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Masters Season 2 Rules (2020)

@MadGax - Thats fine. According to KG and I quote "It explicitly monitors for the import functionality of WSFW, TS, and Copy Paste."
 
What about WSP duplicate layer?
Can that be used to create a unique item out of workshop items that requires lots of angle tweaking. Like building a unique junk fence in a layer and duplicating it to other parts of your city?
that produces a workshop item without you directly placing it in workshop mode, will invalidate your entry. -kinggath
That should be a no.
Shame because that Would be very useful, but I don't think there's a way to tell it's not imported. Builds the same way.

Edit:
You can't export/import a layer from WSP.
Plus Sirlach already posted that WSP duplicates are allowed because they are not imports.
Kool. It's a nice feature.
The layout system has never worked well for me though.
 
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That should be a no.
Shame because that Would be very useful, but I don't think there's a way to tell it's not imported. Builds the same way.
You can't export/import a layer from WSP.
Plus Sirlach already posted that WSP duplicates are allowed because they are not imports.
 
The build limit question is actually one I asked a long time ago, and is the reason a lot of my submissions have been significantly less detailed than I would have liked. The tip that was given to me was to turn off all detail options (randomized clutter, animation markers, etc) and stick to plots that make use of those performance optimization options - which, at the time, was pretty much just the core SS plots. The idea there was that people on low end systems would probably be playing with all those options turned off anyway, so that would be an accurate representation of what their experience would be. As long as you stayed within the build limit under those conditions, you could then turn on all those features for your screenshots, walkthrough, etc., provided you were willing to sit through the time it takes to refresh every plot you placed. Because I received that advice so long ago, though, I'd appreciate clarification on whether that's still an appropriate approach to take.
I would also like a ruling on this.
The principle is still sound, although there are more non-optimized plots now.
 
The build limit question is actually one I asked a long time ago, and is the reason a lot of my submissions have been significantly less detailed than I would have liked. The tip that was given to me was to turn off all detail options (randomized clutter, animation markers, etc) and stick to plots that make use of those performance optimization options - which, at the time, was pretty much just the core SS plots. The idea there was that people on low end systems would probably be playing with all those options turned off anyway, so that would be an accurate representation of what their experience would be. As long as you stayed within the build limit under those conditions, you could then turn on all those features for your screenshots, walkthrough, etc., provided you were willing to sit through the time it takes to refresh every plot you placed. Because I received that advice so long ago, though, I'd appreciate clarification on whether that's still an appropriate approach to take.
Same here for both of my past entries. I had gotten the basic structure I'd wanted for L3 with plots for 15 settlers and was over when doing the console command. Reduced it to roughly the minimum amounts defined in the rules and was just under. So could do basically no clutter pass. Though I think I assumed performance settings had to be on Ultra( all clutter/etc enabled )
 
@WeiseDrachenJaeger @Modhunter - On the build limit question.
Bethesda enforces the Vanilla build limit so that the settlements would perform OK across the 3 different hardware platforms PC / XBox and PS4. We picked 2 x the Vanilla Build Limit for the competition as that seemed to be OK when playing on modern PCs and XBoxes. Your approach is a valid one and a competition strategy because if using simpler plots with detailed turned down then you can get more into the settlement. Using Big Complex triangle eating monster plots will look good but will limit your build options. Part of the skill of these competitions is balancing out aesthetics / functionality and performance. So as long as your fully populated L3 settlement with all plots at L3/L4 with the performance options turned off is under the build limit then its a valid entry. Its up to the player to enable complex plots / performance features. I personally would love it to be 4 x the vanilla build limit but that would limit the plans to only PC Master race types with high end systems. KG's design philosophy all along has been make SS as compatible as possible! Although sometime he regrets that decision when evaluating cool new features. :)
 
@WeiseDrachenJaeger @Modhunter I personally would love it to be 4 x the vanilla build limit but that would limit the plans to only PC Master race types with high end systems. KG's design philosophy all along has been make SS as compatible as possible! Although sometime he regrets that decision when evaluating cool new features. :)
An excellent design philosophy. :grin
That can greatly limit expansion. :cray
Hence the creation of WSFW, WS+... that offer more:dance2

So, the brambles are irritating me. Would running Clean My Settlement invalidate entries?
I think Everyone would like to scrap the brambles. :aggro
 
The Oracle is being consulted. Stay tuned for more.
 
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@Karvoc @Yagisan - @Whisper 's Clean My Settlement works by replacing the brambles texture with an invisible one and then making it scrapable. It also requires ALL of the DLC. If you use it on your entry the brambles will come back for anyone else who downloads your CP in the future. COMPANY POLICY is to RECOMMEND as FEW mods in your Master's Building load order as possible! :) (Since I am the guy who has to do surgery if it all goes to poop.)
 
No Contest plan should ever involve Clean My Settlement. Period. Most certainly not the Master Contest plans.

Reasons:

1/ XBox / console is about 85% of players. There is no Clean My Settlement for XBox. Therefore your plan must look good with all the brambles and vines and leaf piles in place.

2/ Clean My Settlement is not integrated into the Sim Settlements ecosystem. Again, therefore your plan must look good with all the brambles and vines and leaf piles in place.

3/ Clean My Settlement is a personal mod preference for players. What someone might use for their own City Plan releases is up to them. However: even personal City Plans should look good with all the brambles and vines and leaf piles in place.

For the above reasons - no Contest entry should ever expect that a player will be using it.

If a Contest entry is cleaned in someone’s game after the fact - and it thereby enhances the looks of said Contest entry - is about the most that can be expected. My personal stance: treat all your builds as if Clean My Settlement doesn't exist.
 
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Given that items that aren't manually placed in workshop mode are not allowed, and that I vaguely remember this being a rule during the last Master's contest, I want to clarify - are we allowed to use vanilla objects created by console commands?
 
Given that items that aren't manually placed in workshop mode are not allowed, and that I vaguely remember this being a rule during the last Master's contest, I want to clarify - are we allowed to use vanilla objects created by console commands?
Not everyone knows how to do that so it's unfair to allow it.
But simple to teach...
Really if you are using the PBP objects, Kinggath expects you already know such commands, because you need to know the other commands to deal with some of the objects in it.*
Since the save games have yet to have the Bunker Hill quest pre-done in it, it's the Real way to build a Trade Post (haven't looked at the Master Build file yet).

*As per several of his Videos
 
But simple to teach...

While the contest is already underway?
We are not talking about objects that are locked behind quests, we are talking objects/pieces that are within in the precombines that require workarounds to access. Do you know how to do this? Because plenty don't.
It would also add a huge workload for the team as they would have to check all non workshop items to ensure they are not added by a third party mod.

The simplest and fairest way of doing it is to only allow the (more than adequate) tools provided to be used.
 
Not everyone knows how to do that so it's unfair to allow it.
That's what I figured. Thanks for the clarification!
It would also add a huge workload for the team as they would have to check all non workshop items to ensure they are not added by a third party mod.
That's an excellent point. I would have thought that the contest mod would be able to flag such items in the same way it does DLC workshop items, but I now realize that that assumption is based mostly in my lack of knowledge of how that particular system works. Geez, my Vault 88 design must have been a pain, then.
 
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