New set of rules will be implemented

drp

aa
Oct 25, 2007
2,273
2,628
I've noticed a trend recently of some hostility towards mappers who prefer 'fun' style maps. While there are many of us who dont like these kinds of maps, diversity is the life blood of any game.

With that said, some rules, i think, should be established to avoid making new comers and those with different tastes, not feel like outcasts.

Also, decompiling a map that isnt yours, changing it and re-releasing without the consent of the original author is NOT COOL UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

We do encourage our members to decompile maps for the sole purpose of education. Changing it and releasing it without permission is not acceptable.

You can find the new rules as a sticky in the Front Desk forum. (in a few minutes after i post it)

Thank you.
 

l3eeron

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Jan 4, 2008
593
88
Amen brother! :D
 

MrAlBobo

L13: Stunning Member
Feb 20, 2008
1,059
219
just wondering...by "fun" do you mean a map that is fun to play on due to being well balanced for classes and team, or maps with various odd things that happen randomly (im half sure what the answer is...but im just bored :D)
 

drp

aa
Oct 25, 2007
2,273
2,628
just wondering...by "fun" do you mean a map that is fun to play on due to being well balanced for classes and team, or maps with various odd things that happen randomly (im half sure what the answer is...but im just bored :D)

heh fun as in 'mariokart, orangemaps, etc'. a lot of members have a strong hate for maps like these.
 

Paria

L5: Dapper Member
Dec 12, 2007
202
31
quality submissions of maps that can actually make steps forward in converting the general mass populus of tf2 players to actually try more maps out is what is needed,

the average tf2 player right now is not willing to even sit on a server, download a zipped bz2 file, even if that map could be close to valve quality,

lets not beat around the bush here - there is nothing that will steer players away from custom content than bad experiences in the past. Who is to blame? certainly it isnt the creators fault entirely- but people really should look at their work before submitting it for release and think is this the best work i could submit? it dosent help when they then get rated straight 10's on sites like fpsbanana - and gain even more focus? to the random user stumbling over fpsbanana the best maps around at the moment are the rainbow and tron map? seriously that is a kick in the teeth to any mapper who has spent 1-2 months working on their map.

Honestly i dont have a hatred for these fun maps but i do think i loathe the ease at which sites like fpsbanana are so easily manipulated, and in the long run it does the tf2 mapping community no good whatsoever.
 

MrAlBobo

L13: Stunning Member
Feb 20, 2008
1,059
219
heh...agreed, but then you can't stop retards

also...if you have ever ordered an computer parts online, you should know that the product rating is almost useless unless there are a good amount of detailed comments to back it up
what would be nice is if tf2 had an option that got the players to rate the map they just played after the 1st time they play it. Something like that would help alot
 

Juice

L4: Comfortable Member
Feb 17, 2008
176
8
Good idea, I dont like the idea of my maps having all this design, As long as its fun is the thing that matters to me.
 

Termaximus

L5: Dapper Member
Jan 11, 2008
229
32
Paria said "it dosent help when they then get rated straight 10's on sites like fpsbanana - and gain even more focus? to the random user stumbling over fpsbanana the best maps around at the moment are the rainbow and tron map? seriously that is a kick in the teeth to any mapper who has spent 1-2 months working on their map"

I agree there are some bad maps on this site that get good ratings. The problem is that enough people who have discriminating taste in custom maps don't go on the site and review the maps they've played in an honest fashion. I mean I practically beg my friends who've played it to go on the site and rate my map cp_2skyscraper which I have spent months on, but only a handful do so. If you will notice with Tron only one person rated the map, but yeah the stupid site lists it as top five because it is a 10/10. That is a design flaw of the site. I think though that anyone who really is into mapping or playing custom maps is smart enough to see that only one person has rated and only 36 people have downloaded in 4 days. I take comfort in the fact that my map has gotten some genuine feedback and has been downloaded almost 250 times in 9 days and I have seen it pop up on some random servers. Bottom line, the average player is not going to take the time to appreciate a fine custom map and will be drawn to awful (but quickly downloadable) maps like Orange X3.

I say lets all take the time to go onto fpsbanana and rate and leave feedback on the good and the bad maps we have played (especially maps by TF2maps.net peeps).

Oh yes, I think "orange" or "fun" maps are ok if accepted for what they are. Even though I spent a fraction of the time on cp_orange_z I still think it is a fun and quality map.

Edit: Took the time to download, load up and run around in Tron. It's actually better than I thought since the guy says he only took 2 days on it. Nonetheless not inspiring so I gave it a 7.5 out of 10. Now it is no longer one of the top 5 cp maps. And as I took the time to actually try it out before I rated it this does not constitute manipulation. See how easy it is.
 
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l3eeron

L8: Fancy Shmancy Member
Jan 4, 2008
593
88
I hate fpsbanana....

For many reasons. I'm not going to get into a "bashing" and list all my reasons. But I'd much rather have all the fpsbanana people over here.
 

grazr

Old Man Mutant Ninja Turtle
aa
Mar 4, 2008
5,441
3,814
Maps should probably have a number of ratings. gameplay, eyecandy, originality, effert.

As MrAlBobo Said, You can't go souly by a single rating that, as Termaximux pointed out; probably hasn't recieved enough votes to make it's rating truelly viable.

MarioKart's is an ok map, i don't mind playing it or other fun maps, i remember "boxmap" on TFC was for some reason amazingly fun to play. But i'd be embaressed to show off TF2 to a friend after boasting about how fun and amazing it is; and for MarioKarts or another fun map to come on. It would be nice to see a little more effert being put into fun maps atleast, a fun map shouldn't just mean "bogde jobed" overnight for a laugh. These are the types of maps that i had created 5 years ago that never saw the light of day, and for good reason. People with Lazy attitudes in level design and no patience to wait for action should probably go play UT3 or something. But nothing i say will stop what's happening from happening, i'll just have to avoid servers with such maps on rotation.

Summary: I don't hate "fun" maps, they are just embaressing as a TF2 player and ammatuer level designer.
 
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Baysin

L2: Junior Member
Feb 14, 2008
80
15
Yeah, there's something to that. I use the term "novelty maps" myself, which I think is more appropriate. "Novelty" brings up images of whoopee cushions and groucho glasses... things that can be fun for a bit but silly overall and tiresome after a while. I think the label "fun" does distinguish them from "serious" maps, but you're right, it might imply that serious maps aren't also fun to play. It's sort of splitting hairs, though, but I still agree with you.
 
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trackhed

L3: Member
Jan 24, 2008
106
2
i think they coined to term "fun' because they actually get some fun or joy from creating their maps...
in the 2 days that it takes them to make it
 

drp

aa
Oct 25, 2007
2,273
2,628
"Fun" is a terrible label for those kinds of maps, because it directly implies that any other sort of map isn't "fun". I mean, isn't that the whole point of making any map at all? To make something fun?

you know what i mean :glare: :tongue_smilie:
 

TotalMark

L6: Sharp Member
Feb 13, 2008
331
78
You have to look at the servers.

Why are there so many playing Orange_X? Why so many playing Mario_Kart?

These are maps people consider to be fun. I hear many players grumble anytime TC_hydro comes up or we have to play CTF_well and these are Valve maps. Why do they grumble? Could it be boredom? Could it be the players don't think these maps are fun?

I'd personally hate to see a map I (or any of you) had worked on for weeks on end, not be played because the TF2 fanbase didn't think it was fun.
 

captainAngry

L420: High Member
Feb 1, 2009
434
247
All of this is why I run a regular custom map server and a fun map server. If we try a map and half the people hate it and half the people love it, it goes on the fun server. This also allows for sniper maps, jump maps and the ilk.

People like to play those maps but they have no place in a custom maps rotation if you expect to gain a server following of any kind. If every time a map comes up, half the server leaves, that's not good for your sever.

There is a time and a place for fun maps and when you are in that place at that time, you can choose to go to that server.
 
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Delusibeta

L3: Member
Mar 21, 2009
100
14
Yeah, there's something to that. I use the term "novelty maps" myself, which I think is more appropriate. "Novelty" brings up images of whoopee cushions and groucho glasses... things that can be fun for a bit but silly overall and tiresome after a while. I think the label "fun" does distinguish them from "serious" maps, but you're right, it might imply that serious maps aren't also fun to play. It's sort of splitting hairs, though, but I still agree with you.

I prefer using the term "lolmaps". Largely because I'm indirectly plugging a very good racing game, but it also pretty much describes what most of these maps are about.