Holiday Decoration Contest: Vote for Your Favorite!

[Fallon Valor]

Vote here for your favorite contestant in the Holiday Decoration Contest. Previews of the homes can be found here. To view the homes in person, you will find a runebook with runes to each location at the EM Rewards Hall in Malas.

 

[Salem de Monfort]

In the end, I thought they were all so wonderful. Thank you for sharing.

 

[Miss Smoocher]

i really enjoyed looking at all the houses i voted for me "How The Grinch Stole Christmas"

 

[Lord Clay Of Aquinas]

Not to be a "Grinch" but shouldn't the first 3 houses be different entries to make things fair. Since they have 3 homes that are decorated heavily which can sway the vote? I mean... That seems to be an unfair advantage to have 3 homes people can vote for whereas everyone else only has one.

 

[Miss Smoocher]

it is i only entered the middle house.

 

[silent death197831]

to clarify so that credit is given were credit is due Ginger Snap is the owner of how the grinch stole christmas and she is the deco queen who made the houses possible. grinch mnt was just a piece of it. as for entering 3 houses which one would you like us to enter they are all equal in beauty and decoed to the best they can be so i have great confidence in all three which ever we was allowed to enter. we did not work our butts off for years to end up with three house side by side by side to not take advantage of it lol. as for the rest of the houses i thought they were all very well done expecally the cabin set in the snow other then ours that was my favorite one. We were not going to enter but everyone encouraged us to enter we just wanted everyone to enjoy our deco not get all upset about us having three houses in a row.

 

[Aristillus]

I voted for the Grinch too. Even though I think it is an unfair entry because they have creativity and that can be used to sway the vote. I mean... That seems to be an unfair advantage to have creativity people can vote for whereas not everyone else has any.

 

[Dremwvr]

Wow, where do I start. I don't believe Clay was out of line stating that the "Grinch" has an advantage in this contest. The "Grinch" has three houses entered as one home which confuses anyone visiting to cast their vote. Miss Smoucher or Ginger Snap whom ever owns one or all of the house says the middle house is the only entry. If this is true then take the teleporters out so everyone is not confused as to what you have entered. I think all the entries were creative but you would think that the playing field would be level for everyone. I am happy you worked for years Silent Death to get three houses in a row but as you yourself state in these posts "We did not work our butts off for years to end up with three houses side by side to not TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT." Be fair or enter each of the 3.

 

[Taylor]

Unless it is explicitly prohibited, I don't have any problem with it. Regardless, I still think any one of the three could win the competition. They were amazing.

 

[Aristillus]

People with multiple houses have an advantage just like people with large houses have an advantage. Should anyone with an 18x18 be excluded from the competition because some people only have a small house?

 

[silent death197831]

ok the middle one was the house entered in the contest. noone twisted anyone elses arm to take the teleports. we have the teleporters their for us and the public to go to the other houses for access. i can agree the scene of three houses decoed so good that you want to go see the other two house is a little much, but i guess thats life. people see a good thing and i guess they wanted to see more. We did not intend on entering the houses in the contest but Atlantic wanted them in it ever person who comes every season to see what we have done has asked us over and over again to enter. honestly we just wanted people to enjoy the work not be upset about the contest of whos fair an unfair. but as i stated in the begining the middle house was the entry the rest was just a bonus. so lets have a and enjoy everyone beautiful houses.

 

[Dremwvr]

Well Silent I would say take the teleporters out if you agree but we all know its too late for that now. Congrats on your 3 house entry, they are nice.

 

[Lord Clay Of Aquinas]

If only the middle house was entered, then why are there pictures of all three up there? It just gives more pictures to sway votes. I would say that if you wanted to show off all 3, then separate entries would be required. Or, at the end of the competition along with announcement of the winner and runner up etc.. The other two buildings were shown as just a display the in depth detail that went along with those homes.

I have no complaint about the creativity used. I commend it, but the simple fact that "the middle home was entered" means that that should be the only one in the competition and therefore the only one posted on this site.

I'm sure if someone had a community that did the same thing of 10 homes, there would be a lot of upset people that can't afford the work done or the organization that it would probably become boycotted.

Also, for those of you that are making comments about "Larger homes should be banned to accommodate those with smaller homes" please... A home is a home and even a small home could be well designed and win. (Size does not matter when it comes to design)

Just to sum it up. My beef lays with the fact that ONE home (the middle home) was the supposed entry, but all three homes are seen for this vote as an entry.

 

[Taylor]

The owner of the house didn't post the pictures, I did. I was not privy as to whether one house or all three houses were entered.

 

[Aristillus]

Also, for those of you that are making comments about "Larger homes should be banned to accommodate those with smaller homes" please... A home is a home and even a small home could be well designed and win. (Size does not matter when it comes to design)

Then why is multiple homes an advantage if not for more space? Same as the difference in a small and a large home no?

 

[Lord Clay Of Aquinas]

I suppose that would have leveled the playing field just a tad and maybe distributed some of the votes a bit more.

I didn't enter in on this contest so I'm not bias towards anyone, I just wandered onto this and checked it all out. I'm very impressed with the level of work those homes are, but like I said before... It seems an unfair advantage that one home can have a combo of 2 more homes along with it to sway voting. It could have been an accident how this happened, but what's done is done I suppose...

 

[Lord Clay Of Aquinas]

Then why is multiple homes an advantage if not for more space? Same as the difference in a small and a large home no?

You don't quite understand what I've been saying.

I'm merely stating that ONE home was submitted for the contest correct? The middle home... But for the voting process, 3 different homes are shown for that one entry. That's the unfair advantage.

 

[Miss Smoocher]

The owner of the house didn't post the pictures, I did. I was not privy as to whether one house or all three houses were entered.

Nope i only entered the middle house. from now on i will not be entering any more contests i am going to make my homes privte and keep my deco to myself and my guild mates and friends. someones always got to cry about something. merry christmas to all

 

[Lord Clay Of Aquinas]

Nope i only entered the middle house. from now on i will not be entering any more contests i am going to make my homes privte and keep my deco to myself and my guild mates and friends. someones always got to cry about something. merry christmas to all

Noone is saying it's your fault either. Your "I can't please everybody so I'll quit post" is quite sad. Why would you quit because there seems to be an advantage with the way things were posted by someone else? I fail to see your logic behind that other then creating more drama of people saying "Don't stop just because others have problems with what's happening." posts...

 

[Aristillus]

You don't quite understand what I've been saying.

I'm merely stating that ONE home was submitted for the contest correct? The middle home... But for the voting process, 3 different homes are shown for that one entry. That's the unfair advantage.

I understand what you are saying. But I don't think that anyone that visits those houses will realize that just one of them was submitted. And I don't think it an unfair advantage.

I agree with what you said in an earlier post that very creative things have been done with small plots, that's why I made the remark about larger houses. I just think that for these contests, nothing should be excluded just because other contestants don't have the resources. That is what is makes these competitions great....the unhindered creativity of the entries.

 

[Lord Clay Of Aquinas]

But I don't think that anyone that visits those houses will realize that just one of them was submitted.

With this statement, that's what I see as an unfair advantage. If I were to choose out of their 3 homes shown, I would choose the last house over the "middle house." BUT that technically would not help the middle home entry effectively in this poll, as that is not the official entry. Whereas if the poll included the other two homes separately, the middle home would not get my vote because it would be on the 3rd of their homes. See how that can sway a vote?

 

[SunWolf]

Anyway, it is a decerating contest and it is supposed to be fun. If an entire player town enters, I don't really see why they can't. Those three houses was done up very well, and they had some nice themes to them. The teleporters and the roads leading to each one is really a smart idea. In halloween, all three entered then and did not win the main vote, even though they was really great to see, but did win something from all the work they have done.

It is really nice to see the ideas and others have came up with and that is why these contests I think are fun just to look at. The Santa's Workshop is a very nice theme aswell. Next year you will problay see people take ideas from all these houses and add it to thier's to try to win.

Again this is about having fun, and shouldn't be about who wins really. Serpent Cross Tavern, I did just so people can see the old place again. I wasn't even going to enter it into the contest but just have it on the tour, but the owners and others insisted on me entering it just for the fun of it.

Regardless, it really comes down to the idea behind the decerating. But yea custom houses have an advantage over vendor houses or classic ones. People with more gold has an advantage, bigger guilds have one, or actualy if you have an empty house just sitting without loaded with chest or items is an advantage aswell. But it should be fun regardless, cause it will take time to do it and people are happy to see what the ending result is. That is the purpose behind all this. I had fun seeing them all, thanks for the time and effort everyone has put into thier house or houses.

 

[Miss Smoocher]

Noone is saying it's your fault either. Your "I can't please everybody so I'll quit post" is quite sad. Why would you quit because there seems to be an advantage with the way things were posted by someone else? I fail to see your logic behind that other then creating more drama of people saying "Don't stop just because others have problems with what's happening." posts...

i dont see it as making more drama. i dont need the drama is what i am saying. so if i dont enter anymore Contests then noone tell me how unfair my work is to them. the thing is they can do just as good of a job as i do. if they belive in them self and put in the work to make it heppen.

 

[Lord Clay Of Aquinas]

I mean here's a comparison for you.

I have multiple computers, multiple UO accounts, maybe even multiple personalities, and if I had multiple Stratics accounts, I could vote multiple times for a specific house. Would this be fair? No, because I am one person. One person, one vote. Very similar to the One entry (middle house) should only have one picture (and excluded from the tour). But since this competition has lended the ability for one house to have multiple pictures, I suppose it shouldn't exclude one person from having multiple Stratics accounts to vote multiple times.

 

[Aristillus]

See how that can sway a vote?

Of course I can see how having three creatively decorated houses can sway the vote....I just don't think it is an unfair advantage.

 

[Aristillus]

I mean here's a comparison for you.

I have multiple computers, multiple UO accounts, maybe even multiple personalities, and if I had multiple Stratics accounts, I could vote multiple times for a specific house. Would this be fair? No, because I am one person. One person, one vote. Very similar to the One entry (middle house) should only have one picture (and excluded from the tour). But since this competition has lended the ability for one house to have multiple pictures, I suppose it shouldn't exclude one person from having multiple Stratics accounts to vote multiple times.

Apples/Oranges

 

[Lord Clay Of Aquinas]

i dont see it as making more drama. i dont need the drama is what i am saying. so if i dont enter anymore Contests then noone tell me how unfair my work is to them. the thing is they can do just as good of a job as i do. if they belive in them self and put in the work to make it heppen.

I don't disagree with you about people believing in themselves and their work. I don't have a problem with multiple people pooling together resources on one home as it's teamwork. And I'm not saying that you're at fault. I commend the effort and detail the 3 homes are with each other, I think you did an outstanding job overall. But the middle house was entered. Therefore it should be the only house evaluated by the people voting, not the other homes included with helping people decide. This was a mistake in how this event was run. And I apologize if these comments dissuade you from entering more contests like this as I think you should continue as you do good work. But, the simple fact that this contest was strewn from the beginning sort of creates some issues.

 

[Cry Baby]

I happened on this contest from the event post and I have to agree, the contest is a bit one sided. If you don't read all the post below and just visit the houses and go by the pics then the Grinch home has a clear advantage. When you visit the "Grinch House" you are actually visiting 3 as the pics show and they would never have been able to do all the decorations in one house with the way its layed out. So Miss Smoucher needs to dry her eyes and take out the teleports. If anyone wants to see her incredible work then they can walk over to the other two. I agree with the Lord Clay guy. The middle house did nothing for me either!

 

[Miss Smoocher]

I happened on this contest from the event post and I have to agree, the contest is a bit one sided. If you don't read all the post below and just visit the houses and go by the pics then the Grinch home has a clear advantage. When you visit the "Grinch House" you are actually visiting 3 as the pics show and they would never have been able to do all the decorations in one house with the way its layed out. So Miss Smoucher needs to dry her eyes and take out the teleports. If anyone wants to see her incredible work then they can walk over to the other two. I agree with the Lord Clay guy. The middle house did nothing for me either!

as far as the pics i did not take them noone told you to step on the tellys to the other houses the middle one was entered. and no i wont take out tellys its how i get into my homes. but like i said i am done with this crap. nomore contests and dealing with cry babys

 

[silent death197831]

if it did nothing for you then vote for someone else. It is a deco contest and we did not take any pictures of the house to post that was someone else. Here is the thing it was a deco contest we dont have a unfair advantage we did not use items that other players could not get, we did not use anything special that anyone else could not use. the only thing we had extra was space that anyone who put their time and effort into could have. With this being said good luck to all and i hope you enjoy all the wonderful decoed houses. I do appoligize for upsetting anyone.

 

[Taylor]

Complaints aside, Miss Smoocher and Silent Death's house has the overwhelming majority of votes. Congratulations, you two.

 

[Lord Clay Of Aquinas]

if it did nothing for you then vote for someone else. It is a deco contest and we did not take any pictures of the house to post that was someone else. Here is the thing it was a deco contest we dont have a unfair advantage we did not use items that other players could not get, we did not use anything special that anyone else could not use. the only thing we had extra was space that anyone who put their time and effort into could have. With this being said good luck to all and i hope you enjoy all the wonderful decoed houses. I do appoligize for upsetting anyone.

You don't quite understand... Noone is upset about the use of items. It's the fact that 3 homes were shown for 1 homes entry that makes it an unfair advantage. Like I mentioned before, if I had to choose between the 3 of your homes, my vote would have been for the 3rd. Which some people would look at those homes and say, your 3rd home so I'm voting for that person. But their 2nd choice would have been one of your homes and they didn't know that your entry only consisted of the "middle home" which they did not like. Thus making it an unfair advantage that people can be swayed to vote that way.

 

[Miss Smoocher]

You don't quite understand... Noone is upset about the use of items. It's the fact that 3 homes were shown for 1 homes entry that makes it an unfair advantage. Like I mentioned before, if I had to choose between the 3 of your homes, my vote would have been for the 3rd. Which some people would look at those homes and say, your 3rd home so I'm voting for that person. But their 2nd choice would have been one of your homes and they didn't know that your entry only consisted of the "middle home" which they did not like. Thus making it an unfair advantage that people can be swayed to vote that way.

you didnt like my middle home? what part of it didnt you like i mean i didnt have grass in my home. i didnt cut cornnors to deco it. i went all out on it. but you didnt like it thanks.

 

[Lord Clay Of Aquinas]

Well, we're all entitled to our own opinion. Compared to your groups 3rd home, the middle home was a bit lacking for me.( I felt the 3rd home was extremely creative in style). However, we're talking about the middle home.

While I appreciate the amount of work put in, I find the heavy use of snowmen, presents, candles and poinsettias to line the front wall a bit heavy. The tallest building is somewhat overwhelming and design isn't to my liking (personal preference of course). The small homes on top of the tower building didn't make all that much sense with the style either. I did like the use of the modern Christmas trees to form one large tree as well as the general multi home with path style.

I will edit to clarify: The above is posted about the middle home in the pictures.

The reason why I don't like the middle home in the set (physically) is because of the gingerbread on the roof doesn't make sense, the mini house on the property is a bit odd for the setup, the large candle out front (I've never liked those), and I'm not sure I would have used the green lampposts. Oh and the walls of the house are an odd combination. But again it's a personal opinion that of which you asked why I didn't like them.

 

[Miss Smoocher]

Well, we're all entitled to our own opinion. Compared to your groups 3rd home, the middle home was a bit lacking for me.( I felt the 3rd home was extremely creative in style). However, we're talking about the middle home.

While I appreciate the amount of work put in, I find the heavy use of snowmen, presents, candles and poinsettias to line the front wall a bit heavy. The tallest building is somewhat overwhelming and design isn't to my liking (personal preference of course). The small homes on top of the tower building didn't make all that much sense with the style either. I did like the use of the modern Christmas trees to form one large tree as well as the general multi home with path style.[/QUOTE

you know what with this in mind you dont know what your talking about. i will not be back to even look at what you have to say i know i am a great decoer and dont need to see your mean words and its all you seem to have to say. you have a great christmas.

 

[silent death197831]

that is your right as a voter but maybe next time you will enter your home instead of talking about others on stratics. all i am saying on this matter. done deal. good luck everyone i hope all have a merry christmas and a happy new year.

 

[Lord Clay Of Aquinas]

Wow, you did ask me what my opinion was about your design that I didn't like. As soon as I give my answer you storm off saying I'm mean? Maybe you shouldn't be doing house designs or entering contests like these as there will be people that won't like your work for one reason or another. Considering that there are votes for many other houses on there aside from yours, it shows that although the numbers for your multiple houses are high, there are some which don't like them.

Mean, perhaps... honest? definitely.

 

[Lord Clay Of Aquinas]

that is your right as a voter but maybe next time you will enter your home instead of talking about others on stratics. all i am saying on this matter. done deal. good luck everyone i hope all have a merry christmas and a happy new year.

Maybe I will enter mine. But you entered your homes and we all have our own right to give an opinion on them do we not? This is a forum is it not? You entered into a contest. Be prepared to hear criticism as not everyone will like your work. Thus the saying "You can't please them all."


Have a Merry Christmas everyone! I'm not a mean person if you really knew me!

 

[NoKittyMyPotPie]

Atleast the grinch house has a theme and they do it well, rest are just junk locked down.

 

[Taylor]

Come on, folks. It's Christmas time.

 

[Lord Clay Of Aquinas]

Atleast the grinch house has a theme and they do it well, rest are just junk locked down.

Well, I would agree that just locking items down to show off xmas stuff is not really a true form of design, I wouldn't go as far as being antagonistic and saying the rest don't have themes and junk is just locked down. Some do have themes and do decent work.

Useful post though. rolleyes:

 

[Dremwvr]

Yikes it is Christmas. Well looks like everyone is dumping their opinion in here so here goes mine. Now first of all, Syrus of Gahd I mean no disrespect towards you. You write beautifully and I know it takes alot to do post and its time out of your real life duties but how can you be so one sided? You are a moderator and a reporter. You have stated several times who the winners are or who your favorites are. Is this fair for a moderator/reporter? Do you have anything to do with the contest itself? I want to states some facts for all to read and let people come to their own conclusion. I mean, the contest is already ruined for all the contestants. There should have been set rules. Anyone that wins now won't feel right about it. I know some that spent weeks decorating. I posted that I did not think it was right to let the three houses together be one entry. I stated that there would not have been anyway that they could have layed out all those scenes in one house no matter the size. Your response: 3:32 pm Unless it is explicitly prohibited, I don't have any problem with it. Regardless, I still think any one of the three could win the competition. They were amazing. At 3:54 pm Lord Clay of Aquinas ask why 3 pics of the houses: Your response: 3:57 pm The owner of the house didn't post the pictures, I did. I was not privy as to whether one house or all three houses were entered. What does this mean? Your were not privy? One house is entered, you take pics of that one house? Then you state at 5:47 pm the following: Complaints aside, Miss Smoocher and Silent Death's house has the overwhelming majority of votes. Congratulations, you two. Where is it stated what time and date the voting ends? In the information it only states winner will be announced on 12/21/09. You just stated that Miss Smoocher and Silent Death's won. Now you see how the rest of the contestants feel. They are unaware the contest has ended and with your above statements the whole thing is onesided. They have all put hours and gold and hard work into each home. Please correct this one sidedness! Is that at word? Have a Merry Christmas everyone! Just puttin it out there for yall to consider

 

[Taylor]

I am not a moderator, but I am a reporter. I had nothing to do with this contest. I posted pictures of the houses and created a poll, per the request of EM Nestor.

I am entitled to my own opinion, just as everyone else is. My favorite entry was the house entitled, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." I used my one vote to vote for it. Which was your favorite?

P.S. Whenever I post official news related articles as a staff member of UOstratics, I post as "Fallon Valor" with my staff account. Anything posted by "Syrus of Gahd" is an expression of my own opinions - nothing more.

 

[Lord Clay Of Aquinas]

P.S. Whenever I post official news related articles as a staff member of UOstratics, I post as "Fallon Valor" with my staff account. Anything posted by "Syrus of Gahd" is an expression of my own opinions - nothing more.

Not to create any fights or anything, but if you have separate accounts, one for news posting and one for your personal opinion/posts, then why would your personal post account have your signature picture that has your News posting name on it?

 

[Taylor]

Because my signature is beautiful - made by a friend.

 

[Dremwvr]

Is contest over? If not, what is deadline for voting?

 

[Taylor]

I do not know if this poll will have any bearing on the result of the actual contest. Last Halloween, EMs Eris and Nestor awarded the following:

1 Winner, chosen by EMs Nestor and Eris
1 EM Eris' Choice Award, chosen by EM Eris
1 EM Nestor's Choice Award, chosen by EM Nestor
2 Honorable Mention, chosen by EMs Nestor and Eris

The Stratics Halloween poll did not determine the winners. Perhaps it is the same with this contest.

 

[Tazar]

I can see both points here - and it is nice to see a "reasonable discussion"about the issue rather than personal attacks, etc.

Personally, I have never entered this type of contest because having 8 houses all together seemed an unfair platform to start with in comparison to other players - and I know I could not limit myself to one house...

That said, the Grinch house(s) is/are a beautiful piece of work. Very artistically done and any of the 3 would be a nice stand-alone entry...

In the end, the final decision will be made by the EM's hosting the contest. It will be a tough call.

 

[Taylor]

Tazar, your houses are located in my favorite piece of landscape in all of UO. I love that part of Malas.

 

[SunWolf]

Grr, you know all this bickering over decerating a house or houses is silly. If they stop doing contests and stops letting me see and enjoy the work/time/creativity people put into to actualy enter these contests, it will be rather annoying.
Do what the contest is supposed to be for... ENJOY IT and enjoy seeing what people come up with.


Also to correct something.
1 Winner, chosen by EMs Nestor and Eris
1 EM Eris' Choice Award, chosen by EM Eris
1 EM Nestor's Choice Award, chosen by EM Nestor
2 Honorable Mention, chosen by EMs Nestor and Eris


The overall winner is generaly off this poll
Then Eris and Nestor each picks a "deceration" who isn't the overall winner

Honorable Mention I think is the second place "deceration" from this poll

All that might change this contest though.

But if you all are doing it just to get your name in a rewards hall, to get an item to say look at me, then your doing it for the wrong reasons. Overall the main point I see here, each of you put a great amount of time and resources into your home and just want it to see how it matches up against each other house, house vs house. What done is done though and I know and I am sure many others enjoyed seeing the homes. Thanks for the amount of time and sharing them with the server. To bad the tour doesn't get more people to see each of the homes though.