TF2M Competitive Map Testing!? o_O

[FreeLance_FoX]

"What's that you say!?"

Yes, friends, you heard right! This new initiative intends to bring the joys of competitive 6v6 play to our mappers. While some of you may not even know the least bit about playing at a high level, Randdalf and myself plan to set up this weekly event to teach you all, first hand, about what competitive TF2 is!



The hope is that this event will become a weekly staple of TF2M's map testing battery. With the weekend gameday events having already become a well-known tool for testing, we decided that it was time for mappers who desired more extensive, gameplay-mechanics based testing of their maps to be helped out! Seeing as the very best maps start here, it only makes sense that some of them would eventually see competitive play, regardless of their original intent on the matter.

That said, what will make this fun and interesting is that it's not just a bunch of experienced players testing your map. Randdalf and I plan to take whoever shows up (and hopefully we can get twelve and only twelve per night) and make fair teams, abiding by the normal comp. class limits, to allow mappers to experience competitive play themselves and learn what competitive TF2 players expect out of a map.



The event is as of yet unscheduled, but will likely be run on Randdalf's clan's server. Date and time are not yet decided either, but will be based on those of you who show interest. If a lot of the people who sign up are from Europe, for example, we'll schedule it at an acceptable time for them. The map sign-ups will be open but reserved for maps with completed layouts only! Textures and detailing are not at all necessary.

For those of you unsure on whether or not you would cut it, don't worry! I got my start in competitive play through a very similar event, just playing around with friends every couple nights with some loose rules to make things interesting. I can guarantee that if you all keep an open mind about competitive gamers and don't get caught up in the "douchebag" stereotype, you'll definitely have a blast!

Please post if you are interested in either playing, entering a map for testing, or both!

Thanks!
-FoXy & Randdalf

<3

 

[A Boojum Snark]

There will be absolutely no Marguing™* over comp play versus non-comp play.
Any such posts will suffer the wrath of the boojum.

*(the kind of argument Mar always seems to cause by being around)

 

[drp]

marguing?

 

[drp]

oh MARguing.

 

[Ida]

I'd actually love to see how my map would fare with the somwhat limited classes and different playstyle of competitive players, so I can make it more friendly for those types as well (should my map somehow become uber popular >.>).

It's CTF, though, but since it's not with *real* comp players, I guess it'll work out ok.
http://forums.tf2maps.net/showthread.php?t=6565

I'm not going to join, though, because I don't believe I could get into this style of playing if I tried.

Either way, I believe it would be fun.

 

[Randdalf]

This is still in the planning phase at the moment, garnering interest etc, but the idea is it'll provide an alternate testing environment for maps. Whilst games will be played 6v6, I guess people could spectate and perhaps drop in if another map is played.

What I'd hope is that we can run this concurrently with (or maybe instead of - radical idea) the current gamedays.

I'm hoping we can find a TF2M server to run this on, because in all honesty my clan's server is a little unstable. In anticipation, I've prepared two configs (modified from the default ETF2L config), which will provide an instant conversion from pub server to pug server at the time of asking.

Currently, I'm finishing the writing up of the rules for this (yes rules), and I hope we can work out a game plan to get these going as soon as possible.

 

[MangyCarface]

For now, perhaps we should stick to a rather strict map set up?
5CP, 3CP A/D?

There's enough in this category to test at the moment.

 

[Kronixx]

i'll play in these little games, sounds kinda fun and dare i say....competitive?!
D:

 

[Randdalf]

For now, perhaps we should stick to a rather strict map set up?
5CP, 3CP A/D?

There's enough in this category to test at the moment.

The two setups I've devised are:
5/3 CP maps - mp_winlimit 6; mp_timelimit 30
AvD maps - mp_winlimit 0; mp_timelimit 0

We'd be primarily testing maps that will play well in a 6v6 environment, that does not however rule out pl maps, it simply makes them less favourable.

If a new map concept (such as Slate for example) could play well in 6v6, then there's no stopping us from testing it.

We'd also be using Ventrilo in preference to in-game chat, in order to help communications.

 

[Fireman]

I've always been interested in getting involved more with the comp side of things, I'd love to participate in playing this event.

 

[FreeLance_FoX]

For reference, here's just a few maps that I believe should be played further, (I talked to most of these mappers, but these are just some of my hopes as to the caliber of maps we'll recieve):

cp_furnace
cp_foolhill
cp_cauldron
cp_yukon
cp_glacier

Obviously we're happy to have ctf maps as well(if you think they'll defy the stalemate model provided by 2fort and to a degree turbine...), but cp maps tend to play best!

^_^

 

[Shmitz]

I think this is a great idea. Even if a map isn't intended for the comp scene, understanding differences in play can only help a mapper improve.

 

[Nineaxis]

For reference, here's just a few maps that I believe should be played further, (I talked to most of these mappers, but these are just some of my hopes as to the caliber of maps we'll recieve):

cp_furnace
cp_foolhill
cp_cauldron
cp_yukon
cp_glacier

Obviously we're happy to have ctf maps as well(if you think they'll defy the stalemate model provided by 2fort and to a degree turbine...), but cp maps tend to play best!

^_^

Would love to get some comp playtesting for Furnace.

 

[DJive]

I'll be up for this. Im a COMP player at heart.

 

[Connect_Four]

I love playing competitive TF2, and its nice to get practice on the customs (Yukon, Follower, Furnace, etc). I'm all for this idea.

 

[Mar]

Damn. Hopefully most of your clan does suddenly get sponsors and then leave therefore running your maptesting dreams.

HINT: I might be talking about myself.

Good Luck and hopefully once I get my pub server going I can also go back to comp maptesting.

Now will this be a PUG style maptest with TF2maps players (which wouldn't be very comp) or will this be a scrim between two clans, or a PUG with comp players?


EDIT: And of course Mar would like to play in these.

 

[FreeLance_FoX]

If you read, you'd find that:

it's not just a bunch of experienced players testing your map

to allow mappers to experience competitive play themselves and learn what competitive TF2 players expect out of a map.

 

[Ravidge]

I wouldn't mind participating every now and then.
I'm in europe, hopefully these events won't be in the middle of the night every week

Also, how about cp_silvertrail? It's not made with comp in mind, but I recon it could play decently. You'll find the download in my sig.

 

[MungoKing]

This sounds like a great idea! Would it most likely be during weekdays? And why is Ventrilo preferable to the in-game chat?

 

[FreeLance_FoX]

Ventrilo is preferable because it allows teams to communicate even when members are dead. That's mostly it.

Silvertrail is great! Any maps will be considered, but I definitely think silvertrail is one that we should give a shot!