First I have some contest news for ya. Hard to believe we have just three and a half weeks left. I'm giddy as a school girl 
I will be opening the submissions thread in the coming week. You can also expect to see a lot more 'play the contest maps events'. On that note, user LabelMaker will be running a showcase of the maps on his own server; [ame="http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=9885"]PLR - A/D CTF Contest Showcase 10/15 - 11/15 - TF2Maps.net[/ame] And that got me thinking, why not spread the word with others? So I'm putting out a call to all TF2Mappers. If you're a regular for another community, consider asking if they'd be willing to add contest maps to their rotation.
Now I'd like to briefly talk about feedback. I've said this many times before, and will likely keep saying it ad infinitum; authors need to remember that mapping is a hobby and an act of love. If you're looking for new design ideas in every single comment, you will be sorely disappointed. Don't take it personally if your first page of comments is general stuff like "I had fun" and "too easy for the defenders". This is a community of artists ([ame=http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=6885]we totally are[/ame]), and as such tend to be a rather picky bunch. The best feedback comes from playing the map, and a lot of people have trouble taking that game play experience and clicking the thread link to post. People actually discuss the maps while they are playing
So I would encourage anyone submitting a Gameday map to make every effort to attend. At the very least, it is your responsibility to ask for a demo. When you are perusing the maps forum however, try to be the stand-out who writes a few sentences of constructive criticism. Even when the submission brings up a topic like [ame=http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=9937]Quality Control[/ame], it is your responsibility to not contribute to the waves of sarcasm. One sentence saying why it doesn't work and linking a tutorial to improve is all that's needed. Spend that effort on writing a critique for a legitimate map that still has less than 10 replies.
I hate to end on such a somber note, so what does everyone think of my new Halloween avatar? She is the sister of the creepy bear. She enjoys long walks through the attic and threatening the home-owner with knives when nobody else is looking.
I will be opening the submissions thread in the coming week. You can also expect to see a lot more 'play the contest maps events'. On that note, user LabelMaker will be running a showcase of the maps on his own server; [ame="http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=9885"]PLR - A/D CTF Contest Showcase 10/15 - 11/15 - TF2Maps.net[/ame] And that got me thinking, why not spread the word with others? So I'm putting out a call to all TF2Mappers. If you're a regular for another community, consider asking if they'd be willing to add contest maps to their rotation.Now I'd like to briefly talk about feedback. I've said this many times before, and will likely keep saying it ad infinitum; authors need to remember that mapping is a hobby and an act of love. If you're looking for new design ideas in every single comment, you will be sorely disappointed. Don't take it personally if your first page of comments is general stuff like "I had fun" and "too easy for the defenders". This is a community of artists ([ame=http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=6885]we totally are[/ame]), and as such tend to be a rather picky bunch. The best feedback comes from playing the map, and a lot of people have trouble taking that game play experience and clicking the thread link to post. People actually discuss the maps while they are playing
So I would encourage anyone submitting a Gameday map to make every effort to attend. At the very least, it is your responsibility to ask for a demo. When you are perusing the maps forum however, try to be the stand-out who writes a few sentences of constructive criticism. Even when the submission brings up a topic like [ame=http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=9937]Quality Control[/ame], it is your responsibility to not contribute to the waves of sarcasm. One sentence saying why it doesn't work and linking a tutorial to improve is all that's needed. Spend that effort on writing a critique for a legitimate map that still has less than 10 replies.
I hate to end on such a somber note, so what does everyone think of my new Halloween avatar?
She is the sister of the creepy bear. She enjoys long walks through the attic and threatening the home-owner with knives when nobody else is looking.
