Event Best of Forge '14: Winners, Runner-ups, and an Explanation

About a month ago, we hatched a plan to bring an exciting forge-related event back to the limelight. With the Master Chief Collection in its shaky state, we wanted to bring the HaloCustoms community something to get excited about. Given the array of talented forgers on this site, bringing back the Best of Forge event was a no-brainer. However, we were cautious. BoF '13 turned out to be a complete disaster due to poor planning and lack of integrity, both from us and the partner we worked with to host said event. This time around, we vowed things would go more smoothly. For the most part, we successfully realized this vision of a better, smoother BoF event. However, that vision was completely derailed a few days ago, and the worst part is that we didn't learn about this until just now.

The winners we announced the other day were not entirely accurate.

Before grabbing your virtual pen and rushing to the comments section below to tell us how corrupt we are, please allow me to explain. I firmly believe that the only option in a situation like this is to be entirely honest and transparent, and that is what I intend to do below.

In the beginning, this event was planned quickly. Ex-staff member REMkings dropped into the HC staff skype chat to say hello. While there, he mentioned how exciting it would be to see some of the best forge maps from the second year of Halo 4's lifespan be recognized in another Best of Forge event here on HaloCustoms. Excited by the opportunity to breath some life into the site and recognize some forge talent, I jumped on board immediately. Planning commenced, and we had the event ready to be announced later that very same day. Obviously, we should not have started so soon, but we were thorough in our planning. All of the details that were poorly executed last time around were laid out in perfect detail. We were confident that things would go much more smoothly, as we mentioned when we kicked off the event. Some members were quick to point out that the event came out of nowhere, with no prior announcements. This was completely understandable, and from that we learned something. Still, the event ran smoothly enough from there.

Aside from the too-short turnaround time from the event's inception to its announcement, there were two other details which we failed to account for. The first was that I would be out of town during the week voting ended without access to my computer. The second was Xenforo's rather limited poll system. Xenforo has many limitations, chief among them the one which is currently causing a conflict between host ratings and post ratings (the issue which took away your beloved like button). The issue in this case is that poll results cannot be made private. Naturally, we didn't want public results until this event ended as that would have removed any suspense from the equation and potentially skewed the results. Surprisingly, no custom Xenforo addons enable the option to make polls private. After some deliberation, Insane54 and I decided that we would merely comment out the results section of our poll code temporarily. The downside was that this affected polls site-wide. This was seen as an acceptable loss given its temporary nature and the benefits it would have on this event. However, this caused unexpected problems.

Because I was out of the country when voting ended, I unfairly left the duty of announcing the winners to the rest of the staff team. In my absence, this responsibility fell to my fellow admin, Flying Shoe ILR.

"When going to check the winners for Best of Forge, I did not realize that with the polls down the winner would not be displayed at all until they were put back up. When I checked each section, one option was in bold with a little star next to the name of what I assumed to be the winning map. As I'm sure I don't need to tell most of you, that bold name and little star indicates which map I voted for, not the winner. I passed the info along and utterly missed the mistake I had made in doing so. As a result, the winners of the Small Team Core, Flood, and Mini-Game categories were incorrect. I am deeply sorry to all of you, especially to those whose map was either mistaken for the winner or who was missed in the initial BoF winners thread. I should not have made this kind of mistake, nor should I have checked it only once and not cross-referenced the results with the other admins. Below we will have the correct winners, as well as the runners up and info on the number of votes each received. For DeadlockDrago and The 0micron, I'm sorry to have built this up for you only to let you down now. We will try to recompense you somehow and we will keep in touch with you as we figure out what to do. As for Sgt x Slaphead, you've won the small team Category either way but I apologize for the mistake nonetheless." -Shoe

In summary, Shoe and I are both to blame for this disappointing mistake. I join Shoe in apologizing sincerely to all those affected. I also apologize in a general sense for our incompetence. This sort of mistake is unacceptable, and the strongest precautions will be taken in the future to ensure that it never happens again. I am truly sorry.

Without further ado, allow me to both announce and congratulate the winners.


Best Mini Game

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1st Ghost Grapple by ChewyNutCluster 11 Votes |
Playing off of the classic Musical Chairs, Ghost Grapple rewards players who manage to hold onto their hovering purple steed when the time runs out across three unique arenas.

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2nd Beer Pong (10 Cup) by TurbTastic 8 Votes | Turbtastic has brought this classic drinking game to your couch. Players must launch their mongooses into the opposing team's cups to score. Beer not included.

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3rd Chase by Charles Stoot & The 0micron 5 Votes | With creative use of Halo 4's Ricochet mode, Charles and Omi have created a true classic with Chase. One team occupies mongooses and seeks out goals around the map while the other team must hunt their opponents down in warthogs.

Best Aesthetic

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1st
Arkesya by Zaelkyria 10 Votes | Have your breath taken away by Zaelkyria's rendition of the birthplace of Halo rings. From the massive scale to the intricate architecture, this is one of the most detailed and gorgeous aesthetic maps around.

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2nd Wingblade by rayner 6 Votes | Rayner's recreation of the massive Forerunner bird from the Halo 5 reveal trailer is so impressive that you'll need to wear a tattered cloak over your energy-shielded power armor in order to view it without being brought to your knees by its majesty.

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3rd Modern Apartment by Astiir 4 Votes | With this map, Astiir has created incredibly detailed replicas of deceivingly simple everyday objects. Including all of the intricate details you would expect to see in a modern apartment, this map is truly a work of art.

Best Race

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1st Underpass by AlexJ189 20 Votes |
From the creator of the popular Checkrace comes excellent racetrack. This track uses sharp turns to keep things competitive and exciting, all housed within a sexy urban theme.

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2nd Team Race - CoAction by TurbTastic 6 Votes | In Team Race, the objective is still to reach the finish line. However, drivers and gunners must work together to reach this goal with gunners having the ability to shoot obstacles as well as to disrupt opposing teams.

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3rd Collision Fusion by TheRedEyedDevil 1 Vote | This curvaceous track loops back in on itself, causing unwary players to collide with each other and shenanigans to ensue.

Best Flood

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1st Cédricville Unleashed by REMkings 11 Votes |
An aesthetic masterpeice, Cedric pits survivors against the zombie horde within a vertical environment inspired by bombed out WW2-era European architecture.

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2nd Constellation by The 0micron 10 Votes | Purpose-built for the community-created Last Stand gametype, Constellation's exciting engagements are set within an abandoned observatory on a desolate space-rock.

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3rd Island Plaza by PA1NTS 5 Votes | Another Last Stand map, plaza is set within an urban environment with survivors fighting off their undead foes from multiple buildings at various vertical levels.

Best Big Team Core

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1nth Breakwater by Flying Shoe ILR & MockKnizzle 14 Votes|
Breakwater creates an exciting asymmetrical experience with directional vehicle flow set within a seaside city.

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2nd Flyover by Juanez Sanchez 6 Votes| A symmetrical playground, Flyover makes for an excellent CTF experience whether on foot or behind the wheel.

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3rd Monsoon by PA1NTS & Frenchy's 4 Votes| Monsoon's L-shaped layout provides a variety of vertical movement options for infantry as well as numerous jump-laden vehicle routes.

Best Small Team Core

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1st (tie) Cryptic by Sgt x Slaphead 11 Votes|
Inspired by Forerunner architecture, Cryptic provides intense small team games of KoTH.

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1st (tie) Checkmate by Sgt x Slaphead 11 Votes| Rewarding map knowledge and team coordination, Checkmate's vertical layout is every bit as strategic as the game it draws its name from.

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2nd Sovereign by PA1NTS 5 Votes| A map proven in multiple tournaments, Sovereign is a small room-based map which rewards players for controlling the upper levels while predicting their opponent's movement through the lower levels.

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3rd Epicore by a Chunk 4 Votes| A mini version of the popular Epicenter, Epicore provides excellent small-team engagements in a simple, but elegent layout.

Best Overall

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1st Checkmate by Sgt x Slaphead 11 Votes|
Proving its merit in a second category, Checkmate won the overall category by a landslide.

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2nd Conga Line by Yeti 6 Votes| No one could have guessed that a simple line of blocks could be so much more.

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3rd (tie) Underpass by AlexJ189 3 Votes | The winner of the Race category also snuck its way into the overall category.

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3rd (tie) Breakwater by Flying Shoe ILR & MockKnizzle 3 Votes | Big team didn't go underrepresented in the overall category either.
Again, we sincerely apologize for the mistakes that were made in announcing the winners. I hope that we can make everything right and that we can move forward from it. This community is incredibly talented, and I can't wait to see what everyone comes up with in the future. Thank you for participating in this event!
 
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It's a shame that this has happened, but we're all only human. Although I may not speak for everyone being on the outside looking in, it seems like a mistake that is completely understandable given the context of it. Since when did stars not mean good?!

As for the few whos maps were previously shown as winners but have since been changed, I hope that this wasn't too discouraging. There's been an outpour of great support on the previous winners thread for these maps and it proves that, while they may not have won in the end, their quality and entertainment value was high enough that people didn't bat an eyelid over them being announced as winners.

Finally, while it may offer little consolation, I honestly think all the finalists did a superb job in all their respective categories.(although I haven't played any of them, sorry guys I got the Playstation fever last year ;P) The quality of the maps created so far into a games life cycle is staggering, and it proves the point that the Forge community can still thrive... even when we have no file shares.

So yeah congrats to everyone involved. Maybe use surveymonkey or something next time? ;)
 
Damn.
Just to begin, to the staff and admins, while I can't speak for every member, especially the ones who were previously announced as the winners, I feel many will agree with me: shit happens.
We are human, and as such we make mistakes.
Duck, don't beat yourself up because you were out of town; real life takes priority over Halo and video games.
The main thing is that we learn from these mistakes, and strive to not repeat them. I, for one, always enjoy these events and it would be a shame if we couldn't have them anymore because of a simple mistake.
To everyone who had maps in the contest, while it might not mean much coming fron me, you are all winners, and we are lucky to have such talented forgers in our community. :y:
 
I would just like to thank everyone who voted for WingBlade- and congratulate all the winners, including those whose maps were previously shown as winners but have since been changed- all of you deserve a round of applause for the amount of thought, effort, and time you put into your creations. I think all the maps nominated and far more are worthy- so many beyond what I could have ever conceived- which is one of the beauties of forge, is that the limitations allow for out-of-the-box thinking and more creativity.

Duck, Shoe, I can't speak for those whose maps were previously shown as winners but have since been changed, but I really appreciate you guys as admin. The fact that you guys haven't made many more mistakes shows your dedication to this community- a dedication I am grateful for- and one slip-up doesn't mean that you guys aren't good admin, it just means you're human, like everyone else here. Unless, of course, I'm an alien, in which case I'm not. I'm not an alien.
 
Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest, every single map that was nominated deserves it in one way or another. I'm not disappointed in the change of results at all, at least I can speak for myself with the Flood category. I believe REMkings deserves it in the fullest. So congratulations to REM my buddy BIOC master dude. You've outdone yourself with that map. I would've been disappointed if i knew i shouldn't have won and yet nothing was said. So thank you Duck and Shoe for being honest and choking up what might be embarrassing to you. It shows that you guys do care and want whats best and well deserved for the community. I have the upmost respect for you two and nothing should change because of this mistake. Halo is a game. its not life. Its fun to win, but theres always next time :)
 
Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest, every single map that was nominated deserves it in one way or another. I'm not disappointed in the change of results at all, at least I can speak for myself with the Flood category. I believe REMkings deserves it in the fullest. So congratulations to REM my buddy BIOC master dude. You've outdone yourself with that map. I would've been disappointed if i knew i shouldn't have won and yet nothing was said. So thank you Duck and Shoe for being honest and choking up what might be embarrassing to you. It shows that you guys do care and want whats best and well deserved for the community. I have the upmost respect for you two and nothing should change because of this mistake. Halo is a game. its not life. Its fun to win, but theres always next time :)
Thanks buddy. I was so happy for you because Constellation and Island Plaza are without a doubt the two best Last Stand maps out there and I can't get enough of playing them. I still regret not having made a Last Stand map myself but the fact that my friends at BIOC have done such a great job at crafting some definitely makes up for it. With 2 LS maps in the top 3 a magnificent result is still pulled off.

To Shoe and Duck, much respect for what must've been a hard decision. I wouldn't have really cared whether or not my map got 1st or 2nd but it's terrific that you guys are being so honest and open. And mistakes happen, so don't be too hard on yourselves. :)
 
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Mistakes suck. We all know that, and try to avoid them. We all also know they're unavoidable.
I really admire the honesty and forthrightness that this announcement showcases.

Recognition of the great content provided by the forgers is inherent in the Best of Forge process. To be nominated at all is a reflection of the quality of the product. The winners are truly of little importance.
It's refreshing to see the understanding being displayed in this thread.