Contest idea thread!

[Draco18s]

Would be an interesting challenge. It'd rely a lot on pre-existing models and textures (a single 1024x1024 texture is a meg!)

As well as a simple approach to brushwork and sparing use of displacements.

[henke37]

I have been thinking of a contest idea myself:

The bad idea contest. People would have to pick a "bad idea" and design a map around it. Entries would be judged on how drastic the idea is and how well it manages to work out in the end (good=good).

This wouldn't be the same as "the silly idea" contest. This is not an excuse to be silly. It's an excuse to test the unwritten rules.

[AppleJim]

Recently I've acquired a liking for the whole idea that is (or was ) Territorial control. Simply because one map that was introduced with the game was horrific, everyone has swayed away from poor ol' TC.

I guess it ties in with henke's proposal of a 'bad idea' contest. Now TC wasn't really a bad idea, but anyone who starts one is instantly presumed to fail... terribly.

That's why i suggest a TC contest where everyone aims to create a 'good' TC map by any means possible (keeping the idea of the 6 territories and progressing through them). Hopefully a surge of TC maps will flow, with creators brimming with urrr... enthusiasm in tow.

Iunno, possibly one of the worst ideas in history?

[stevethepocket]

Make it a contest where people are allowed to collaborate and it might work. You'd need to offer bigger prizes, though. Maybe we could get Valve involved and have them offer free games to the winners or something. You know, since they probably have as much interest in reviving TC as anyone.

[LeSwordfish]

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevethepocket

You know, since they probably have as much interest in reviving TC as anyone.

By which you mean zero, yeah?

[Fr0Z3n]

Collab TC would be interesting, but I'd like to try and put it under the guise of a "Fix TC Right!" contest, since none of the current TC maps, in their current state, have fixed TC at all.

[Deodorant]

Speaking of TC, do you think it would be possible to make the game mode enjoyable by basing it on koth? Like, only a few hills, with several territories leading up to each one.
The koth format would make turtling and scout rushes less viable, and prevent stalemate. The way several territories would be combined into a single landmark-y area would make it less confusing. The extremely short duration of normal koth matches would probably make the duration of the map pretty tolerable.

There is one giant problem with the idea, though; Balancing areas against each other would become even more of a headache than it is with CP-style TC.

[Fr0Z3n]

In my opinion, and I've looked at TC a lot, the best start at going about fixing TC, would be to use Koth.

You want to not use choke points, or corridors, like all TC (Custom and Hydro) have atm, you want Yards. And to prevent one team from turtleing you want an objective that forces offensive play.

So it would be in my opinion that the best TC map, with be one that uses the KoTH mechanic, rather than the 2CP A/D mechanic, and has "yards" (much like a koth map) rather than corridors.

[LeSwordfish]

But then you get a)assymmetric Koth. And B) basically just multistage assymmetric Koth, with some remarkable similarities in spawn design. At which point, why not just make multistage Koth?

[Idolon]

(unrelated to the TC conversation)

A list of ideas/concepts with associated point values is provided for the contest, like such:

• Asymmetric: 15 pts
• Ocean: 10 pts
• Dynamic element: 20 pts
• Production plant: 10 pts
• Volcano: 20 pts
• Capture the King of the Payload Race: 40 pts
• Cats: 20 pts
• Real-world location/landmark: 25 pts
• Alien invasion: 20 pts

Each map made must contain any number of these ideas/concepts, so that their point value is above an arbitrary number. Let's use 50, for example. An asymmetric map with a dynamic element based around sardine production plant in the Pacific would be (15 + 10 + 10 + 20) 55 points. However, a map with cats based on the Empire State Building would only be worth (20 + 25) 45 points, not meeting the required 50, would not qualify for the contest.

I think that a contest like this would force mapmakers to think creatively, and maybe map for things outside of their comfort zone. A serious list would be considerably longer so we don't get 5 maps all based around Attack of the Alien Volcano Cats, and would have less stupid ideas than what I've shown here.