Okay, seeing as how there were some questions/comments/critiques in this thread, figured I would make a response. Have to say, starting out, I'm kind of disappointed with some of the comments on display (you can probably figure out which ones), but w/e, water under the bridge, etc etc.
First off, thanks to everybody. Congrats are super appreciated. Its incredibly gratifying to have my years and years of crafting maps recognized, and obviously its great to have people excited for me (I know I am). Mapping in obscurity is obviously no fun, so yah, good times.
Here comes the big one. Obviously, not everyone is going to be super excited about my maps being chosen. People are going to have their own personal favorites, and feel somewhat betrayed when they don't get picked. And, they might even have grounds and criteria by which they judge my maps and find them lacking.
Whatever. It isn't up to you. You aren't Valve, you don't choose the maps they purchase, and your feedback on what does or doesn't work accounts for very little. That, to me, seems like one of the fundamental problems with this community as a whole. While I definitely appreciate the work of the administrative crew (Ravidge and DRP in particular) at the end of the day TF2Maps.net is NOT the culmination of TF2 mapping, no matter how much some members might like to imagine that it is. It is, generally speaking, a very small group of regulars who dedicate quite a bit of time to pointless bickering and self-congratulation.
The number of times I've seen people on here critique maps that actually have user bases, that have significant and dedicated followings, is just outrageous. Lakeside gets purchased, people trash it for months, despite the fact that it has a very, very solid art style, a simple and immediately accessible goal and layout, and sees play in Highlander (which is growing all the time).
Personally, while I've derived a great deal from some of the (older) tutorials, in the recent past I feel as though my maps have gained very little from TF2Maps.net. You'll note, that most of my map threads haven't been significantly updated by me in years, that I prefer to spend what time I have monitoring the reception of them in other venues.
The community is very useful for figuring out early mapping techniques, but beyond that most of the mappers I respect have derived much of their mapping techniques from following their own path, and finding groups of like minded individuals to support them. 3dnj doesn't wait around for your support or feedback, he goes out and makes amazingly beautiful TF2 and CS:GO maps on his own. Fishbus didn't solicit feedback here on steel, instead he makes an amazing map and then goes and gets a job with splash damage.
If you feel that Lakeside, Koth_king or w/e other map isn't quite up to your VAST AND AMAZING STANDARDS, then you may be deluding yourself about what quality is.
As far as Valve providing you with direct and immediate feedback on what they want to purchase: look, that's not how mapping works. You don't know what you want to purchase until it exists and is playable. If Valve knew what they were looking to purchase from mappers, then we wouldn't really be surprised or excited by anything that a mapper made. It would just be like "Yup, thats a map that fits our criteria, guess I'll buy that". Don't expect some formula handed down from above, game companies expect level designers to be able to come up with workable, playable, amazing level designs on their own. You aren't coloring in the lines, you are drawing from scratch and trying to wow people with your own take on design.
If you want a map to be made official there is only two methods to increase the likelihood of that happening. 1) Make the best maps possible, 2) Learn from your mistakes. What exactly "the best map" is is not known or knowable until you make it, and if you are so stuck in your ways, moaning over your hours and hours of mapping leading to nothing, or demanding that your personal favorite map get included (despite the fact that its been in a complete state for many years with very little critical reception), you'll be stuck in the same spot forever. Make maps, figure out if they are a success or failure, and then move on to the next project. Anyone can do this, you don't need Valve holding your hand to know whether or not something is successful.
Obviously, this post is a bit grumpy, and probably overly negative about TF2Maps role in mapping, but I do think its important to take mapping as both a collaborative work AND a solitary one. Yes, you need feedback, playtests and outside eyes to evaluate your maps. But at the same time you need to accept that much of what makes a map good is up to you, and making a product that Valve (or any game company, really) wants to purchase or hire based off of is ultimately down to you create. Accepting certain community members word as gospel, and creating an incredibly cliquish circle that constantly criticizes other peoples mapping decisions is not, IMO, a particularly useful path towards being a viable level designer.
P.S. For those wondering, here is a summary of the emails between me and Valve. None of this is word for word, just a quick boiling down of how the map went from my hard drive to Valve.
V: Yo, we would like to acquire process and standin.
Me: Cool! Here is a list of everyone involved!
V: Is this your current address?
Me: Yes.
V: Okay, here is a contract, please sign and scan back a copy to me. Also, we will need any vmf's and textures associated with the map.
Me: Hey, do you have a timeline? I would like to make some changes to the maps before they are put in the game. Would that be okay?
V: We have already playtested the maps as they are currently publicly available, if the changes are too extreme we might have to retest, and we may not want to purchase them.
Me: Okay, I'm only planning slight visual changes. (send the updated versions on sunday)
V: Hey can you fill out this form so we can wire you the money?
Me: YES!!! I CAN DO THAT!!
As you can see, no changes were recomended, demanded or solicited. In fact, the possibility of changes kind of turned them off a bit.
