Xonotie Mapping Contest 2021 (winner: SirRanjid - vmmm)

I drafted this. What does Xonotie think about a new mapping contest?

Update: Contest starts on 2021/01/29. The game mode to design a map for is Team Deathmatch. 

To participate, state your intent to (a) create a map, or (b) host maps for the playtesting phase.

If you have any objections to the current line-up for the contest, please say so now.


Type of Map:
Team Deathmatch

Pre-made assets:
Using these rooms is entirely optional.
http://git.teknik.io/antares

Requirements:
The map must be under a free license.
The map must be fit for purpose:

• functional (no crashes, failure to compile or load)
  
• project files correspond to the map
  
• points of interest, e.g containing items, must be accessible to players
  
• properly scaled for its respective game mode
  
• map size accommodates at least two players per team (4 players total)
  

A participating mapper should post regular updates on their progress.

Design first, texture later!
It is okay for a map to have placeholder textures. 
(If this goes well, we might have a texture packing contest.)

Contest Constraints:
Only one map permitted per participant
No remakes, ports, or edits. The design must be original.

Extras:
reflex2q3 - a map converter, if you are used to Reflex's editor and would like to convert your work to Radiant.
https://git.teknik.io/scuti/reflex2q3

Judges:
me
Komier
Koala (maybe)
Beemann (maybe)
mini (maybe)
the xonotie community (by approval voting)

Phases / Schedule
https://time.is/GMT

1. Mapping phase - from Friday 2021/01/29 to Friday of the week February ends (2021/03/05)

2. Public playtesting phase -to 2021/03/12

3. Judging phase - to 2021/03/15

Prize Distribution:
Will be expanded depending on participants and interest.

Assuming 6 participants:

25% 1st place
20% 2nd place
15% 3rd place
10% participant
10% participant
10% participant

+10% judges's choice bonus.

(If you win judges' choice as a participant, you get a prize equal to 2nd place.)

Current Prize Pot:
204.60 G1 (xonfvf6w1mHEVP2sfDfbk459XRv8wGBZ4D22EYVJyuZ)

Donor(s):
Matograine Reply

I can try to participate. But at least after 20th of january. Reply

I think it's a good idea! Could be a monthly thing. Also a theme would be helpful that predefines some aspects. I think it's also easier to judge by who made the idea come to life the best.
Also I think the prize is the fun itself and the learning experience. But if you wanna donate...

Like:

type:
-labyrith
-spacefloater
-jumphouse
-lasersumo
-...

adjective:
-wide
-narrow
-fast
-slick/icy
-tall
-...

misc.:
-no gravity
-hook madness
-vehicles
-turrets/monsters
-... Reply

I think it's a good idea! Could be a monthly thing. Also a theme would be helpful that predefines some aspects. I think it's also easier to judge by who made the idea come to life the best.
Also I think the prize is the fun itself and the learning experience. But if you wanna donate...

I would like to see activity in the mapping community. Monthly isn't bad but it might be much. Mapping does take a lot of time and people do have real life responsibilities, so mappers might burn out.
Added note: Komier and Koala do not think it is a good idea to have all game modes judged together. Though, I would like to be surprised with Onslaught, Assault, or a race map designed for Xonotic weapons (as opposed to XDF). But I don't think we have the participants or prize pot for multiple categories. Reply

i voted with no, because its just "Hey, we need maps. Let's make a mapping contest"

rules: "errr... "

a contest needs a baseline of rules take a look at contests from the past or other games for example http://mapping.maverickservers.com

basic guidelines would also make judging easier. How do you compare a race, a duel and a ctf map? Reply

i voted with no, because its just "Hey, we need maps. Let's make a mapping contest"

rules: "errr... "

a contest needs a baseline of rules take a look at contests from the past or other games for example http://mapping.maverickservers.com

basic guidelines would also make judging easier. How do you compare a race, a duel and a ctf map?

The rules are lax or "errr..." as you put it partly because each participant is planned to get something. The panel of judges only decides who gets a 10% bonus. 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place is by community approval. I did check your web page however.

• -The map should hold at least 8 players (suitable for 8 player FFA or 4v4 TDM/CTF) or 2 players for a 1v1 map
  

Sure. That's not specified but it should.

• -All maps are judged on the same scale, so a smaller map will be held to same to the same quality and complexity standards as larger maps
  

First, I'm only expecting a handful of mappers to participate. Feel free to prove me wrong. Xonotic isn't as big as Quake used to be, so there aren't going to be anywhere near as many maps and participants in that list. How I see it: we don't have enough mappers to hold separate categories. If someone has a TDM map idea and someone has a Duel map idea I don't want the contest to limit them.

• -Map must be previously unreleased and a new design started at the beginning of this competition; please no map remakes or edits
  
• Each competitior/competition team is allowed to only submit one map and the .map file should be released with the final .pk3 of the map when submitted to the judges for the final judging (the .map file will *not* be distributed except to judges)
  
• -All participants are required to post weekly Radiant screenshots to the competition forums showing progress from start to finish
  

Sure. I should specify these. Edit: except change the part about .map files.


Edit #2: Added constraints and requirements.

Update:

RE: game modes 

What type of map would you like this contest to be for? 
(What type of map, as a mapper, would you like to make?)

We could go by a set of game modes , such as no-teams and team maps, instead of naming a specific few. I had the idea of CTS Maps, Duel, and DM maps going under the no-teams category because there's an overlap in players between CTS and Duel. Reply

What type of map would you like this contest to be for? 
(What type of map, as a mapper, would you like to make?)

I would like to see more maps with "assault" gametype and more maps with TDM, DM, CTF, ONS gametypes
BTW, we also need a tutorial map Reply

I would like to see activity in the mapping community. Monthly isn't bad but it might be much. Mapping does take a lot of time and people do have real life responsibilities, so mappers might burn out.
Added note: Komier and Koala do not think it is a good idea to have all game modes judged together. Though, I would like to be surprised with Onslaught, Assault, or a race map designed for Xonotic weapons (as opposed to XDF). But I don't think we have the participants or prize pot for multiple categories.

Hmm I think the maps should be made simple. Mostly the layout. And texturing and details being optional. OR maybe have rotating contests like: 1. month: layout , 2.(+3.) month(maybe): beautify one of the top 3 of the layout contest.
Without prize and I would make it a low effort contest. So no pressure and no burnout mappers.

I mean graphite is texture and detail wise very low effort and a success and could easily be made in a few days. Reply

BTW, we also need a tutorial map

https://gitlab.com/xonotic/xonotic-maps....quests/125 Reply

Hmm I think the maps should be made simple. Mostly the layout. And texturing and details being optional. OR maybe have rotating contests like: 1. month: layout , 2.(+3.) month(maybe): beautify one of the top 3 of the layout contest.

Yeah I mentioned in the opening post that texturing is optional. I'll also provide premade assets to save even more time for the mappers. 
The map design should be the priority then beautification. Secondly because I'm taking notice to the limited pool of textures. So a basic map that can later make use of new textures is better than a map reusing what we have now. Reply

What type of map would you like this contest to be for? 
(What type of map, as a mapper, would you like to make?)

We could go by a set of game modes , such as no-teams and team maps, instead of naming a specific few. I had the idea of CTS Maps, Duel, and DM maps going under the no-teams category because there's an overlap in players between CTS and Duel.

just noticed that part, why dont you use a poll? The upcomming mapping contest should feature this type of maps Reply

What type of map would you like this contest to be for? 
(What type of map, as a mapper, would you like to make?)

We could go by a set of game modes , such as no-teams and team maps, instead of naming a specific few. I had the idea of CTS Maps, Duel, and DM maps going under the no-teams category because there's an overlap in players between CTS and Duel.

just noticed that part, why dont you use a poll? The upcomming mapping contest should feature this type of maps

Forum only lets me add one poll to thread. Reply

make a new thread.
the  new thread serves a purpose, so its not spamming Reply

make a new thread.
the  new thread serves a purpose, so its not spamming

I don't think it allows custom choice. Right now, you can pick stuff like

- [by game mode]
- teams
- no teams
-- [a]symmetrical
- deathmatch (ffa, team, 1v1) Reply

-Map must be previously unreleased and a new design started at the beginning of this competition; please no map remakes or edits

If I had started a map prior to the competition it'd not eligible to enter? (How to monitor this?)

Can people collaborate? Reply

-Map must be previously unreleased and a new design started at the beginning of this competition; please no map remakes or edits

If I had started a map prior to the competition it'd not eligible to enter? (How to monitor this?)

Can people collaborate?

On the first question, not possible to track without NSA backdoor.  As for the second question, yes. Reply

Hi, one question: If I already make a map, with a few alpha phase uploads on discord, could I use the map for the contest? Reply

Hi, one question: If I already make a map, with a few alpha phase uploads on discord, could I use the map for the contest?

IMO that's kind of pushing it. Sure if you had a few rooms and components made beforehand, but if you had a whole map already made that's not really in the spirit of the contest.
_________________________________

Anyway after the poll for the map vote closes, I'll be posting free pre-made assets. The community seems to use GNU GPL for maps so I might go with that as opposed to CC-BY-SA. Reply

You could dual-license them and then map makers could pick either. Reply

I added the link of premade map parts.
For instance, a stair. You probably made many stairs before, but maybe it's time to copy and paste.

And now something a little less common: a curved stair. There were a few of these around in frosthalo_b*.pk3. Now, they can be in your map too.

There's a weird gap in the wall. Is it for an elevator or does it lead anywhere else?

A bunch of surfers are heading up to catch some stony waves. Makes you wonder where they are going and what are they soaring above.
Reply

"xonotie"
Reply

EDIT2: Haha totally overlooked that the contest hasnt even started well xD I can make a new one if that disqualifies the map i already started for it. But yeah I'd like to participate.

Hmm after some time testing around I like the idea of having an open map where the lowest level is ice with ramps and jumpads to travel fast while the upper levels are more open but not slippery. Lets see how that goes or I may scrap that idea hmm...



EDIT:
progress so far:
I think its interesting to play on it and hope ppl get to know some slick movement. The pillars are of a size where you get a decent speedup when strafing around them smoothly. So far that could be a layout. Unsure if I want to add jumppads because as it is now you have to laserjump while its also made to support laserjumping.

Reply

I want as many participants as possible. Ideally, the time allotted, the complete nonconsideration of textures, and premade assets negates major advantages from starting early.  So you shouldn't have to worry about DQs. Reply

I've done something like this, but I haven't any idea what to do next.



I haven't created any map-structure design, and I've created this room from my idea about it. There is only design of elements, no idea how to create another rooms and connect them. Reply

Ok the size is appropriate. I need some more buildings and stuff because just pillars is a little boring. The blue stuffs are jumppads that make you slite and the pink one is actually a warpzone but not drawn. I hope you wont be like bambi on ice when testing it because i play my maps a lot while making to get a feel how it works. And for me it works but thats also the problem. Maybe I'll make an animated neon sign explaining ice skating ingame.

AriosJentu: That looks really sweet! Maybe you get some ideas for rooms/hallways when you think about how you want to reach certain places in what you have from the outside. Or how you want to exit it.

Antares*: Nice c:

EDIT: moving updates to a seperate thread: https://forums.xonotic.org/showthread.php?tid=8508

Reply