Contest 28, Land of Beauty: Results

Overall Contest Notes:

This was an excellent contest with something unique and new in every submission. The results were all great. It was very difficult to rank many of the entries because of the excellent maps.

The winning criteria were defined as:
"Beauty - This event is a beauty contest. An extended panel of judges will evaluate the entries based on their aesthetic appeal. The judges will pay particular attention to the following:

• Organization of the city
• Imaginative use of the terrain
• Use of key buildings (Sanctuaries,Pyramids etc.)
• Integration of science, culture, worship of the gods into the daily life of city
  citizens
• Efficient organization of industries and husbandry buildings to support the city"

Toward that goal the overall appearance of the city was the most important factor. Well organized housing blocks with integration of special buildings was important. The most obvious terrain factor was the three road wide promenade leading from the plateau on the hill to the lower level. This was used by several entrants to tie their hill top complex to the rest of the city.

Almost all the entries mixed the required sanctuaries and pyramids into the city. There were several very imaginative uses of hippodromes in the submissions. Though some entries were successful in placing the sanctuaries outside the main city center, there should be a definite route for a grand procession to the sanctuary.

Some items that the all players might find useful for future beauty contests and general city building.
1. Beautification structures and recreation areas need to be placed in a planned manner to produce a visual impact. These elements should not be enclosed completely so that city citizens could no visit them. While the center of housing blocks might offer access through the homes, care must be used not to wall off the beautification elements.
2. Wide roads make a strong impact. While they might make random walker movements unpredictable, they can still used very effectively. See the plaza's that Elf created on the top of the hill and near his university complex.
3. Some types of beautification structures are better suited for different areas. Again on Elf's map, the use of Dolphin Sculptures to enhance the plaza around Poseidon's Sanctuary was excellent. Other structures would not have been logical, and the Dolphin Sculptures would not have worked as well with a different sanctuary.
4. Use a mix of high and low structures to avoid creating deep canyons in the housing areas. The townhouses in Zeus / Poseidon need space to look good.
5. Columns, walls, towers, even a single or double row of gardens can be used to define the limits / boundaries of housing areas, scientific areas, worship areas, etc.
6. Mix types of beautification structures in an organized plan. The same structure side by side by side by side, etc. can be disruptive. Also avoid using too many parks without some plan to integrate them into the rest of the beautification scheme.
7. If money is not a Wining Criteria, don't be afraid to spend it
8. Before submitting your entry, take a while to cleanup and polish the final map. Eliminate undesirable buildings like artisans, storage yards of materials that will not be used, workshops from the immediate area of the major monuments.
9. Only one entry showed signs of manipulating tax rates and wage rates to manage unemployment and income. This can be a very useful tool in meeting completion criteria.
10. Submit your entry early. Your first entry will be evaluated for CC. This will give you a chance to repair things if it is needed. Last minute submissions created some dissapointments in this contest.
11. Finally, read, print out (in landscape if necessary) and keep hand for reference the completion criteria and winning criteria. Don't rely on memory.

Hard Difficulty

Rank	Player & download link Mini-map view	Notes
Winner	STG	STG - Very much liked the way the pyramids were integrated into the common housing blocks. Great promenade to the worship center on top of the hill. Nice mix and organization of beautification elements.
2	jumick99	jumick99 - Excellent promenade avenue and use of beautification along the road. Nice balanced beautification plan in all worker housing blocks. Entries to sanctuaries and pyramids very good.
3	DAnna	D'Anna - Interesting and nice elite housing block on top of hill. Nice mix of beautification in worker housing blocks. Good use of columns to define areas. Two interesting worship complexes.
3	Lobo22	Lobo22 - Really liked grand elite housing block, worship center on top of hill, university surrounded by the hippodrome. Nice boulevards in worker housing blocks.
5	Debbie	Debbie - Very nice elite housing blocks and placement of worker housing blocks with tall obelisk making strong visual to define blocks. Nice grand avenue through center of pryamid comples
HM	Elf	Elf - Broad plazas produce stunning visual impact. Great university complex. Arbor of Athena with hippodrome is a masterful design. Excellent use of beautification, walls and such to minimize effect of undesirable industrial elements.

Easy Difficulty

Rank	Player & download link Mini-map view	Notes
Winner	Rocky	Rocky - Excellent hilltop complex with hippodrome and columns to define area. Very good use of squares of columns mixed with shell gardens throughout city - provides strong consistency. Very good university complex. The maze is amazing.
Runner up	Iceman413	Iceman413 - Excellent symetrical layout and beautification plan. Interesting use of promenade. Integration of elite and worker housing provides a very well balanced impact on the city.
3	kach	kach - Palace fortress on the hill and promenade to elite housing and university looks great. Like the mix of beautification into structure of unconventional worker housing blocks. Nice use of limited parks to border roads and structures. Great boulevards to access all pyramids and sanctuaries.
3	Great Cornholio	Great Cornholio - Nice way to shape elite housing and university around Pillar of Atlas and Arbor of Athena. A lot of parks, but good use of landscape and cliffs to focus effect. Grand hippodrome and scheme to place worker housing inside track.
5	Iza	Iza - A most interesting and beautiful central housing block with both elite and worker housing served by inside and outside agoras. A very nice, attractive, compact city.
6	oregon_taz	oregon taz - Very creative use of empty space in the block surrounding the Museum Atlantika and Observatory Kosmika. Nice elite housing block. Great center piece to hippodrome. Good simple buy elegant entrance to Citadel of Poseidon.
7	DillonBlake	DillonBlake - Nice beautification plan carried out on both worker and elite housing blocks. Good placement of pyramids for potential university complex.

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