The Terragen Only Challenge

[neuspadrin]

I think it would be a cool idea to have an ongoing challenge with a very simple concept.

Make the best scene you can, using ONLY what Terragen 2 offers.  No importing of objects, images, no post edits, etc. 

Show how powerful Terragen 2 is by itself, without the use of anything else.  Without object imports its a bit hard, but I'm sure some of you can blow us away with what you could do with internal objects.

I think it would be interesting to see what people can create using only Terragen 2.  We can also perhaps keep track of them on a wiki page, that show a sample image, along with a very easy to download link as all you need is the .tgd.

This would allow newcomers or those looking to learn more to be able to have a interesting start point of learning how to create various things in Terragen 2 by simply downloading a file and seeing how a master did it.

With the added challenge of preferably keeping it possible for the free version to download and use the file.

Which means restricting yourself to:
Render Size Maximum: 800x600
Render Detail Maximum: 1.0
Antialiasing Maximum: 3
Number of Rendered Populations: 3

So.  Anyone up for the challenge?

[cyphyr]

Seems a good idea, I agree about limiting it to the free version although that dose bring the question of three populations of what (if we cant import objects). Kind of limited to three populations of grass, short, medium and tall ...
richard

[neuspadrin]

Perhaps we could have a few levels of difficulty of the challenge.

Easiest - Some model/image imports, but no total size must not be over x mb. minor post edits allowed.

Easy - Some model/image imports, limited like above, only 3 population limit.  minor post edits allowed.

Hard - No models/images, but populations you can do whatever (maybe someone can turn a rock population into trees ), no post edits.

Ultimate Challenge - No models, no external objects, images, no post edits, etc.

[Seth]

May I ask what's the point about creating another challenge ?
I mean, there are already a lot of contests going on in several websites...
And only a few of TG2 users participate...
So why should they participate in this one ?

[Goms]

...
And only a few of TG2 users participate...
So why should they participate in this one ?

Imho right. But a regular Challenge with one special thing (Geyser, Vulcan, some Plate tectonics, a stone-arch, waterfall etc.) that should be created with TG2 only would be great.
It's a chance to collect a few ways something could be created and also its good to see what can be done with tg2.

This would allow newcomers or those looking to learn more to be able to have a interesting start point of learning how to create various things in Terragen 2 by simply downloading a file and seeing how a master did it.

I don't think a newbie could learn anything from a complex image of someone who creates images since 2 years. If the Node-Network is huge and with a mass of functions, they would probably just use it without learning anything.

[cyphyr]

May I ask what's the point about creating another challenge ?
I mean, there are already a lot of contests going on in several websites...
And only a few of TG2 users participate...
So why should they participate in this one ?

Actually I think your right, we tried a challange over xmass and only a few of us participated (I had intended to but did not in the end ).
For contests try:

terragen.org Monthly theme based contest
terragen-masters.de/ German site contest oriented.

There are others but I cant remember them now, maybe others will add to the list ?

Richard

[neuspadrin]

It's not really an official challenge with winners or even an end date, its more of a way to perhaps get some of the community to work to show some of the strength of terragen by itself.  Just thought it might be interesting to see.

[cyphyr]

How about a "hand off" chalange (not a chalange really, more of an event).
One person creates a terragen scene, but dose not finish it. This is then posted on the forum (handed off) for others to downlaod, modify and add too.
The posted file should be a zip archive along with a change log (this log is also updated here on the forum).
The dificult part is to not distroy all the previous work that has gone into a file but still add to and learn from previous participants work.
Changes may be as much or as little as desired, simply adding one surface layer, or refining an "intersect by underlying", whatever as long as it can be explained in the log and dose not destroy previous work.
richard

[neuspadrin]

That sounds like a pretty cool idea.

[Goms]

We did something like this ones on Terradreams.de with amazing results at the end. Heres a link to the results: http://www.terradreams.de/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=113009#113009
The Idea was a list of Users who wanted to work something on the picture. Only the Terrain was given.
The Image went from one User to the next, so everyone could change something (without making the image too far away from the one before).
I would love to organize this again for TG2. something like 7-12 people would be great.
anyone?

[domdib]

I really like the "pass the parcel" idea.  And also the TG only idea, although I agree it might be difficult to find a way to structure this.

[cyphyr]

... although I agree it might be difficult to find a way to structure this.

and keep us lot to it lol

richard

[PG]

I think Cypher's idea is best. Have an open ended event without a deadline, just create a scene (perhaps with a particular category), upload it here, someone else picks it up and improves it, uploads it and on goes the roundabout. I think we'd have a lot more participants if they don't all have to create a scene from scratch. That's the part that puts most, including me, off. I was going to compete in the 3d world competition but I work a lot so didn't have time to make an entire scene of that standard.

[Goms]

But then you would have something like 20 files in the second round, because everybody is taking this file and does not want to wait for the next one to finish his work. Maybe there is a way to get only one person per time to modify this file.

edit: what about first come, first go? the file is not provided by uploading to the thread, but the first one who writes a pn gets it?

[PG]

Well that'd certainly allow for consistency. However, maybe it should be categorised. Those who want to do small edits of maybe one or two settings, those who want to tweak one particular section, e.g. atmosphere, and those who want to give the scene a redesign (within the limits of keeping the scene itself intact)