Map Testing

*Submitted maps must meet the following criteria

Not following any of these rules may result in the Map Test Host skipping your map and entering the feedback round immediately. You may always resubmit your map for testing after fixing any issues, of course.

General Rules

1. Your map must have a gamemode prefix and a version suffix! Examples: koth_coolmap_a1, cp_testmap_b1, further information.
2. Your filename must be all lowercase and have no special characters! This has technical reasons and is the convention for all TF2 maps anywhere.
3. The map you are uploading to the list needs to be yours! Exception: You have explicit permission from the map creator or the map is intended for an approved gameday.
4. Your map needs to be lit properly! This means a correctly configured light_environment entity if the map is set outside and fully lit rooms inside (ghost lights are perfectly acceptable!). If you are using HDR, the map needs to be compiled with both LDR and HDR and use a correctly configured tonemap entity. Imp hosts may skip your map if the lighting inhibits gameplay or makes players uncomfortable.
5. Your map needs to work! At a minimum the map needs to feature spawn rooms, respawn room visualizers, and resupply cabinets (unless it’s arena), as well as healthkits, ammopacks, and a functional objective corresponding to your gamemode. Custom logic and gamemodes are always allowed, of course, as long as they are winnable.
6. Your map needs to be sealed! Leaking maps have worse performance and poor lighting quality, as well as other possible issues.
7. Your map must not intentionally crash the server or clients. No one will bat an eye if this happens on accident (as long as it doesn’t happen every time), but doing it on purpose is funny exactly never.
8. Your map must not require custom server plugins to function. We only test maps that would work on any normal TF2 server. Your logic may interact with our custom feedback round plugin however, using a logic_relay named TF2M_FeedbackRoundRelay, which will get triggered automatically.
9. Maps that are considered jokes or are intended for events such as April Fools need to be clearly labeled as such in the upload notes!
10. You may only submit up to 3 maps at once. This is to prevent mass bloating of the list. We understand splitting multistage up is a thing which is why we're allowing 3 (this will be adjusted if needed).
11. No "Queue Storing". This means no notes with "Don't play this yet". Only add a map if it's ready to be played.

Custom Content rules

1. If your map uses custom assets such as models or textures, they need to be packed! This is necessary for other players to be able to see the assets. These days this is most easily done using CompilePal. You can check whether your assets are actually packed into the map by temporarily renaming your tf/custom folder and running through your map in-game.
2. If your map uses custom assets, it needs to be repacked! Repacking (not to be confused with packing) compresses the map, reducing filesize and download times. This can also be done with CompilePal, check the checkmark! or use this.
3. No custom content that breaks TF2Maps rules. This includes obscene, NSFW, insulting, or copyrighted content (exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis).

VScript Rules

1. Your map must not contain any malicious VScript code. If discovered, it is grounds for an immediate ban from all TF2Maps services. User safety is our highest priority.
2. Vscript must not run any SourceMod commands.
3. Vscript must not impersonate anyone with chat commands.