2005 Mapping Competition thread

I think once the modding community picks up and actually release some
quality mods, you'll find the mapping community will likewise start to
grow. HL DM gave the community a good boost in the beginning, but it
was really the many mods that came after that extended its life so
much. With the rather disappointing start of HL2 DM it might be a bit
harder for the community to get going, but I know that once DOD:S gets
released I'm going to put my mapping into overdrive.

And I'll be entering the competition this year. But like a number of
people have pointed out, the theme of this competition may have shot
itself in the foot, by excluding many entrants because of its sheer
difficulty. Last years competition was a success because the
specifications were pretty lax, the theme just had to be themed as
something, not one specific idea.

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Ham and Jam Contributor
http://www.hamandjam.org

'Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!'

I have to agree with some others, the competition idea sounded great on
paper (err, on HTML) while in actual execution it's pretty difficult.
But is there really any use to complaining about the problem when the
supposed solution (Valve revamps it) is a near impossibility? I mean,
what can we do now to get more interest into the competition? I'm tempted to answer "nothing." :sad:

I agree I'm afraid. I had an idea for a map which was too difficult for
me to create (maybe I'll try again at some stage), and was lucky enough
that someone had inadvertently suggested an underwater map (I have a
feeling it was Campaignjunkie). Oh well, at least we'll get some
interesting maps out of it with a bit of luck!

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My site

Well, I'll try to enter the contest, however as others have said, the
theme is sort of tricky to achieve with the HL2 texture set. I've
thought up and discarded so many different settings/scenarios that I've
lost count, but I've finally found something that might work.

Andrei said:
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HL2DM was a disappointment

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I agree. If valve don't release a massive update which fixes all the bugs and implements some new, DECENT maps (not like that runoff shi-t, which the dream-update should either fix or remove), then HL2DM is heading on a one-way trip to endsville :sad: .
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I hear this all the time at the steampowered forums. Everyone is so fixated on bugs ruining the game. I don't buy it. I play this game almost daily, and feel these bugs are fairly minimal. Other than the random memory error and a few other minor annoyances., the game plays fine.

The truth is, this game was doomed from the start to be a somewhat niche game, with a small community. The game (although fun) is a one trick pony.... physics being the big 'wow' factor. There was little promotion, little content, no community oriented interface to the game (different game modes, match options, tourneys..etc). The biggest problem..... it's not CS or BF and it's not Team-Oriented, Real-World. These are what people want to play right now. The deathmatch crowd is a minority these days, and probably always will be - as will be deatchmatch specific games.

I love the game. It doesn't have the depth that HL1DM had for me, but I still enjoy it for what it is.

Also.... runoff is a hella fun map. At first glance, it seems somewhat thrown together and simple...after MANY hours of play, though, I can assure you that it is the most focused map valve has delivered sofar. Play that map on DEZ 24hr runoff server for a while, and you will see that this is a FUN team oriented game.

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Ho ho ho, how the mighty have fallen, and now everyone thinks like I do :razz:

Anyways, me and Natus (Natus and I) are probably making a map for this contest, something very spinkee with unheard of effects in maps :biggrin: Dunno if its gunna be spacey enough for the contest, or if it will be done in time though.

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-[Better to be Honest than Kind]-

Hmm, my entry isn't shaping up too well - I don't think I'll be able to
finish it in time to my satisfaction. Just another bad example of
having too many projects in the pipeline at the same time. :sad:

Campaignjunkie said:
Just another bad example of having too many projects in the pipeline at the same time. :sad:

Its called "To many irons in the fire CJ.. "Pipeline makes it sound like you have a T-1 appetite on a 56k budget.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

Since I dont think I will be able to take part in the contest (fire,
computer problems, little time) I'd like to just say that I would be
happy to help judge maps, with my new computer I can push all my
options to the max... not that it would make me a better judge I guess.

Also, If some one still wants a good idea I would suggest a look at an
IKEA store. I just went to one and it was 2 floors of random
rooms that led to diffrent unique rooms. It was a real life
sureal house of illusions, you walk from bedroom to bedroom, all were
the same layout with perfect matching furnishings... it was just crazy.

It seems I will also be unable to take place in this years competition,
despite saying I would. I've just started my final semester at uni, so
anything and everything has been pushed to the side.

That being said I will actually be making a small mod for one of my
classes, so any work relating to mapping or games will be going into
that, which will be my major project. The mod is for multiplayer and
essentially replaces all the weapons with various visual tools, like
spraypaint, stencils, various shapes, etc. Essentially it will be an
online virtual collaborative conceptual space for graphic designers and
artists to play around with ideas in a much more collaborative and
interactive way. Obviously my abilities are more in the creative realm,
and I only have about 10 weeks to do it, but my aim is to have a basic
beta version up and running.

I'm hoping I will be able to involve the community here in some
critique and testing during the project, if anyone is interested :smile: .

As far as the competition goes, I would like to add my name to the seemingly growing list of judges.

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Ham and Jam Contributor
http://www.hamandjam.org

'Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!'

Its sad when real life interferes with mapping, but at least its a good excuse. School is by far more important.

You could just be lazy like me. Tired yes, summer is my busiest time, but I could map I just opt to sleep instead.

Stay in school, or you may end up an old person in a forum full of kids to.

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The best things in life, aren't things.

chuckle

You guys sarting to wrap up your competion entries? I excited to see them.

yeah. as for me i'm finalizing general layout. Still a lot of small
stuff and details to do. i will post it next weekend or something to
get suggestions and playtests. (ps: small question to the server
admins: are those playtests best organised in the "banter" chapter or
the "map suggestions" chapter in the server topic?)

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These words are my diaries screaming out loud

I haven't touched mine since the initial concept phase really. Its
really easy to work on so I'll almost certainly get some sort of crazy
flatshaded hexagonality entered, but I don't know if it will be
anything special.

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[img]http://card.mygamercard.net/sig/Default/reno84.png[/img]
Designer @ Haiku Interactive | ReNo-vation.net

I'm waiting to see myrk's work so I can steal it.

maybe I can put something together in like 4 days...

The 14 of August people...

I don't think I'll be able to submit anything to the competition.
I've had no time to really work on it, that and the fact that I
preoccupied with another map I'm making at the moment. Will I be
able to whip up something like my idea in 13 days. Uh, probably
not. But hey, there's always next year. Cheers!

Until Later...

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Dark_Kilauea
DVS Administration
http://www.dvstudio-production.com/

Don't think that i'll be able to put in my map, I haven't touched it
seeming as my computer broke (HD failed), it's backed up but I only got
round to installing steam yesturday and i've got little time left. Have
to finished media and film coursework. I'll give it a shot though.

It might be an idea if everyone who already has their competition entry
in the their profile could post a link to the map here. I know I'm
curious to see what everyone has produced, but I can only find 1 or 2
maps up on the pit.

Oh, and whats the go concerning the judges for the competition. I'd
like to volunteer my services for this if your looking for judges Lep.

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Ham and Jam Contributor
http://www.hamandjam.org

'Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!'

My entry would have been a rotating ring, inspired a bit by Halo. The
entire level would spin around, and I have to say it's pretty damn
disorienting. But in the end I scraped it because it was too much like
City 17, which kind of defeated the purpose of the contest in the first
place.

http://www.snarkpit.net/pits/campaignjunkie/ribeye1.jpg

Yeah, I'm kind of curious to see what entries are actually going to get finished in time too. Post more WIPs, people! :smile:

4 days to go...

it's going to be a miracle if I get something playable done by that time...

it all comes at those times: sites to finish, tools to program, modelling deadlines... :sad:

So, on a lighter note, I can post a WIP, as you requested, CJ... :razz:

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Create-ivity - a game development blog

When do we get to see who entered? What maps were posted? Who won?

There's another stickied thread that Lep created for people to submit their entries in.

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You Got To Get Through What You've Got To Go Through To Get What You Want But You Got To Know What You Want To Get Through What You Got To Go Through

any progress on the judging / public-voting-page ?

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These words are my diaries screaming out loud

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Is any body ever going to be named a winner or not?