Thank you, everyone, for your entries! The entry form is now closed and we will be making our picks for the jury selection during the next week.
The first Nexus Mods Screenshot Community Event is here! Submit your screenshots of Skyrim, Skyrim Special Edition, Enderal, Fallout 4, or Fallout 76 illustrating the event theme and seize your chance to win one of three £25 Steam Gift Cards (~$33 depending on exchange rates).
As we announced earlier this week, we have been thinking about new ways to increase interaction with you guys - our community - for a while now. Thanks to two amazing members of the site - Excellentium and napoleonofthestump - who have been pioneering screenshot events based around artistic themes, we are now honoured to roll out the first Screenshot Community Event and to reveal the theme:
The event theme is...
Conflict and Struggle
Be it the civil war between Stormcloaks and Imperials, opposing factions like The Brotherhood of Steel and The Institute fighting each other, the red madness plaguing the world of Enderal, or simply player versus environment: conflict and people struggling are common themes in the worlds of Skyrim, Skyrim SE, Enderal, Fallout 4, and Fallout 76. In your screenshot submissions, you are free to interpret this theme any way you like e.g. by portraying the internal or implied struggle of a character, or by depicting epic battle scenes. Excellentium and napoleonofthestump have been hard at work to provide you with some amazing example shots illustrating the theme.
Since we want this to be as inclusive as possible and encourage everyone regardless of skill to partake in the event, there won't be any "winners" per se. Rather, we will be giving out one of the prizes to a random participant in the event.
The other two gift cards will be given away to two randomly chosen participants from the jury selection consisting of 15 screenshots (one per participant) that we will pick together with Excellentium and napoleonofthestump.
How to enter:
- Create at least one screenshot illustrating "Conflict and Struggle" from Skyrim, Skyrim Special Edition, Enderal, Fallout 4, or Fallout 76.
- Upload your screenshot(s) to the public image share (site rules apply).
- Fill out the event entry form here:
Click here to enter for a chance to win one of 3x £25 Steam Gift Cards.The form is now closed, thank you for participating! - Make sure to provide your email, Nexus Mods username, and the URLs linking to your screenshots on the image share.
The event will be running for two weeks from today Friday, 22nd March until Friday, 5th April 04:00 PM (GMT). Make sure to submit your screenshots before the end of the event if you would like to participate.
To help you get started, napoleonofthestump has written up a screenarchery guide suitable for both newcomers as well as veteran screenarchers.
Please take note of the rules of participation as well as the general terms and conditions below.
With that all being said, we are all very much looking forward to seeing what screenshots you can come up with. Best of luck to all participants and feel free to share your thoughts and screenshots in the comments below!
Participants - Entries - Screenshots
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- Participants are required to submit at least one (1) screenshot (i.e. an image taken in-game) illustrating the theme “Conflict and Struggle” in order to enter the event and become eligible for winning a prize.
- Submitting several screenshots is possible, however, only one (1) screenshot per user will be featured in either the jury selection or the community selection.
- All entries must be submitted between Friday, 22nd March 2019 and Friday, 5th April 2019 04:00 PM (GMT).
- Screenshots must be uploaded to the public image share, and participants need to fill out the contest entry Google Form.
- Only screenshots depicting game content from the specified games (Skyrim, Skyrim Special Edition, Enderal, Fallout 4, Fallout 76) are valid entries.
- You must be the copyright holder i.e. creator of the screenshot(s).
- Screenshots must not include artwork from other creators without explicit permission.
- Screenshots may be edited with external tools (GIMP, Photoshop etc.).
- Screenshots may feature game content as well as mod content. Our site rules apply.
- Screenshots must not depict content that would not be permissible to be hosted on Nexus Mods e.g. armours that were illegally ripped from another game.
- Featured content must conform to our site rules (inappropriate content) and must not feature adult content such as nudity, swearing, sexualised content, extreme violence and gore.
- Entries found to be in violation of any of those rules and/or our general terms and policies will be disqualified.
- Disqualified entries will be removed from the final selection and any awarded associated prizes will be revoked.
Prizes - Jury Selection - Community Selection
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- In total, three (3) £25 Steam Gift Cards (~$33, ~€29 depending on daily exchange rates) will be given away as prizes during the event.
- One (1) £25 Steam Gift Card will be given away randomly to one (1) user who submitted at least one screenshot as a valid entry, and who entered the draw via the Google Form.
- One screenshot per user will be displayed in a final news post concluding the event.
- The jury consisting of the Nexus team, Excellentium, and napoleonofthestump will pick a total of 15 shots from 15 different users for a "jury selection".
- Two (2) of the £25 Steam Gift Cards will be awarded to two (2) randomly picked users represented in the jury selection.
General Terms and Conditions
Spoiler:
By submitting a competition entry, you are agreeing to be bound by these terms and conditions.
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By submitting a competition entry, you are agreeing to be bound by these terms and conditions.
- Promoter name. Black Tree Gaming Limited incorporated in England and Wales with company number 06360077 of 10 Southernhay West, Exeter, EX1 1JG (referred to throughout this terms as the “Promoter”, “we”, “us” and “our”).
- Deadline. All competition entries must be received by the Promoter by no later than the Closing Date displayed on the Google Form. All competition entries received after the Closing Date are automatically disqualified.
- How to Enter. You may enter through the Google Form by entering your email address (for contact purposes). You must complete this initial entry to be eligible to win. You do not have to pay to enter the competition, however, you are responsible for any phone or internet charges you may incur when entering. If you are unsure about these charges, you should contact your phone or internet operator before entering. Entries will not be acknowledged and we do not accept responsibility for entries that are lost, delayed or which we do not receive.
- Eligibility. You must be aged 18 or over at the time of entry in order to enter this competition. We may require you to provide proof that you are eligible to enter the competition. No purchase necessary. You must enter the competition yourself. Entries which are incomplete, removed, corrupt or ineligible will not be accepted. We reserve the right to verify any entries and winners and may refuse to award prizes and/or disqualify you if you make or attempt to make any entry to this competition which is in our reasonable opinion contrary to these terms and conditions or by its nature unfair to other entrants. This might include entries which are made by automated means, fraudulent, made in bulk, made on behalf of another person, or made by hacking, cheating or deception. You must comply with the laws that apply to you in the location that you access the competition from. If any laws applicable to you restrict or prohibit you from entering the competition, you must comply with those legal restrictions or, if applicable, refrain from entering the competition.
- Prize conditions. Prizes are subject to availability with no cash alternative. Prizes are not negotiable, exchangeable or transferable. The winner(s) will be contacted via Private Message on the Nexus Mods website or the email that you provided on the Google Form. You must claim your prize personally within 1 month of the Closing Date otherwise your claim will become invalid (you are solely responsible for this). The decision of the Promoter is final. We have the right to substitute any prize for an alternative prize of equal or greater value.
- Excluded participants and entries. Employees of the Promoters, its holding or subsidiary companies, its agents or suppliers or anyone else professionally connected with the competition, or members of their families or households. The Promoter will not admit entries which: are automatically created by a computer or bot or script or other automated technology, created in bulk, have been altered or forged or tampered with, are illegible or incomplete or which generally in Promoter’s reasonable opinion are inappropriate to admit.
- Selection of winners. The winner will be chosen at random. If you did not provide a valid email address when entering we will choose a new winner. If you did not complete the mandatory "Leave a comment" action, we will find a new winner.
- Ownership of competition entries and intellectual property rights. The Promoter does not claim any rights of ownership in your competition entry. The promoter is granted a non-exclusive, worldwide, irrevocable license to use, display, publish, transmit, copy, edit, alter, store, re-format and sublicense the competition entry and any accompanying materials for its marketing or other commercial purposes.
- Data protection and publicity. If you are a winner of the competition, you agree that the Promoter may use your provided information to announce the winner of this competition and for any other reasonable and related promotional purposes without any payment to you. You represent that all of the information which you provide to us in connection with this competition shall be and shall remain complete and accurate. You represent that your entry will not contain anything (i) that is or could reasonably be viewed as harmful, harassing, defamatory, libellous, obscene or invasive of another’s privacy; or (ii) which you do not have a right to make available lawfully (including any material which infringes the rights of any other). By entering this competition, you agree that any personal information provided by you with the competition entry may be held and used only by the Promoter, its affiliates, its agents and suppliers to administer the competition.
- Limitation of liability. Insofar as is permitted by law, the Promoter, its agents or distributors will not in any circumstances be responsible or liable to compensate the winner(s) or runner(s)-up or accept any liability for any loss, damage, personal injury or death occurring as a result of taking up the prize except where it is caused by the negligence of the Promoter, its agents or distributors or that of their employees. Your statutory rights are not affected. The Promoter will NOT accept responsibility for competition entries that are lost, mislaid, damaged or delayed in transit for any reason or in any way.
- Social media. You acknowledge that the competition is in no way sponsored, endorsed, administered by, or associated with Google, Facebook, or Twitter. You agree to release Google, Facebook, and Twitter from any responsibility to you in relation to the competition.
- General. (a) We may use the information which you provide in entering this competition to contact you for the purposes described in these terms and conditions. We will process and store your information in accordance with our privacy policy which can be found at: http://help.nexusmods.com/article/20-privacy-policy
- (b) We may wish to transfer all or a part of our rights under these terms to someone else without obtaining your consent. You agree that we may do so provided that the transfer does not significantly disadvantage you. (c) If there is any reason to believe that there has been a breach of these terms and conditions, the Promoter may, at its sole discretion, reserve the right to exclude you from participating in the competition; (d) The Promoter reserves the right to hold void, suspend, cancel, or amend the competition where it becomes necessary to do so; and (e) These terms and conditions shall be governed by the laws of England and the parties submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England.
- For questions, Please contact [email protected]
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A moderator has closed this comment topic for the time beingUpload a screenie for gits & shiggles. If you win...BONUS!
Have fun. It's not worth blowing a gasket.
So, I ask a favor. Could you please tell me what was worth all of this energy? Could you tell me as concisely and tersely as possible (3 short sentences would be about right and I will be grading you on how concise you are)? I believe this would be helpful to all those who are not retired and do not have to time to read all of this. So, I ask this favor on behalf of the entire community that you seem to want to protect with such vigor.
And besides, I was asked after a while not to draw out this arguing further if possible, because they want the participants to enjoy the event (regardless of the issues I raised, though it's understandable that rules can't be changed halfway in an event undergoing already and I didn't argue that either), so I have already withdrawn from discussing it any further. I gave up on sending anything to the gallery, so it has nothing to do with me anymore. Sorry if you really wanted to know what was going on, but you'll have to ask someone who's still willing to answer. I, for one, have no desire to be involved in any event here anymore.
Don't.Ever.Do.That.Again !
*Begin to tear his eyes while screaming*
Conflicts and struggles are all around us, even in nature, so there are possibilities to be found within such scenery too. It has to show though, it can't just be a pretty image, so think it through and give it a shot if you're up for it. See if you can find an angle to work with, such as nature's struggle against civilization perhaps or the natural food-chain?
The whole idea of this event is to spark imagination and inspiration within yourself, no matter what others might feel about the result...and remember to have fun!
Our selection will be based on "Conflict and Struggle", we'd still love to see your screenshots with other concepts so please feel free to post them in the image share. :)
I would ask you not to enter them into this event unless they fit the theme, but as Excellentium said, there's plenty of things in the natural world that can be considered "Conflict and Struggle" :)
One thing i dislike, though, is post-shot edition. Like modifying things with photoshop. I like to see what people can do with what they have in game only, and sometimes the most simple modded game can provide a quality content in the screenshot. But it is only my opinion of course and i respect those who like to adjust and add things. That's fine.
I really like this kind of event, not for the prize, but for participating and getting involved. Thanks for the opportunity.
Good luck everyone and don't be ashamed to participate, what makes a screenshot good is not how it looks like, its lighting or textures, but what one is able to interpret from it, the feelings the image can bring to the viewer :)
I understand this event is supposed to be an all inclusive one where there's no real winner, but it's a little unfair to those who can't or don't want to soup up their pics with other tools. Factoring in that the screenshot galleries are essentially semi-official popularity contests, those who photoshopped their pictures will get all the attention and approval while leaving others in the dust regardless of how artistic their works actually are. Which can become contraproductive to the event as it can easily discourage people from participating, rightfully claiming there's no point if no one will appreciate it. Just look at the Fallout 4 section, both of the highest endorsed pictures are photoshopped, the rest aren't even close.
Sorry for the rant, but I just had to voice this after reading the comments.
Plus prizes are randomly chosen...it's just a way to encourage people in participating in the site,not a real competition XD
Putting something new into a screenshot via photoshop elements would be illustration and I'd stand against that too.
https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/images/144604
If those aren't photoshopped, nothing is. And as I mentioned earlier, they are also the ones with the highest amount of approval by far. So yes, you can tell when a picture is edited, and if you say that this inclusion is to let people with less powerful rigs to participate, I'd like to point out that in that case the picture in question would be less screenshot and more photoshop work. Put in another way, it's not really a game screenshot anymore but a different kind of artwork, which shouldn't be allowed in this kind of event.
Another reason they shouldn't be here is that the number of people who can even use PS on a sufficiently high level in the first place is low if we take a look at the numbers. Meaning letting those few participate encourages exclusivity more, since they can cover the shortcomings in their picture in a way others can't. Again, this goes against the notion that this event is supposed to be for everyone.
As for the prizes, yes, having them offered could be a way to draw in more participants. On the other hand, it also changes the event from a free one to a real competition, since there will inevitably people present who take screenarchery more seriously simply because there's a reward. So it really goes two ways.
You can make amazing pictures even if you don't run 4K texture replacers for everything. But once you turn to photoshopping instead of putting effort into screenshots that are beautiful in their own right, that's when you should reconsider where and what kind of artwork you actually want to display.
If we would start and tell a certain type of images aren't allowed, then we're going straight into snobbery or building cages, and that's not very inspiring (or friendly). I got into the image industry in the 90's and I remember when digital photography entered the market. Every analogue photographer got worried...or embraced the new changes. Seriously, the whole debate about post-processed images is something that was a "hot topic" more than 20 years ago.
If you're into screenshots, I'd say you want to do what you can to appreciate the work you put down, either it's in-game shots only or if you like to work with the image further afterwards. I've heard this a lot, people saying in-game shots are the only real ones to be considered, but aren't we already processing those images even before we start up the game when adding ENB tweaks, Reshades, LUT's or similar filters?
Even some games themselves come with camera abilities like Ansel with a wide variety of editing options nowadays. In my world it's a bit narrow-minded to rule such images out, only because you have a certain point of view. It's like telling a musician you can't mix the songs afterwards.
I understand what you guys are saying, but the general idea here is to run an event open for anyone. Some might feel vanilla shots are rubbish, others might feel ENB's are unnecessary for a game...and the same goes for post-processed images. It's been part of the screenshot world since the early dawn. Just look at the top shots of all time here at Nexus, images with some years on their neck now. Years I feel we should've evolved from this discussion, because just as with digital photographing that came and stayed, I'd say we will see post-processed or edited images even more in the future.
I could be very wrong of course and part of me is hoping for it, because I was one of those who objected against digital shots when I saw the harm it brought to those men and women who could achieve masterwork images with slides and analogue cameras. Today, thats a craftmanship more or less forgotten. But we're dealing with a gaming aspect here and that shouldn't be taken all too serious, especially when an event like this is about bringing people together.
This is also the very first event ever hosted officially by Nexus like this, so give it some time. We are many members online and while some dislike the ideas of post-edited images, some might find them very inspiring. Compare it with what you see in the image share - some shots don't interest you at all while others make you feel amazed. I truly feel it's wrong to say no to certain shots in this scenario though, especially since this is the first event and it just got launched yesterday.
But most importantly, I personally hate the idea of shutting people out, only because they do their images in a certain way. That's very much against the whole core idea with an open community where we can benefit from each others work. See the images for what they are instead of trying to figure out how they're made. Why is it so important an image is from in-game only when we're dealing with a hobby here and the prizes are given randomly?
Art is for the eyes, heart and the mind, and we can't love it all, but there should still be a place for everything.
I would love to put this in better words, to better explain the reason behind this decision, but in the end this is an event meant for anyone with randomly selected prizes and it's open for anyone into screenshots/screenart throughout several games. Don't compare it to the top shots of the different galleries, because those are mostly based on popularity (meaning having "friends") more than anything. Give this a chance before you decide to out-rule certain types of shots. You don't have to like them, but I strongly feel this is supposed to be a healthy and fun occasion regardless of what images it includes...and as for now, it's open for anyone, as it should.
Wishing you all the very best of luck and don't worry too much! Be creative and have fun!
As for the second part of your question, events like this are also a form of competition. I understand that the prizes will be randomly offered, but simply knowing that a shopped image gets more attention in one minute than an actually carefully made screenshot ever does is like throwing salt into a wound, especially to people who spend considerable time on their albums. Do you think allowing shopped images allows for greater interest in events like this? It only achieves the opposite reaction in my case.
Sorry for this long-winded speech and if my tone came across as antagonistic, I blame Steam's forums for that. Thanks for hearing me out.
I think your opinion is perfectly valid and I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.
Please consider our perspective though: in neither Excellentium's nor napoleon's events thus far has there been a stipulation that images mustn't be edited. I think introducing such a stipulation would have been needlessly antagonising towards people who like to tweak their images a bit with e.g. GIMP after the fact, rather than relying on e.g. ingame tweaks such as ENBs.
This leads us to the second point: if image editing is disallowed, then what about ENBs, graphical mods, or mods in general? Why allow one but not the other? I think by allowing all we have the most robust set of rules in place.
Further, due to the prizes being awarded randomly, editing your images won't guarantee a prize nor necessarily up your chances. The event is about having fun and recognition for our screenarcher community in general. Everyone's contribution is going to be featured in one way or another. Everyone has the same chance at winning at least one of the prizes, regardless of whether they chose to edit their images or not.
Lastly, I am glad for your input. Though it would be unfair to amend the rules now that the event has been launched already, it is community input as yours that allows us to tweak things like the ruleset going forward to improve future events.
Sorry, I should have clarified that I'm not against any and every effect in existence. What I'm most opposed of is allowing heavily and blatantly photoshopped pictures to enter because those are clearly not the kind of pictures that can be considered a game screenshot. It'd be like running a NASCAR race car on a hot rod event. Both have some kind of tuning, but that doesn't make them the same.
About your second point: As I've been explaining, ingame visual effects are not the same as a photoshopped artwork. We're talking about pictures taken ingame which is a dynamically changing environment, whereas Adobe Photoshop is an image editing tool used to manipulate already existing pictures to whatever you want to see, or create something completely new. There's a reason DeviantArt and other users love it and not ENB. Which reminds me of another reason why ENB is okay and they are not the same, you can use post processing effects to change your visuals ingame, but that can't be said about Photoshop. You can't take a psd and input it into your game, it doesn't work that way. Besides, anybody who's able to use PS should also be able to run these games with enhanced graphics, since PS isn't exactly a light application to run either.
About your third point. You said, this event is about having fun and recognition for our screenarcher community in general. This is what I personally find the most vexing, as the sets I linked in are both heavily shopped, and they also have the highest amount of endorsements, ie, tangible proof of recognition by far among the entered pictures. This implies that either you have to do the same to get anybody look at your pictures longer than two seconds or be heavily favored by popularity in the userbase, neither of which makes uploading their work very attractive to newcomers since their chances of getting acknowledged are next to zero in this kind of environment, especially if they live in a time zone that makes even harder for their pictures to stand out before getting pushed out of front page. As a result of that, randomly choosing prize winners is of little comfort to those who didn't care about that in the first place. I'd rather had endorsements turned off server side then so that it wouldn't feel as unfair. Or I could say, the endorsement system as a whole is flawed and abusable since the pictures most endorsed by fans get pushed front, while the rest undeservedly gets left behind. That's just, well, calling it disappointing would be a massive understatement.
Last, but not least, I'm not asking for an amendment of rules for the current event, as that would obviously not be acceptable. But I do want to ask for a more carefully considered approach for the next event if and when it happens. A little hyperbolic, but should get the point across: freedom of speech theoretically allows you to say whatever you want, but if you really were allowed to do that you'd have conflicts burst out in seconds everywhere. Allowing everything to participate after all makes events like this no different from the usual gallery aside from having a different name, whereas they are supposed to be special.
+1 If you truly wanted to be all inclusive, you could have also let Oblivion, Fallout 3 and New Vegas pictures to enter. They may be older, but can be made into incredibly good looking games.
I do agree with arguments from both sides. I don't like this kind of edited image that become digital work instead of screenshot, screenshot being what you have after you press the button. It is my personal preference, i defend that you should do screenshots for you first of all. Do what you like and what you think is a good image. As for this, it doesn't matter if the person runs a vanilla game or a highly modded game and later make a composition with the screenshot. Both of them are creating the art they like, and i think this is what is important.
Of course most will give more attention to the modified one, but there are some that will also like the unmoded, vanilla screenshot, if it can show you something interesting. And also, different people like different things, and that's great! I think lowering the discussion to "what is an edited screenshot" is not healthy and will not lead us anywhere. I use ICE to make panoramic screenshots, and i like it, and it is a modification in one way. That's why this discussion is irrelevant and one must be able to understand all sides of the discussion to go along with it.
I think the rules are very clear. In the competitive side of this event, since 15 will be selected from all, even the prize being random, i see that this may be the problem to some. People that don't have good technique or good graphics will feel like this kind of event is not for them, and it will be always like this unless you're in a vanilla-only group.
I was adm of 2 facebook groups and i used to run some contests to choose a shot for the banner image. I always encouraged people to participate, we never had much participants, but one time one image with very simple graphics won. It showed what the theme wanted, and i was really happy because of that. I like to have good graphics, but i still think that screenshots, and even art in general, should be as Excellentium wonderfully put: or the eyes, heart and the mind. If you like what you did, and you're proud of it, it doesn't matter what others think about it. You can use imagination to make your shots stand out if you want to call attention when in a competitive area. Even me being not a fan of it, some may want to edit their shots for it, that's valid.
Sadly, and i really think it is sad, some people who can't afford good graphics will be ashamed to even try. This is where i can say that this kind of event restricts people, and it is not intentionally.
Fyrcynn, we can do our best the way we know how to do it, and respect others if they have a different way of doing it. I can absolutely understand your rant, but think of this as a opportunity to participate in the first screenshot event from Nexus, not that some have "privileges". It will always be like this, the world is like this and life isn't fair.
Actually, thinking of this, i started writing some tips to screenshot. I know there are some guides around, but i wanted to put in there all i know about, and to help people who can't even run an ENB to have some tools to use for screenarchery. A good ENB can make difference, but graphics and lighting is not everything when you want to pass an idea to the viewer. When you want to shoot something that have a theme, you want the viewer to be able to know the theme just by looking at your image.
*edit: Question: Can i upload a pic to the event cathegory with the tips but not use it for the event itself? Linking it to the form, i mean. Of course it is about the event, though.
...Also, a person doesn't have to give you anything they don't want to. That's a pretty entitled way of thinking, js
Hey look! I know how to quote too, see?
Also wait, we NASCAR now, could've swore this was ModDB
Imagine that we do have a race, with some Formula 1 cars, some NASCAR or whatever, and even some casual cars. They are all starting from the same place, and the F1 cars reach the end of the line in seconds, the racing cars get amazing curves and the casual cars are there just riding in the road.
But the question is, there is no final line/deadline (i don't know the right word), no time counter. The cars are all there to just ride together in the event, not to make a competition between them.
People will gather around the beautiful NASCAR cars or comment about how fast were the F1 ones, but in the end, all of them can be winners, and they all participated together in the same terms.
They all, no matter how much their car was good, fast or beautiful, stood together at the end of the event and all of them got excited together to know who was the winner. Before it, they all could see the cars everyone came in, and talk about, appreciate or not, but that was just this. A friendly reunion.
That's what this is about, not people getting advantage over others because they can attract more attention to what they made. Endorsements doesn't matter for this contest.
And while I understand what you're trying to say, I can't agree with it. The reason we have so many classification for cars, sports, you name it is because they are all different and the same rules cannot be applied to them all. But we're being sidetracked here, as the discussion was originally about post processing effects and photoshopping images.
Yes, the discussion scalated to something else, and it is very simple indeed. Adding post shot edition or not won't affect the results of the event, so no need to worry. You must apply a lot of rules and define who can participate or not when some definetely have a disadvantage or can't compete with others, when one being more able have better chances of winning.
Since it is not the case here, there's no problem. I know, i don't like it and also don't think it a part of these modifications is "right", but i don't think this changes the event at all
I agree that in an event called "screenshots", to see incorporations of texts and illustrations - or simply the incorporation of illustrations - come may be perplexing.
It is like allowing tractors at the auto show because they are vehicles. They are vehicles, that’s true, but it’s also a car show, not a vehicle show.
It’s the same here. A graphical montage remains an image, that’s true, it's a post-treatment, its' also true, but it is an "screenshot" event, not an "image" event or "post-treatment" event.
In any event, this is only the first. Things will become clearer and more refined as we go along. For now, let’s focus on the positive.
This event is not yet perfect, but it starts from a good feeling.
This is not intended to get a harsh competition to find out who can come up with the best screenshot.
It is not a task at an institute of art either.
It is an event to have FUN and enJOY what others provide as view of what they play with, when looking at their games.
It is an event to bring the community together and not to divide them by making up factions of what should be allowed or not.
It is at an image section of GAMES. Games we play in our spare time to have fun. Why should this event evolve into something to fight for advantages over others at any point in the future at all? It only exists to bring joy to the community, for everybody who loves to show and look at pictures of games we all like. It is not there to set up a reglement like in automobile sports, to focus on competition. The fights would even start to get bigger and bigger.
I do not understand the whole aggression about something, that is only meant for the entertainment of the community.
PS I am one of these mean post-processors.
Additionally, the theme was very well selected, which can be implemented perfectly in both games. This sounds like a great new event, count me in
COMMANDS:
TFC - toggle free camera. This lets you move the camera around freely so you can look for different angles or perspectives to take a shot. I tend to use TFC 1 which freezes the game completely while I move the camera around. This locks every thing in place so you have time to play with camera angles or other commands like FOV. Or I use TFC 0 if I want to unlock the camera but leave the game still running (good for capturing action shots or animations - especially if used with the game speed command). Another bonus for TFC 0 is for weather like snow and rain. If you lock the game then the rain and snow gets locked in one direction (and will vanish fro the screen if you rotate the camera around). But with TFC O the game continues to run so you can capture nice weather shots. Also useful to slow the game down while using TFC 0.
Note in Skyrim you can also change armor/outifts while the game is frozen like this by simply leaving console mode and opening the inventory. This is completely harmless (note weapon changing is more limited). In FO4 its a bit more complicated but a friend just told me there is a way: open the console in tfc 1, click on the character whose inventory you wanna open, so that it shows his/her ID or prid if you know the ID... then type openactorcontainer 1 and here you go. As always test this stuff first on a discardable save, especially in FO4 (which seems more sensitive to inventory, expressions, and idles) to make sure it works the way you expect.
TAI - Disable targeted NPC's AI (toggle). This is mainly useful when using TFC 0 (free camera, game running) so you can prevent NPC's from moving around. Also can lock them into a certain pose and/or expression. A bit more advanced but still very useful with the other commands.
FOV - Field of view. Personal favorite for doing close-up shots without getting the camera distortion you get if you try to zoom in close-on something with a higher FOV. It varies on games. For Skyrim I like 60-75 for landscapes, 30 for story shots of characters doing things, and 15-20 for real close-ups. For FO4 my default FOV is 90 so I tend to use 90-100. 45, or 20 for close-ups.
SUCSM - adjust camera movement speed. A must if using the free camera. For close-ups I use a range of 1 to 5. For landscapes or distance shots 6-10.
SGTM - Set Gametime Multiplier. This changes the game speed (e.g. movement, dialogue, etc.), with a higher number leading to a faster speed and a lower number leading to a lower speed. I use this to slow down action shots or animations. I have often gone as low as .01 although .1 is often enough. Don't save this in your game unless you set it back to default first - then is fine (I never had a problem with it and I do it all the time).
CSB - Clear Screen Blood. Removes any blood effects from the screen. I added this one as I know there were many action shots I deleted because of the blood smears on the screen ... until someone on one of my posts pointed this command out to me.
SISME 0 - SetImageSpaceModifiersEnable. It remove blurriness during spell casting /shooting /action cam, etc. toggle is 0 for off and 1 for on. I haven't used this one myself (just learned it today) and a bit more advanced but seemed very useful so added. Since I have not used I don't know if it would be an issue for a save game - test first and always restore to default which is ON (1).
TM - Toggle the menus/HUD/GUI. This is super useful to remove all the interfaces on the screen - HUD, messages, etc. I use this all the time to provide a screenshot without any of the HUD or the like from showing up.
Note most of the commands are toggable so you can easily enable/disable. Others, like FOV or SGTM, have defaults you should know before using them so you can set them back to the correct values when done.
My goal in doing screenshots is to enhance my game play so I try to avoid doing shots that interrupt my game play too much - so I don't want to have to reload a save simply because I had a chance to take a nice screenshot! The exception being when I am doing a set on purpose (like a theme) or for a story - then I use discardable saves for those types of sets.
EDITED POST: Clarified TFC, added TAI, added TM, added SISME, fixed a typo or two or three ...
Here is a list for Skyrim on wiki: https://elderscrolls.fandom.com/wiki/Console_Commands_(Skyrim)
List for FO4: https://fallout.fandom.com/wiki/Fallout_4_console_commands
Google will bring up lots of things as well :)
I find the above have worked on most of main BETH games. There are others but they get more in-depth and have various nuances and I wanted to keep this simple. None of this requires an ENB or special tools.
There are also a lot of tutorials on Wiki and Nexus for tips on taking screenshots that range from the casual and easy to the more complex and hard core - and cover many games. Experiment and find your own style and preference - that is how I learned a few things along with a lot of trial and error and a lot of kind help and feedback from many in the community.
On a side note, although this should be obvious I hope, I find the best way to give feedback to be when its positive, encouraging, and supportive. In this way people can learn to improve (if that is their goal, some people are happy just playing and sharing shots) in a comfortable environment. I think its rude to post unasked for feedback on an image, especially in a gaming community like this where people are mainly enjoying their hobby. Even when someone does ask for feedback keep in mind it should be done in a way to build confidence, provide support, and to encourage people to consider trying new things. I doubt anyone wants to have their work judged or torn down, especially unasked. When it comes to art I feel we can really own judge our own creations and our own personal reactions and feelings to other people's work - it is very subjective. I know what I like myself, and how I view things, but that is only for me and everyone has different tastes and styles. I think it is important to keep that in mind and to remember people are sharing a part of themselves, in a way, when they share a post, and that we should be respectful of that.
PS - One example idle command tip that my friend PrinceNathan taught me for Skyrim. Enter the console and type:
help idledialogue
You will see some nice fully animated dialogues you can make your character or a targeted NPC do by typing out the command:
playidle [name of idle]
Slow down the idle with SGMT set to .1 and you can capture some simple poses for shots. There are many vanilla animations that can be done this way.
FO4 works somewhat differently with expressions and flavors but it also has a lot of vanilla idles and animations you can use with the console - I have found about 2 dozen I use on a regular basis. Same kind of command at the console:
help [search phrase] 4 idle
Above will pull up idles related to the phrase. Like try:
help confessor 4 idle
That will pull up some talking animations used in the far harbor DLC. To make a character run it target them and type:
playidle [name of idle]
Of course many vanilla idles won't work on command as they have to meet game requirements - so I just practice a lot and learn by trial and error. There are also many fine pose mods as well.
Thanks so much @MagdalenA I have added it since it seems super useful.
Also another friend just told me how to change outfits in FO4 while the camera is locked so added that as well :)
We think the same way about this topic!! It is impossible to really say what is good or not, what is right or not. We can only judge if the person used some technique or not. And with this, we can help with these tips!
I also LOVE to take screenshots while i'm playing, from what is happening at the time. Even my contribution to the event was taken while i was playing, I had to set the scenario to take it, but the idea just came to my mindright in the moment i was giving the quest :)
Thanks for this, i learned a new command too, "sisme 0" is another thing i will surely try to remember since sometimes i hit tfc 1 just when i'm hit and the screen gets all blurried...
For the blur effect, i recently downloaded a mod who remove the blurry effect who spawns when you are hit, do the command do the same thing?
I used these command in this picture for remove a tree (by moving it out of camera range) and move the ghoul
This was just meant as a simple, basic, list for beginners to learn some core commands without overwhelming them. But thank you for the suggestion and those are wonderful commands, as are the GET and SET versions (although I prefer MOD, so much easier). I suspect this could easily turn into a large guide considering all the console commands that exist and knowing I only gave a small list from what I use myself.
But aye MOD doesn't work in Skyrim classic. I wish it did. Using GET and SET and manipulating those large values returned can be a pain, especially if you make a typo with a number :)
If you often use MODPOS, this mod can be useful for you (for me it is a "must have" mod) - instead of typing in console "MODPOS Z 10", you simply use the key - faster, easier and more precise method of moving or rotating objects.
Am I missing something? I don't see this critique anywhere in this interesting thread and I've read the whole thing.
Was it nice? No. Was it still on point? Yes. I was the only one who dared voicing criticism in place of fanboying (for the lack of a better word) and a bunch of people got instantly triggered at me which later culminated in open harassment that got an entire chain of posts deleted from this page. Pretty sad how they used the post I made there to turn an unrelated and serious discussion here into their personal vendetta. And very educational about what can be expected if someone entertains the thought of uploading pictures into the gallery. This is why it needs some serious changing.
@Fyrcynn: I guessed that something was missing but not the reason for it. Thanks for the info.
I am totally agree about that. Too many compliments are killing the compliment. A critique, when objective, can help progress. It's my opinion.
But.
But I also understand the interest of limiting all flaming possibilities as much as possible. Dealing with chains of messages filled with impassioned comments takes a lot of time, work and staff.
Unfortunately, this 'culture' can lead to a lack of understanding of the nature of criticism (and a dearth of constructive criticism) and result in the 'flame wars' that apparently got deleted when this thread got off the subject of the contest. Personally, if I were going to offer any criticism, it would only be to someone I know who would understand my intentions.
So, thanks for helping me to understand what went missing.
Anyway I just have 1 single point want to make :
- do people even realize ENB, SweetFX, Reshade themself are in fact have same functionalities as Photoshop? If you want to exclude post process, then you might as well say "no ENB / injection allowed!!". // Advanced player will be able to utilize these injection to produce better visual ingame real time, even without the use of Photoshop / Gimp. // On my perspective, people SHOULD put a lot more effort into screenshotting, it's not just about capturing what you see on YOUR screen within the confine of the bezel / point & shoot ;; but rather - it should be about creating a piece of work that you rejoice & delighted to share with other people. // it's not about winning.
To me the main difference is anything you can do in-game while playing is part of the screenshot. So mods (including those that also let you edit visuals in-game), textures, ENB, ReShade, they are all done in-game and are also used to actually play the game with. Editing after the game is closed and done - that is not part of the game. Now it becomes digital art and no longer just a screenshot. Which is fine but I see a clear distinction between a screenshot that was done entirely in-game versus one used as a template for later editing. I know some folks who put a lot of effort into getting the most out of their game, especially with less powerful computers, get annoyed when people accuse of them of post-editing the image.
To me one aspect of doing a screenshot is saying - hey this is what the game looks like. It is used to show off how someone has made their actual game look via mods, ENB, etc. It is a way of showing the community - hey look how you can make this game look with mods and tools while playing it.
Once you edit the image outside of the game with GIMP or PS it is no longer a screenshot representing the game itself. Its someone going - hey look what I can do with GIMP and PS.
That is why I prefer screenshots that are not edited as I want to see what people can do with their game and what kind of shots they can make. That being said it certainly isn't a big deal if people post-edit either (I have seen some really amazing images done post-edit) although it is nice when they actually state that they did edit the image afterwards instead of pretending they did it all in-game (outside of the obvious of course - people will crop, make thumbnails, or do various things that are clearly post-edits and often to help create a main image that explains a theme they did).
On the other hand when you get to art it doesn't matter if screenshot art or digital art- at that point its just art. If people enjoy that than more power to them. I just know I personally prefer to see screenshots of what people can do with their game not what they can do with GIMP and PS (and there are many other places I can go online to see the wonderful work people do with tools like GIMP and PS). Matter of taste. Don't think its worth a big fuss over beyond understanding there is a difference.
As one user indicated some of this is probably more the result of prizes, which tend to always heat things up but I understand some of that is probably to motivate people to get involved.
Will certainly be interesting to see where it goes. Regardless I do see a lot of cool images and many people enjoying themselves which is really the point of it all I believe.
Sorry about the mess.