One Sentence Competition Retrospectives on Past Seasons

[Pi on my Cake]

I remember that as a whole this season went smoothly in comparison to season one, but looking back it definitely wasn't there yet. I still think at this time it was missing its essence of fun that it has now. Maybe it was something @spacemt354 introduced in the next episode, or something but something still is a bit off from the whole spirit of One Sentence that episode.

Also pretty sure this episode signaled that the winner would take over? Maybe it was something discussed over PM? Quite frankly don't remember how, but pretty sure @spacemt354 took the reigns and continued to pass them off after his turn at base. Which is one thing I loved about OSC.

Also just reading ahead, and really enjoying what is to come in the retrospectives

I am enjoying the retrospectives too so I dont want to spoil the next one i don't remember whose idea it was to have the winner host the next season, but that carried over into episode 4 in the fall as well and continued on with Season 3.

The next episode also introduced the medals which i think helped ease the burden on the host to pick 1 winner when now they could acknowledge several.

The next episode is when new hosts started being common, but I'm not clear where the winner taking over became a thing exactly. And it never fully took over as a rulle (@D Hindley won three game in a row before he hosted his first game lol). I thhhiiiinnnnkkk I was the first one to publicly say "Winner gets first dibs to host" in Episode 1 of season 3. But I won S2E4 before hosting. David was not the winner but close before hosting iirc. And Space S2E2 before hosting. So, it might have been an unofficial rule or said in private.

Glad you guys are enjoying these!

 

[Pi on my Cake]

1SC Retrospective
Season 2, Episode 3

(The logo says season 3, but it was retconned back into season 2)

Hosted by: @spacemt354
Started on: August 25th, 2016
Won by: @FigmentPigments

Season 2, Episode 3 saw the first time the game would be used as a lead-in/compliment for a larger game for the first time.

Technically this was still a part of the Imagineering Weekends. But Space took the game and expanded it to really stand on its own beyond just the weekend events.

This episode served as a lead in for the Twist in Time Competition. It featured the same time travel theme as the larger game did and was a perfect warm up for Twist in Time. All while still standing on its own.

Many of the biggest tenants of the One Sentence Competition started here. The drop in/drop out format, the more community based focus over competitiveness, the classic Gold/Silver/Bronze medal clip art used in nearly every Episode since...

This Episode sought to expand the game and try to stand on its own as a full game (while still keeping the small scale charm). Up to 5 sentences could be used plus a picture or music! But Space's very casual and light hearted style as a host kept it from feeling like too much or overwhelming. It was simply allowing people who wanted to do more to do more without the pressure making them feel like they had to.

Other measures taken against people getting to intense with the competitiveness were things like having multiple rounds where multiple people would tie for different medals. And a Dundies award ceremony at the end where everyone got an award unique to them (A @spacemt354 specialty). This kept the game being pure fun.

It wasn't a perfect episode and the game still had some growing pains, but this episode did amazing work serving as a bridge taking the game into the future!

This was the first time there was a "theme" to the One Sentence Competition with the time travel set up. Each round taking place in a different year. The addition of themes to most rounds is one of the things that has kept the game feeling fresh for 7 years! While the theme of the next episode is a lot more subtle, the tradition of having a "focus" for every Episode is alive and well.

Check out the 3rd Episode of the 2nd Season here!

As a Discussion Question for today, let's look at my favorite prompt from Season 2, Episode 3!


"CHALLENGE 8: Propose a new land for Animal Kingdom that is NOT themed to a continent (No Beastly Kingdomme either)"

@spacemt354 if you have any thoughts, insight, or memories you wanna share about hosting this episode I'd love to hear it!​

 

[spacemt354]

@tcool123 gets all the credit in the world for revitalizing what has become one of the best introductory games we can have on the forum; and I'm glad if there was one thing I could contribute to the game it was the medals.

And I think that idea just came from the fact that I wanted to see this game be a stepping stone to introduce people to imagineering comps, and if they feel their contributions aren't getting recognized they might not warm up to the games. So to have tiers of winners for a game like this keeps people coming back to gain more medals but at the same time if they're one and done, if I was playing I would feel like I accomplished something

 

[Pi on my Cake]

@tcool123 gets all the credit in the world for revitalizing what has become one of the best introductory games we can have on the forum; and I'm glad if there was one thing I could contribute to the game it was the medals.

And I think that idea just came from the fact that I wanted to see this game be a stepping stone to introduce people to imagineering comps, and if they feel their contributions aren't getting recognized they might not warm up to the games. So to have tiers of winners for a game like this keeps people coming back to gain more medals but at the same time if they're one and done, if I was playing I would feel like I accomplished something

It's amazing looking back at these early episodes and seeing how quickly the game grew and how much was added by each host. tcool revitalized it, then he evolved it more, then you turned it into more community focused, then David made it more independent from other forum events/games... Season 2 had so much growth and change in such a natural progression!

And the medals were an amazing touch!

 

[DashHaber]

"CHALLENGE 8: Propose a new land for Animal Kingdom that is NOT themed to a continent (No Beastly Kingdomme either)"

Oceanview

Built into a coastline that is brimming with life, Oceanview is a research facility that offers guests a stunning view into the world that exists beneath the waves, highlighting the wondrous creatures living in the depths and offering attractions that showcase the ocean's majesty.​

 

[pix]

As a Discussion Question for today, let's look at my favorite prompt from Season 2, Episode 3!


"CHALLENGE 8: Propose a new land for Animal Kingdom that is NOT themed to a continent (No Beastly Kingdomme either)"

@spacemt354 if you have any thoughts, insight, or memories you wanna share about hosting this episode I'd love to hear it!​

Insect Island, themed all around bugs.

 

[Brer Panther]

"CHALLENGE 8: Propose a new land for Animal Kingdom that is NOT themed to a continent (No Beastly Kingdomme either)"​

How about some sort of "Fantasyland" for the park with attractions based on Disney's animated animal movies, with dark rides based on The Lion King and The Jungle Book?

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Oceanview

Built into a coastline that is brimming with life, Oceanview is a research facility that offers guests a stunning view into the world that exists beneath the waves, highlighting the wondrous creatures living in the depths and offering attractions that showcase the ocean's majesty.​

An Oceanview land would also be a good way to actually include the Nemo musical without it clashing with the land it is in!

Insect Island, themed all around bugs.

Ew bugs. But yeah, this could be a cool addition. I'm picturing oversized props/sets which I'm always a fan of. And bugs really aren't explored much beyond a 3D movie many people I know find terrifying lol

How about some sort of "Fantasyland" for the park with attractions based on Disney's animated animal movies, with dark rides based on The Lion King and The Jungle Book?

Any good Fantasyland type place is nice! This would give Disney a good place to include more toons without compromising the more realistic lands.

 

[Pi on my Cake]

1SC Retrospective
Season 2, Episode 4 - What If?

Hosted by: @Daveeeeed
Started on: October 29th, 2016
Won by: A Tie between @FigmentPigments and Your's Truly

Season 2 saw the game evolve from a vague concept of a game into a competition that can stand on its own! Episode 4 completed this evolution in many ways!

Technically this was still a part of the Imagineering Weekends. But that was really in name only at this point as the Weekends event had mostly faded away.

This episode had the theme of "What If?" where each round centered around the idea "What if this thing never existed?" Rounds involved stuff like replacing Tower of Terror of Journey into the Crystal Grotto.

The competition continued to grow with the addition of bonuses!

In addition to using 1-5 sentences and up to 2 pictures for the main prompt, you could use 1-2 sentences to also do a bonus addition to your project. The bonus was the same for every round, "Design a Holiday Overlay," and was there mostly just for fun. But the bonus did decide the winner as a tie break in one or two rounds.

This was one of the more in depth seasons. If you used every sentence and did the bonus projects could get up to 7 sentences! Which doesn't sound like a lot, but is more than triple most of the previous seasons. This came with pros and cons of course. On one hand, it expanded both what players and hosts could do with the game! On the other hand it began to stray from the simple charm and ease that the game was originally based on.

Once again, the balance between simplicity and expansion. The constant struggle of the One Sentence Comp. That doesn't necessarily have a clear answer of which is better. The game always tends to swing like pendulum back and forth between bigger and smaller scale.

This Episode introduced bonuses which have become a staple of the game to add an extra fun wrinkle and/or help balance the scores. While the bonuses have taken many forms, the tradition will be kept alive in some form going into the future!

Check out the 4th Episode of the 2nd Season here!

As a Discussion Question for today, let's look at my favorite prompt from Season 2, Episode 4!

"CHALLENGE 2: Replace any ride in Disneyland Paris with the park's first (as of the time of the comp) E-Ticket in the 21st Century"

On a personal note, this prompt is my favorite because it was the first thing I did on this forum. Part of what makes the One Sentence Comp so special to me is that it was my entry point into this whole world of online armchair imagineering! And I still enjoy this game years later! I hope to help introduce others to this forum through this game too!
​

@Daveeeeed if you have any thoughts, insight, or memories you wanna share about hosting this episode I'd love to hear it!

 

[Brer Panther]

"CHALLENGE 2: Replace any ride in Disneyland Paris with the park's first (as of the time of the comp) E-Ticket in the 21st Century"​

Okay, how about tearing down the Indiana Jones roller coaster and replacing it with a Jungle Cruise-esque indoor river rapids ride?

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Okay, how about tearing down the Indiana Jones roller coaster and replacing it with a Jungle Cruise-esque indoor river rapids ride?

Jungle Cruise River Rapids would be a dream come true for me lol

 

[Pi on my Cake]

1SC Retrospective
Season 2, Episode 4 - What If?

Hosted by: @Daveeeeed
Started on: October 29th, 2016
Won by: A Tie between @FigmentPigments and Your's Truly

Season 2 saw the game evolve from a vague concept of a game into a competition that can stand on its own! Episode 4 completed this evolution in many ways!

Technically this was still a part of the Imagineering Weekends. But that was really in name only at this point as the Weekends event had mostly faded away.

This episode had the theme of "What If?" where each round centered around the idea "What if this thing never existed?" Rounds involved stuff like replacing Tower of Terror of Journey into the Crystal Grotto.

The competition continued to grow with the addition of bonuses!

In addition to using 1-5 sentences and up to 2 pictures for the main prompt, you could use 1-2 sentences to also do a bonus addition to your project. The bonus was the same for every round, "Design a Holiday Overlay," and was there mostly just for fun. But the bonus did decide the winner as a tie break in one or two rounds.

This was one of the more in depth seasons. If you used every sentence and did the bonus projects could get up to 7 sentences! Which doesn't sound like a lot, but is more than triple most of the previous seasons. This came with pros and cons of course. On one hand, it expanded both what players and hosts could do with the game! On the other hand it began to stray from the simple charm and ease that the game was originally based on.

Once again, the balance between simplicity and expansion. The constant struggle of the One Sentence Comp. That doesn't necessarily have a clear answer of which is better. The game always tends to swing like pendulum back and forth between bigger and smaller scale.

This Episode introduced bonuses which have become a staple of the game to add an extra fun wrinkle and/or help balance the scores. While the bonuses have taken many forms, the tradition will be kept alive in some form going into the future!

Check out the 4th Episode of the 2nd Season here!

As a Discussion Question for today, let's look at my favorite prompt from Season 2, Episode 4!

"CHALLENGE 2: Replace any ride in Disneyland Paris with the park's first (as of the time of the comp) E-Ticket in the 21st Century"

On a personal note, this prompt is my favorite because it was the first thing I did on this forum. Part of what makes the One Sentence Comp so special to me is that it was my entry point into this whole world of online armchair imagineering! And I still enjoy this game years later! I hope to help introduce others to this forum through this game too!
​

@Daveeeeed if you have any thoughts, insight, or memories you wanna share about hosting this episode I'd love to hear it!

This is what I had originally for this prompt!

Voyage on the Enchanted River (Voyage sur la rivière enchantée)

Replacing Storybook Land Canal Boats and the Casey Jr. Circus Train in Fantasyland, the Voyage on the Enchanted River (Voyage sur la rivière enchantée) takes guest on a gentle boat ride down a mystical river where magic lives around every bend. Boats will travel through the 100 Acre Woods, past Carl’s house as it sits on the side of the river (from Up), through a field of flowers in Bambi’s forest home, past Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs cottage, through the spooky forest Snow White Traveled through, and into a dark cavern with no lights. Inside the cavern, the darkness will be broken as floating lanterns fill the sky as “I see the Light” from Tangled plays. Lastly, the light of the lanterns fade and the twinkling, dancing light of hundreds of “stars” fills the cavern instead and reflects off the water for a truly enchanting grand finale set to “When You Wish Upon a Star.” Voyage on the Enchanted River would be a truly magical experience the distinguishes itself by focusing on locations and large scale set pieces found in Disney’s most beloved movies, both new and old, rather than on the characters themselves while tying the whole experience together in a fairy-tale fantasy forest.

For the Holiday Season, the two sequences in the cavern (Tangled and wishing stars) will be replaced by dazzling Christmas lights/projection based effects and the dazzling holiday display will look twice as wonderful with its reflection in the calm waters the boats travel through. The three houses (Pooh’s in the 100 Acre Woods, Carl’s, and Snow White’s) will all be tastefully decorated for the holidays as well.

I still think a version of Storybook Canal/Voyage to the Crystal Grotto focused on larger sets and environments could be a really cool ride! Especially in a more atmospheric Disneyland Paris

 

[DashHaber]

"CHALLENGE 2: Replace any ride in Disneyland Paris with the park's first (as of the time of the comp) E-Ticket in the 21st Century"

Belle's Enchanted Tale (Le Conte Enchante de Belle)

Where the Storybook Land Canal Boats and Casey Jr. Circus Train once stood is now the site of a quaint village that is home to the park's first-ever trackless dark ride, as guests follow Belle into the Beast's castle and witness the magic in that tale as old as time.​

 

[Pi on my Cake]

1SC Retrospective
Season 3, Episode 1 - Back to Basics

Hosted by: @Pi on my Cake (Hey! That's me!)
Started on: January 13th, 2016
Won by: @FigmentPigments

Season 3 started with refining the formula and setting the game up to grow in the future!

No longer using the Imagineering Weekends tie and no longer using the same thread and just changing hosts.

The big focus I had with this round was taking everything I could from previous seasons and putting together a template for the game going forward. I reread every season that came before mine and tried to study what worked and what didn't. What people responded to and what they didn't really care for. Overall, I would say my efforts worked out nicely. The formula I had in place (built on the backs of giants obviously, building on David's, Space's, and Tcool's work) was more or less used for the next several episodes. And the Template for prompt writing that I made has stayed mostly the same to this day!

The theme of the season was "Back to Basic." Taking the game back to a simpler place after the time travel and what if gimmicks. More or less every prompt was about WDW (with some having the freedom to do other parks if the players want to). Intentionally simple prompts with a few clever twists to keep it feeling fresh.

The Episode started with the same 1-5 sentences, 1-2 pictures, 1-2 sentence bonus rules as the Episode before it. But after a couple of rounds this was simplified to 1-3 Sentences, 1 picture, and a 1 sentence bonus.

The bonuses were again the same each round and virtually meaningless outside of an occasional tie breaker. It was always "Disney loves to take everything they build and build it again somewhere else. As a bonus, you may use 1 additional sentence to describe where you would add a clone of your ride to one of the other Disney Parks around the world."

One cool twist I was able to do (Since this was back when I was a Cast member) was video reviews from inside the parks! (A lot of inspiration from @TheOriginalTiki and his podcast obviously) They were a lot of fun and I'd love to do this kind of thing again once I'm back to being a cast member.



It wasn't a perfect season though. Like I said, there was a big focus on trying to refine the formula of the game. Which meant a lot of areas played it safe. Plus, the video reviews were cool but they often meant reviews and results would come at inconsistent times and would get delayed. It was fun having the videos, but there was downsides.

This Episode did a lot of work setting up the game for a strong future by analyzing and building on what came before it. I didn't do much "new" but instead tried to revers engineer the past and mash it together. Going into this new "soft reboot" season I'm trying to do the same again. Use a relatively simple season to set up a new, refreshed template/format using the lessons learned in the first 17 Episodes to help launch the game into the future!

Check out the 1st Episode of the 3rd Season here!

As a Discussion Question for today, let's look at my favorite prompt from Season 3, Episode 1!

"CHALLENGE 4: Design a temporary attraction (think Frozen Sing Along or Star Wars Launch Bay) for a movie coming out in the next 2 years."​

 

[tcool123]

"CHALLENGE 4: Design a temporary attraction (think Frozen Sing Along or Star Wars Launch Bay) for a movie coming out in the next 2 years."​

Superhero HQ
Housed in the former Launch Bay building, Superhero HQ is home to a preview of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, meet and greets for Shang-Chi (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings) and characters from The Eternals, comic book art that inspired these three films, a prop & costume gallery, iconic sets recreated from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (to be used as a future meet and greet location), and a gift shop selling a wide variety of superhero merchandise from these three films and many more pieces of media.​

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Superhero HQ
Housed in the former Launch Bay building, Superhero HQ is home to a preview of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, meet and greets for Shang-Chi (Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings) and characters from The Eternals, comic book art that inspired these three films, a prop & costume gallery, iconic sets recreated from Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (to be used as a future meet and greet location), and a gift shop selling a wide variety of superhero merchandise from these three films and many more pieces of media.​

Love it! They really should've made that change right away as Galaxy's Edge opened. It could've cross promoted movies, been a nice collection of props, and built hype for Avengers Campus

 

[Pi on my Cake]

1SC Retrospective
Season 3, Episode 2 - Create & Evolve

Hosted by: @Sephirenn
Started on: March 28th, 2017
Won by: @D Hindley

Season 3 started with streamlining the game, this episode took the simplified base as a starting point for one of the most ambitious themes in One Sentence History.

This entire episode saw the players collectively created a Dream Park together. A 5th gate for WDW. You can even see a little teaser to this theme if you look closely at the logo. Each round added something else to the dream park. Disney's Portals of Adventure!



It started very simply with just a simple prompt about a 5th gate. Then it expanded into specifics like rides and lands. Even going as far as having a prompt to write a 3 sentence ad for the park to try to sell it (One of the more unique 1SC prompts I've ever seen).

This theme of building something together was really creative and ambitious and a lot of fun! It created something really special. But it did have its downsides. The theme of building a park from scratch made it less accessible for people to hop in mid-way. Or hopping back in if you miss a few rounds since you need to somewhat keep up with every round to know everything going on. Plus, if you aren't feeling the park theme that was chosen, you were stuck with it the whole season. Which lead to the Episode running into a lower number of players than usual.

But that's the risk with something so unique and creative for a season's theme. Anything risky is gonna have a mix of pros and cons. Sure it might have ended the Episode with a relatively small cast, but it was a cast full of dedicated and excited people!

Another unique twist is how @Sephirenn handled hosting. They weren't the host, Disney management was. Every review, prompt, and announcement was written as if there was a council of imagineers and higher-ups discussing things. "We" instead of "I" and a bit of corporate talk. It helped add an element of roleplay and a unique voice to the game.

The Episode kept the same basic 1-3 Sentences, 1 picture, and a 1 sentence bonus.

The bonuses were now different every round (An added little challenge related to the main challenge). And they were scored. There was one "Bonus" winner for each round who would get a point separate from the medals. This added an extra layer to the game and made it more competitive since more people were able to score points. This format of bonuses has more or less been used nearly every season since.

This Episode did a great job of pushing boundaries and establishing a unique voice. Something I intend to try to emulate in my own way as we head into the future.

Check out the 1st Episode of the 3rd Season here!

As a Discussion Question for today, let's look at my favorite prompt from Season 3, Episode 2!

"CHALLENGE 1: Propose a theme for a 5th gate for WDW"

@Sephirenn I haven't seen you around much in a while, but if you happen to stop by feel free to share any other thoughts or memories you might have from the game!​

 

[pix]

1SC Retrospective
Season 3, Episode 2 - Create & Evolve

Hosted by: @Sephirenn
Started on: March 28th, 2017
Won by: @D Hindley

Season 3 started with streamlining the game, this episode took the simplified base as a starting point for one of the most ambitious themes in One Sentence History.

This entire episode saw the players collectively created a Dream Park together. A 5th gate for WDW. You can even see a little teaser to this theme if you look closely at the logo. Each round added something else to the dream park. Disney's Portals of Adventure!



It started very simply with just a simple prompt about a 5th gate. Then it expanded into specifics like rides and lands. Even going as far as having a prompt to write a 3 sentence ad for the park to try to sell it (One of the more unique 1SC prompts I've ever seen).

This theme of building something together was really creative and ambitious and a lot of fun! It created something really special. But it did have its downsides. The theme of building a park from scratch made it less accessible for people to hop in mid-way. Or hopping back in if you miss a few rounds since you need to somewhat keep up with every round to know everything going on. Plus, if you aren't feeling the park theme that was chosen, you were stuck with it the whole season. Which lead to the Episode running into a lower number of players than usual.

But that's the risk with something so unique and creative for a season's theme. Anything risky is gonna have a mix of pros and cons. Sure it might have ended the Episode with a relatively small cast, but it was a cast full of dedicated and excited people!

Another unique twist is how @Sephirenn handled hosting. They weren't the host, Disney management was. Every review, prompt, and announcement was written as if there was a council of imagineers and higher-ups discussing things. "We" instead of "I" and a bit of corporate talk. It helped add an element of roleplay and a unique voice to the game.

The Episode kept the same basic 1-3 Sentences, 1 picture, and a 1 sentence bonus.

The bonuses were now different every round (An added little challenge related to the main challenge). And they were scored. There was one "Bonus" winner for each round who would get a point separate from the medals. This added an extra layer to the game and made it more competitive since more people were able to score points. This format of bonuses has more or less been used nearly every season since.

This Episode did a great job of pushing boundaries and establishing a unique voice. Something I intend to try to emulate in my own way as we head into the future.

Check out the 1st Episode of the 3rd Season here!

As a Discussion Question for today, let's look at my favorite prompt from Season 3, Episode 2!

"CHALLENGE 1: Propose a theme for a 5th gate for WDW"

@Sephirenn I haven't seen you around much in a while, but if you happen to stop by feel free to share any other thoughts or memories you might have from the game!​

Myths

 

[Pi on my Cake]

Myths

Oooohhh always a strong theme. A classic. Any specific myths you'd wanna draw on?

 

[DashHaber]

"CHALLENGE 1: Propose a theme for a 5th gate for WDW"

Disney's Worlds of Imagination

Pass through the gateway of the Dreamport, and find your imagination inspired as you explore five inventive worlds rooted in some of the ways that we display our creativity: art, music, literature, acting, and science.​