Major Contest #3 Final Voting Thread

dang · Nov 19, 2009

I would just like to say this kind of contest is a blast (gibs included) to vote on, seeing all the different takes on life o' the red and blue. but here are my votes...

animus plr
gameflow-2
balance-3
detailing-1
opt-3
style-2

sorry, but the flow of this map hurt my feelings. seemed unnatural and misleading; using gates and rolldoors in a nonfunctional way. reddish lighting was ok, but the gratuitous use of halloween 'goodies' hurt it's continuity as well.

panic plr
gameflow-4
balance-4
detailing-5
opt-4
style-5

Panic was a nice size map with an original feel that still fit the game. atmosphere was somehow 'chocolaty', but in an appropriate kind of way and i likes the payload rollercoaster threat at the start. still not sure how i feel about the over-caffeinated finale...

nitefall plr
gameflow-3
balance-4
detailing-2
opt-4
style-3

Nitefall starts out cramped in the beginning, but the gameplay gets better into round 3.

scoville plr
gameflow-5
balance-5
detailing-4
opt-4
style-5

nice, well-balanced (both in play and design), well thought-out map. a good level of complexity without constantly tripping on things and/or easy sniperbait. yaay deathfans!

rollout plr
gameflow-2
balance-3
detailing-1
opt-3
style-2

rollout needs more work to be properly taken seriously. mapper loves their map, mapper hates a deadline...

solitude plr
gameflow-2
balance-3
detailing-3
opt-4
style-3

confusingly pretty is the best way to describe this one. obviously alot of work went into this, but playing it makes me twitchy/paranoid

bayou ctf
gameflow-2
balance-4
detailing-3
opt-3
style-2

flow was confusing, style really seemed like it could've been more developed.

haarp ctf
gameflow-4
balance-4
detailing-3
opt-4
style-3

overall, a good solid map, but seemed a bit too 'techy' in style. maybe a few more rough elements-a lil chippy paint and or a 'rustic' entrance to the techy base might even be enough to fix it.

slate ctf
gameflow-1
balance-2
detailing-4
opt-3
style-3

comes off as being too big, and the gameflow is too much like a territorial campain- almost makes me wonder if it was adapted to ctf just to qualify for the contest. nice pretty map, but lacking a lil more character.

vector ctf
gameflow-4
balance-3
detailing-5
opt-4
style-5

this one also varies from the usual back and forth of ctf, but the use of the sapper in play works in an interesting way. on one hand, i like the lighting and detail (running on pipes is fun), but it also causes alot of tripping and clunky running. no major gripes though...

premuda ctf
gameflow-3
balance-3
detailing-3
opt-1
style-3

premuda's filesize hurts my world. other than that it's a strait middle-of-the-road map. nothing too outlandish, but missing that something that would really grab me; but what do i know? i own 'snakes on a plane'.

UFO · Nov 19, 2009

A/D CTF Maps: | Gameflow | Balance | Detailing | Optimizing | Style | Comments
Vector| 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | I like this map for detailing and balance. Hydro & Nucleus themes fit good. No low fps. Very attractive map.
HAARP| 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | Layout is awesome: three stages across one rock with beautiful landscape. But lightning is not enough in some areas, they look too dark. Balance is good, but needs few improvements. Optimization is perfect.
Snowdrift| 4 | 4| 3 | 5 | 4 | This map could be more attractive if it have more details and corrected color. Still the map is very fun.
Premuda| 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | I like the island theme and its lightning and detailing. I like the intelligence working like half-dispenser as gameplay issue. Map is good visually, but not very attractive because of balanse and filesize.
PLR Maps: | Gameflow | Balance | Detailing | Optimization | Style | Comments
Solitude| 3 | 4| 4 | 4 | 4 | The first stage is amazing in all aspects, I liked it much, the second is good, but nothing special. I didn't like the third one because of less of signs and not parallel tracks. The map looks pretty for the first beta.
Animus| 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 | The 1st stage is too long in my opinion. The rest are too small. Details are good, but they are not enough for fully new theme.
Nightfall| 5 | 4 | 5| 4 | 4 | One of the most detailed and balanced maps, I think. 1st and 2nd stages are polished and optimized. It's so fun!
Cornfield| 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 4 | The map has an unusual comic style. Details are few, however, optimizing should be improved. Plays fun.
Panic| 5 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 | I was impressed by such actions as cart roll down on the first stage, dynamite explosions on the second, and most of all I liked two possible outcomes for each team to win on the third. Plays great. There are not enough details, and some surfaces look too dark on 2nd and 3rd.

Sorry, I haven't played all maps.

Wegason · Nov 20, 2009

Firstly I'd like to congratulate all contestants, it has been a most enjoyable competition to witness as the maps grew from basic ideas into some truly beautiful and inspired creations.

There are a number of maps here which are fantastic in scope, polish, and design and a few who could eventually be picked up by Valve as community maps to make official.

Well done everyone!

A/D CTF

Vector

Vector is a beautiful map and I have no problems running it, the custom flag is amazing and works nicely, the style is great and the detailing also fantastic. The balance and gameplay are a little too heavy on chokepoints but it still a very enjoyable map.

Snowdrift

This is one of the maps that I have played a great deal at various stages in its development. I like the fact that it is a single stage A/D CTF map, it marks it out as different and it totally works. I do believe that the style works well and its optimised nicely. The balance and gameflow I find to be a little lopsided at times, once the first point is captured it can be a quick 2nd and 3rd capture before the defence can react, though this could be due to poor teamwork on RED's side. The map is a bit corridor orientated but it is one of my favourites of the CTF's.

Slate

I like the Sawmill theme, I know a lot do not, but I do. That being said I find this map to be a little unfulfilling, rounds are over fast as you intended but it means that fighting seems sporadic and quick rather than any wars of attrition where a good piece of teamwork or individual skill can break a short deadlock. Like others I also believe the map lacks vertical gameplay.

Panamint

The map is incomplete and I believe some areas of the map could use further revision in terms of detailing, and gameflow. Optimisation is not a problem, though the leaning on elements from Valve maps in terms of design sees me knock a point off for style.

Premuda

It didn't play as well as I thought it would but this is definitely the most beautiful entry into the contest and certainly the one with the most original style. It truly is a wonder to behold. The gameplay is good, and the balance is almost there but it made need a few revisions in the future.

HAARP

I really like layout of each of the levels and the map is very much fun to play. It is also intuitive to learn where to go (except for those not following the HUD). The map has a great style, and for me, the last point is a beautiful idea brilliantly executed, the big desk and office overlooking the satellite is fantastic. My only complaint with the map is balancing, it can become a complete chokepoint at several points, but mainly if there are big teams, with smaller teams it does not. The only problem with smaller teams is that it often become a roll for Blue.

Bayou

I've played this and I love some of the features but the map feels a little one-dimensional in terms of routes and I'm not a fan of Red's routes to the capture points. The use of the Swamp theme is good however and I liked the detail and style, I did find the map dark though.

PLR

Scoville

I've only played it a couple of times but it was a lot of fun and it looked pretty. I like what you've done with the different stages and I love some of the features you have included in the map.

Solitude: Have Not Played

Animus

This map could have been great, if the style I think you were aiming for was captured, as it stands its far too orangey brown and it doesn't feel as ghoulish or hell like as it should. The first two maps are also far too big, causing more of a fight over pushing the cart the most than actually fighting between the sides. The third stage is too small in contrast and doesn't allow for attacking the other team to prevent a victory thanks to the walls.

Cornfield: Have not played

Nightfall

The best map in the competition in my opinion, this really could be made official. It is what Valve should have done with Payload Race. The stages are keenly fought without massive stalemates, there are good alternative routes, the map itself is pretty, and there are great battles going on all over the stages. The first two stages are generally the most fun I've had on TF2 in the TF2Maps.net servers. The stages are designed well, the layout is great, allowing for pushing the cart, sneaking behind enemy lines, and use of sideroutes to disrupt the enemy.

Quite simply, this map is brilliant.

Rollout: Have not played

Highwind

I'm not a big fan of the style, but I love how you executed it, and I like the way you designed the map.

Arctic

When I played this it was a steamroll for one team both times, that may have been teams, but it seemed to me to be to do with which team passed the central point first would win. The skirmishes were in the same areas and there wasn't much scope for treachery.

Panic

Another great payload race map, its an interesting design, the second (or third) stage seemed a bit long but I do like the first stage and there are several ways of getting behind enemy lines and causing havoc. Its a nicely detailed map and I like the style.

Agent_Orange · Nov 20, 2009

My Votes

CTF | Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style | Overview
HAARP|4|5|5|4|4| My first and favorite. A vast yet homey stage that encompasses the base feel of 2fort with the winter terrain experience of Viaduct. Altogether spot on.|
Premuda|3|5|4|4|3| Intricate to an excess. Parts had a good resemblance to Well but the amount of routes to get to a single place ruined the concentration of the team.|
Slate|3|4|4|4|4| Very enjoyable with a few exceptions. Red did have a slight advantage over Blu on this map disregarding this there is still the fact that the map is concentrated and then open at the wrong parts. Both cap points are wide open while the area between them is slim making it easy for Red to prevent the 2nd cap.|
Snowdrift|3|3|3|2|3| Clearly my least favorite of the CTF maps. Once again there was plenty of ambiguous routes yet Red almost always won despite this fact. My main gripe with this map however is the appearance of the Pyro’s flames, they are very pixilated and quite frankly obnoxious.|
Vector|4|3|4|4|4| This map was a blast. It still needs work as far as design but I believe it will become a beautiful stage. Sentries can also be built without much exposure thus red does have an advantatge.|

PLR | Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style | Overview
Artic|3|4|3|3|4| Playable feel to it. Just didn’t have that extra umph that makes TF2 maps so great.|
Cornfield|2|4|2|3|2| Possibly the worst map I’ve played. Numerous extraneous routes as well as having plenty of places that simply have no purpose. The gameplay is decent but the map needs a lot of work, style and otherwise. Not to mention the fact that during one game the carts bumped into each and the game essentially became stuck.|
Nightfall|3|4|4|3|5| Has a great Sawmill feel to it. Enjoyable but has room for improvement in size and layout.|
Panic|5|4|4|4|4| Possible the most fun map to play solely for the reason of the drop of the kart at the beginning. Other than this the map is solid yet isn’t too unique.|
Rollout|4|4|4|3|4| Never played an indoor kind of pipeline map like this. The originality is spot on but yet again could make improvements with space management.|
Solitude|4|4|3|4|4| Very easy to play and play well. Easy for every class (with the exception of spy on occasion). Another unique map that has a lot to offer with some tweaks.|

StuartPB · Nov 20, 2009

Introduction
Hi, I'm Stuart P. Bentley, just some DigiPen student who likes TF2. I'm not really a mapper at all, but I am known for my critical ability, so I figured I'd weigh in on my opinion on each of these maps.

Needless to say, this post will have rolling updates as I play the maps again and again and solidify my points. Not being a mapper, I can't really give an informed vote for optimization, so I'll just give maps a 5 unless I noticed a particularly glaring problem.

Also, I'm going to go ahead and hop on the bandwagon for stealing eerieone's template.

The biggest problem I've seen with A/D CTF maps is that most of them do not take into mind the difference between A/D CTF and A/D CP: most of them are merely "a CP map with a custom prop instead of teamwork," with control points laid out for group captures over time rather than single instant capture points. They rely too heavily on the novelty of new models and entities rather than the difficulties and advantages associated with this particular gamemode.

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style
Bayou|4|4|3|5|3

This is by far my favorite A/D CTF map, as it's the only one I've actually found to be balanced, taking into account the difference between CP and CTF A/D. IT used the layout of the map itself as the resistance factor for the attackers (which made for some particularly tense moments, like a true CTF game), rather than most other maps, which lay out every point to be accessible (like a control point) and attempt to balance it by creating more sentry spots. All that said, the final point is, in its simplicity, fairly anticlimactic, as all it really is is a point to wait for a Medic's uber to end the game.

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style
Haarp|-|-|-|-|-

I only played the last point of this for a moment, so all I can comment on is that it would seem that this map's large, empty spaces would make it difficult to play, and that the last point very much reminded me of the one cinematic I can remember from the demo of Too Human (with touches of Bioshock and Mass Effect).

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style
Panamint|2|2|2|5|2

Needless to say, this map is far from finished. The "weird long shiny dildo" (to use a descriptor for it from the server chat) doesn't fit in with the bulgy, plasticine aesthetic of TF2.

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style
Slate|2|2|3|4|2

Slate is nice-looking enough, but it still has the same problems of all the other A/D CTF maps. Also, a point from optimization for weather effects remaining when toggled off in advanced settings.

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style
Snowdrift|3|2|2|2|2

I just got done playing a bit of Snowdrift- namely because, while running it, the server crashed. Twice. As such, I'm going to go ahead and blame the map and give it a 2 for optimization. As for everything else, it's still got the same problems as all of the other maps (although I'll note that this map gives a bit more focus to the initial placement of the intel, which is nice).

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style
Vector|-|-|-|-|-

I've yet to play through all of this map due to a flaky internet connection and as such have left it unrated, but from the first set of points it seemed this map was basically a remix of Dustbowl in TFC, a goal which, it seems to me, was already done with greater success with cp_dustbowl.

It's nice to see some PLR maps. Definitely a game type with a lot of potential.

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style
Animus|3|3|4|1|2

As has been said, this map certainly has style. The cart is interesting, the final point's physics animation is epic and Metropolis-esque... the problem being that it lacks a style, instead just being a bizarre lump of colors, models and brushes. Also, beyond the spawn gates the map lacks anything to draw to the buffer, which is very sloppy.

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style
Arctic|-|-|-|-|-

Haven't been there yet.

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style
Cornfield|-|-|-|-|-

What's in the box? Where are the cornfields? What is the meaning of life?

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style
Highwind|-|-|-|-|-

I'm greatly looking forward to this map, although I've yet to play it.

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style
Nightfall|3|3|3|5|3

I remember being baffled upon reaching this map's third point, after seeing two coherent and well-detailed points, and discovering a sparse, dev-textured, and inexplicably downhill into nothingness third capture. (May I suggest, if you're planning on sticking with this third point design, to have the final endpoint for the bombs be a large pit full of bombs, with the map's objective being to add one more to the pile.)

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style
Panic|3|4|4|5|4

I'm a sucker for this map's introductions (possibly the only map where a team's own objective can kill them).

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style
Rollout|-|-|-|-|-

Haven't seen it.

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style
Scoville|-|-|-|-|-

I came in at either point A or C of this map. Either way, I don't remember much to note of it except for a distinct lack of chili peppers.

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style
Solitude|4|4|3|5|3

This is a fun and fairly simple map to play on. The early interplay of RED and BLU right out of the gates is something a great many maps lack.

shinokorosha · Nov 20, 2009

Ian's Dishing Out Some Points and doing so while looking totally lost and calling everything "interesting":

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style
Animus|3|3|2|1|3
Bayou|2|2|3|2|3
HAARP|2|3|3|3|3
Panamint|4|3|4|3|4
Premuda|4|4|3|4|4
Slate|4|4|5|5|4
Snowdrift|3|3|4|5|3
Vector|3|4|5|4|4
Arctic|3|4|3|2|3
Cornfield|3|4|3|3|3
Highwind|3|3|3|2|4
Nightfall|4|5|4|3|4
Panic|5|4|3|3|4
Rollout|3|1|1|3|3
Scoville|3|3|3|4|3
Solitude|4|4|4|4|5

TMP · Nov 20, 2009

I was going to do this in a video but I decided to do it like such, with some extra stuff off to the side and

1-Novice, as of a first map
IE- Detailing: cp_orange_x3

2-Fair, what I expect out of a map from about a year ago to earlier
IE- Balance: cp_junction

3-Showing signs of expertise, but not quite great
IE- Detailing: ctf_mach4
Flow: cp_gydan

4-Great Job, a high level what I expect from a good final, Valve-quality
IE- Flow: cp_granary
Balance: cp_gravelpit
Optimization: pl_halfacre

5-Jaw-dropping, better than Valve, ect.
IE- Optimization: pl_swiftwater
Detail: plr_pipeline
Style: tc_meridian

(Opinions are not guaranteed to match the reader's. I am also a really tough critic, so don't be suprised in the least bit.)

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style | Include in my rating pool?
Animus|X|X|2|4|2|No
Bayou|2|2|2|2|2|Yes
HAARP|4|3|4|3|4|Yes
Panamint|X|X|X|X|X|No
Premuda|3|4|5|3|4|Yes
Slate|3|3|4|4|3|Yes
Snowdrift|4|5|4|4|3|Yes
Vector|4|2|5|4|5|Yes
Arctic|2|1|1|4|2|Yes
Cornfield|2|3|2|2|4|Yes
Highwind|5|2|2|4|4|Yes
Nightfall|4|4|3|5|3|Yes
Panic|3|4|4|4|5|Yes
Rollout|3|2|1|3|1|Yes
Scoville|3|3|3|2|3|Yes
Solitude|3|4|4|4|4|Yes

MAP | MORE DETAILS
Animus|I have inadequate amounts of time on the map to be rating it as if I was acquainted with it. I did give some basic numbers on what I did think the map deserved in the catiegories I could rate. The detailing is fairly farfetch'd, but generally fine. Even with dev textures, the geometry can be interesting. I noted no major problems with my optimization, the map ran like I expect a map to, but the file size itself showed no sign of optimization. The style is fairly over the place, but pieces itself together, just not in a coherent way.
Bayou|I've never quite seen this detailing style in tf2. Its a mix of the swamp theme with lots of props and old time texture styling. It's fairly strange. The flow of the map is generally stop and go, up to the third point. The third point (The sunken building) is where most of the map really just falters. It is an interesting concept that just does not play out well; it bars the detailing potential, can be a headache, and causes many problems with optimization I would note severe drops in my fps in it; did you func_detail the entire building?) With smart hint work it could work out but until then head=exploded from it. Generally game flow and balance just throws itself out of the window at that point, enough to where I never had the chance to see the last point without actually just going there out of red spawn. The style of it with the texture themes on the first and second buildings do not really compliment the sophistication of the swamp theme, and detract from the overall style.
HAARP|HAARP has no major issues overall and feels like a good custom map. The flow is generally well, and offers risk-takers benefits, something I think is performed fairly well. General movement also is pretty fun and nice, albeit not jaw dropping. In balancing terms, the classes naturally aren't perfectly balanced, and scouts/soldiers/demomen tend to have the easiest time in the map overall, and have the coolest ways to cap for most as well as have plenty of things to exploit. The styling seems new to TF2, I don't think anyone has captured the large encompassed evil spytech base theme as well as you have though, the style is really nice in that regard, but the satellite dish doesn't seem climactic enough for the final cap, as well as the feel of the outdoor areas as merely a breathtaker, especially prevalent at 3-1 to 3-2, where you are thrust outdoors for some strange reason between two areas that seem deep in the base. The optimization work is obviously done, as I note that areas that were problematic are no longer, but the fps can still dip down due to the design in some areas. The map size does not appear as if you took broad steps to making it smaller as well, but that is not a major issue.
Panamint| Did not play the contest version.
Premuda| I had not played a premuda more than once up to b1; I knew what they all looked like though. When I looked at premuda, jaw dropped. It's beautiful. The detailing is gorgeous. I'm never looking at something that is just nonexistant and undetailed in the map; everything is! Even the intel! It's really a great thing, and I haven't really been as impressed with detailing as I have since I opened pipeline! The flow on this map though can detract. Generally I knew where I was going, and the signs were fine, but with the last stage I tend to have difficulty finding 3-1 fairly swiftly (And I wouldn't call this a problem solely on my behalf; I get maps instantly). The gameplay flow is better than a good portion of maps, but it isn't perfect. At this point I wouldn't consider it possible without major revision. The style you have created is amazing, but it isn't something I normally would expect in tf2. It catches me off guard, and in some areas feels segmented, but it is not bad at all.
Slate| Slate feels middle of the road, its a nice balance of goodness and style with some good detailing with incidents of small touches that really bring out the map. It's a good staple and I believe it flows well. The only issue is that I don't think it pulls off the sawmill theme greatly (The detailing does, just not the geometry), and the ending is fairly anticlimactic, as there is nothing real rewarding to rush to.
Snowdrift| It is few and far between when a map gives me the opportunity to win as both sides and play any class at almost any time (Probably except engi on 1-1 on offense). Snowdrift has those opportunities and it is amazing. It plays very well. The fights occur in nice spots and whatnot, and I never am lost. I enjoy points like 1-2 where every class has the opportunity for the shortcut, just it takes more time in the fighting zone. The detailing on this map is certainly not breathtaking, and the lighting is fairly generic, but it gives off a nice cold feel. I feel though that the environment is just slightly off of the theme in some incomprehensible way. I look forward to getting this maps to servers.
Vector| Honestly, Vector is probably the only map I am going to give two 5's to. The style of TF2 is hit PERFECTLY, and the spytech and the hydro theme is just amazingly detailed and just... perfect. The flow of the map is fairly good. Pretty much dustbowl, after all. It didn't feel up to par to some maps I have played, and skirted in at a 3. The balancing, oh ho ho. If I can say I have won egypt with a higher percentage than this, I can say it's stacked in red's favor. I think I have won this map ONCE on blu, and we spawncamped the living shit out of the enemy with extreme coordination. The thing is, the class balance is fairly good (I could often run any class without difficulty), and the small staircase to the crosside from final in the pit really did help out, but certain parts like 3-2 and 2-1 really put the balance in shambles at times. At least you abided by my philosophy on "Red isn't supposed to lose half the time on a 3 stage map" philosophy. The optimization isn't terrible. It's not amazing either. I don't notice it in game, but downloading it can be a chore.
Arctic| OH DEAR GOD THE MAP IS HUGE is the first thought I got when I got to stage 3. Even so, it just feels AUGH. Having to push past enemy spawn and above it for a long time... not exactly friendly! (Stage 1 I think, maybe stage 2, I forgot). There's one stage that's just perfect in layout, where the push past spawn is barely anything, but the other two stages are tiresome and boring, especially the last stage. If one team is behind on stage three, they can kiss their chances goodbye; it takes forever to get to the final area. Snipers spawncamp in stage 1 I think, and the map needs some major tweaking. The displacements are really rough and it just doesn't evoke the tf2 feel all the way.
Cornfield| This map is an oddity in some ways. Stage 3 is awesome, stage 1 and 2 need tons of work in terms of detailing and polish. The stages have decent flow, and they need some work. Balance is middle of the road; the map is fairly small sometimes and pyros can have short work of people if you are not careful. The main issue I'm going to talk about is optimization, or more importantly, file optimization. One detailed stage. 98 megabytes. I know the custom sky is huge but come on! The latest version of furnace creek is 50mb only, so come on! On a map with one detailed stage of the size of cornfield, you will never be able to market it when it becomes fully detailed in all three stages! The FPS can also dip in stage 3. The style is tried and true Furnace style, and it looks nice. Really helps the water evoking too; I really like the ending.
Highwind| Highwind really suprised me when I played it the first time; It played extremely well. The flow was easy and simple, and I could get anywhere I needed to with ease. The players would be dead long enough to push in and cap, and when the cap would happen we'd get the ability to push in rapidly. I really was smiling while I was playing it. I think the map flowed so well it didn't need signs (Did it even have any?) The balance of this map though is a let down from the flow. Demomen, soldiers, and splash classes have this while snipers and spies have to suffer fairly harshly, even with the dungeon route. The style is nice and fun, albeit a little bright and pippy for tf2, and the detailing is simply sub-par; many floating props existed and the barrel props were wrong, causing them to have the break model on not breaking, which was fairly.. disgusting? The map file size could perhaps be optimized even more, but that is pushing it, but it could benefit from it.
Nightfall| This map is probably the easiest marketed out of these mostly because the sawmill theme is still fairly fresh and it has a nice file size, plus there are no major optimization issues and gameplay is fairly nice and established, if it were not for the incomplete last stage. The balance, flow, and detailing is fairly par to above par, and the map feels overall nice and complete, aside from the last stage. Hurry up and finish it, its hurting your score.
Panic| Great theme, great style, detailing is sparse and noticeably lacking in some areas, but is generally on a very high scale. Stage 2 is amazing in detailing. Stage 2 flow is best, followed by Stage 3 and Stage 1. Class balance is fairly decent and good, aside from heavy on stage 3, who really just feels out of place. Stage 3 flow is really fun, but spawn time can provide a lack of ability to catch the cart in many situations, leading to a fast loss with a team roll.
Rollout| Feels like a novice map in style and detail. Can use some steps to make it more detailed and good feeling. The gameplay isn't bad, but some classes feel barred to a degree. The gameplay style really bars the balance of it, as it requires a really good team to win. Games can go on forever it feels like.
Scoville| Nice style, great detailing where it is detailed, where it is not the geometry is detailed and decently interesting. Poor optimization (Although it isn't horrificly novice), good class balance, and good flow. Stage 3 feels slow and drawn out. Sun styling at the end doesn't match the snow feel in first stage, disconnected, glad you're changing this.
Solitude| A generally strong map, with no strong faults in anywhere but nothing really drawing it to amazing. Great quality map that could be on most servers. Stage 3 can feel kinda boring and disconnected though.

MrAlBobo · Nov 20, 2009

So...finally I got around to completely my reviews, I had no desire to do a placeholder post as that just seems stupid <_<
Anyways, with each review i am posting a stats link, heatmaps should soon be available as soon as pepper can fix whatever broke the database.

Oh and the average is more for my benefit then anything

Animus

Ive never really been a bit fan of the layout, the first stage is exceptionally long when compared to the other stages and tends to be a bit exhausting when played several times. The orange color overlaying the map is an interesting effect, but frequently reaches the point where it effects visibility. Despite that the map is detailed quite well to fit that theme. Along with the first round being long, its also very flat, that tends to make the gameplay a lot less interesting. The second stage happens to be my favorite and I would rate it alone as 4, 4 for flow and balance, the availability of many different heights in the map is quite nice, in some areas it may be a bit overdone, for instance I could see the upper exit to the spawn and the area immediately around being removed. The third round...tends to simply be a bit of a spam fest, very narrow with both teams spawning very close to each other. As for optimization, I never noticed any performance hits, about all I can say.
http://stats.tf2maps.net/map.php?id=974

Arctic

I quite like the progression of this map, the stages increasing in length instead of shortening is something I greatly prefer in plr. The first round is my favorite in this case, the fact that the round manages to stay rather compact while still having multiple side paths is a great accomplishment. I have a lot of fun playing as spy and heavy on this round. The second round does need some more work though, every single time ive ever played this map I just go sniper, as its just so easy. Not to say I don't have fun doing this...but I imagine the people im hitting are getting mildly annoyed

The third round is just...too large, reaching the cart when its at the end is a painfully long walk, I mean, ive seen forward spawns, but ive never spawned in one. I almost think it would be more effective to always spawn at about the middle that way the overall walk is alot shorter. Obviously most of the map isn't detailed yet, the part that is looks quite good though, even the dev textures are displaced in interesting ways. The crashes tend to detract from the fun. <_<
http://stats.tf2maps.net/map.php?id=998

Bayou

Never been a fan of the single stage attack and defend alternative, ive never seen it really be as good as the multiple stages. Surprisingly well balanced considering that, I have actually seen all the point successfully defended at some point in time, just as ive seen blue win. So that is a good sign for balance. All the points being at various heights and locations is also a plus, though it takes a bit longer to figure out the map, a bit of sign overkill as well. The detailing is appropriate as well, and a nice use of the swamp theme, though frequently you get the impression of props just randomly thrown about, the tilted building is quite amusing though. At several places in the map my fps would drop below 60, the area outside the first point being the most notable, and obviously the tilted building. The exceptional difficultly to get out of the water around the last point is also kinda annoying.
http://stats.tf2maps.net/map.php?id=1006

Cornfield

I credit this map for getting me to play spy again, spy is ridiculously fun to play on this map, on every stage. The first stage is nice and simple with side paths that don't detract from the flow at all. The second round maintains alot of the good features from the last round, but it introduces a "back area" which sees minimal use and could stand to be removed, then obviously there is the crossover bug. And after a cart makes it past the crossover the defending team seems to very frequently forget about the cart. The last stage happens to be my favorite plr finale, the complex area around the starting area makes it very easy to get close and knock the opposing team off their cart, something ive always hated about pipeline. For style...you know, generic desert, +.5 for the present in the skybox.
http://stats.tf2maps.net/map.php?id=995

Haarp

A very good map in my opinion, and because of that I really don't have that much to say. First round is fun with a variety of classes and a variety of roles. Second round is the weakest, the first point just feels very static, the sentry positions are virtually the same every time people usually do the same thing, and blue always takes it. The 2nd point is an interesting layout but very frequently it becomes a sentry farm if red team desires to do so. The last round gets the same general comments as the 1st, with the addition that the final point being very open, yet defensible is a nice change. One thing that always kinda bugged me was the nobuild on the point. Details are nice and original, and the theme is fresh and very well maintained. The only thing keeping it from a perfect detail/style score is the lack of some kind of ending scene. A few places in the map where fps drops briefly below 60.
http://stats.tf2maps.net/map.php?id=988

Highwind

I quite like the new style, which in my opinion does fit the tf2 theme just fine. The gameplay is initially quite fun, but starts to get stale after the 1st cap. Repeatedly going through the same level with a very slow object to push is kinda tiring. Then the fact that there isn't really a "goal" makes it really feel like your just killing time. While the theme is very nice, the detailing is rather sparse.
http://stats.tf2maps.net/map.php?id=996

Nightfall

One of the more fun plr maps. First stage gives alot of variety in route choices, so many in fact that I tend to forget about the cart in favor of the better path, as the cart path is the least advantageous. The second round is a joy for the offensive engie, a big plus for allowing building in the setup area. The last round is again an interesting change, yet I don't have any strong opinions on it. On the detailed rounds the night/sawmill theme works reasonably well, though there are a few fps drops below 60.
http://stats.tf2maps.net/map.php?id=990

Panamint

Very well balanced map, at no point while playing did it ever seem like one team had a greater advantage. It really irritates me when I can't build in the large empty area outside of spawn on the blue team. The first point being high off the ground but close to blues spawn works well. In the second round the "badlands" 2nd point is kinda annoying to defend, as you pretty much have to defend directly at the point. The 3rd round has a ridiculous amount paths to the 2nd point, and the one that leads so close to the point and reds spawn may not be the best idea.
http://stats.tf2maps.net/map.php?id=969

Panic

This is my favorite map in terms of style, all the random crap is just fantastic, the cart killing people, the wall exploding, the the extreme bass. The frequent darkness causes a few hits in both detail and gameplay, the dark corners are a bit annoying regardless of whats going on. The first stage ive played engie at least twice as much as every other class combined, the availability of the good offense engie positions is very fun. The second stage tends to pale after the first, I am not really a fan of the disturbingly direct path between both teams destinations. It gets very spammy, very quickly, and the other path options end up dead as soon as the carts leave them. For the third round I like how it seems to fix everything I don't like about pipeline, the two narrow paths are blocked from spam and being shot from across the map by a nice building. A building which is also very effective for defending. The fact that it almost always has a fast result is also very refreshing.
http://stats.tf2maps.net/map.php?id=1004

Premuda

Not bad, not bad...obviously one of the more well-detailed maps. The gameplay seems a bit lacking though, overall I dislike how the layout is always positioned in such a way that it is by a wide margin the best idea to defend the point directly. This does ensure that red is actually doing their job, but it results in painfully static gameplay. It always comes down to uber vs sentry and thats not really all that fun for the rest of the team. Points 2-1, and 3-1 are the only ones that don't end up like this. For the most part the formula of who wins is entirely tied to whether or no blue has 2 or more good medics, and that just plain not fun. This is the first map I didn't critique the individual levels, but my opinion is basically the same for all of them. <_<
http://stats.tf2maps.net/map.php?id=1000

Rollout

The map just feels...weird, between the scores only being calculated at the end of all the rounds, the rather abrupt and strange advancement to the next round, and the imbalance between teams. The first round is actually quite fun, but all the ones after it feel pretty much like long individual paths, kinda boring in terms of gameplay. The server crashing and odd round changes lead to a lower optimization score. The entire map being dev lowers the detail score. And the attempt at a more dynamic plr map leads to a higher style score, though poor execution in terms of balance and overall fun lead to lower gameplay scores.
http://stats.tf2maps.net/map.php?id=1001

Scoville

Hands down the biggest fps hit ive ever had from a map, that said ive always found the map quite fun, as a variety of classes. Unlike most maps I don't have a set class I play at least once every round depending on how its setup, and I quite like that. Id go as far to say that the layout is likely perfectly balanced, a nice amount of side paths, the main paths are open but not really dominated by snipers, and the third round is just excellent, I have yet to not have fun on it.
http://stats.tf2maps.net/map.php?id=997

Slate

Average...its simply the best way I can describe the map, its just there, its not bad, but its not really that great. The first round I actually really don't like, it does the opposite of what most multi-stage maps do, it starts out very narrow, with minimal path options, this makes it a rather boring start as people keep getting funneled to the same places. The second round improves on this slightly at the first point as you have alot of options as attack and defense, namely defending away from the point is actually possible. At the second point it narrow to two paths exiting is almost the same place, leading to a massive choke point, creating that uber vs sentry gameplay that is just so boring. The third round is by a wide margin my favorite round, there are far more different options for paths and class choice...once blue gets past the first point. I think the 2nd point is by far the best done point in the map, sentries on the point can be distanced, extra sentries can be avoided.
http://stats.tf2maps.net/map.php?id=961

Snowdrift

This map overall just feels blah, most of the time blue rolls through red until the last point where it can go either way. This has the effect of making it rather...not fun...for both teams. The lack of a blocking zone pretty much just allows blue to "tfc" cap all the points unless red piles most of their team around the point along with several sentries. Which in turn pretty much forces uber vs sentry gameplay, more so then any other map ive seen.
http://stats.tf2maps.net/map.php?id=975

Solitude

This map just came out of nowhere, and holy hell, its actually fun! (first exclamation mark ive typed without being sarcastic in at least 6 months) The first round is basically the standard desert theme, with a straight forward path, supplemented by a few ways to sneak behind the other team, and assault at a distance, the ability to reach your cart and the point you need to defend from spawn is very useful. The second round is my fav, the path directly to your opponents spawn area is very fun. The other abundance of ambush paths keep the rather short track fresh. The third point I am not really a fan of, the area in the middle is just not fun to be in, the enemy could come from virtually anywhere, this makes the area alot less fun for low hp classes, as your virtually a sitting duck all the time.
http://stats.tf2maps.net/map.php?id=991

Vector

My favorite map coming out of this contest, its just the most fun to play. The state of progression has been perfected here, each round is actually harder for blue then the last, this is maintained by a decreasing number of wider path choices for the most part. I really don't have anything to say about the layout...namely there isn't anything I can recall irritating me. Its balanced in the correct way, namely, blue wins a little more then 1/3 of the time. This boils down to blue normally winning the first, frequently taking the 2nd, and sometimes taking the third. And I call that a success.
http://stats.tf2maps.net/map.php?id=999

SPHinx · Nov 21, 2009

Haven't had a chance to play all of the maps yet. Here are some votes for those I have played.

A/D CTF Maps: | Gameflow | Balance | Detailing | Optimizing | Style | Comments
Vector| 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | I'll go ahead and give perfect marks here. Whenever I play this map, I do feel that it is OVER-detailed somewhat. I find myself wanting to look around rather than focus on the objectives. But this is a silly thing to take points off for. Really well done.
HAARP| 4 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | This is another very polished map. Too tough for RED, so I've knocked off some points there for balance. Can be a little confusing to find the points, especially when trying to defend and you're new to the map. Style is nice, but nothing extraordinary.
Snowdrift| 2 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | A fine effort. My biggest problem here is lack of labeling on the capture points and spawns. It was not obvious where RED needs to go at the start of the map. And as others have observed, it does really favor sentry vs. uber play. Style is OK. Not quite as polished as some of the other entries.
Bayou | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | A really ambitious map, which I like. Very confusing though. It is part of the style, I guess, to have the kind of odd pathways and tunnels, but more signs or a slightly simpler layout would help. When the teams are balanced, the layout favors RED. What detailing there is, I like, but it's definitely not as polished as the others. Optimization is also an issue. There can be much slowdown and loss of FPS at times.
PLR Maps: | Gameflow | Balance | Detailing | Optimization | Style | Comments
Scoville| 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 4 | Could just be bad luck, but my games here are never quite as fun as some of the other entries. The layout seems well planned to me, so I can't say what the problem is. Maybe just rotten teams. I really like the detailing and style work in the first and final stage. Optimization, as everyone seems to know, is the big one here. I don't love the fans chopping me to bits. Might just have to get use to that.
Artic| 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 | I always have fun on this map, so although it isn't quite as far along as some of the others, I'm bumping the gameflow score up a bit. Detailing and texturing where there is some is nice. I look forward to seeing more. Plays quick for me with no noticeable slowdowns.
Nightfall| 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | Nice layout and theme. The roll-down on the last stage is kind of fun idea. Quite a polished entry. For me, there's nothing too extraordinary about it, to really push it over the edge into the perfect score range.
Cornfield| 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | Still in early stages, so a little hard to judge against some of the other entries. This one has some problems with people tossing bombs over the gates before the round starts. Also, every time I've played it, it seems to be more about the killing than about the payload. This isn't a terrible thing. I like the detailing a lot on the final stage. Wish there was more.
Panic| 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 | Almost perfect scores. The detail work isn't quite what it is in some of the CTF A/D entries. Really fun map. Really inventive with the setup stuff.

Overheal · Nov 21, 2009

A/D CTF Maps: | Gameflow | Balance | Detailing | Optimizing | Style | Comments
Vector| 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 4 | Neat looking, great overall theme (We need more Hydro!), and if you're attacking its very very easy to know which way youre meant to go. But its a bit like a cardboard cutout - looks great on this side but when you look at it the other way, it looks really bad. Greatly favors BLU until stage 3 when it does almost a complete 180 reversal. Playing RED in the first 2 stages - I just dont find it satisfying in the least. Attacking its great the whole way through, particularly as an offensive Engineer. On defense though I always feel uncomfortable and completely out of place; theres rarely any terrain features for RED to rally around; the best ones are usually saved for BLU. The final Generator is neat as balls but needs an elaborate sexy skybox or something. More than the others this feels like a Fortress Map - and thats what we want! Just make it a bit more defensible in the first 2 stages.
Bayou| 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | I dont mean to be harsh but all I could think of while playing this was "This is what happens when you teach a Random Number Generator how to make TF2 Maps". Its a very Chaotic map that over relies on signage to direct players to the Objectives. At least every round played, there was a flag carrier on either team that would go to the wrong Point altogether out of bewilderment. Of special mention though theres a few great places to jump down and flank people (I heart Backburner) but overall its more of a Game-Puddle than gameflow. I did like some of the detailing (The submerged room was a great Theme choice and I had a few laughs with the Coffee Machine) but it greatly needs some Cohesion.
HAARP| 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 5 | The scenery is fantastic but I felt like it played a bit too quickly. The average round/stage time was 90 seconds, leaving no time to have any fun (sniping, building, etc). Seems as though RED needs a few more buffs (and spawn exits - spawn camping is not cool) but the whole Cliffside Evil Lair motif? Fucking Excellent. Crashed to desktop on it though, and this really hurt your score. As did the speed of play: we were off the map again in about 8 minutes (2 rounds), which left very little time for appreciation.
Snowdrift| 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | Wasnt too impressed with it. The biggest issue for me was a chokepoint before the first cap. One particularly annoying SG spot with a bunch of crates that just felt too convenient for the defender and was essentially an awkward looking Catwalk anyway. The rest of the time I found myself running in circles due to a lot of Signage which contradicted itself - arrows everywhere of every color. Madness. Played better a second time around, but still loses points on detail. Too many parts of the map feel similar and it gets disorienting.
Premuda| 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | Very detailed, nearly complete. The Final CP is imbalanced and needs a second path or two put in (currently 1, and its very windey). The LIGHTING is atrocious. It looks good cinematically speaking (My jaw dropped when I first got in the map) but it washes out all the colors. Everything is Orange, and it makes it a strain to discern friend from foe. It doesnt help pathfinding much either, for the same reason, its too hard to see side paths if all the walls and floors look so similar. A couple Dark spots need working on too. Neutralize the lighting and balance stage 3 to get me 5 for 5. A little more sniping friendliness wouldnt go awry either. The Filesize doesnt bother me as much but I can see it being a problem trying to get players together.
Slate| 3 | 3 | 3 | 5 | 1 | Aside from being Alpine theres nothing that seems to make this map feel special. And in fact it was well talked about ingame how similar some elements are to Dustbowl was immediately noticed by everyone on server as well. This map would easily work better as a CP map with minor changes, but for this gameplay mode it needs more work; and could do with some kind of central theme.
Panamint| 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Obviously this map is at a very, very early stage in development. The Badlands Hill and the accompanying walkways scream "Placemarker" for something you intend to add later - so too do all of the missing walls leading into the skybox! Third CP looks semi-interesting. I'd spend a good amount of your efforts in fleshing out the theme. The Gameplay itself seems alright (alot of returning players vouched for the map's fun factor in chat). Around that Hill, its nice to have the Top Floor to build SGs on and mount Sniper Wars. You're on the right track but for this contest's sake, way away from qualifying just yet.
PLR Maps: | Gameflow | Balance | Detailing | Optimization | Style | Comments
Solitude| 5 | 4| 4 | 2 | 3 | I don't really think much of Solitude just yet. Some of the paths are very fun - you cant put a price on good flanking maneuvers. The map feels bland-ish though and could do with a bit more characterization, and in a few places I just got consistently horrible performance, framerate farts and audio stutterings. Nothing really drags it down though except a need for more detail, it was actually quite fun to play on.
Nightfall| 5 | 5 | 2(5) | 5 | 5 | So far this map would take my overall vote. It really feels like a stock map. Lots of great pathing choices that are easy to get your head around. Good attention to detail texturing and scenery, very well balanced - the only thing that lets it down is Stage 3. Once its finished though you might have a winner. The Cliff is a bit distracting though and its hard to find anywhere to reach the tracks, which makes it very hard to stop the enemy team from making their final push. edit: Actually it reminded me of Splash Mountain. And I love Splash Mountain. So that might not be a bad thing!
Cornfield| 3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | Interesting Payload but otherwise the map is obviously at a very early stage in its development and as of yet its difficult to give it a really hard verdict. Right now it hardly seems worth the bother to use Custom Particles for a few water leaks - all I remember it for later is messing up my particles when I switch maps. Randomly walking into and dying in the skybox is never much fun either.
Scoville| 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 5 | Well Style counts for something! But the finale seriously debilitates the map's performance. Flow is good and so is pacing, but the optimization and the incomplete middle stage really drives it down. Looking forward to seeing it finished and whether or not you can fix the framerate issues. Needs a better name, like Hadron or something. And the stock Payload Cart feels out of place but thats an easy fix.
Arctic| 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 3 | Its very underdone for contests sake. Probably not as much manpower as what went into other maps. Though you've lain down a very good gameflow, I especially like the Hub in the first round. Its hard with Orange'' Textures to really see what you were doing with most of the map. Some of the logging cabin stuff looked pretty impressive. The third round felt like it played too fast for the amount of design-effort put into it. My other big critique is architecture: Most of the buildings felt very awkward and didnt seem to make a whole lot of sense - as much as I loved the hub for gameplay I questioned why it was there and why it was built in connection with a few tavern-looking buildings (which themselves looked awkward and too narrow in places). Its a good map, I'd just think about how you want to flesh out the Theme when it gets down to the Detailing.

As I play more maps I'll add more to this posting.

Thats all for now, been playing for ages

Tapp · Nov 21, 2009

Thanks to the magic of windowed tf2, I am writing this review as I play the maps. As a result, I will be reviewing them quite slowly in the form of edits. Please do not count my votes until the table has been completely filled in. Thank you.

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style | Comments
Animus|F|B|D|O|S
Bayou|F|B|D|1|S|I have no idea if this is relate do bayou, but I have not had a chance to properly play it because it dropped my fps to about 5. I will try again before giving a final review, though.
HAARP|4.5|5|4.5|4.5|5|I don't really know what to say about this map. Straight away it played very fluently, and I felt as if I might as well have played it before. The style is great, but it lost points because I did get lost on the first stage. Great map though, my favourite so far. Well optimised, too.
Panamint|F|B|D|O|S
Premuda|F|B|D|O|S
Slate|F|B|D|O|S
Snowdrift|F|B|D|O|S
Vector|4|3|5|4|4|This was the first map I played, and it was also the first A/D ctf map I've ever played. Optimisation is somewhere between most customs and valve standard, being as though I had to turn down my graphics settings *though that goes for most maps in the contest*. I gave it a four because despite being detailed and densely populated, it kept the highest fps of all the maps so far. The other thing that I really liked was the final cap. Nothing else ever played so dynamically for me since king of the hill.
Arctic|3|3|4|4|3|The server ran this map for quite a while, and I discovered quickly how motionless the play quickly became. Having set up a sentry outside the crossover room, I simply sat there and racked up kills. Only to notice, though, that the same could not be said for a forward base. Play tended to stagnate near the centre, and it became very hard for one team to push through.
Cornfield|4|5|3|4|4|Cornfield was a very interesting map for me, and I felt compelled to keep trying out different classes to see how they would play. I found demo to be great, and noticed how neither team's cart ever seemed to stop moving. Great map, a little more polish would be great.
Highwind|F|B|D|O|S
Nightfall|F|B|D|O|S
Panic|F|B|D|O|S
Rollout|F|B|D|O|S
Scoville|F|B|D|O|S
Solitude|F|B|D|O|S

A Boojum Snark · Nov 21, 2009

Minimum rating reminder!

As of this posting the following people have not yet reached the minimum required rated maps. Next to each name is how many more they need to meet the minimum.

Chaopsychochick: 1 CTF, 5 PLR
Fearlezz: 1 CTF, 3 PLR
Jack Riguel: 2 PLR
Jonah: 2 CTF, 3 PLR
Labelmaker: 2 CTF, 3 PLR
Littleedge: 4 PLR
Lord Ned: 1 CTF, 2 PLR
Occlusion: 4 CTF, 3 PLR
Overheal: 1 PLR
Owlruler: 1 CTF, 1 PLR
Randdalf: 5 PLR
StuartPB: 1 PLR
Tapp: 4 CTF, 5 PLR
Westerhound: 3 PLR

Voters who do not reach the minimum requirement will have their votes discarded. (deadline will be around the middle of next week, final time should get posted tomorrow)

evanonline · Nov 22, 2009

| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style | Comments
Animus|N/A|N/A|N/A|N/A|N/A|I have played this map, but I don't feel like I know it well enough to rate it.
Bayou|2|3|4|3|5|I like the map's concept and the first two points play well, but it falls apart around CP 3 and gets very sloppy and confusing. I feel like in future versions this map could really excel, however, and its detailing is pretty nice.
HAARP|5|4|5|5|5|Definitely my favorite of the A/D CTF maps! It runs well, plays very nicely and visually it looks really awesome. I love just about everything in it.
Panamint|N/A|N/A|N/A|N/A|/N/A|Have not played in full
Premuda|4|3|3|2|5|I like the custom theme, but the map still has some pretty big optimization hurdles to overcome, and it feels a bit unbalanced in some places. I feel a few of the displacements look very odd as well. It will almost certainly be an excellent map with time, however.
Slate|4|3|5|5|5|I played this one pretty late. I love the Sawmill theme and especially what you do with it. The player doesn't even ever realize how much custom material is used in this map--its subtleness speaks much of how effective everything used here is. I really enjoyed this one, but something about it in terms of balanced seemed just slightly off. I can't quite recall what it was because it's been some time since I've even played TF2, but regardless I greatly enjoyed the map.
Snowdrift|5|2|4|3|5|It's been a while since I've played this one, but I greatly enjoyed it. Its custom skybox really stands out and gives the whole map a unique feel while not making it look odd. It also introduced a slightly unique form of A/D CTF (if I am correct in assuming this came before Bayou) that worked very well. It flowed pretty well but I feel there was one nasty chokepoint around CP 2 that could use a little easing up.
Vector|4|3|5|4|5|Great detailing, great ending, great balance. While I'm still more partial to HAARP, Vector has definitely earned its place in most peoples' minds as the iconic A/D CTF map. It's great fun.
Arctic|N/A|N/A|N/A|N/A|N/A|Have not played
Cornfield|4|4|2|4|2|I'm not really a big fan of the custom playload models or the general "premise", but the map itself plays pretty well.
Highwind|N/A|N/A|N/A|N/A|N/A|Have not played
Nightfall|3|5|4|4|5|I think this map uses the Sawmill theme to great effect and really shows how to make the rainy theme look nice. It plays very nicely and I can't wait to see how the final stage turns out.
Panic|N/A|N/A|N/A|N/A|N/A|Have not played
Rollout|N/A|N/A|N/A|N/A|N/A|Have not played
Scoville|5|3|2|3|3|I like where this map is going, but it still feels very incomplete. A lot of attention has been paid to gameplay, though, so it will surely come out a better map in the long run.
Solitude|5|4|4|5|5|Aside from a few missing textures that can easily be fixed, this map is my favorite of the PLR submissions that I have played. Plays wonderfully and has a few subtle but effective twists on the PLR gameplay simply by having the carts intersect in unique ways. It plays very well and has great detailing. Definitely the underdog favorite for me.

Altaco · Nov 22, 2009

A/D CTF | Gameflow | Balance | Detaling | Optimization | Style | Comments
ctf_vector| 3 | 3 | 5 | 4 | 5 | Beautiful visually. Completely captures a great style. However, I and others have experienced some minor FPS issues. I find the gameplay somewhat lacking though. The beginning areas are pretty good but stage 2-2 I never have much fun on, and the final point is just ridiculous.
ctf_haarp| 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | Good, plays well, stunningly beautiful. Never have any problems with FPS.
ctf_snowdrift| 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | Not too bad. Very well optimized. Gameplay could use some work though, I felt like the pacing was a bit off. Detailing's good.
ctf_premuda| 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | Beautiful, some of the spytech stuff looks a bit funny. Nice particle work. Light seems a bit flat though and hurts my eyes. As has been shown, a demoman can grab the intel and that's a bit of a problem, but otherwise good on gameplay/balance.
PLR Maps | Gameflow | Balance | Detaling | Optimization | Style | Comments
plr_scoville| 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | Pretty good. From the first stage, it's quite pretty, though I had to take off for it not being fully detailed. Sun is nice. Plays pretty nicely, well balanced and structured. Badly optimized, lots of fps issues.
plr_animus| 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | Euhhhh. I'm sorry, but this just isn't very good. It has Furnace syndrome, everything is red and it hurts my eyes. Nothing to complain about optimization wise. Just didn't have much fun, sorry.
plr_nightfall| 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Very fun. Unfortunate you didn't have time to finish texturing.
plr_panic| 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | Pretty good. I personally find the style pretty bland, but plays relatively well, had a fun time. Runs fine.
plr_highwind| 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Interesting modification on PLR. Plays pretty well, a bit small. Details lacking a bit.
plr_arctic| 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | THIS MAP IS INCREDIBLE. IT SHOULD BE PUT IN A MUSEUM. (how did this get here? :3) hehe, just kidding.

absurdistof · Nov 24, 2009

Stealing TPG's format, of course

A/D CTF | Gameflow | Balance | Detaling | Optimization | Style | Comments
ctf_vector| 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 5 | In my opinion this was the most valve-esque map of the competition. I really enjoyed that, in fact, especially how I didn't feel that any of the engy standoffs drew out too long, and a key point for any map in my opinion, even in a face-off, it's possible to get kills.
ctf_haarp| 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 5 | This in my mind is the second most professional A/D ctf map in the contest. It's individuality both in level and aesthetic design are what separate it from most of the other maps, I really love the creative design and look of the map.
ctf_slate| 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | Slate was another very valve-esque map, and another favorite of mine. I really enjoyed the sort of normalcy I felt while playing it, although in a few parts I felt the map definitely suffered from the corridor problem, especially before the final caps in each successive area.
ctf_snowdrift| 3 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | This map always stuck in my mind as the one with the crazy skybox

. Unfortunately that was a big aesthetic issue for the map with me, as the light of the skybox never seemed accurately reflected on the ground. Also, whenever I played it, it was either a steamroll or a last-minute-whole-team-rush-to-cap-the-point-before-we-lose game, neither of which I find particularly enjoyable.
ctf_bayou| 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | The concept of bayou was fairly good, but I felt a bit let down by the map while I was playing it. A lot of the buildings lacked actual detail, and when there was detail it was mostly props not brushwork. The gameplay was fairly balanced, but some parts I felt were too bottlenecked ,and especially in the tilted building I was constantly confused of where to go and if I could make a jump or not.
ctf_panamint| 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | This map was fun, but unfortunately average to me in a lot of ways. It lacked any defining architecture, although the game was fun. I wish the badlands cap wasn't in there, but the last stage in my opinion was definitely the best. The gameplay was fantastic IMO, partly because I had buckets of fun as a demo(getting killed in doing so of course), but I feel the map lacked any unusual features, although I hope this issue will be resolved in later updates.
PLR Maps | Gameflow | Balance | Detaling | Optimization | Style | Comments
plr_scoville| 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4 | When it first came out I felt this map had a lot of potential and I followed it with a lot of interest, but near the end of the competition it became obvious that the infrequent updates in the middle/beginning of the contest payed off and this map turned out to be a bit of a let-down for me. Almost all of the map wasn't detailed, although what was looked good. The last stage felt confused and convoluted to me, without any particular flow to it. The other stages also felt a bit convoluted with confusing pathways and in my opinion too many unused rooms near spawn. The optimization for this map needed a LOT of work as well, and I think over all it could use a lot of work. I will be still following this given it pulls through, because I think it has a lot of potential.
plr_solitude | 4 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | I was completely shocked when I saw this map, it was one of the few that was actually fully detailed! I really enjoyed playing it, especially the first two stages, but I felt the last stage was a bit confusing and didn't need so much vertical space, especially with the spawns so low. The lighting was a bit flat, but I also enjoyed the feel of the map, despite its un-valve feel.
plr_animus| 2 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 1 | This map had one of the most dramatic devs I have ever seen. I feel like all the drama came to a despairing close when the contest rolled around as the massive first stage was really a problem. Some engineers were able to put out some teleporters outside of the playable area, and there were a lot of visible map problems, such as misaligned displacements. The final stage made me kind of mad as well, because soldiers would jump over the wall dividing spawns and piss me off. I also felt that the gameplay in the last stage was stretched and teams barely got a fight in before final capture.
plr_nightfall| 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | Excellently detailed in the first few stages, with a very strong environmental theme, I wish the map had a more definitive flow to it, especially in stages 2 and 3. Stage three also felt really big, which contributed to the lost and stretched combat feel the stage had.
plr_panic| 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | I really liked the style the map had, as well as the payload entry, but I felt that all of the stages lacked any definitive feel. Whenever I played on the map, it seemed as though the first priority was slayer, the second was the cart. Stage 2 possibly had the most flow and cart pushing of any of them, which I apreciated it for, but stage 1 really felt like a box with scattered cover. Stage 3 was also sort of confusing with 2 very seperated cart tracks, and thus teams, sort of shooting across a giant divide.
plr_cornfield | 2 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | I was excited to see this map done, but I felt that there wasn't nearly enough work put into it. The carts were hilarious and the map was filled with some funnys, but overall I felt the layout was very engy-friendly and confusing with no definitive style, much like panic.
plr_panic| 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 | This is an amazing PLR map. If I had to give some criticism its the that 2nd stage it a bit if'y but other then that the map is near perfect.
plr_artic| 3 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 2 | The dev textures and notorious team collision in the crater (stage 1 or 2) really bugged me as a sniper because it cut my possibilities in half. The map also seemed to favor soldiers and demos and spies. If this map had made more progress perhaps it would have scored better in my book.
plr_highwind| 1 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | I found this map to be really enjoyable with a lot of potential, the only thing holding it back was the 1 stage

Trotim · Nov 25, 2009

submitting so I won't lose this, yes thanks ABS I know it's not enough

A/D CTF | Gameflow | Balance | Detailing | Optimization | Style | Comments
ctf_premuda| 4 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | As nice as the actual gameplay is, the graphics just aren't appealing to me. At all. It's too dark and too orange. On top of that, the map just seems to be kind of... messy, with detailing in places people never actually look at, or worse, actually near an important line of sight, distracting you from what's actually important. If only you had gotten the color right =/ (17)
ctf_vector| 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | The "Spider intel" is a little weird. While a great model, it doesn't really want to fit somehow, and the description "sapper" just doesn't cut it and is even a little confusing (noticed this while translating). The whole last stage is very futuristic looking, so exaggerated it actually fits again. The outdoor Hydro parts all look sweet too though and to me, these two things don't really fit. I'd have expected a different last stage, also outdoors. My favourite point is probably 2-2. That's all I can say really, there's not much you have to improve from here. (21)
ctf_haarp| 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | My favourite of the bunch. A solid 5 for detailing because it doesn't overdo it like Premuda tends to. The setting in general is nice and nothing can beat your little touches like the reflecting glass texture you found and the metal door that opens on start of the second stage. Engineers have their use but I have yet to find a spot where they really are given too much of an advantage. The "ending" is disappointing but they're optional, after all. Looking forward to one, still~ (21)
ctf_snowdrift| 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 4 | I really love the layout of this map. However, it shouldn't be A/D CTF. Whenever I played it I kept imagining the map as normal A/D CP and in my mind, that made it more fun. It actually looks quite like a Valve map, maybe not quite as refined, but definitely almost there. The first point is the most fun, the last the least... probably directly correlates with the openness of the points? (20)
ctf_panamint| 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 2 | I've always had a lot of fun on this map and that surprised me. The map looks pretty bland, no distinguishing feature, pretty boring layout... but it grows on you. The only problem is the last stage with the CP on the rock spire (you know, the stolen one that looks a lot bigger in this map than in the other). It's too empty and that CP a total pain. Other than that, pretty solid, but nothing special. (15)
PLR Maps | Gameflow | Balance | Detailing | Optimization | Style | Comments
plr_scoville| 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | First of all, I don't get the last point and the whole ending. What are the teams doing, and why is there a giant sun just floating there? The death fans are a nice addition and don't influence the gameplay too much while still playing a big part in key moments. Now the optimization... eeeh. Just promise you'll optimize before detailing the rest, yes? The detailing on the first stage looks promising, a bit too blue a palette in general maybe, but that's all. (14)
plr_nightfall| 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 for optimization? Yeah, simply because of this incredibly silly FPS lag bug when you first load the map. I still don't know why that happens and if it's the map's fault, but it makes it unplayable for me 50% of the time. When it does work, it's solid, though both carts going in the same pit requires some heavy suspension of disbelief =P (15)
plr_panic| 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | Quite gimmicky, but to an enjoyable extent. The exploding walls are a neat idea but don't quite work out as they look quite bland. The last stage really makes this map though. Making the whole track one giant ramp? Ingenious. Now all you have left to do is increasing the lighting. A lot. Some parts really are unreasonably dark. (19)
plr_rollout| 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | The screenshots looked so promising but alas it was not to be. The spawn rooms as well as the CPs look out of place, which is a minor thing. What isn't is the placement of obstacles and cover near the tracks. Or rather... the lack thereof. Everything is just open and always seems a quarter too big with no elevation or important props to speak of. I did not have any FPS troubles though, that's good. (12)
plr_highwind| 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Yes, I give Highwind the highest Style score. I definitely want to see a full map in this setting. It always reminded me of the Spyro games. The open spawn is a nice little change. That it's only one stage... actually has a lot of potential. This kind of map would be perfect for just-for-fun 24/7 gameplay, something only 2fort does better still (I am serious). My only gripes are the tunnels/caves (they really need more than one texture) and the tiny planks you can walk on in the center of the map (don't remove them, just make them more obvious). (18)

Why do you guys thank me when it's obvious I still have to fill in half of the ratings D;
Now you can, you're welcome =P

Agentkid · Nov 25, 2009

Attack/Defend Capture the Flag

CTF| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style | Comment
Animus|Did not play
Bayou|2|2|4|1|3|Your use of the theme is daring, you optimization(sorry to be rude) is horrable, and I had problems playing this map without lagging.
HAARP|4|2|4|4|5|This level is nicely detailed and greatly optimized, however RED has notable advantages over BLU and I can not give a good balance score
Panamint|Did not play
Premuda|Did not play
Slate|Did not play
Snowdrift|3|3|4|5|4|This map is a nightmare for one team or the other as it is a steamroll for BLU or a sentry den from RED. Style is good.
Vector|4|4|5|4|5|I love this map, you have done a great job on detail and gameflow. Cant wait for it to come around on rotation.

Payload Race

PLR| Flow | Balance | Detail | Optimization | Style | Comment
Arctic|3|3|2|5|3|Fun map and overhang on stage 3 is a nice idea. However it needs to be textured.
Cornfield|3|3|2|3|4|It was a fun map, still needs to be finished tho. Map is not very optimized and the ending was good but, I dont get the point of it. Cart model=WIN.
Highwind|Did not play
Nightfall|4|4|5|5|5|This is my fav out of the PLRs, stages 1 and 2 are balanced and well detailed. Cant wait for stage 3 to be finished.
Panic|5|5|4|4|5|Balanced, fun, optimatized. Enough said
Rollout|Did not play
Scoville|4|4|2|1|3|Fun map to play and giant sun like thing is epic, however texturing and optimization are non-existant.
Solitude|Did not play

Sorry to vote near deadline, but I had to wait to play enough of the maps

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Major Contest #3 Final Voting Thread

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