***Mapping contest 05 - Payload map***

[grazr]

You can still join.. Though you might have to rush your entry somewhat. The contests will be run pretty fairly and considerately. It wont necasserily be the prettiest map that wins.

I believe people are entering beta's (this is acceptable) then working on them further to make a more refined final release. I believe Youme has something up his sleave for advertising the winning map on completion on the semi-extended deadline? I'm not quite sure what's happening there, it sounds like there is a detail effert allowance after the deadline. But i'm not sure, it might just be the entries that get jugded straight off the bat.

Help Youme?

 

[YM]

You can still join.. Though you might have to rush your entry somewhat. The contests will be run pretty fairly and considerately. It wont necasserily be the prettiest map that wins.
I believe people are entering beta's (this is acceptable) then working on them further to make a more refined final release. I believe Youme has something up his sleave for advertising the winning map on completion on the semi-extended deadline? I'm not quite sure what's happening there, it sounds like there is a detail effert allowance after the deadline. But i'm not sure, it might just be the entries that get jugded straight off the bat.

Help Youme?

You can indeed still join, or if you've started a map and don't wish to continue you can drop out, the only time we're looking at who has actually made a map is on the day of the deadline (extension/no extension will be announced within the week)

Then there will be a one week interlude where I'd encoruage you to advertise your map as much as you want and try and get a chance to play on as many of the other maps as you can.
Then voting to the public(well, forum members) will be opened whilst the moderators will be running a more private in depth analysis of the maps, we'll all write up a little about each explaining our individual decisions and then the moderators voting will be added into the public vote.
I'll reitterate that although a moderator might win voting, they won't be claiming the prize, the next non moderator runner up will instead.

 

[Manqueef]

I'll go in on this! I have a single-stage PL map that's been in the works for a few months, now I have a good excuse to finish it!

Just as long as the map is submitted by the deadline, and follows rules specifications, right?

I'll not have time until winter break hits me, then I'll work like a damn demon.

 

[YM]

Heres what you've been waiting for:

The contest is extended until 00:00 (GMT) on the 15th January 2009, thats an extra 14 days to cram pack your map full of awesomeness

 

[HeaH]

Maybe judging this contest only by votes is a little misshowing? You know, Youme will win for sure because he got so famous with Hoodoo, and then people headhunt his map and vote for it because it's the only one they've tried. I might actually do that too (my vote would just go for Mangy, frontier rocks). It'll probally end like that, and that's really not fair. That's to joy of public voting. I got some suggestions to prevent it.

You could pick 24 people that can come to a maptest day and make it so only these people can vote to make it more fair.

You could make it a moderator/judging panel only judging.

You could make the first round a public/moderator vote, then choose 3-5 finalist and have the Valve mapping team choose a winner.

I just don't think public voting is good enough for a big contest like this.

 

[YM]

I think I've explained earlier in the thread but we're doing two votes, the full public vote for anyone except moderators and a private vote for the forum moderators, then using mangy's clever maths skills he's going to merge the two votes so that its a 50/50 mods/public split.

Even if we weren't doing this I dont think voting would go how you say.
Asking some valve employees though.... hmmmm

 

[HeaH]

Yeah, okay, that might go better than an all public vote. But seriously, I think there are alot who will only get to play 1 or 2 maps and then vote for one of those. Double voting can also be a problem. The internet can be a bitch.

 

[YM]

Double voting isn't a problem, its one vote per registered member and we have a system for detecting duplicate accounts so that shouldn't be a problem either.

 

[Dox]

If you want we can have a gameday on the afternoon of the 14th to play the contest maps

 

[YM]

Yeah thats roughly what I was thinking, the 14th isnt such a great idea since its mid-week, so the following friday/saturday/sunday might be better.
I'm separating collecting entries from the start of the voting so that people can have time to play the maps as much as possible. I know not everyone will have played all - if any - of the maps by the time they are submitted so its important we encourage everyone to play them all.

 

[HeaH]

How many entries do you get? 7 - 8 or more?

 

[grazr]

If you've made 8 maps in half as many months.. well..........

 

[Ezekel]

i may or may not have something for this. depends if i can get my payload map to accept a 4th (final) point... can't find any tutorials on how to make the end point.

 

[YM]

i may or may not have something for this. depends if i can get my payload map to accept a 4th (final) point... can't find any tutorials on how to make the end point.

exactly the same way you add any other points, except in the train watcher you have to add some keyvalues by hitting the smartedit button and then the add keyvalue button, add the folowing keyvalues:

linked_pathtrack_4
linked_cp_4

The names are pretty similar to the other keyvalues for the other control points, I'm sure you can work out the rest.

 

[Ezekel]

exactly the same way you add any other points, except in the train watcher you have to add some keyvalues by hitting the smartedit button and then the add keyvalue button, add the folowing keyvalues:

linked_pathtrack_4
linked_cp_4

The names are pretty similar to the other keyvalues for the other control points, I'm sure you can work out the rest.

thats brill thanks.
so does that mean technically you can have up to 8 points on a pl round? (not that i would... that'd just mean player fatigue)

 

[YM]

Yes it does, however I'm not sure that the hud shows anything past the first four.

 

[Mic]

Youme, two questions. One of your rules was "no ladders" how concrete is this rule? (Why I'm asking.) And what if said person were to work in the industry? Would they be counted out because the contest is for fans and such?

 

[YM]

The rule that says no to ladders was phrased like this:

Map must follow conventions laid out by valve (blue attacking red, safe respawn rooms, no ladders or other gimmicks)

I think it's fair to say that a donkey kong themed map, however good it may be doesn't follow any of the conventions of valve maps.
Working in the industry however is fine, I'd be tempted to say that if you work with hammer as your main tool it would be unfair but I think even if hammer is your main tool (which to be honest it probably isn't) it's ok since you're making the map as a side project rather than being paid by your employer for it.

 

[Mic]

Thanks for the reply Youme. I don't work with Hammer, we currently us an internal tool set. Over the years I have used several editors/engines such as Unreal, Lith, cube, 3dRad etc... But never Hammer. Nice little editor.

To be honest, I just learned about the contest today (sorry, I have a narrow view on what I do). So I figured what the heck, I will ask the question. No worries though, I sent an email to the wife with a link to the valve store, telling her what I wanted for Christmas.

 

[Acegikmo]

The only thing I don't like is that you have to have the TF2maps.net posters in your map.
It feels unprofessional to advertise in a map like that.