walk in the park.

Black Orchid said:

tx12001 said:

what armour and weapons mod are those in the bottom pic Damn.

Click to expand...

Armor:

Contractor Armor:
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/38386/?tab=2&navtag=/ajax/modfiles/?id=38386&pUp=1

Weapons:

Hellsword:
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/20022//?

Shadow of Death Scythe:
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/24605/?tab=3&navtag=/ajax/modimages/?id=24605&user=2&pUp=1


The black angel wings aren't part of the armor, but can be found here:
http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/39959//?


Btw, this is just to let people know that I go on all the quests to get every single modded item that I have, and a lot of the quests (killing tough monsters, gathering expensive/hard to find ingredients, etc) aren't easy. In other words, every character that I create is an adventure in itself, and not just a walk in the park.

Click to expand...

I got the Armour thanks that scythe will go well with my Lich Character

Ender said:

On the one hand I wish I had seen this sooner. On the other hand there are huge huge huge disadvantages to us console users. Look at the winners - not only are they both using mods for looks but on the console we can't even have our weapons out and look at our faces. The only time we can rotate camera is when sheathed.

Click to expand...

I think the next contest will be separated into two categories: one for PC and one for Xbox/PS3 users. Also, in order to even the playing field a bit, I'd be cool with taking a screenshot of my character while my weapons are sheathed.

Black Orchid said:

Ender said:

On the one hand I wish I had seen this sooner. On the other hand there are huge huge huge disadvantages to us console users. Look at the winners - not only are they both using mods for looks but on the console we can't even have our weapons out and look at our faces. The only time we can rotate camera is when sheathed.

Click to expand...

I think the next contest will be separated into two categories: one for PC and one for Xbox/PS3 users. Also, in order to even the playing field a bit, I'd be cool with taking a screenshot of my character while my weapons are sheathed.

Click to expand...

Console gamers lack the Ability to take these sort of Screenshots due to Console Limitations so 2 separate Contests should take Place instead of 1, it also does not help that we who play Skyrim on PC can use Graphics Enhancers so to be fair to them who play on Console,I agree 2 contests would be fair one for PC gamers and another for Console Gamers.

Awesome! Congrats to the winners!

I agree with separate categories, but I kinda think there should be three categories: one for console, one for PC with mods, and one for vanilla PC so PC gamers who don't want to use mods/graphics enhancers (or maybe who can't play on higher settings) can be more evenly matched too.

-Mir- said:

Awesome! Congrats to the winners!

I agree with separate categories, but I kinda think there should be three categories: one for console, one for PC with mods, and one for vanilla PC so PC gamers who don't want to use mods/graphics enhancers (or maybe who can't play on higher settings) can be more evenly matched too.

Click to expand...

Agreed, I actually felt kinda bad for having such a modded shot 3 different categories could definitely work, if there were enough people interested in participating of course. I do remember the days when my character shots consisted of an actual photo of my TV screen haha, aaah good old xbox.....I'm way to spoiled these days since I started playing on PC.