Unofficial, Microcontest #U17

Fault in Maps

Creator of Worlds
aa
Jan 19, 2021
95
77
Welcome to the Unofficial Microcontest U17: Over and Under

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Thanks for Leezo for this wonderful card art!
Why touch the control point when you could surround it?

This weekend, your task is to make a map that has at least 1 control point with playable space above it and 1 control point with playable space below it. A single control point can account for both of these.

Here's some FAQ I think people might have:
  1. Does the playable space have to be the same size as the control point? - Nope! As long as there is atleast a 128x128 platform for a player to stand on that isn't touching the trigger, your golden!
  2. What about non CP gamemodes? - For non CP gamemodes, most 'objectives' count for this challenge. Payload points, including the last and spawn, CTF flags, CTF goals, Jack goals, Jack Spawn, all fit the requirement. The payload track does not, except at capture points.
  3. What if my map has only one objective? - For KOTH and single point arena, that singular point must have both playable terrain above and below it. Hence the 1.5 difficulty; 2/5 for single point, 1/5 for multi point.
  4. Can I use this for the A/D CTF/Passtime Minor Contest? - Go for it! This is a great chance to get a jumpstart on that! Make sure you follow both contests requirements though!


Wait. Unofficial? Yep! 14bit has taken the month off for some well deserved rest. So we've thrown together this quick little weekend challenge for you all!

For full Microcontest rules and submission procedure, check out the 2021 Microcontest Megathread: https://tf2maps.net/threads/the-microcontest-megathread-season-2.43572/

Today's Bonus Punch:

Have a hazard On, Above, or Below a control point! This includes buzz saws, trains, pits, any hazard as long as it is vertically aligned somewhere with a control point!
I'll count a payload pit at the end of the track if your map contains a non-pit hazard elsewhere on the map.

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Quick Info:

Difficulty: 1.5/5

Planning starts whenever this forum is posted! Mapping begins about one hour later at 6:30 PM MDT (12:30 AM UTC) Friday, 8/27/2021.

Maps must be submitted to this thread no later than 6:30 PM MDT (12:30 AM UTC) on 8/29/2021. Testing will hopefully begin 1 hour later. Will keep you posted.

Countdown to deadline: https://www.timeanddate.com/countdown/roadtrip?iso=20210829T1830&p0=3273&msg=Unofficial+Microcontest+U(17)+Countdown&font=sanserif

Now that you've all seen the challenge, did anyone spot the bonus hint I posted?

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Important Notes:

Name your .vmf:
<gamemode>_<yourname>_umc17_a1

THIS DOES NOT FIT IN SLOT 17 OF THE PUNCH CARD. That goes to next months contest, the official Microcontest 17. If you'd like to have this on your card, you'll have to make a new slot for it. Or you could put a sticker above the number if you'd like. Its your card, you choose!

The Speedmapper punch only counts time working on geometry. Planning, compiling, bug fixing, lighting, logic, clipping, sealing, and other things that aren't physical playable spaces do not count towards the four hours.


Good luck!
 
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Fault in Maps

Creator of Worlds
aa
Jan 19, 2021
95
77
Congrats to everyone who got their map in!
And thanks to everyone who played them

Heres my nuggets of feedback for everyone:

Congrats on getting a map made in less than 48 hours! I love the approach of 3cp 4cp! While I figured someone would stack points to hit the requirements, I didn't think it would happen in a symmetrical game mode. Both points in the mid were fun to fight over, and the rotations between the two resulted in some interesting gameplay! I feel there could be some improvements to the 'home base' points, however, as I struggled to enjoy defending them (and don't think I ever directly attacked them, just cause of what I was doing/playing.) My favorite tidbit of this map? Definitely the netting between the points. Makes me think of like pirates or a water park.

Congrats on getting a map made in less than 48 hours! I think with this map, you made a lot of the same mistakes I did; not messing with the timers enough. Blue took too long to spawn, and the first point caps so fast that back capping tends to be the star strat. When blue was alive, however, a lot of the geometry was decent to fight in, if a little overscaled. I enjoyed most of the combat I had on this map. My favorite tidbit of this map? The indoor area between A and B. I cant nail why, but I had the most fun on this map fighting in this area, as multiple classes.

Congrats on getting a map made in less than 48 hours! Especially for this being your first or second map! As was evident from playing, this map had a few rookie mistakes, notably size (underscaled) and the lack of setup time for red. Oh well! What a great spot to learn! Now, hopefully, those are mistakes you won't make next time! Despite the obvious flaws, the hecticness of the map meant I certainly had a good time! My favorite tidbit of this map? The visual design of the A point! That elevated track really did it for me for some reason.

Congrats on- Wait a minute, you can't judge your own map! And while technically no, I can at least give my thoughts on it. A retrospective if you will. For me, I tend to feel rushed with microcontest, I keep making maps that are too big. Same with this, I cut out the third point and still felt like I rushed B. And while I loved the design of A, I didnt modify the timing enough to make it enjoyable, to the point that red easily began spawn camping blue. Things to fix for A2 then!

Congrats on getting a map made in less than 48 hours! We played this map last, so I think the feedback is a little weighted, as we only really had a 6v6. But for casual 6s, this map is a lot of fun! A lot of players said this one felt the most like an official tf2 map, so congrats on that! A was fun to take, and the mid between the points was fun to fight in! Curious how it would play with full teams though, maybe too tight. My favorite tidbit of this map? While the gator in the pipe is cute, I really likekd the detail went into the grinder. That takes it for me.

Congrats on getting a map made in less than 48 hours! I'm really sorry to here you had such a hard time putting this together. Making maps for fun shold never be something you need to push and stress yourself to that limit for. However, I have to say that I think that effort was well worth it. This map got me so excited for the minor contest! While it definitely needs a bit of work (like every map here) this is a strong A1 for a custom gamemode. I agree with the decision to remove the pit, but it's a fun touch for the microcontest atleast. My favorite tidbit of this map? I liked the grated path above the final point. I never found much use for it, but its a super interesting way of solving one of the issues required by the contest. Excited to see more!

Congrats on getting a map made in less than 48 hours! Having played this and both your first map at this point, I believe your making good progress on making maps! First one was overscaled, this one was underscaled! All part of the process. Though the map was a little too tight to really shine, I personally loved the mid area. The weird sort of 'floating cube' made for a fun place to fight, with plenty of opportunities to get around it and get people off it or keep them off! My favorite tidbit of this map? The dual spawns were odd, but definitely supported the maps quirkyness! I hope to see more work from you in the future!

Congrats on getting a map made in less than 48 hours! I felt koth would be a more difficult gamemode to use to approach this microcontest, but I felt you showed just what was possible. The map was fairly standard in design, to its benifit. The maps most fun part comes in its elevated area, giving players who control it a fun and interesting advantage over their opponents! Though it probably needs another route up there, the jump pads were excellently executed. My favorite tidbit of this map? Funny cow with box on their head.

Congrats on getting a map made in less than 48 hours! So cool to see a medieval map on here! This map shines in its simplicity. I really dont know what else to say! Though the water takes up a bit too much of the map, the otherwise low height changes and relative square design lend the map surprisingly well to Medival mode. My favorite tidbit of this map? Avoiding the rampant swarms of pyro sharks!!!

Congrats on getting a map made in less than 48 hours! Props for being the only non koth, non 'cp' map! And what a fun quirky little map it was! The tight corners, infinite ledges, and ability to spawn camp from spawn made this map a lot of fun, if not at least a little 'broken.' With some rescaling and rebalancing, this could actually be a really nice little payload experience. Or, we could keep throwing pills at each others spawns! Either way, I'm happy! My favorite tidbit of this map? Finding the perfect angles for sentrys, pyros, and demoman needed to lauch someone off the map!
 
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