The Mappies (An Idea)

Uncuepa

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Oct 25, 2014
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I think we should start an annual mapping award show. We can have mappies for most balanced, best detailed, most maps unfinished, and the one that inspired me to write this: most broken maps.

Hosted by your favourite and least favourite community members on twitch, voted on by the community. Could be fun!

A quick mockup of a Mappy
FT0hGop.jpg
 
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Kube

Not the correct way to make lasagna
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Aug 31, 2014
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This really sounds great! If you could get support for it, I imagine nominated maps could be played on the TF2Maps server, if need be.

If this idea gets approved by site admin, could you put up an ideas thread shortly? I'm sure that many people on the site would like there hands in this.
 

Berry

resident homo
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Dec 27, 2012
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I definitely do like this idea, sounds more than fun. What if it went the Saxxy route and gave people a couple months to make any standard map they liked?
 
Sep 19, 2010
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Right now I am considering a google form. It will ask you for the name and thread of the map for each nomination. I am thinking around 20 different awards?
I like the idea, but 20 seems almost excessive to me. Maybe it's not though...Especially if we have a "best" and "runner-up" award for each of the major gamemodes (Payload, Control Point, King of the Hill, etc.)

I'd really like to see categories like "Best New Theme" or "Best Lighting". A fun category I can think of is "Best Use of wood_beam03". :p
 

Pocket

Half a Lambert is better than one.
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Nov 14, 2009
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I proposed this before you did, so naturally I'm in favor. To reiterate what I said at the time, the trouble with contests is that they place an arbitrary 60- to 90-day timeframe on when maps of a given type can be worked on if their creators want to get any sort of reward for their efforts (besides the increasingly-slim chance of being picked up by Valve and the equally-slim chance of getting played by the community at large), essentially punishing people who work on maps the rest of the year.

Contests were a good idea back when new game types were being added and we wanted to give people an incentive to work on them, and might still be a good idea for modes that remain unappreciated since it's not like people are mapping for them the rest of the year. But there are plenty of good maps produced year-round that don't get enough love. This would be a good way to reward the efforts of their creators and maybe even get the attention of the community.
 

Freyja

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Jul 31, 2009
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I don't remember if I said this last time this was brought up but honestly I think this is a bad idea.

I'm all for honoring good maps more, but that would be the least of the things doing this would accomplish.

First of all, adding another thing on top of everything else (showcase maps, updating the front page, hammer times) that the staff/community already need to do but don't is just a silly idea. I'm not trying to attack the staff or anything here, because I understand (and did it myself when I gave up on the hammer times.) A yearly thing might get a bit more traction but all the same, it requires people to do something and it probably will run into complications of getting it organised. You've seen how slow contests are to get started and organised because of everything involved.

The other problem with this idea is how it becomes a popularity contest. I already have a huge problem with public voting on major contests because those people work super hard on those maps, and the public as a collective just vote on the things that require the least effort to analyse, ie. gimmicks, personal bias like if they had a bad match on it, had a team that couldn't push past A, etc.

Then you add to that the fact that you can never honor all the maps here. People are going to get very disappointed if their map doesn't get nominated or win. You're never going to get a system where people don't overvalue their own maps, and when people get jealous, or angry because they felt they missed out when they deserved it it just breeds discontent and sourness that could be avoided.

I like the idea, I can see where you're coming from with it and I agree that maps need more love in general, and people need to receive more appreciation for the work that they do. But having seen award systems like this in a few forms in the past, I can just tell you they don't work to do that.
 

Uncuepa

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Oct 25, 2014
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First of all, adding another thing on top of everything else (showcase maps, updating the front page, hammer times) that the staff/community already need to do but don't is just a silly idea. I'm not trying to attack the staff or anything here, because I understand (and did it myself when I gave up on the hammer times.) A yearly thing might get a bit more traction but all the same, it requires people to do something and it probably will run into complications of getting it organised. You've seen how slow contests are to get started and organised because of everything involved.

As of right now, I am running it. I have talked to seba about support from the staff, but I am a graphic designer and media producer. Most support that is coming from the website/server staff have to do is advertising and participating in a community building event run by the community.

As for the map bias, yes that could be an issue. But don't we already have these opinions? I've seen plenty of people give open opinions on maps here. Just today during the gameday I had people telling me openly they either did, or didn't like my map. As for personal map bias, easy thing to do is stop people from submitting maps they had a part in designing. If anyone feels their map should have won an award, they are free to express that, but the issue is that it wasn't one person that disagreed with them, it was the community.

And incase it seems like I am being condescending, I apologize. I thank all people for their feedback on this, and I thank the site staff for their acceptance of the idea. I understand the issues and they've given me a lot to think about but I trust in the maturity of this community to understand if their map doesn't win.
 

Fantaboi

Gone and one day forgotten
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Mar 11, 2013
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This just seems like a generic contest.

The difference between the saxxys and mappys is that the saxxys are done by valve, i'm still confused at to what this exactly is.

I'm on board for this though
 

Uncuepa

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Oct 25, 2014
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This just seems like a generic contest.

The difference between the saxxys and mappys is that the saxxys are done by valve, i'm still confused at to what this exactly is.

I'm on board for this though

Saxxys are for videos from the entirety of the TF2 community. This is for maps from the TF2 mapping community.
 

Freyja

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Jul 31, 2009
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As for the map bias, yes that could be an issue. But don't we already have these opinions? I've seen plenty of people give open opinions on maps here. Just today during the gameday I had people telling me openly they either did, or didn't like my map. As for personal map bias, easy thing to do is stop people from submitting maps they had a part in designing. If anyone feels their map should have won an award, they are free to express that, but the issue is that it wasn't one person that disagreed with them, it was the community.

Yes and that's why I don't think it needs a large official looking award ceremony to rub it in everyone's faces.
 

Uncuepa

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Oct 25, 2014
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Yes and that's why I don't think it needs a large official looking award ceremony to rub it in everyone's faces.

Then why do we give awards to anyone if it is know that something is good? Because it's fun. I have spare time, people enjoy tf2 maps, lets make something of it in the name of fun.
 

fauks

L2: Junior Member
Jul 7, 2013
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I like the name.

You could keep it simple and just have awards like "Best New Payload 2015". I don't care if it's a popularity contest. Honestly, custom maps need more exposure outside this forum. Most people just want to play, not critique area portals.