Presenting: The 2015 TF2Maps.net Year In Review!
This year was amazing for TF2Maps, the mapping community, and TF2 as a whole. We, as a site, have never done this sort of thing before - but it figures after such major events as the introduction of a Map Workshop, and the inclusion of many custom maps from our community, it was time to finally put one together.
So, here's a taste at the best our community had to offer this year.
Starting the year off strong, the 2015 72hr Winter Special premiered on Jan 23rd, and resulted in a multitude of incredible startup maps, such as pl_tanker by @iiboharz and plr_bien by @Bakscratch.
Meet Your Makers II was published early in the year, consisting of interviews of many top-tier TF2 contributors - including one of our own, @Fr0Z3nR. Keep a lookout for this year's one!
The annual April Fools Gameday was held on (you guessed it) April 1st, and featured a heap of silly fun maps. Don't forget to participate in this year's event, held as a contest by none other than @Crash!
Our very own Crash was interviewed (loosely) on Kritzkast! Check it out here.
Outlining the middle of the year was the incredible 2015 Summer 72hr Mapping Contest, which boasted the largest pool of entries ever (67!). Voting took almost 2 months to complete, and the contest resulted in excellent maps like cp_overgrown by Crash, and cp_snowlodge by @phi. However, Bakscratch took the contest with the wonderfully made koth_pughead.
cp_glassworks, a beautiful 5cp map made by Crash, completed rc6a on June 7th. It was featured in places like UGC HL and Issue 271 of the US PC Gamer magazine.
pl_rust, made by Fr0Z3nR, had its final version released on June 20th.
The Gun Mettle update was a pioneering and unexpected update to TF2 that resulted in one of the biggest custom map booms in recent history. Alongside the update was the addition of three excellent maps made by our community:
pl_borneo by @heyo,
koth_suijin by @Freyja,
cp_snowplow by Fr0Z3nR and @YM.
On September 24, the Dynamic Control Point contest was launched. It ended on February 2nd, and voting is currently under way.
On August 29, TF2Maps launched its new site look, curated by @Geit. Importing of old map and texture downloads was fronted by users such as @killohurtz and Phi.
The Insomnia 55 LAN was the biggest TF2 competitive tournament to date, sporting a £10,000 prizepool, one of the largest ever for TF2. Phi's map, cp_sunshine, had the privilege of being a part of the tournament's map rotation, showing up in many games, including the Grand Finals.
The Invasion Update dropped in TF2 on October 8th, hosting three maps made by our community:
arena_byre by @Idolon,
pd_watergate by @Egan and Bakscratch,
koth_probed by Crash.
Shortly after the Invasion update came the third major TF2 update this year to contain custom maps from TF2M: Scream Fortress 7. Alongside the update came:
koth_moonshine_event by @heyyou and Crash,
cp_sunshine_event by Phi,
pl_millstone_event by @ics,
cp_gorge_event by @puxorb.
Additionally, around the same time, the Workshop Of Horrors premiered, showcasing many community maps including quite a few of those mentioned above.
pl_corrode_rc2 by @Leminnes was released on November 18th. The map's been in development for over 5 years, and finally has been brought to a state of near-completion.
cp_sunshine_rc9 by Phi was released on November 30th, marking the last major update of the map. It is being played by competitive leagues around the globe.
The last major update to TF2 in 2015, Tough Break, landed as a sort of "smissmas" replacement update and included four (4!) maps from our community, old and new. In them included:
cp_vanguard by @fubarFX,
pl_snowycoast by @EArkham,
koth_highpass by @Psy and @Bloodhound,
ctf_landfall by @Dr. Spud, @Nineaxis, and @Shmitz.
Lastly, the Workshop Wonderland rounded out the year with an excellent pool of community maps.
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We've had a massively successful year here at TF2Maps, and we hope that 2016 will be even better. There's tons expected this year in terms of mapping - the next (secret) major contest, the next 72hr jam, the detail contest; plus the results of the Dynamic CP contest, the impending addition of matchmaking, and much more.
Here's to a great 2015, and a great start to 2016 as well; may the rest of the year shine just as bright!
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