The FREEFORM Map Contest
Posted: 2009.07.26 (17:51)
Wow, way to jump on the bandwagon Matt. Gloomp says he's okay with me taking this on, so as far as I'm concerned, this is where the copying issues stop.
Right, as you'll probably have guessed, this competition would be of a similar structure to the lmc, where I'll announce a theme, and you try and make a freeform map around it. If you're interested as either a judge or a participant, don't hesitate to sign up. And now, for the more-or-less concrete stuff.
> For a map to be considered freeform in this contest, it must have at least two, and preferably more, paths for an agd route, which take roughly the same amount of time. So if a map has a load of gold in the middle and tiles on the outside, it'll be freeform if the tiles are versatile enough. On the other hand, if the only other route of the map makes us double back to get onto the "original" route, it's not freeform. Freeform means the player gets to choose how to apporach his map, which is an important aspect of highscoring and mapmaking.
> The judging will be based on 3 overall qualities in a map. Naturally, these are all down to a judge's discretion, but I'll try and pick a varied mix of judges to avoid certain styles being absolutely slated.
1) Firstly, adherence to the theme. This accounts for 10 marks out of the total 50, which means that maps not based on the theme will have a severe, if not gamebreaking penalty. I mean, if a map's perfect apart from the theme, then surely it's still a stellar freeform map? The theme is really just for structuring, cohesion, and seeing how it can be interpreted creatively.
2) Secondly, aesthetics. This also accounts for 15/50 marks, as gameplay can often be enhanced to the player through complex aesthetics, which add to the experience and character (as well as crucial theming) of a map. However, if the gameplay remains stellar and well structured, this shouldn't be held against a spectacle of raw design.
3) Finally, gameplay. This accounts for the majority of the marks, 25/50. Not only will this account for structural design and overall mapmaking skill, it'll also take into account how fun a map is to play (because if it isn't fun, what's the point?) and whether it's freeform or not. A 10 mark penalty will be awarded if one route is clearly easier to follow than the others, and a 20 mark penalty will be awarded if there's only one route at all.
> Like the lmc, the next round will last a week after the judging for the previous is completed and the theme is announced by me. I'm willing to take suggestions for themes, but don't expect me to follow you exactly.
> I'd like to have a maximum of 16 contestants entering the contest, and it's first come first served, so don't hesitiate to enter if you feel like doing it. Likewise, I'd like a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 other judges to help me judge the entries. If you want to judge, volunteer, and hopefully we can get a varied mix of stylistic people judging.
> After the judging for each round, 3 contestants will be removed from the competition. Violently. If people drop out for any reasons, or simply don't submit a map, they'll be counted in this total. So if two people quit, only one other contestant will face the chop.
> There'll be prizes for participants, judges, and the winner and runner up, probably sigbars for participants and judges, and a fully fledged signature for the winner and runner up.
Well, I think I've described this as much as possible. Oh wait, submitting maps. All maps must be submitted to numa with the "fmc" tag. Pretty self-explanatory. Right, go nuts! I'm hoping to get this running by Tuesday.
Participants!
1) Gloomp.
2) Seneschal.
3) PALEMOON.
4) Inspired.
5) Techno.
6) Slappy.
7) Goatman.
8) Kablamo.
9) Andalus.
10) BionicCryonic.
11) Nature's Peril.
12) Sondrigal.
13) Im_bad_at_n.
14) Jackass!
15)
16)
Judges!
1) MattKestrel.
2) Viil (maybe)
3) FLAGMYIDOL.
4) StalkR.
5) Guiseppi.
6) Ampburner.
7)
8)
Right, as you'll probably have guessed, this competition would be of a similar structure to the lmc, where I'll announce a theme, and you try and make a freeform map around it. If you're interested as either a judge or a participant, don't hesitate to sign up. And now, for the more-or-less concrete stuff.
> For a map to be considered freeform in this contest, it must have at least two, and preferably more, paths for an agd route, which take roughly the same amount of time. So if a map has a load of gold in the middle and tiles on the outside, it'll be freeform if the tiles are versatile enough. On the other hand, if the only other route of the map makes us double back to get onto the "original" route, it's not freeform. Freeform means the player gets to choose how to apporach his map, which is an important aspect of highscoring and mapmaking.
> The judging will be based on 3 overall qualities in a map. Naturally, these are all down to a judge's discretion, but I'll try and pick a varied mix of judges to avoid certain styles being absolutely slated.
1) Firstly, adherence to the theme. This accounts for 10 marks out of the total 50, which means that maps not based on the theme will have a severe, if not gamebreaking penalty. I mean, if a map's perfect apart from the theme, then surely it's still a stellar freeform map? The theme is really just for structuring, cohesion, and seeing how it can be interpreted creatively.
2) Secondly, aesthetics. This also accounts for 15/50 marks, as gameplay can often be enhanced to the player through complex aesthetics, which add to the experience and character (as well as crucial theming) of a map. However, if the gameplay remains stellar and well structured, this shouldn't be held against a spectacle of raw design.
3) Finally, gameplay. This accounts for the majority of the marks, 25/50. Not only will this account for structural design and overall mapmaking skill, it'll also take into account how fun a map is to play (because if it isn't fun, what's the point?) and whether it's freeform or not. A 10 mark penalty will be awarded if one route is clearly easier to follow than the others, and a 20 mark penalty will be awarded if there's only one route at all.
> Like the lmc, the next round will last a week after the judging for the previous is completed and the theme is announced by me. I'm willing to take suggestions for themes, but don't expect me to follow you exactly.
> I'd like to have a maximum of 16 contestants entering the contest, and it's first come first served, so don't hesitiate to enter if you feel like doing it. Likewise, I'd like a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 other judges to help me judge the entries. If you want to judge, volunteer, and hopefully we can get a varied mix of stylistic people judging.
> After the judging for each round, 3 contestants will be removed from the competition. Violently. If people drop out for any reasons, or simply don't submit a map, they'll be counted in this total. So if two people quit, only one other contestant will face the chop.
> There'll be prizes for participants, judges, and the winner and runner up, probably sigbars for participants and judges, and a fully fledged signature for the winner and runner up.
Well, I think I've described this as much as possible. Oh wait, submitting maps. All maps must be submitted to numa with the "fmc" tag. Pretty self-explanatory. Right, go nuts! I'm hoping to get this running by Tuesday.
Participants!
1) Gloomp.
2) Seneschal.
3) PALEMOON.
4) Inspired.
5) Techno.
6) Slappy.
7) Goatman.
8) Kablamo.
9) Andalus.
10) BionicCryonic.
11) Nature's Peril.
12) Sondrigal.
13) Im_bad_at_n.
14) Jackass!
15)
16)
Judges!
1) MattKestrel.
2) Viil (maybe)
3) FLAGMYIDOL.
4) StalkR.
5) Guiseppi.
6) Ampburner.
7)
8)