'Tis the season to be jolly, and we couldn’t be jollier that back by popular demand and a whole heaping pile of misaddressed letters to the North Pole, the Workshop Wonderland is returning for its second year! Being tucked away in protective hibernation for the last 11 months, we’re finally ready to snag the workshop elves out of their foxholes and put them all back to work - but not all elves survive the hibernation [an elf’s gotta eat!] and we’re looking for a few good men and women to take their place!
Whether you can model, texture, map, make concept art, produce unusual effects, or any and everything in between, we want you to hit the eggnog hard and deck the halls! Don’t worry, the other elves don’t bite - much!
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If you’d like to participate, then look no further! But before gussying up and stepping under the proverbial mistletoe of the Workshop Wonderland, we have a few tips and tricks to make sure it truly is the most wonderful time of the year!
Of course, any and all submissions on the Steam Workshop using our provided thumbnail template [see below] will be featured in the official collection, unless your submission has any of the following problems:
- Your submission must not feature a doctored promotional thumbnail that appears vastly different from the actual appearance of the item. Paintover appearances are of course acceptable, but we discourage thumbnails that add anything to the item that isn’t actually there. If your submission has this issue, we can always talk it out and later accept your submission if the proper changes are made.
- You also must be the true creator(s) of your submission. Blatant theft isn’t as common as it used to be on the Workshop, but any submissions that are found to be stolen or use imagery made by unknowingly uncredited parties will be excluded from the collection. This also applies to stolen brushwork in maps.
- Any offensive imagery will be distanced from the collection. While that can be interpreted as subjective, we ask that contributors be respectful and use their best judgment. When in doubt, refer to Valve's own guidelines, found here.
- Any and all submissions should be submitted by December 20th, 2016 We can always add items to the collection after that date, but you're more likely to have your work featured in promotional web assets if your work is on time. Ultimately, there is no true deadline since we aren't an official effort, so have at it!
- Submissions can be a cosmetic item, weapon, weapon skin, taunt, unusual effect, or map. If it can be uploaded to the Workshop, it can be added to our collection! We fully understand how much time it takes for some of those submissions, but we fully encourage you to pursue your dreams and submit whatever you please!
- Be constructive with your criticism. Don't like an item? Express that in a way that is conducive to positive creativity and keep in mind that your opinion isn't an ultimatum. Be kind to others, especially newcomers! Flaming and being rude is bannable!
- In the case of a Valve update with similar themes being released prior to the launch of the webpage for the Workshop Wonderland, and/or your submission is accepted into the game before then, we will refrain from including your item in the final showcase! No hard feelings!
- Any and all contributors who submit their work will receive a genuine in-game medal upon launch of the webpage! A separate genuine in-game medal will also be handed out to anyone that donates over $5 to our partnered charity drive with AbleGamers this year - more details on this as it arrives!
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Now that everyone’s caught up, here's the official thumbnail template for this year's submissions! Take your pick!
Click to Download
PSD and PNG variations available. PSD colors can be changed at whim - PNG variations can not.
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Still got questions? Well hey, the more, the merrier!
Q. Is this official and/or endorsed by Valve?
A. Nope! The Workshop Wonderland continues this year to be a community effort made to light the fire under the contributing community and get the ball rolling on winter submissions!
Q. Is this a community project like Frontline or any others?
A. While the Workshop Wonderland is similar to those in that they have a collection and promotional webpage [in-development], it is much more so a community showcase than anything else. We also encourage you all to continue participating in the other active projects, as we in-no-way intend to step on any toes or halt production on any other projects!
Q. Will my work be made official if I submit to this project?
A. As much as we hope for everyone to have their work go official, this is ultimately not up to us! We have no say in what is added to the game or not, we’re merely putting everything on a silver platter for Valve to choose from. The Workshop Wonderland is an equal-opportunity effort and will always stay as such!
Q. I’m new to content creation, but I want to take part! How can I learn?
A. First off, if you’re new, welcome aboard! Second, there are plenty of resources out there for the inquisitive beginner, and we welcome and encourage any new talent! To start, we recommend looking over this handy collection of resources. If you have more questions about creating your content, you can always ask below - or look for help on one of the many websites revolving around TF2 content creation, such as the TF2 Emporium!
Q. Can I submit work that I’ve made prior to this announcement?
A. Of course! We encourage all sorts of work, new and old, as long as it uses this year’s thumbnail template! This applies especially to mapmakers, as we are well-aware of the time it takes to make a proper map!
Q. How can I make sure my item is featured in the collection?
A. We'll do routine checks of the workshop to make sure any and all items are added to the collection once it’s established, but if you’re feeling that your submission was missed, please notify us in the thread!
Q. I have a map I’m working on, and I want to get it tested. What do I do?
A. Follow the guidelines in this thread for using the resident bot in the TF2M Group Chat to have your map added to the server queue. Void will be running frequent map tests on the server when available, and if your map is in the queue, it'll be tested!
Q. Who's working on this?
A. Retro, Void, and Smashman, from last year's Workshop Wonderland and the annual Workshop of Horrors, along with this year's Frontline! Community Project, will be returning!
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We’ll be sure to update the OP with any new information as time goes on!
Happy Holidays!
