Welcome to the realm of Microcontests! For every month in 2020* I'll be running a Microcontest to see how far we can push speedmapping for TF2.
Be warned! These things aren't for the faint of heart. You'll be expected to be able to make an entirely functional map in only a few short hours. The goal is to play around with new ideas and experiment with maps that are easy to throw out if they don't work. Don't get discouraged if your maps end up sucking; that's the point!
What's a Microcontest?
A Microcontest is a mapping event run almost entire in one day. Usually you'll only have a few hours to make an entire map from start to finish. You will not know the theme or rules until the day of the Microcontest.
Microcontests are focused on pushing rapid layout prototyping, are highly experimental, and are highly demanding. They're focused on providing a challenge for more experienced mappers, but are open to any skill level.
Some Microcontest have starting .vmf files with logic pre-built, others are multiple phases, and some require teamwork. Please read the rules for each one carefully!
How do I participate?
There are four parts to each Microcontest:
1) Planning
2) Mapping
3) Compiling
4) Testing
1) On the day of a Microcontest, a thread will be posted containing the rules and deadlines, usually an hour before the clock starts. This is the planning phase. At any point during planning or mapping, simply reply to the contest thread stating you are joining to enter.
2) Once the clock starts, make a map! You don't have to seal the map, add lighting, or compile before the deadline, but you can if you'd like.
3) Once time is up, you have one hour to light, seal, compile, and upload. Basically do whatever you need to do except make layout changes. Edit a link to your submission into the original post you made before the compile hour is over. You should only ever have one post in the contest thread until after the event ends!
4) Once all maps have been collected, I will host a Microcontest test on the servers. Within one week, I will provide feedback on all the entries.
I've noticed past contests have a difficulty associated with them, what's that about?
All Microcontest announcements have an estimated time commitment and difficulty level I've come up with. The time commitment is given as a reasonable minimum, which only includes the mapping and compiling phases. You don't need to participated in the tests in order to submit an entry.
The difficulty is given on a scale from 1 to 5, here's what they roughly what the numbers mean:
1 - A 72hr Jam entry
2 - A small symmetrical map in 3 hours
3 - A medium-sized map in 3 hours
4 - A more complex mode like PASS Time 4 hours
5 - An entire two-stage payload map in 5 hours
Are there winners?
Yes and no. Due to the high number of participants it's proven to be a logistical nightmare to judge the maps will any level of fairness. I've also concluded that judging maps also goes against the point of these events; you were being encouraged to be experimental while also encouraged to try and play it safe to score well. As such, these are now contests against yourself and the clock. If you finish a map within the time limit, you can consider yourself a winner!
How can I stay informed about Microcontests?
We've got a Microcontestant channel and role on out Discord server! I send out pings for Microcontest announcement, when they start, when the current Microcontest reaches a deadline, and when Microcontest testing occurs. You can join the role by heading to the Bot channel in the Discord and typing
?rank Microcontestant
I'll be posting in this thread every time a new date is announced. Threads for individual Microcontests will show up in the Contests subforum.
When's the next one?
Here's a handy chart of past and future Microcontests with dates. If there isn't a date listed, it hasn't been announced yet!
If you've got any other questions leave them below or head over to the Microcontest channel on the Discord and I'll do my best to answer them. Good luck everyone!
* I missed January, and there was not a Microcontest in September due to the 72hr Jam
Be warned! These things aren't for the faint of heart. You'll be expected to be able to make an entirely functional map in only a few short hours. The goal is to play around with new ideas and experiment with maps that are easy to throw out if they don't work. Don't get discouraged if your maps end up sucking; that's the point!
What's a Microcontest?
A Microcontest is a mapping event run almost entire in one day. Usually you'll only have a few hours to make an entire map from start to finish. You will not know the theme or rules until the day of the Microcontest.
Microcontests are focused on pushing rapid layout prototyping, are highly experimental, and are highly demanding. They're focused on providing a challenge for more experienced mappers, but are open to any skill level.
Some Microcontest have starting .vmf files with logic pre-built, others are multiple phases, and some require teamwork. Please read the rules for each one carefully!
How do I participate?
There are four parts to each Microcontest:
1) Planning
2) Mapping
3) Compiling
4) Testing
1) On the day of a Microcontest, a thread will be posted containing the rules and deadlines, usually an hour before the clock starts. This is the planning phase. At any point during planning or mapping, simply reply to the contest thread stating you are joining to enter.
2) Once the clock starts, make a map! You don't have to seal the map, add lighting, or compile before the deadline, but you can if you'd like.
3) Once time is up, you have one hour to light, seal, compile, and upload. Basically do whatever you need to do except make layout changes. Edit a link to your submission into the original post you made before the compile hour is over. You should only ever have one post in the contest thread until after the event ends!
4) Once all maps have been collected, I will host a Microcontest test on the servers. Within one week, I will provide feedback on all the entries.
I've noticed past contests have a difficulty associated with them, what's that about?
All Microcontest announcements have an estimated time commitment and difficulty level I've come up with. The time commitment is given as a reasonable minimum, which only includes the mapping and compiling phases. You don't need to participated in the tests in order to submit an entry.
The difficulty is given on a scale from 1 to 5, here's what they roughly what the numbers mean:
1 - A 72hr Jam entry
2 - A small symmetrical map in 3 hours
3 - A medium-sized map in 3 hours
4 - A more complex mode like PASS Time 4 hours
5 - An entire two-stage payload map in 5 hours
Are there winners?
Yes and no. Due to the high number of participants it's proven to be a logistical nightmare to judge the maps will any level of fairness. I've also concluded that judging maps also goes against the point of these events; you were being encouraged to be experimental while also encouraged to try and play it safe to score well. As such, these are now contests against yourself and the clock. If you finish a map within the time limit, you can consider yourself a winner!
How can I stay informed about Microcontests?
We've got a Microcontestant channel and role on out Discord server! I send out pings for Microcontest announcement, when they start, when the current Microcontest reaches a deadline, and when Microcontest testing occurs. You can join the role by heading to the Bot channel in the Discord and typing
?rank Microcontestant
I'll be posting in this thread every time a new date is announced. Threads for individual Microcontests will show up in the Contests subforum.
When's the next one?
Here's a handy chart of past and future Microcontests with dates. If there isn't a date listed, it hasn't been announced yet!
| # | NAME | DIFFICULTY | DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | spontainious unofficial micro 72 minute map contest | 1/5 | February 5 |
| 2 | Multistage Madness | 5/5 | March 16 |
| 3 | Pick It Up, But Faster | 3/5 | April 11 |
| 4 | Arena+ | 2/5 | May 23 |
| 5 | PASS Time Panic | 4/5 | June 27 |
| 6 | BATT Builder | 3/5 | July 25 |
| 7 | Soaked! | 2/5 | August 22 |
| 8 | Thinking Inside the Box | 2/5 | October 17 |
| 9 | Buddy System | 2/5 | November 14 |
| 10 | Spiritual Successor | N/A | December 5 |
If you've got any other questions leave them below or head over to the Microcontest channel on the Discord and I'll do my best to answer them. Good luck everyone!
* I missed January, and there was not a Microcontest in September due to the 72hr Jam
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