Damn, we got second-referendum’d.
We do have an SC update ETA, the entire update cycle (not just the beta) should be done before end of year. So if the full release is under 5 months away, the beta is likely not much more than 2 months away. Another clue is that there will be no more dev updates until OB. My stance that we should wait is public; you do what you will.
Either way, as one of the former cool wall hosts I will give you some suggestions.
Leave the wall relatively empty to start with. You can put in one car as a reference, maybe a couple more, but that really should be it. Otherwise, people will have too much of a clue and just suggest cars close to what already is sub zero.
Give as few hints as possible to start with. Not “the client prefers manual” or “would want at least a six cylinder”, “does not like convertibles” etc. Again - it will give too many clues.
I know that you usually likes to host challenges with a rather extensive and narrow ruleset. To each his own there, it might be the way you prefer to do it and there is not necessarily anything wrong with that. However, try to keep it relatively open minded and free this time, since that’s more or less the point with cool wall, giving relatively few guidelines and see who is nailing the personality and needs of the clients the best. Sure, if there is a need for a certain rule, like “no convertibles” because the climate is too unsuitable for them, or “minimum four seats” since the client has kids, that’s fair. But no “wheelbase has to be between 2.45 and 2.60 cm”, “it has to have at least 200 hp”, etc. since once again, that will give too many clues, you’re meant to find out that yourself from the wall, and if the ruleset basically stipulates building one kind of car, it will not give the width of the challenge that is the charm with it.
All of your points are valid - I’ll keep the QFC7 rule set much more open this time, compared to when I hosted QFC/CSR in the past.
This is excellently said. There’s a reason why realism is a 5 point penalty at worst (equivalent to a minor category). One of the core goals of Cool Wall is to have a low barrier to entry and very high car diversity.
That said, from behind the scenes I do recommend you flesh out their tastes much more extensively before posting. Privately establish the main qualities their looking for, their few specific quirks, their opinion on different bodystyles, and especially build a mock-up cool wall of like 30-40 cars. I’ve found that having these things decided in advance helps you place and grade cars much better- though again, don’t share any of these with the participants until at least submissions are over.
The last poll pointed to me launching CW7 imminently, in the current game version - but I’ll need some time (12-24 hours) to refine and finalize the rule set first.