Contest idea thread!

[Vel0city]

I dont think it would deliver good maps. maps with many large outdoor areas already provide issues by being too minisentry friendly. And the indoor parts are often good to break up some sections. It at most could work for a detail contest.

But i still like the idea of a 'just lighting' contest. It shows a specific skill, and maybe we could even go further:
For that i have an idea that could be supporting: A fullbright detailing contest. Just show off your quality brushwork and detailing. No light allowed - in fact, you at most could enforce a night setting using some of the props for night maps (which are simply dark). Light props in this case can only be used as placeholders for lights.
The winning map (or a randomly picked one) then could be used for the lighting contest. This at least would allow normal light entities to be used. And if its good brushwork it could still give quite some good lighting options. The only exception to entities is that you are allowed to move lights.

A bit late since i commented on this thread already after this post... but:
Redetail a map that originaly was just halloween also is an option Skullcove for example is such map that originaly was only in halloween theme.

Its basicly just a theme conversion contest. And it can work in both ways.

Not for a playable map (or maybe you can do that), just for some sort of detail contest.

 

[HQDefault]

I'd like to see a contest where we remake a valve map from scratch and fix what's wrong with it.
Weather it be detailing, gameplay, etc.

 

[BigBros]

What about a map within a specified area comp, like 4096x4096, with unlimited height. Has to be fully playable. So like KOTH, CP, Payload, MVM, etc.

 

[Zed]

What about a map within a specified area comp, like 4096x4096, with unlimited height. Has to be fully playable. So like KOTH, CP, Payload, MVM, etc.

With that sort of size limitation every map will be arena.

 

[Vel0city]

With that sort of size limitation every map will be arena.

Not necessarily. Remember that there is no height limit, so 5 CP would be possible (in theory). Balancing that however would be EXTREMELY difficult.

 

[BigBros]

Which would be the fun of it - also, you would get some VERY interesting map ideas from it.

 

[Pocket]

5CP with a vertical focus was the theme of my first attempt at a map. And even I wasn't crazy enough to stick within 4096. I don't recommend it.

CTF, Arena, and KOTH would be fairly easy; MVM could be epic because you're free to go full bottom-to-top without one side complaining it's not fun; SD has potential... heck, even putting a horizontal limit on Payload has produced at least one decent novelty map.

 

[ghostx108]

I have an Idea, but Idk if it was used yet.

Cuz maps like Keikoku and those greatly inspired from Valve maps are great. It would be so nice for a Resemblance Contest where people make a map greatly resembling official maps' design.

 

[Vel0city]

I have an Idea, but Idk if it was used yet.

Cuz maps like Keikoku and those greatly inspired from Valve maps are great. It would be so nice for a Resemblance Contest where people make a map greatly resembling official maps' design.

Visual design? Gameplay design?

If it is for visual design that has to play good, I'd go something along the lines of Hydro (how it looks). with the gameplay being something like the Badlands or Granary style layout.

 

[RubbishyUser]

Why not both? I think a lot of people who attempt contests try to innovate when in reality they need to practice. You look through your WIP folder right now and I bet you'll find maps with new ideas for gamemodes that you lacked the experience to complete and maps with gimmicks that drove you off the idea completely. A contest where most of the thinking work was done for you would almost be liberating: all you need to care about is your skill within the engine.

It's super simple as well: "Make a map visually and thematically inspired by one of the following maps: pl_badwater, koth_lakeside, cp_foundry, ctf_doublecross or cp_mountainlab". Mark as normal, based on aesthetic and gameplay/adherence to the theme.

 

[hutty]

off topic idea

a standard any-mode contest (with an emphasis on detailing)

But before it starts everyone participating gets to ban 3 textures from use in the contest.
Then the environments have to be put together with the remaining stock textures.

other rules:
no custom textures (for obvious reasons)
no dev textures on map submissions

essencial textues tools/skies/water/signs cannot be banned

...

a similar thing could be done with props
*bans shipping container

 

[ibex]

Make a TC map from anything in the orphan repository. Call it "Dr. Frankenstein's Monster Contest"!

 

[Berry]

Make a TC map from anything in the orphan repository. Call it "Dr. Frankenstein's Monster Contest"!

TC/PLR/SD/CTF/Arena contest, call it "Things valve have given up on contest"

 

[takabuschik]

What Berry said, but with medival, 3cp piramid, and steel-like setup allowed as well.
And the prize for the winner is to go official.

 

[radarhead]

And the prize for the winner is to go official.

Like we can officiate that.

 

[Vel0city]

I've said it before, but it would be really cool if we did something where the only rule is that you can only use natural lighting, so just a light_environment for lights. It'd be interesting to see what people can come up with and how it would affect gameplay.

 

[Another Bad Pun]

Like we can officiate that.

I mean, we did it one time.







very long ago

 

[Zed]

I mean, we did it one time.







very long ago

That was the result of good timing and a chain of emails.

 

[Fruity Snacks]

I'm pretty sure Valve has said YEARS ago, they'll not officialize another 3CP pyramid contest and maaaaaaybe another steel one (Defeinite no more GPit styles, unsure about steel).


And medieval is just eh

Like we can officiate that.

I can ask around, but I don't think much will come of it.

 

[UKCS-Alias]

(Defeinite no more GPit styles, unsure about steel).

Yet of maps with 3cps those are the best ones. And what about mvm maps with 3cps?

Also, if you want such contest which involves a map going official you would need a blueprint that has proven to work and barely has detail. Maybe asking some mappers that have a finished blueprint but no detail to see if they want their map take part of such contest could work.

Since valve already barely does anything map related asking shouldnt harm. We are waiting ages for new official (and detailed) maps anyway.