Rewarding Mappers with Hats

[YM]

I just explained that exploiters would not even be releasing maps, because the time spent in the SDK is all that matters. Why is this so hard for people to understand? Where did I say you got a hat for releasing a map? That has no effect on the system what so ever. No one would be releasing maps unless they really wanted to.

Except you would get lots of people whowould try it out instead of just idling in it. I garentee it.

 

[Terr]

1. Based on time in SDK = Totally farm-able, most hats will go to people who aren't mapping at all. The SDK will become the new de-facto "idler".

2. Based on good maps = The bar has to be high enough that people who aren't serious about making maps for their own sake won't even think of trying.

____

Regarding #1, Increasing the odds someone will try out the SDK isn't--alone--a bad thing, but I doubt the small benefits are worth the downsides.

 

[drp]

sorry i don't see this working. unless valve creates some kind of mapping standard, this will just have anyone and their grandma making orange maps just for hats.

 

[iciz]

Except you would get lots of people who would try it out instead of just idling in it. I garentee it.

And the bad part of this is what? You would rather have them sit in a idle server all day, doing nothing? Getting people interested in mapping was the whole idea right? I know the problem you and others here see about motivating people to map for the wrong reasons, but I've already explained that we would never see any maps by those who are only trying to cheat the system. So it would effect no one.

Discriminating against users you feel are unskilled and would only release maps of bad quality is ridiculous. Do all mappers not start out making a few bad maps of their own? The only maps we would see would be from people that really want to create something, because there is no other benefit to doing so. This system does not reward you for releasing a map.

most hats will go to people who aren't mapping at all.

They already go to people that don't map at all. :laugh:

sorry i don't see this working. unless valve creates some kind of mapping standard, this will just have anyone and their grandma making orange maps just for hats.

You don't understand the idea. Please read my previous comments, I grow tired of repeating myself. :facepalm:

 

[Agentkid]

the valve mapping standard
Let "the community" decide if the mapper has made signficant progress in learning and creating of a quality map

(Like maybe people that have a decent map out already. They would be selected by the Staff here)

 

[iciz]

the valve mapping standard
Let "the community" decide if the mapper has made signficant progress in learning and creating of a quality map

(Like maybe people that have a decent map out already. They would be selected by the Staff here)

I don't really see the use of that. And why would it be selected by the staff here? What is this, another contest?

Actually the Valve standard is: Popularity first, quality second, and playability last.

 

[Nineaxis]

Making a good map, having people say it's good, Valve seeing it is good... this sounds kind of familiar.

Oh, that's right.

It's called making a map that goes official.

 

[iciz]

It's called making a map that goes official.

That's a very good point.

 

[Artesia]

I highly doubt every good map, that improves the TF2 community, will be made official. The "Hat" idea could be a happy medium, for maps that are of high quality and standards, even if they aren't made official.

 

[Dr. ROCKZO]

Community Weapons are enough. This would only make people Idle in the SDK and/or a lot of people tentatively tip toe over from the Steam Forums to flood us with horrible maps..

 

[psihomir]

So people will get an increased hat drop rate for just running the SDK, regardless of what they're doing in there. People who have no interest in mapping will not suddenly get inspired to map, they'll run the SDK for the hats. People who already have an interest in mapping also won't change, they'll just leave the SDK on while they're not mapping.

What's the point? If we're going to go in that direction, the better thing to do would be to simply award random drops while you're running Steam, not TF2.

 

[SiniStarR]

sorry but i dont map for hats. Infact I could careless if I got a hat since they don't do anything for me but make people jealous..

 

[iciz]

I highly doubt every good map, that improves the TF2 community, will be made official. The "Hat" idea could be a happy medium, for maps that are of high quality and standards, even if they aren't made official.

First point is valid, but you don't understand the idea here about the hats. It's really the drop system we're talking about. Hats are just the only thing anyone would care to find with it (if anything at all.)

Community Weapons are enough. This would only make people Idle in the SDK and/or a lot of people tentatively tip toe over from the Steam Forums to flood us with horrible maps..

It's already been said that this could be exploitable, and I've already explained that we would not get flooded with (any more then we already do) horrible maps. I've also already suggested a possible solution to the exploits.

So people will get an increased hat drop rate for just running the SDK, regardless of what they're doing in there. People who have no interest in mapping will not suddenly get inspired to map, they'll run the SDK for the hats. People who already have an interest in mapping also won't change, they'll just leave the SDK on while they're not mapping.

What's the point? If we're going to go in that direction, the better thing to do would be to simply award random drops while you're running Steam, not TF2.

Increased drop rates, based on use of the SDK was just one idea, but I've already said that it was not a very good one (too easily cheated.) That would be the only way one could effect the drop system without updating the SDK.

However, updating the SDK to monitor your work, and allow you to receive random drops while you use it, would really be the only way to go. Would it be too much work for Valve? Probably.

 

[JoshuaC]

The problem is making people feel like their entitled to something just cause they made a map. Mapping should be cause you want to, not cause you think you're gonna get something out of it.

Encouraging people to map is a good thing, but when you start throwing incentives in you're just gonna mess things up.

 

[Mr.Blob]

I like the idea, but i really don't like the idea of people mapping for the hats or giving them to lower skilled mappers. This is why it wont work. :/

 

[Fraz]

The whole concept is flawed imo. You want a hat for TF2, because you map? I'm sure your chances of gaining a hat would be significantly more if you shut hammer down and started playing TF2 more often. People who want hats should play/idle in TF2, those of us who map because we enjoy it shouldn't be any more rewarded than those people who play TF2, and ultimately, decide valve's next move. Whether it be via custom maps made official, or whether it be good ideas emailed to them. We are still players for TF2, nothing more. Yeah we like to map for it, but so do the people who create maps like orange and lol2fortremake_100000. You are essentially rewarding "good mappers" and also those who keep on releasing, well, crap. Those people will still be here in the SDK carving spheres and going "loldoesntwork"

You'd essentially be rewarding this dude:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xh9Kr2iO4XI"]YouTube - Making terrain in Hammer using carve tool[/ame]

Do you really want that on your head?

 

[Darth Cyrax]

AAAHHH!! Remove that link at once! It BURNS! D::O
Must... kill... maker... of... video...

We already have a topic about how awful that video is, so let's just leave it at that, shall we:facepalm:?

Valve could review maps they deem exceptional, but not necessarily worthy of being made standard. If there is a system for hat makers, I would NEVER have it automatic, way too easy to exploit(ie based off of sdk time). They'd have to devote people to scouring the interwebz and finding great maps. Like that will ever happen.