Later tonight we will be removing arcade from the top nav and add a link for getting the map reviewed. ty for the feedback Corion.
Ontop of that i will be putting in a hack that will require a user to read a guideline and accept it BEFORE they can get to the post screen. This will help with all the maps being wrongly posted and also let them know the rules for a map that is final.
Please look this over and add/change anything accordingly
Source: Submission Guidelines *PLEASE READ*
As its slowing down we are still up to a few things behind the curtains =p however we are going to work on how to make the reviewing a more prominent feature.
Ontop of that i will be putting in a hack that will require a user to read a guideline and accept it BEFORE they can get to the post screen. This will help with all the maps being wrongly posted and also let them know the rules for a map that is final.
Please look this over and add/change anything accordingly
Source: Submission Guidelines *PLEASE READ*
Map Submission Criteria
* Map must be complete. It cannot be in testing stages.
* Map must have a win condition for the teams.
* Map must be accessible to all classes.
Explanation
The reviews on this site are meant to be analogous to movie reviews or game reviews. Thus the map reviewed needs to be a finished product. The second two criteria form the basis for what makes a map play as a TF2 map, as opposed to a Portal map, a HL2DM map, an Audiosurf level, etc. The "team" in Team Fortress refers to two things.
First, it refers to team vs team conflict (point 2). Second, it refers to the way team members, or classes, work together. A map that fails at point 3 is not using the entire team. Regarding other aspects of a TF2 map, it would be impractical to demand a map look like a TF2 map as well, because the line there is a bit muddier, and would simply be part of the final review rather than the qualification.
Notes about specific types of maps that would not qualify under these criteria:
* Orange maps would not qualify. Dev textures are meant for testing stages of maps. A map textured entirely in dev textures is not a complete map.
* Deathmatch and duel maps would only be able to qualify if they included some mechanic for a team to be declared a winner at the end of a round. Team deathmatch requires more than just the individual players scores.
* Jump maps are inaccessible to several classes, and therefore would fail at point 3.
* Sniper duel maps are also inaccessible to several classes, and even if a mechanism was put in to satisfy point 2, point 3 would still remain unsatisfied.
* Surf maps really depend on their construction, but the majority of them will fail at least one of the listed criteria. If a submitter wants a surf map reviewed, he or she must make the case to the reviewing staff.
Novelty Maps
This does not mean that we don't like novelty maps and that all such maps will be rejected. However, we review TF2 maps. A map author making a novelty map really should consider whether the map they are making works for TF2, or if they are just making it for TF2 because that happens to be the game they like playing at the moment.
It is unfortunate that many novelty map makers do not consider the game they are making the map for, even when the addition or removal of just a few elements could make it work.
Hopefully the above criteria will help encourage more innovation in novelty types that still satisfy the teamplay crucial to the TF2 experience.
As its slowing down we are still up to a few things behind the curtains =p however we are going to work on how to make the reviewing a more prominent feature.