The Imagineer - Suggestion Box

[TrevorA]

I think the title is pretty self-explanatory, but I'll explain it anyway. We (Mater, Disneyson and I) are always looking for ways to improve our competitions. We took time in Season 2 to experiment a little with different styles of play, and we got a lot of positive feedback on the good things. However, we can't see everything that goes on during our contests, especially things that are not brought to our attention. That's where this thread comes in. This is where we want you to throw in your thoughts on Season 2 of The Imagineer. Suggestions, questions, compliments, complaints - anything is acceptable here (even though we would prefer compliments :lol. We really want you guys to be honest with your experiences in TI, so don't hold anything back. Finally, just so we're clear, there is a difference between criticizing and just whining. Use your discretion, please; nobody wants to hear that.

So, go ahead, share your thoughts. They will be well-appreciated by all.



---TrevorA

PS: I hadn't thought of this before, but if you have any ideas on projects or gameplay for Season 3, we would love to hear those as well.

 

[WDW Vacationer]

First-I thought eliminations,teams,and due dates were fair and well set up and allowed for easy completion,teamwork,and ample time to finish projects.

Second-I just wish we could hear more from judges. Positive and negative feedback is always welcome to build on the next challenge. You guys were good with this last year,but not so much this year.

Overall,it is put together very well. I will post anything else I think of.

 

[mewhunter67]

i know it's meant to be a team thing, in the theme of the apprentice, but I, and a few other have agreed, we'd like more individual stuff. there is a lot of emphasis on drama, and it jsut seems to make it like a tv show XD it can get a little dumb sometimes, break it up a little lol

 

[stitchcastle]

i know it's meant to be a team thing, in the theme of the apprentice, but I, and a few other have agreed, we'd like more individual stuff. there is a lot of emphasis on drama, and it jsut seems to make it like a tv show XD it can get a little dumb sometimes, break it up a little lol

yeah more "Top Chef" than "The Apprentice". It'll be a lot more fun for both the contestants and the audience to see everyone's ideas as opposed to just one person's for each team.

 

[ScorpionX]

i know it's meant to be a team thing, in the theme of the apprentice, but I, and a few other have agreed, we'd like more individual stuff. there is a lot of emphasis on drama, and it jsut seems to make it like a tv show XD it can get a little dumb sometimes, break it up a little lol

yeah more "Top Chef" than "The Apprentice". It'll be a lot more fun for both the contestants and the audience to see everyone's ideas as opposed to just one person's for each team.

I agree.

 

[MaterA113]

Thanks, these are great keep them coming... Starting next week we will begin planning The Imagineer 3-- Coming Fall 2010... So please keep them coming...

In regards for the judges feedback, (im speaking for myself) i know we havent been as good as we should be, i am just SO busy right now (end of school)... Hopefully next season i wont have that problem.


PS. IF you have something that is 'negative' that is in someway that we can improve and you are afraid to post it HERE... Feel free to email to theimagineer@ymail.com that way we still get feedback, but dont necessarily know who it is, OR/AND not everyone will see it (if that is what you are worried about).

 

[hack2112]

As far as judging goes, I apologize for not always commenting on projects. This year has been a bit hectic for me, but I promise to comment on every project from here on out.

 

[CharlieD]

I agree with the others who said more individual rounds. Although a team round once in a while can be fun for everyone, I discovered during my time in the game that working by yourself is so much easier. You can do it in you're own time and not have to keep checking on the forum. But being a team player is a huge part of the Imagineer so I can understand leaving the format as it is- which was very good by the way!

Off Topic: I got home last night from Orlando 2 weeks late!! We were flying Delta (rubbish by the way) and the only flight available was via Chicago, New York then onto London. 23 hours on a plane!

 

[MouseketeerCole]

I haven't play these games before, but the above posters seem to echo the reasons why I haven't - I would love a game where the projects were all individual. I have nothing against working with a team, but I just don't think it works well over the internet where different time zones, different commitments and solely written communication make things very difficult. Similarly, I would prefer to see say twelve individual takes on a project, rather than just three projects from a few teams of four. Of course, your set up seems to work, so power to you!

Just for my own curiosity, are there any individual games that I might have missed, here or on similar sites like VisionsFantastic?

 

[MaterA113]

We had an individual contest in the first season (this past fall), and this one was all groups... Which I have to say im not a total fan of (HINT HINT). So there will definitely be changes for Season 3.... Just stay tuned... I hope we get new and old players for Season 3... And depending on how many people are interested, we might possibly have a new way to 'enter' the game...

I haven't technically started planning it yet so please continue to give suggestions/feedback as I will start planning next week...


PS. For all of you wondering what Project Sunshine is... I have passed the reigns to Mr. TrevorA, so he will be in charge and will be revealing all information shortly.... (around the Finale for The Imagineer--- Season 2!)

 

[Jasonflz]

Individual work AND player interviews.

 

[Chrononymous]

I would like to start out by saying this was a total blast to play, and really made me feel like I got to taste my dream job just a wee little bit!

In fact, I probably took it far more seriously than I should have!

I liked doing both the individual challenges ...and the challenge of working with a team...though sometimes team members were so enthusisatic that they wanted to do everything! (myself included!) it was great when we all had jobs we could do individually within the team structure.

I mean, I'm sure real imagineers need to be team players more often than not, and it was an interesting dynamic...especially when the teams were changed.

I like the time limits for getting projects in as well...they seemed just right.

My biggest complaint would be MORE JUDGE FEEDBACK!
I for one wanted to know it all...the good AND especially the bad...and what you were all looking for (because it wasn't always clear from the initial descriptions) and how we could improve in the next round.
I thought the challenges themselves were wonderfull, and occasionally devious...which made me realize quickly how limited my engineering skill was.

Other improvements I wouldike to see...
if it played like a reality show...I wanted to see it be even MORE like a reality show!
I would have liked to see more incentive for winning a round...rather than just not being eliminated...
for instance one clear winner of each round (as a team or an individual on a team) would win something...like:

a "Fastpass" to could be used later as protection from being eliminated...
or a pressed penny, or an opportunity to vote someone else out...
or a "I just won the Imagineer Game on wdwmagic and all I got was this lousy T shirt!"


and like a reality show...it would be cool if the contestants who were eliminated got to have a serious vote or say in who wins the final round.

Overall though...this was the best distraction I could possibly have for this spring...and believe it or not, it helped kick start my creativity in my other jobs.

 

[stitchcastle]

that sounds awesome Chrononymus!

how about 2 challenges each round? One individual challenge where the winner gets immunity or some sort of advantage for the second round which would be an elimination round which would be in the team format?

 

[TrevorA]

Thanks for the input, guys, you've all got some really great ideas.

Here's a couple anonymous messages sent to theimagineer@ymail.com:

I would just like to tell you and the other judges that I absolutely love TI. It really gives individuals the chance to live their dreams and become imagineers. Thanks and keep up the good work.

Ps. If you guys need an extra judge next year or really anything else I would love to help!

Thanks for taking the time out of your lives to put this on for us, it really means a lot to me. Do ya think you would ever consider branching projects out to, maybe, Disneyland in California? It's just a thought.

Cheers mate.

Thanks again, keep 'em coming. This is a major way of helping us constantly improve our competition.


---TrevorA

 

[TrevorA]

Bump. Some people were looking to add to this, so here it is.


---TrevorA

 

[Stratofarius]

I would definitely say to get a new judge. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sure if you guys changed, but wouldn't it be good to have a new face in the judge team? Also, that new judge can send out new feedback to the participants.

 

[Fractal514]

Oops... Double posties!!!

Hey this is a good chance for me to see if there is such a thing as editing so quickly that it doesn't show as an edit.

2 points if you know what I'm talking about.

 

[Fractal514]

Ok, firstly, I would like to say that I am very grateful for all of the judges for running this and I know how much hard work and thought you put into this contest. Please take what I say as constructive criticism, and not whining.

Here are my suggestions for improvements...

1. While the character intro's are great, they sometimes make the instructions confusing. For example on one or two of the rides, it seemed that the characters were implying a need for something that wasn't in the actual project summary.

2. I feel the judges should make sure that they are judging us based on the criteria of the round's requirements. For example, if the round says, we want a meet and greet, and story is really important, than the judging feedback should focus on the story elements as the most important factor in the judges decisions.

3. Team projects are hard to do with strangers on a forum. They were fun, but in the end frustrating. I work at my own pace, as does everyone else here, and sometimes it's hard to tell who has contributed what to a project. So, in addition to being hard to complete, they are hard to accurately judge. It's also frustrating when your team is larger and you have trouble having your voice heard and then you get stuck with an idea you don't support and so you draw back, only to be eliminated for it. Plus, as I've said, I don't see how the judges can accurately evaluate how vital someone's contributions are.

4. Non-Elimination rounds are really frustrating. It's one thing when they are announced up front, but halfway through the project, to find out it's a non-elimination round, is maddening. While I realize, from your perspective, there were needs and reasons and even rewards for the non-elimination rounds, they were really tangible enough on our end to warrant putting in as much effort. I felt, and this is just me but I suspect others felt the same, that it was a by-week and I could slack off a little, saving my energy for the next elimination round. A strategy that seems to have worked. If you need to have non-judged rounds, then just take a break for a week.

5. Judge's feedback... This is the big one, and I think you are aware of it. I have judged many contests in my day, as a camp director and a president of a theater company, and so I am speaking from a position of experience on this. Judges MUST be held to the same standards that the contestants are held to. Early on in the competition you made it very clear that timeliness was vital to the contest and that anyone late would be automatically disqualified, in fact it happened in our first round. The judges too should be punctual and report the feedback in a timely manner, holding themselves to the same standard as the contestants, both out of respect and also so prove that your time-lines are reasonable and doable. If you guys can't do it, how are we supposed to.

6. Furthermore, I'd just like to stress how important the feedback is. I receive no cash prize, no internship at Disney, nothing like that. What I do get is the constructive criticism and feedback. Many people post ideas on this forum, things that they have worked on. I assume that they post hoping to get feed back, either affirmation or critical thought, but in any event a response. Often these threads are ignored, or the feedback is minimal/terse. The reward for doing this contest is guaranteed feedback on your work. That's why many of us do it, because with that feedback we can better ourselves. I know that it would seem silly to post feed back for a project two weeks after it's done, and in a sense it is (that's why you have to be punctual, see point 5), but I would be grateful if any of the judges who did not post feedback on a project went back and did so at some point.


In conclusion, I think you guys did an excellent job, and as you've stated you are working out kinks, figuring this out as you go. I would personally like to volunteer to be a judge on the next round. I promise I will hold myself to the standards I have laid out here and hope to contribute creative thoughts on how to run the next season.

 

[MaterA113]

Thank You Fractal for being so candid, you have no idea how much it helps, i LOVE finding out what we can do to better the game.

These first two seasons werea trial period, to see A) if anyone was interested, and B) to work out the kinks, and A is obviously true, but B is still being worked on. But this is one main reason we will be waiting unitl August to have Season 3, I will be workong out the kinks and better rulings andch.

I agree with everythiyou are saying, i actually thought of that at some point of another. I can tell you, that in Season 3 it will be different, im already planning on some great things.

Just a note on Non Elimination Rounds, i didnt want to announced in beginning of project that it was Non Elimination because i didnt want people to 'slack off' and that was the main complaint i had when i announced it in the middle, "oh so i spent all this work for nothing', and THAT is NOT what i wanted to hear, exibit A as to why i like to announce in middle, or end.

THanks again Fractal for feedback, it greatly helps. I can tell you the layout of game, and judgings will DEFINTELY changing next season.

Keep them coming.... If you dont wish to post here on forum, feel free to PM me your feedback... It is greatly appreciated, you really have no idea how helpful this is, i can tell you that i have taken ideas FROM THIS THREAD already and thinking of ways to implement them into the next season... cough: chronon :cough