Contest idea thread!

[DaBeatzProject]

I don't really know if this is a 'contest' idea, but I was thinking of a Map of the Year/Month/Week/.. So one map that gets a special place at the homepage for a Year/Month/.. and is placed in the spotlight somehow.

 

[flubber]

Anything but no more pl please . I like the idea of 3 rounds CP, since it's what missing the most in those time.

 

[grazr]

See I think you're a bit wrong there dox, entities (whilst they are an integral part of hammer) don't really come into their own in TF2, L4D and their fancy cutsceene type things yes but not TF2. I can see we'd be able to do something but the only thing I can see anything entity related is new gametypes and well you already know my stance on those.

And anything more different from cp_steel is fundamentally broken. Or if the gameplay somehow works with a miss match I/O setup, the HUD would never display what you desire.

I wouldn't mind being able to create the 4 capture the flag map from TFC, that i forget the name of now..

 

[Acegikmo]

Anything but no more pl please . I like the idea of 3 rounds CP, since it's what missing the most in those time.

Would be a bit too much for just a contest.
It takes alot of time to make a tc or multistage cp/pl map.

Would be better to stick to a bit smaller maps like Arena or ctf.

 

[grazr]

multi-stage maps are a lot easier to play test and develop.. from experience a multi-stage cp map was a lot easier than a 1stage payload. But then, i just had trouble with the payload in general i guess.

There's a lot less you have to consider in layout for multi-stage maps. There's a fairly strict regime to follow that generally involves one choke point and perhaps 3 different sentry locations. 1stage payload requires a lot of anticipation of gameplay, more ambigious choke points and eraticly spaced cp's. Optimisation also becomes more complicated/difficult.

TC isn't all that difficult either. The stages are generally random. It's just a case of enabling and disabling temporary walls on round win/lose and make sure dynamic signs have the right skin.

 

[Rexy]

I had an idea a while back for a mapping contest. It goes like this:

Pick a room, small space in your home or where you work (or anywhere) and take pictures of as much as of it as you can, then build an arena map that fits into the TF2 theme, using textures ONLY from that room or space, and is inspired by the layout or specific architecture.

You can either photograph or scan, the textures you make can be altered in photoshop or your choice of image editing software to make them more appropriate or suitable for use in TF2 (You'll also have to submit your chosen room's images with the map submission).

The arena map you make has to be standard Valve conventions: No respawn, with one control point that you can capture to win that is unlocked after a set amount of time.

Things you CAN'T do:
*Make a 'rats' map, or any map that gives the illusion that the players different in normal scale to the environment they are in.
*Duplicate the room's layout. Instead you must be inspired by layout's appearance and use it to build your map (for example if your space is an elevator, you'd have lots of metal walls, carpeting or tile, plenty of buttons or electronic panels and lighting to match your space's appearance, you just wouldn't be allowed to duplicate the elevator's layout, which is pretty simple--one room!).
*Use stock textures (in the exception that they are decals, signs, or anything vital to the game's mechanics, for example the hud icons or a func_respawnroomvisualizer, and you also may use the stock props in your map, like the control point prop, spawn gates, lamps etc. Building/using custom props are encouraged).


Specific Guidelines:

*Must spawn 32 players
*Must be a standard arena map (Valve conventions), 1 control point
*Must consist strictly of custom texturing (with the exception to deals as mentioned above)
*Must include the TF2maps.net decals in them
*Submit your chosen space photographs with the final .bsp (or in another thread or the mapper's WIP thread) so that the relation can be clearly seen between your map and your inspiration.

And that's it. So really, the chosen space for the contest is VITAL. The challenge lies in using the textures and layout to make the map feel like a real TF2 map, but completely inspired by the space chosen. I think it would be really cool to see what kind of new environments people can create using set criteria. And arena maps are technically the easiest to make in my opinion--even though the sdk comes with cp_game_entities already, but from the standpoint of having already made an arena map, it's the easiest. Plus it's smaller, and won't take as much time to create as the last contest did.

So that's my input for a contest idea--I like things that are different, well made--but it would be a cool contest! Or maybe use the idea for it in a similar way? I know we're not even finished with the last contest, but I'm already thinking about what could be next.

 

[Fraz]

I quite like that idea Rexy.

 

[grazr]

That's a major thing there Rexy. There have been Texture contests in the past which have been fairly unpopular, though the decal competition was a big hit. Asking people to produce their own textures and then build a map from them is nothing short from a part time job, any more than mapping is already to some people.

 

[JohnnyB.Morbid]

i think we need to summarise the ideas form this thread into bullet points and create a new one(or delete all non relevant posts.)
my idea: everyone joins a map at the same time and we fight it out on say 2fort. when one team wins the losing team quits/join spectator and the winning team split onto two sides and fight until it's down to a team of 3 or 4 on each side, the winners of that round win. aka a ctf tournament.

 

[Rexy]

That's a major thing there Rexy. There have been Texture contests in the past which have been fairly unpopular, though the decal competition was a big hit. Asking people to produce their own textures and then build a map from them is nothing short from a part time job, any more than mapping is already to some people.

The last contest was a part time job too (considering how may W'sIP we had, compared to the number of entires)--but I built all those textures in my map. I enjoy that sort of thing, which is why I'm partial to the idea for the contest.

But then again, it's just my input, a suggestion. I'm already excited to see what we do next.

 

[AWESOME-O]

we never had anything for modellers right?
Would also be a good time for all those mappers that want to learn modeling to learn modeling =)

 

[Sgt Frag]

While the idea of a modelling contest is cool I don't think it fits. It's something along the vain of a texture contest.

First, everyone would need a modelling program. There are free ones so that's no problem.
But then they'd have to learn it. That's not exactly easy. I've been modeling with Max for years, but when I try a new program I get frustrated and fall back to Max.
There are 3d modelling sites like game artisians shich are better for that. In fact I believe it was Snipergen (from this site) that got my #1 vote for a recent contest.

But on top of making a model you have to unwrap it and texture (make a tex usually).

I really think the PL was a good contest because having a map design contest for a map design site fits.

So I think it should be a map contest again. Just not a PL.

It has been mentioned that arena would be good soley due to the size and ease of set-up. Whether or not you like arena it does make for a good contest format.

CP could be good also, maybe a small 3 point CP, or 2 point.

 

[Zeewier]

I made an Arena map (1st stage of 3*2+1 ) yesterday, and it's very playable already . So I think making an single staged Arena map takes ~100 hour total.

 

[DaBeatzProject]

Ok, here's another idea:

for this one you'll have to work together, you can still work alone, but I think that would be impossible, because of the task!

Try to make something like a 'set' that could be used to make a movie in, or just a stunning display: using models, props, or whatever you want, and using every program you want. I used some screenshots from the Meet The '...'-video's as an example:

or

Some things won't be possible, but as a team, you could!
Try to make the most original thing!

(sorry for the huge images)

DaBeatzProject

 

[Zeewier]

You can use Gary's mod :/

 

[laghlagh]

That's a major thing there Rexy. There have been Texture contests in the past which have been fairly unpopular, though the decal competition was a big hit. Asking people to produce their own textures and then build a map from them is nothing short from a part time job, any more than mapping is already to some people.

For people that aren't any good at texturing, this would teach them to cooperate more with other poeple with other talents :laugh:

The last contest was a part time job too (considering how may W'sIP we had, compared to the number of entires)--but I built all those textures in my map. I enjoy that sort of thing, which is why I'm partial to the idea for the contest.

But then again, it's just my input, a suggestion. I'm already excited to see what we do next.

I really love your idea. An idea in my mind was everyone picking a painting (from a specific painter? A specific style?) and trying to make a working map looking like or being inspired from it.

 

[AWESOME-O]

You can use Gary's mod :/

but you still would need to make the map around it

 

[Rexy]

An idea in my mind was everyone picking a painting (from a specific painter? A specific style?) and trying to make a working map looking like or being inspired from it.

That would be a really good idea too! :thumbup:

 

[GrimGriz]

I think you should schedule an "Official TF2Maps.net MapPack" release...say June. Between now and then (and this is the contest part), 5 maps will be chosen that will go in the "official" pack. The release of the Official Pack, will be news of sorts, and we'd distribute it to the server runner people, and try and get some blurbs on gaming websites and such.

Contest entries must be finalized (no B's or RC's even) by May 1. As of May 1, set up a popularity contest voting area, and advertise that...try to get people to play the maps and vote.

One entry per person, so Youme would have to decide if he wanted to submit hoodoo, halfacre, or whatever (though I see no reason people can't use old maps that haven't been released in any kind of official capacity elsewhere).

 

[HojoTheGreat]

Because I'm working on an attack/defend cp map similar to steel I think the next contest should be attack/defend-based . We need more maps like Gravel Pit too, especially because I really don't like Gravel Pit...