2025 HC Base Contest Discussion Thread

[Easter Bunny]

@Viking Queen We found this link from a previous showcase for Victrix Historical Society. Looks as though the correct passcode should be VICTRIX001-3323.
 

 

[Fade]

I'm considering entering the base contest with the first base I've ever built to completion, but the Novice category has a lot of competition in it. Would I be better off entering into a different category (Other/Miscellaneous, in this case)? Are the Novice bases going to be judged on a different level (perhaps more forgiving) than the other categories?

EDIT: Another unrelated question: Some of my friends helped out with tips and tricks and suggestions. Will naming them as collaborators prevent them from submitting their own entries due to the "one base per player" rule?

Edited April 23 by Fade

[Dacy]

The bases in Novice are not expected to be as polished, but will be judged with the same rubric. The difference will be in who you are competing with. More experienced base builders, some have spent literally years polishing their bases, learning new techniques, etc; so expect that the winners of the other categories 

would be at a high level of refinement and polish. I encourage you to enter the novice, this is where novices will compete against other novices, so it does not matter what the standard is for the other categories. Some novices will catch on more quickly than others, so some bases will have a higher degree of sophistication than others, but all are people who have not dedicated lots of time to perfecting their building skills as of this contest. Regardless of what category you enter, people will see your build, and you can get feedback about it. Now, feedback will likely be a bit different for a novice, who might not know what and how to do things, vs. a veteran, who has had the time and experience to learn what and how to do things. But each category is judged only against the rubric, and only competes against others in that same category. So...if I were you and wanted to see where I had the best chance (remembering there is only one winner per category), I'd go to the TOUR hubs and see the bases that I'd be competing against. (You'll have to go to the other shards to get them all.) If you happen to be in a light category, maybe, sure, go with that, but otherwise I'd advise Novice.

Edited April 23 by Dacy

[slo644]

If the Novice catagory  is not policed its likly  it will be taken advantage of by other than  novice builder

Edited April 23 by slo644

[Easter Bunny]

Yes, both Dacy and I and the HC Council gave this a lot of thought, as it was a major concern before implementing the Novice category. Ultimately, three key factors led to our decision:

1. Honor System Disclaimer:
   The contest announcement includes a clear statement:

   "We are relying on the honor system to ensure fair competition. The Novice tier is meant for casual builders and those still honing their craft- not experienced builders seeking an easy win. Violating this may result in disqualification and a ban from future contests."
   We want the event to be fun and fair for everyone. Enter with integrity and respect for fellow builders.

2. Title Transparency:
   Winners will be labeled as “Novice Champion.” For a true novice, this is something to be proud of. For a skilled builder trying to game the system, it’s less appealing.

3. Community Awareness:
   We know our community well. If someone’s competed before, we’ll likely recognize them. If they haven’t, chances are they are genuinely new.

Lastly, while we’re not actively investigating every entry upfront, we reserve the right to review standout bases and ensure the category’s integrity is upheld.

Edited April 23 by Easter Bunny

[ZacKing]

Question - Are multiple entries for the same SG allowed?  Looks like there are people from within the same SG entering different bases of theirs related to their SG. 

[Easter Bunny]

2 hours ago, ZacKing said:

Question - Are multiple entries for the same SG allowed?  Looks like there are people from within the same SG entering different bases of theirs related to their SG. 

Yes, multiple entries from the same Supergroup are allowed - there’s no rule against that.

However, individual builders can only be part of ONE entry. If a builder contributes to multiple bases, they must choose one to be officially listed on. This means a person cannot be credited on more than one entry, even if they belong to the same SG.

I see the post you are referring to and have reached out to those involved for clarification on how they want to proceed.

[Fade]

1 hour ago, Easter Bunny said:

Yes, multiple entries from the same Supergroup are allowed - there’s no rule against that.

However, individual builders can only be part of ONE entry. If a builder contributes to multiple bases, they must choose one to be officially listed on. This means a person cannot be credited on more than one entry, even if they belong to the same SG.

I see the post you are referring to and have reached out to those involved for clarification on how they want to proceed.

 

That would be me! I asked this question earlier, and I think it was overlooked in favor of the other question I posted.

 

On 4/22/2025 at 11:52 PM, Fade said:

EDIT: Another unrelated question: Some of my friends helped out with tips and tricks and suggestions. Will naming them as collaborators prevent them from submitting their own entries due to the "one base per player" rule?

 

Considering I built the base by myself, but my friends helped by teaching me how the base builder worked, should I remove them from the contributing builders section to avoid misconception?

[Easter Bunny]

Ah! Whoops! Sorry for missing your earlier question!

Yes, the collaborators portion of the entry form does directly connect to the "one base per player" rule.

However, I love that you want to thank your friends and fully support that. Maybe add a Special Thanks section on your entry ❤️ That should bypass the rule just fine, they won't be credited as builders to your base that way.

[Fade]

23 minutes ago, Easter Bunny said:

Ah! Whoops! Sorry for missing your earlier question!

Yes, the collaborators portion of the entry form does directly connect to the "one base per player" rule.

However, I love that you want to thank your friends and fully support that. Maybe add a Special Thanks section on your entry ❤️ That should bypass the rule just fine, they won't be credited as builders to your base that way.

That's a great way to handle it, and I edited my submission post.

[ZacKing]

2 hours ago, Easter Bunny said:

Yes, multiple entries from the same Supergroup are allowed - there’s no rule against that.

However, individual builders can only be part of ONE entry. If a builder contributes to multiple bases, they must choose one to be officially listed on. This means a person cannot be credited on more than one entry, even if they belong to the same SG.

 

Thanks for the follow up.  I have some follow up comments, but will message you directly.

[ZamuelNow]

Bumping the portal alignment question in case anyone else who's working on an entry runs into the same issue: 

 

 

[SupaFreak]

Few things.

 

1) I'm looking over the categories and wondering... did I enter our base into the right category?   I'd say it's about 40% Arcane / 60% Nature but had a few people comment that it feels like something that could exist as a location in City of Heroes (Realism?)  I went with Arcane (not so much Fantasy) because that's the environment where there's functionality and purpose.

 

2) With the deadline for submissions right around the corner, are we locked in our category or able to reconsider our category until the deadline?

Thanks in advance for:
A) A reply
B) Dacy, Easter Bunny and the gang for organizing the event.
C) Any and all judges that will be giving their time in these contests.
D) The community members for contributing to the game with your submissions.  

Edited Friday at 11:38 AM by SupaFreak

[Easter Bunny]

1 hour ago, SupaFreak said:

With the deadline for submissions right around the corner, are we locked in our category or able to reconsider our category until the deadline?

No, you are not locked in until after the deadline. You may still reconsider 🙂

Similarly, judges won’t begin touring or judging bases until after the deadline, since players may still be adjusting and fine-tuning their bases up until then.

[DarionLeonidas]

I tried to create an extra-dimensional English private club with both magic and high-tech elements. I entered under “Science Fiction”, but is there a more appropriate category I should switch to?

[Dacy]

The choice of the category is really up to you, but I think it’s helpful if why you chose that category is apparent when you view the base. I usually recommend mixed bases go into “other”, but if they are mixed because it’s Science Fiction or arcane/magical, then that makes sense too.  As an example, you might check out dryad-20249 on everlasting. Obviously, this base could be entered under nature, or other; but it’s magical, and so arcane fits. 
 

“Other” is there when you’re really not sure where to put it, too. 😊

Edited Friday at 04:56 PM by Dacy

[SupaFreak]

6 hours ago, Easter Bunny said:

No, you are not locked in until after the deadline. You may still reconsider 🙂

 

Good to know.  Thank you.

 

2 hours ago, Dacy said:

The choice of the category is really up to you, but I think it’s helpful if why you chose that category is apparent when you view the base. I usually recommend mixed bases go into “other”, but if they are mixed because it’s Science Fiction or arcane/magical, then that makes sense too.  As an example, you might check out dryad-20249 on everlasting. Obviously, this base could be entered under nature, or other; but it’s magical, and so arcane fits. 
 

“Other” is there when you’re really not sure where to put it, too. 😊

 

Thank you.  I will say I am familiar with Dryad base both from last contest and current (?).  I've occasionally popped in a few of the bases that have entered this year's contest.  It has put me into a surge of inspired creativity as of late seeing some of the fantastic designs out there.

Not saying we will switch category or not... just curious if we could.  I still personally say it's an Arcane base with Nature elements and not the other way around.

Edited Friday at 06:59 PM by SupaFreak

[SupaFreak]

After taking at least 60 second tours of all other 94(?) entries...

 

I'd like to report Everlasting for a possible murder in progress because they are absolutely killing it with their entries!

That's not saying they'll win any or all categories but overall, they have a lot at the cream of the crop.

And that's not taking anything away from my Torchbearer or other servers... just saying Everlasting came to represent!

 

I personally had to go back and do roughly 20+ hours of improvements to my base since Friday evening to feel like I have a sliver of a chance of being competitive.

 

Dacy, Easter Bunny and judges...  if you haven't realized by now... you have your work cut out for you!

 

Best of luck to all entries and judges can probably forget about working, gaming or sleeping during the judging period.,

Edited 3 hours ago by SupaFreak
Re-wording of "entry" to "base"

[Forager]

55 minutes ago, SupaFreak said:

I personally had to go back and do roughly 20+ hours of improvements to my entry since Friday evening to feel like I have a sliver of a chance of being competitive.

 

I've been wondering if anyone else out there was grinding at it.

 

Did you make big changes, just some polishing or both?

[DarionLeonidas]

Umm… I only had Arachnos coffee mugs in my break room, so I added some Statesman mugs to show the catholic nature of the SG; they welcome any enemy of Lord Nemesis.

🤷‍♂️🙂

[ZamuelNow]

One of the most fascinating things about base building is the awareness of space.  Assuming the base is for an SG of only around 10 people or less, you technically don't need a massive amount of space but some options require more or less space than you realize.  I'll likely have more thoughts after I start touring others and after judging is over.

[Wreaththuu]

With the submission deadline fast approaching, what is the timeline for judging, deliberation and winner announcement?

[Easter Bunny]

With nearly 100 entries (one entry away at time of post) it will take some time. We also intend to schedule guided tours with the top finalists. We’d love to announce in two weeks, but it very well could take 3 weeks to deliberate and tour.

[SupaFreak]

5 hours ago, Forager said:

Did you make big changes, just some polishing or both?

 

Since Friday it's been practically overhauling about 40% of the base's interior rooms, adding some details elsewhere, added lighting where it was needed and fine-tooth combing everything for overlap flickering (floral from years ago), spacing errors, alignment errors, and anything that just wasn't up to snuff.

Edited 3 hours ago by SupaFreak