Suggestions and opinions re: contests

[GrimGriz]

Suggestion 1: If it's a detailing contest, please call it a detailing contest
i.e.: intel room contest is actually "intel room detailing contest" and central capture point contest is actually "central capture point detail contest"

Opinion 1: It's not necessary to have gameplay contests be entire map contests
You don't have to do a big contest to have a gameplay design contest. See suggestion 2.

Suggestion 2: For mini-gameplay contests have a basic template vmf for everyone to start with
For example, if you wanted to run a central capture point gameplay contest, you could open the decompile of granary - hack off the first 2 points and hack out the middle point, and hand that over to people and tell them to make a point in the middle. Alternatively, and better, you could mockup spawns and entrances to the central point in dev textures and have people run with that...and then do a contest gameday (or week) to see how they play out.

 

[Apom]

Disagree with opinion #1. No section of a map is ever independant of the others (unless multi-stage of course).

 

[GrimGriz]

but if the others are identical in each entry, you can compare the gameplay of the non-identical middle points

of course, opinions will differ

 

[HojoTheGreat]

I have to agree with Suggestion 2. In fact, I think creating and testing on a point-by-point basis is would probably lead to a much more balanced, well thought out point, instead of a map that has strong CPs and weaker ones as well.

That being said I of course still feel the Detailing contests have merit, as we all could use some practice doing so.

 

[MrAlBobo]

meh, gameplay contests can go far quicker then detailing contests if not taken overboard...
I made a thread a week or 2 ago about my plans to make 6 or so mini attack and defend maps, each with only one control point so i could test the merits of various odd gametypes. The 1st round only took me an hour to build and setup...

so...yeah...
you could do something like that, or tell them to try and create a certain type of gameplay, and see who does the best job at making that happen

 

[Pink_Panther]

Suggestion 1: they are 'detailing contests' around a central tf2 concept. (The quazi ruleset pointed out the focus on details) Gameplay and games tend to go hand in hand and as a mapping group it makes since to make things that could be playable even if the focus is an extreame amount of detail. without a central concept, a 'detail' could be anything. At least this way we have an even base of comparison.

Suggestion 2: I would have an issue with ripping out a section of anyones map and changing it. its really rude to the person that spent all the time to create something in the first place. Its basically saying, your map is crap but good enough for me to steal.

I think your focus is good though. my impression is that you want something to focus on the gameplay 100% without regard to extra details that mean nothing. I had seen a suggestion for making a contest for a complete map and only allowed to use default dev textures and only props required for the gameplay (cap, intel, bombcart). Definatly something I would enjoy working on. Hopefully the powers that be, agree.