Official Level Design Contest: May/June 2009

[FuriousFox]

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the upcoming release of SRB2ME, the <strike>May/June</strike> July/August 2009 contest will be cancelled. This will be the last level design contest for 1.09.4.

We do not recommend trying to design SRB2ME maps at this time, due to massive changes that have been made to the game.

Also: this time, it's for real. (Hopefully)

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Welcome to the official level design contest topic. Please read the following if you're interested in entering the contest or are just curious as to what the rules and regulations are.

There are four divisions, match, capture the flag, circuit and single player. Here are the important parts of each type, for those who would like the specifics:

Match stages are arenas for players to fight. 32 deathmatch starts are necessary to randomize the spawning, but if the stage loads and runs okay, it’s an acceptable entry for the match contest. You should also have a Player 1 Start to keep the level from crashing if loaded improperly.

Capture the Flag stages are arenas for two teams to battle it out. They must include a red team and blue team base with a flag, and should include 32 deathmatch and 16 red and blue team starts. There should also be a Player 1 Start to keep the level from crashing if loaded improperly. It is generally better to make the map symmetrical to be absolutely sure that it is fair for both teams.

Circuit stages are race tracks designed for Race mode. They should include a Circuit mode finish line and several Star Posts to ensure the stage runs properly. Please use the Star Post Activation sector type to make sure it's not possible to skip the Star Posts, and do not use enemies in Circuit mode. There should be a Player 1 Start at the starting point.

Single Player stages are designed to play in 1 player, and have to include a start and end, and obstacles in the way. Generally, it’s a good idea to give the map support for Cooperative and Race mode, but it’s not necessary.

The full rules of the contest are as follows:

1. All levels must work correctly in their selected mode. Support for other modes is suggested, but not required. Levels will be judged in Match, Capture the Flag, Circuit or Single Player, depending on the contest you’re entering.
2. The map may not have been publicly released before. In other words, if you have released the level on the Addons section or on the forums, you may not enter it. However, if it’s unreleased, that is just as good as being completely new, and is a legal entry. Basically, don't fix up an old map and enter it, make something new.
3. The map has to be your own work. If you base it on another map, that's fine, but a straight port or slight modifications are against the rules.
4. One submission per category per person. This means that you can only enter one map in each division.

For the match, circuit and capture the flag contest, there is another rule in place:

5. Custom textures, music, SOCs, and other lumps other than a header and the map itself are not allowed in the Match, Circuit and Capture the Flag contests.

Submissions are to be sent to my e-mail at FuriousFox@gmail.com.

Submissions need to have "Contest Submission - May/June" as the subject line, and contain the name of the stage, your nickname, and the contest you are submitting the map to in the e-mail body. If you do not give me a nickname, your e-mail's given name and e-mail address will be used to attribute the file. For multiple maps in one e-mail, make sure to put the information for each map included. I prefer attachments, but links in the body of the e-mail are also alright provided they are to your own webspace. No SendSpace, Rapidshare, or other similar file hosts. Files hosted on such servers will not be included. Note that maps that are considered unplayable will be rejected.

The contest submissions period ends on July 1st, 2009 at 12:00 AM GMT. (June 30th, 2009 at 7:00 PM EST). Any submissions that are late will be possible to get in if you get them to me before the judging starts, but if you’re late, you’re taking a risk that you might have to wait for the next contest, so please get your file in on time.

Judging will consist of voting on the message board. Any member can vote, giving a number for each map from 0 to 10, zero being the most abysmal piece of crap ever, and ten being total perfection. You cannot vote on your own map. To encourage voting, if an entrant votes on everyone else’s map in the contest they are entered in, the lowest score on all of their entries will be dropped. (Example: If someone enters a single player map and votes on all the other single player maps, their lowest score is dropped.)

Judging will start the instant the files are uploaded, and continue until a week after they were uploaded. The exact time when voting will end will be shown when the files are uploaded. At that point, all votes will be averaged and the map with the highest average in each category will be declared the winner.

Contest winners will recieve a "Contest Winner" title on the forums.

All entries are welcome, from beginners to advanced level designers. Even if you don’t win, this is an excellent way to get feedback on your stage to help improve. Collaborations are allowed, and testing is encouraged strongly.

[Ezer.Arch]

Originally Posted by FuriousFox

Also: this time, it's for real. (Hopefully)

Heh.... I don't know why "Hopefully" after "real" makes me fell strange. ^^,

Then, I'll release a new map for OLDC for real... hopefully. :D

[:SonicMaster:]

I hate Nimbus Ruins. It's just no fun for me, and it takes forever. And that's pretty much how I'm designing my CTF level. There are many people who do like Nimbus Ruins, so yeah.

[Blade]

I plan on entering a level into the 1P division. I'm not saying what it is yet, but it's gonna be a hard level.

[glaber]

The Glaber Base entry may get finished this time. Also Due to obtaining more info on how the forum sees Glaber Syndrome, the GS label is no more.

[CobaltBW]

Originally Posted by :SonicMaster:

There are many people who do like Nimbus Ruins, so yeah.

I like the concept, as such a map would offer challenge for the more experienced players. However, in execution, platform precision just doesn't work well due to the various types of lag that occurs in netplay.

And that's why Mystic Realm's Silver Cavern sucks.

[:SonicMaster:]

Silver Cavern's not bad at all! There are some things that definitely need working out like the spring pattern and the caves with the blind death pits on the side. Other than that, the stage is quite well done.

[CobaltBW]

But the end section with the precision platforming across ice blocks is completely incompatible with lag, which was my whole point.

Though, while we're on the subject of Silver Cavern, why is it that there are death pits below the ice blocks rather than water?

[:SonicMaster:]

Most of my platforms are over 8 times bigger than those. Literally.

[CobaltBW]

Then I don't think you have anything to worry about.

[Eblo]

Well, I hope we have a better multiplayer division than last time :/

[verifiaman]

Im gonna enter this contest and WIN! I mean it this time.

[super]

i wonder what the last 1.09.4 contest release's will be like, I hope it will be good to finish 1.09.4 with a bang.

[sims]

I haev a few ideas that I may pull off, such as Freezing Flare CTF or this new SP level that's on the drawing board, but for right now, I can't make any guarantees.

[glaber]

I'm actually trying to fool around with the credits' images. replaceing them with pictures from the main game. (it worked!)

[:SonicMaster:]

Well, Geometric Void ended up much larger than Nimbus Ruins, and it has epic draw distance errors in Software Mode. The distance from one base to the other is around 16000 fracunits.

[glaber]

Are the DD errors worse than Daimondus CTF?

[Violo]

Are we allowed to include map pictures for multiplayer levels? You know, the level select pic? :|

[Boinciel]

Originally Posted by Violo

Are we allowed to include map pictures for multiplayer levels? You know, the level select pic? :|

No, it isn't allowed. Even if you did include one, it wouldn't be in the final compilation of levels. FuriousFox has to change all of the map numbers for the multiplayer pack, and add all the levels together. Adding unnecessary lumps would needlessly complicate his job; this is why custom textures and SOCs aren't allowed in multiplayer, either.

[:SonicMaster:]

Originally Posted by glaber

Are the DD errors worse than Daimondus CTF?

It has about as much as Searing Wellspring.