THE 512kb MAPPING CONTEST - Participants Vote

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THE 512kb MAPPING CONTEST - Participants Vote

Post by papercoffee »

This vote will declare the winner of the contest.
Only the Participants who submitted a map are allowed to vote here.

Every mapper will have three votes.
  • 3 points for the most favorite map.
    2 points for the second liked map.
    1 point for the map he/she still like to play.

You can't vote for your own map!

If you could also give some insight in your decision, why a specific map deserves the points you gave, would this be highly appreciated.

Participants:
FraGnBraG
  • CarpathNightmare : 3 points
    IronGuard : 2 points
    MeinKraft : 1 point
Chamberly
  • Sonder : 3 points
    CostaDelw00t : 2 points
    Aquarius : 1 point
Hellkeeper
  • Aquarius : 3 points
    Sonder : 2 points
    Rooftop Rage : 1points
KingJosh
Rocky
  • RooftopRage_v1 : 3 points
    StalwartBasementv2 : 2 points
    Qesh : 1 point
memsys
  • CostaDelw00t : 3 points
    Qesh : 2 points
    1on1-fastPaced : 1 point
Whitey
Waste
jay2
  • MeinKraft : 3 points
    FastPaced : 2 points
    CarpathianNightmare : 1 point
{S.o.W}DeathMask
  • Sonder : 3 points
    Aquarius : 2 points
    CostaDelw00t : 1 point
TheRoel-R
  • CarpNight-V2 : 3 points
    Sonder : 2 points
    DropZone_v2 : 1 point
cro_xt
  • Aquarius : 3 points
    Belacruev1 : 2 points
    CostaDelw00t : 1 point
rtg
TomcaT112
  • Qesh : 3 points
    Isotope42 : 2 points
    CostaDelw00t : 1 point
Sinnical
  • CarpNight : 3 points
    Qesh : 2 points
    ArcaneEnigma : 1 point
Download the maps here viewtopic.php?f=5&t=5953
papercoffee wrote:We have two winner!!

Code: Select all

CarpathNight 3 1 3 3  - 10
IronGuard    2        - 2
MeinKraft    1 3      - 4
Sonder       3 2 3 2  - 10
CostaDelWoot 2 3 1 1 1- 8
Aquarius     1 3 2 3  - 9
RooftopRage  1 3      - 3
StalwartBase 2        - 2
Quesh        1 2 3 2  - 8
FastPased    1 2      - 3
DropZone     1        - 1
Belacruev    2        - 2
Isotope42    2        - 2
ArcaneEnigma 1        - 1
What now Carbon?
The winner will get a unpacked copy of ...uhm... UT*cough*(what was it again Carbon?) and a drawing from me with himself as UT character with his favorite weapon.

BTW... Happy New Year!
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Re: THE 512kb MAPPING CONTEST - Participants Vote

Post by papercoffee »

Open!
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Re: THE 512kb MAPPING CONTEST - Participants Vote

Post by FraGnBraG »

Okay here's my top three, and then the next six that followed ...

MAP --------------------------- AWE CAST BUILD USER TOTAL/10

3-POINTS --> DM-512K-CarpathNightmare-v2 3 2 2 1 8 - #1 best all rounder imo, duel + ffa
2-POINTS --> DM-512k-IronGuard 2 3 2 1 8 - #2 best duel gameplay imo
1-POINT --> CTF-512K-MeinKraft 3 2 2 1 8 - #3 awesome concept, executed well

CTF-512K-CostaDelw00t 3 2 2 0 7 - super fun (dont fall in) party map!!!
DOM-512K-Qesh 3 2 2 0 7 - great atmosphere and DOM gameplay
DM-512K-Sonder 3 2 2 0 7 - orignal theme, tough z-axis duel map
DM-512k-1on1-FastPaced 2 3 2 0 7 - orignal theme, surprisingly fun duel map
CTF-512k-Caliginous-V2 2 2 2 0 6 - good matches here (but fall thru floor sucks)
CTF-512k-Courtyard 2 2 2 0 6 - tougher than it looks, upper route needs fix

All the other maps were rated the same way but came in at 6/10 or less...
Thanks to all mappers who participated - thank you all for the new maps
and good luck in the voting!!!
Last edited by FraGnBraG on Wed Dec 17, 2014 8:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
-=FraGnBraG Level Design=- ***UPDATED! even works on your phone!***
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Re: THE 512kb MAPPING CONTEST - Participants Vote

Post by Hellkeeper »

Here are my thoughts on each entry, totally subjective and personal. I have granted each map a grade on 10 points with absolutely no fixed way to determine what is good or bad, but with 10 being a map I really loved and will play again and 0 being an empty cube with the default texture and 1 playerstart. As usual, I didn't try to be nice while taking notes, so there might be a few harsh stuff for some; sorry if you're angry at me, it was just one guy's very biased opinion and doesn't mean anything in the long run. But first, my personnal winners are:

1 - Aquarius : 3 points
2 - Sonder : 2 points
3 - Rooftop Rage : 1points

And so, in Alphabetical order, a list of thoughts about the maps. Let's mention that I had no idea who was the author of which map while testing, so my personal sympathies don't affect the scoring in the slightest.

First the CTF:


Arcane Engine: nice little map, generic temple theme, some fun ideas (like the teleporter under the pulse gun), but I think it suffers because of the huge straight line in the middle of the map (which makes it possible to snipe anyone's head off from the other side of the map) while the side roads are so full of turns it's very hard to catch the flag carrier once he has gone round a corner. To me, 7/10.

Belacrue: Too spammy, too simple, it's like a LAN map, surely fun with friends but on it's own, not my cup of tea. I'm not a fan of the Rocket+sniper/shock loadout because, well, it ends just like that. Also, the map is extremely dark and more than simple: the texture choice I think, is part of the problem. 5/10

Caliginous: I loved that one. Rarely seen textures, and very well used too! Simple but fun, intricate and open layout, good music choice, nice ideas, great. But there are places where you fall through the floor just beside the Flak Cannons. BLEEEEH. I would have given it a nice 9, but just for that, I lower it to 8/10

Costa Del w00t: I love this one. Simple and nice beach, with a horrible sky texture, but it just feels right, and it plays perfectly. The jumpers mean the game is very fast and very airborne, with plenty of opportunities to deny your enemy the landing on the central cliff; you can then look at him falling to his death. And since it's so small, scores are easy, so the game is tensed and there's plenty of suspense! 9/10

Courtyard: I'm sorry but I don't have much nice things to say about this one. First of all, the gametype is not set, so if you just double-click on the map, it starts as a DM. Second, it's insanely dark, it's barely playable. The layout is small but since everything is almost pitch black, it's confusing nonetheless, I never know where I am. The sky looks like nothing I know, and worse, there seems to be a display bug in the skybox in OpenGl. Finally, the bots play ok, but it's useless as they can't teleport up on the central structure between the two forts, which means you can easily outrun, lose or snipe them from there. In my opinion, this map is only 50% done. 4/10

Gravo: One of these very Q3 maps entirely open in space. It's technically perfect and the layout is simple yet convoluted enough to have some interesting action. Even though I don't like this type of map, it's a very good one and I rate it 9/10

Hall of Midgets: a slightly reworked hall of giants with a skybox. Inherits all the qualities and flaws of the original. Meh. A sad point is that the gravity wells propel you so high you can often see the limit between the map and the skybox. 4/10

In a Cave: Title: In a Cave, subtitle: Cover is for Pussies. It's just a better-looking version of the maps we have all seen on some server where the map consists of a single hollow rectangle with flags in opposite corners. There are a couple of stones, a lower central zone where you can't see anything because there's no light, and weapons and bonuses are scattered. Honestly, I'm disappointed.

Ioneye: I'm usually not a fan of the "flags side by side" design, but this one, I think, works. The texture work is very nice, which is hard with so few polygons, and the lighting is good too. Unfortunately, bots do not navigate it entirely well, as the lifts around the UDamage seem to boggle their minds. I often walk up to two bots of the same time waiting idly for a lift to come down, only for it to go up before they can get on it, and so they remain paralyzed until they die. Too bad. 8/10

Isotope42: nothing to write home about, but a solid layout, if a bit cramped. A few dark spots, a bit bland on the texture side, but it plays correctly, no major flaw, no major quality. 6/10

Kaylon: Nice caves, nice crystal lights, but the layout may be the simplest in the entire contest. I'd rate it as perfect on the technical side and absolutely lacking in terms of gimmick, it just doesn't stand out. 5/10

MeinKraft: The most gimmicky and fun to look at! Very nice use of the theme and simple but efficient layout. Just a few vexing problems: the central lava canyon cannot be escaped with the flag as you cannot jump high enough to climb the small blocky stairs, you have to use the translocator. Once you're down there, you have to use the lower caves. Too bad. Since these stairs are here, I guess it wasn't intentional? Still, a solid 8/10.

Ratcher: It plays fine. Otherwise, nothing much: it's extremely dark (a recurring problem in this contest), visually average. I only played an entire match because it uses the best music in the whole game, but I feel a bit more work put into it could have turned it into a much better map such as Caliginous. 4/10

Rooftop Rage: I came in fully expecting to hate this one but nope, it's very good. Classic city theme, with an awesome layout. Slaloming your way between sniper shots while trying to get to your base was never as cool. It's not too dark, bots play excellent, a great success! 9/10

Templeness: Gametype is not set, so it launches at deathmatch by default. Too dark! What the hell people! Otherwise, not a bad map and I like some of the architecture. 6/10

The Beat goes On: the opposite of Rootop Rage I wanted to like it because it looks nice but I actually got bored. Nothing is sadder than a boring UT match. I couldn't pinpoint the problem exactly, but there is exactly 0 reason to take the lower path and I think more jumpers would have helped. Right now it feels slow. 6/10

Now entering DM territory.

FastPaced: Very good map, many cool ideas, I enjoyed it a lot. Too bad it's symmetric though (there's only a slight difference between the two sides), but otherwise I loved it.
I feel the weird teleporter portals could have been advantageously replaced by warpzones, I don't know if size would have been an issue then. 8/10

Warmup Party: there's nothing in there. I know there's a public for this kind of map but I'm really not part of it. I'm actually amazed this map is above 200k given that it must consist of something like 10 brushes. 2/10

Aquarius: I don't like minimaps. First because the concept doesn't interests me at all, second because they almost universally suck. I am blown away by this one which not only doesn't suck at all: it's an immensely successful DM layout and very well executed, complex but easy to learn, good weapon placement, easy to navigate, never too far away from action... It also has a clear non-distracting theme, which is very well executed, and it's the first map I see where you can go in the skybox... And it serves the gameplay and it's fun too. This is hands down the best map so far. I can only lament the fact that it's so dark; good thing though; it doesn't hamper the game, as you can always see the light at the end of some tunnel and thus always know where to go. Not really a sight to behold, but a most excellent map. 10/10

Ataraxia: I don't have anything to fault this map for: it's a small interesting DM layout. It just lacks something to pop out of the list: bland well-executed theme, bland well-executed lighting, bots play well, no problem, but "ok" is not enough. 7/10

Atrium: Much like Ataraxia, I don't get why it's titled like it is, but whatever. Seriously, what is the problem with lighting in this contest? Most maps are insanely dark. This is a void map, which isn't a problem in itself, but it also has low gravity, which is not a problem either in itself, but it's so dark I can barely see where I'm about to step. With the absence of any railguard anywhere, Mars needs to be in just the right conjunction for me to know I'm not going to happily walk to my death. The central gravity well is a nice idea, but otherwise, this map inherits all the problems of void maps and low-grav maps: projectile weapons are useless, hitscan weapons reign supreme; most deaths seem to be people being shockrifled out of the map. 6/10

Carp Night: first, it's not set during the night, so wat? Then, the map is thematically very good. I loved the shieldbelt area, the keg o'health with its windows, the well... THe problem is that you spend most of the time running in very long, very narrow, very square corridors. It's marginally dark too, so that the map wasn't as fun to play as I expected. 6/10

Iron Guard: The kind of map where the money is not on the screen. It's ugly, it really is, it's the worst-looking map of the pack. But it's easy to see that this wasn't DeathMask's problem: it's one of the best DM layout of the pack and full of good ideas on every level. Rooms are color coded, pickups are well-placed, even the ugly design has some good ideas, everything fits nicely for a frantic deathmatch game. This is THE map I hope to see a "HD" remake of later. 7/10

Ciudad: Very amibitous map, quite large, but I feel it fails to be really cool to play. Can't say much as it's really a subjective opinion. However, the idea is good and there's nothing inherently wrong. 6/10

OoeyGooey: Nothing as sad as a map without music with just about 1 bloop bloop sound looping in one room. Bright purple lighting, at least needs some weird disco music.
This maps was meh to me. Nothing stands out, it's not especially fun to play. 5/10

Sonder: Really enjoyable, good-looking, very easy to navigate, and all the weapon, health, armor and jumpboot bases make sure you know where to look at to get your gear. It's completely open, yet it's easy to find some cover. The green lava around the lower area are very annoying though. All in all, a great level. 9/10

StalwartBasement: This one is really not great. Visually, it's below average, the gameplay is pretty much flat except for a couple of transitions between the two levels, and so most of the fight happens on a flat ground. Bots seem to have a couple of issues to. 4/10

Thunderdome: No music :( Apart from that, the map is not bad per se, but it seems buggy. In at least one place, I could go through the fences and fall outside the map while nothing visually indicated it. The meshing was also not masked, so I had a dome of black around the area and the upper platform was opaque too. As for the rest, it's a pure arena, nothing more nothing less. 5/10

Vjenceslav: Geometry gone crazy! I hope you don't like right angles because there's barely any! A few interesting ideas with the "Fly." tiles, the many places where you can speed up by ramp-dodging, etc. But the layout doesn't exploit this and so the map is fairly average. The shield belt requires a small platforming feat which, in a DM is completely out of place, annoying and barely do-able in a fighting situation. Worst, if you fail, you fall in the slime with your belt and can't get out, so you have to wait for it to eat away your belt before killing you. This map feels like a ton of good ideas which are kind of wasted. 5/10

Finally, the wasteland of DOM, since only two maps were made for it and I can't very well review my own.

DropZone: Gimmicky, it looks extremely good, but suffers from a number of problems. First of all, good luck knowing at what level you are when you need to access a certain control point. Second, I died by leaving a "small crater" in about one jump down out of three, and it's annoying when you obviously haven't hit anything and were in fact approching one of the glowing spheres you were aiming at (which, thank god, allow you to rebound without splattering on the ground). The playable zone is huge but empty, I think scale is kind of an issue and a slightly more compact room would have been an improvement. Bots work ok, but they sometimes take a jumper only to land on another jumper and go back where they come from. This also happenned to me, so jumpers might benefit from a nice offset from their current position. As a conclusion, DOM is my favourite stock gametype because it's so frenetic; this level felt quite slow, in contrast. All in all, a good demo level and nice tech, but not that much pleasurable to play on. 6/10
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Re: THE 512kb MAPPING CONTEST - Participants Vote

Post by {S.o.W}DeathMask »

Ladies and Gentlemen,
My turn with votings. And according to voting rules, I should make a top 3 rank of my favorite 512k maps, besides mine (obviously, as otherwise everybody would have voted for their own map/s, making this thread nonsense) and give a small explanation. It comes to me that a review would be heavily appreciated, also.
Before beginning, I'd like to inform that it's been hard to determine which maps i liked most. This ranking is created with a criteria, not just by looking it and saying "cool."

This is how I'll structure the ranking:

Map #n: MAPNAME
-Small comment on why did i vote for this map.
-Geometry: /10 (with a little comment)
-Lighting: /10 (with a little comment)
-item Placement: /10 (with a little comment)
-Pathing: /10 (with a little comment)
-Game flow: /5 (offline), /5 (online) (with a little comment)
-Overall: /10 (with a little comment)
-Notes:

So let's start from Map #3: CTF-512K-CostaDelw00t

I'll give this map 1 point because I always liked outside environment when done properly. Otherwise, one should stick to either a typical industrial/futuristic map without BSP terrain or an abstract one.
This one fused the good outside geometry (that cave in the middle, acting like a divider between the two bases: I liked it much. Good job.) with the crazy w00t action.

Geometry: 7/10.
Basic geometry (the one that counts) is awesome. Too bad it lacks some details that could give the game an interesting atmosphere. Plus, on the water edge of the map (in contact with the skybox) one can see what's in the map and what it's not. I won't count that one much, as it's very hard to make an external environment covering that effect through sea.

Lighting: 9/10.
Someone told me that lighing isn't much effective on making the atmosphere to a map. That one makes silly cubes with no paths, no lights and no placement. Just a cube with a lot of PlayerStart actors.
This map is proof that this guy knows that the one who told me such blasphemy is actually not true. Seeing how the sunlight was structured impressed me. Really a good job. Lighting is a strong point in this map, and has earned it the third place.
On a side note, the lighting though isn't flawless: Despite the space limitations it could have been done a little better. But still, awesome lighting.

Item placement: 7/10.
I like how items are placed in the map, but what I didn't exactly expect, though, was that in case one gets severe damage has to run around a big box to heal themselves. This ruins the game flow by a little. Other than that, good placement.
On a side note, I also liked team colored health and green for the central part. Vials next to the Keg O' Health weren't that necessary though.

Pathing: 7/10.
Bots do pretty well on the map, doing the basic CTF stuff. But the terrain at their disposal isn't exploited enough, making the bot predictable, on various occasions. Other than that, it fully surpasses the exam.

Game Flow: 2/5 (offline), 4/5 (online).
I enjoyed playing this map with my friends. A lot. And so did they. Not the same could be said if we're talking about off-line gameplay: As I said before, bots become predictable sometimes, ruining the gameplay at such moments. Despite all, Game flow gains a 6/10 total score. Not bad, considering that this is the weakest point of the map and still it over the 5/10.

Overall: 7/10.
This isn't a flawless map (I never saw a perfect one either, to be honest), but it's a really competitive one, and I liked it from various aspects. Playing it was a pleasant experience.

Notes:
Good job with the colored health pickups, the terrain structure and the lighting (last one above all). Make these three points yours of strength. Good job.


And now, map #2: DM-512K-Aquarius

This map surprised me with the external action. It surprised me enough to earn its author the second place, thus 2 points.

Geometry: 8/10.
I enjoyed the external layout of the map a lot. At first impact, I immediately said "this map is gonna kick a$$". From outside, it's impressive, I'd say. But the internal part of the fortress could have been better. In the end, I liked it.
One thing I disliked, though, was putting such fortress in an aquarium (hence the name). I'd have preferred it either on a peak over the clouds, lit by the moon or in some city ruins (but the size limit would have made it extremely hard to make properly)

Lighting: 7/10.
Very good lighting. Not much to say about it. If the fortress wasn't in an aquarium. Light ing structure was really good, but it lacks some watery effects and water reflexes (above all). Just putting a water texture on the top is far from making a proper aquarium. Aside from that, well done.

Item placement: 9/10.
Items were placed with a good criteria, making a good favour to the game flow, both online and offline. The way items are placed (weapon location and near ammo, especially) balances the map, without leaving the player totally defenseless. Great balance.

Pathing: 8/10.
Bots really seem to like the map. Nothing much to add, despite that sometimes (could it be the mods?) they just stop or go on a loop at some locations. At random, too.

Game Flow: 3/5 (offline), 4/5 (online).
A good geometry and a balanced item placement help the gameflow a lot. Here, though, Geometry doesn't do its gob properly: Although the external part of the fortress is simply awesome, the inside has some big lacks (The fowers, for an instance: Lifts are way too small, and the stairs seem to block the player movement. Too small.). One small thing to highlight is the weirdness of the slant leading to the Rocket Launcher. Seems like it has small holes inside, as I either slip or get blocked inside, somewhere. Aside from that, bombing other players or bots from above with the Rocket Launcher was a good thing.

Overall: 8/10.
Incredible atmosphere, if you ignore you're inside a strange aquarium. But in overall the map has been really enjoyable and I loved to spend my time on it.

Notes:
That aquarium. Seems like a small thing, but it riuns the atmosphere a lot. Though, the teleporter to the skybox: Nice idea, Also nice that it deals damege, preventing eventual spams.


It's time for the 512k map I liked most: DM-512K-Sonder

Excellent flow. It reminded me some of UT2003's action. Extremely appreciated.

Geometry: 9/10.
Simple, yet so complex. Living proof that there's no need of super duper uber details for a map to be good. This geometry complex lacks some details, it's true, but such lack is totally compensated by the presence of other elements. I must say I felt some nostalgy when I played it. Very nice job. Really. The only reason I don't give it a full 10/10 is that a little more work on aesthetical details could be done. Nothing more.

Lighting: 9/10.
Extremely immersive on my side. Despite the map being simple, the lighting gives the map a mystery tone. I personally love this feeling. Lighting is almost perfect. Another 9/10.

Item placement: 9/10.
Excellent placement of the items. Though I'd have put the Belt where the Amp is, the Amp where the Armor is, and the Armor where the Belt is. Adding a textured sheet below every object (including vials) is a great thing, that increased the Geometry and the overall votes. Great job.

Pathing: 9/10.
Hey! bots are almost human. But pathing lacks some basic work. Great work on the complex one, but it covers the basic one...Still, the bots act very good.

Game Flow: 5/5 (offline), 5/5 (online).
Nothing to say. Votes speak by themselves.

Overall: 9/10.
Excellent geometry, lighting and atmosphere. This map made my UT-character feel younger. Simply, I love it.

Notes:
After the votations are over, expect to see this map into my server.


To synthetize it all:
1 - DM-512k-Sonder (3 points)
2 - DM-512k-Aquarius (2 points)
3 - CTF-512K-CostaDelw00t (1 point)
{S.o.W}DeathMask, 9 times CWC UT2003, 1 time EMKTC.

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Re: THE 512kb MAPPING CONTEST - Participants Vote

Post by memsys »

And I just finished writing reviews for the maps.

Disclaimer: while I try to be fair I am not a robot so I am biased by my own likes and dislikes. The reviews are my thoughts on the map and are not intended to be mean or offensive, if you are offended I apologise.
Also note that further down the list you go the shorter and more aggressive (for a lack of a better word) the reviews become, this is due to my limited time and energy not the map.

DM
Spoiler
DM-512K-1on1-fastPaced
Author: rtg
Pros: Well made duel map. Good pathing, uses textures well, use of icons on the ground for pickups, lots of fun!

Cons: Small (compared to some other maps but its a duel map to yea), suffers from edge of the world syndrome (not that is matters THAT much here), portals on the high parts of the level are on a very small ledge so when you keep walking forward trough those portals you are likely to fall off to the level below, the wall across the body armour is too hard to jump up (only works from a specific spot), lighting is a bit bland and could use some variety, no ambient sound.

Issues: near the rocket launcher the lighting is messed up and the textures for the portal are a bit weird as well (red and blue textures instead of one colour).

Conclusion: It's not the best looking map or the largest or the most impressive but it's a REALLY good AND fun duel map.


DM-512k-1on1-WarmupParty-V1, DM-512k-1on1-WarmupParty-V2, DM-512k-1on1-WarmupParty-V3
Author: rtg
Pros: I like the concept of a simple warm-up map.

Cons: pretty much everything else! The maps have no screenshot or level info (breaking the rules), there is no layout, there is no pathing in V1 and V2, V2 has the shield belt in a hole you cant jump out of, V3 allows you to walk to the edge of the world, the .ZIP file has 3 screenshots stored as .BMP taking up ~9mb, no ambient sound.

Conclusion: No, just no...


DM-512K-Aquarius
Author: Sinnical
Pros: I like the idea of a fish tank level, implemented well, nice lighting, awesome skybox, ambient sound!

Cons: There are a few dark spots that could be easily fixed, there is too little health in the level, jumping/dodging from the GES to the teleporter is impossible as well as from the enforcer to the shield belt by a small amount making it look like you could make the jump, the recommended 4-10 players is not realistic, 5 players is ok but 7 is too much, the bottom of the level looks weird because of the skybox (admittedly it's not something that is easy to fix).

Issues: one misaligned floor texture.

Conclusion: Good map that is fun but it could use a little tweaking.


DM-512k-Ataraxia
Author: {S.o.W}DeathMask
Pros: Well made duel map, nice layout, good pathing, good lighting , tons of detail, nice Z-azis, fun to play.

Cons: Small (compared to some other maps but its a duel map to yea), no ambient sounds.

Issues: some textures are not aligned properly but not really that noticeable.

Conclusion: good DM map with impressive visuals that plays well.


DM-512k-Atriumv1
Author: jay2
Pros: Nice idea, done reasonably well, nice skybox.

Cons: Way WAY too dark, the upper part of the level needs more pickups, almost of the pickups are all spread out on the lowest part of the level, the ring is WAY too thin, pathing needs work

Issues: The deathzone is too shallow allowing players to hit the bottom

Conclusion: low grav is not my cup of tea but it's an ok map, it really could use some tweaks and after that the map would be MUCH better.


DM-512k-IronGuard
Author: {S.o.W}DeathMask
Pros: plays well, skybox looks good, lighting is ok, pathing is good

Cons: Thematically inconsistent, and the layout leaves things to be desired.

Issues: the green ramp REALLY needs some trim

Conclusion: it's an ok map, the biggest problem is that it is incredibly inconsistent.


DM-512K-KJ-Ciudad
Author: KingJosh
Pros: It's the only DM city level in the contest, lighting is ok, bots work.

Cons: Painfully obvious edge of the world, bsp is not that good, the contest logo is not masked and the level contains 2 versions of the texture so that eats up space that could otherwise have been used, the layout is a mess with many seemingly useless rooms, a tunnel is not lit at all.

Issues:

Conclusion: a good attempt at making a city level that sadly did not turn out to be that good.


DM-512k-OoeyGooey
Author: Whitey
Pros: looks good, good lighting, good pathing, environmental sound.

Cons: The map is recommended for 2-4 players and that is a bit on the empty side if you ask me as a map this size can probably hold 4-6 with ease but there are only 5 player starts, the goo does 200 damage per second meaning you are dead if you hit it combined with some iffy jumps you are going to lose a lot of points that way, the armour is quite a cruel trap as the only way to get those is to KNOW that you will drop into the near instadeath goo unless you impacthammer the wall the second you grab the armour, I would have liked to see one more path to the lowest part of the level.

Issues: a good amount of misaligned textures.

Conclusion: great looking map that really needs to fix a few things to be one of the better DM maps.


DM-512K-Sonder
Author: TomcaT112
Pros: Looks good, trimmed very well, good lighting, good pathing, smart use of meshes, uses colour coded decoration for pickups, interesting layout, fun to play.

Cons: instadeath goo the only reason that it is not horrible is that it's relatively hard to fall into it, layout is extremely open with little to nothing to allow to hide from enemy fire, 4 players might be too much for the level due to the open nature.

Issues: pickup deco is too high off the floor making it look weird if you walk up a ramp.

Conclusion: Most of the issues are inherent to maps that are this open, other then that this is a pretty damn good map (with the exception of the instadeath goo)


DM-512K-StalwartBasementV2
Author: Chamberly
Pros: Good lighting, proper pathing, environmental sounds.

Cons: 1-10 players does not really work 6 feels like the max to me, the layout is a mess, not enough space to hide from enemy fire, feels like a bunch of subtracted cubes with some stuff added back in, players can spawn one jump away from the bigkeg so that kinda breaks the balance, not enough ammo in the level, why the hell is the pulse ammo on the walls?!

Issues: Texture scaling does not match on the stairs, making use of more then 2 textures for the lights would help make it look a bit better.

Conclusion: I like the idea, and the level is not even that bad if you consider the lighting and pathing but the layout of this map just kills it for me and not in a good way.


DM-512K-Thunderdome
Author: Waste
Pros: Looks good, decent lighting, good use of meshes, nice duel map.

Cons: Some of the deco stuff can be destroyed and some of them explode, pathing could use some work as the bots can't use the jump pads properly, the recommended 4 players is a bit on the high side (with bots at least) because the map is so open, the kickers don't work to well unless you increase air control, no music.

Issues: There are a few homs here and there nothing game breaking, the fence of the dome does not align nicely, there is a barrel that is not supported making it "float".

Conclusion: This map is better off played without bots, other that that is's a fun duel map.


DM-512k-Vjenceslav
Author: cro_xt
Pros: Trick jumps!, ok pathing, smart use of the cliffy B pretty fly texture!

Cons: Oh boy, Geometry is all over the place (mostly made with the 2D shape editor), textures use is also all over the place, seemingly random coloured lights, no light sources, seemingly random trick moves all over the place, the shieldbelt is a death trap because of the flow of the toxic water/ooze, the vertical corridor above the slime pit is a death trap.

Issues: No screen shot visible in game because the screen shot was not named "screenshot", level information is not visible in game either probably because of something similar, contest logo is not flagged as masked

Conclusion: This map is terrible! Everything is all over the place! I should hate this map so much but I see a bunch of really interesting and fun stuff in the form of trick moves that I want to slap some mapping skill in you and see what you come up with :mrgreen:!
CTF
Spoiler
CTF-512K-ArcaneEnigma_v1
Author: FraGnBraG
Pros: Large map, good use of textures, smart use of meshes,goof lighting, well done pathing, nicely detailed, proper zoning.

Cons: no ambient sound, bots tend to mainly use the lower route.

Issues: The map has a few homs but nothing major, a number of misaligned textures.

Conclusion: A well made CTF map that makes maximum use of the 512k, very impressive!


CTF-512k-Belacruev1
Author: jay2
Pros: the skybox is nice, working pathing, potential to be a good map.

Cons: under lit, all player spawn next to their flag, moss/vines are used in bad way, way too little ammo and health, edge of the world problem, 12 players is too crowded.

Issues: contest logo is not masked.

Conclusion: This is a rough map that needs some tweaks.


CTF-512k-Caliginous-V2
Author: {S.o.W}DeathMask, Memsys
Pros: Good lighting, good layout, good pathing, smart use of meshes, environmental sounds, colour coded

team base/side.

Cons: 12 players feels overcrowded, ICH at the top of the level should have been a block all player actor, fall trough floor in the bridge kinda suck.

Issues:

Conclusion: A well made CTF map that looks good and is fun to play. (Note: while I am credited as co-author I only did the optimisation for this map, while I still view this as DeathMask's map I might be somewhat biased because I helped with it)


CTF-512K-CostaDelw00t
Author: TheRoel-R
Pros: Looks good, fun to play, good map for the bounce gametype, good lighting, nice layout, environmental sounds, team coloured pickups.

Cons: Edge of world syndrome, skybox is blocky as in you can see it's a cube, bots don't like the alt/side.

path.

Issues: TheRoel-R forgot to add recommended player count.

Conclusion: This map is stupid fun! While it has insta death goo it's implemented well despite not looking like deadly goo. It has some skybox/ end of world issues (it's visible but not that bad) but in the heat of battle you are unlikely to see it. This map also plays REALLY well with the bounce gametype making it even more fun to play!


CTF-512k-Courtyard
Author: Whitey
Pros: Interesting layout, decent lighting, good pathing,

Cons: The skybox is rather ugly, green lighting in the bases should be team coloured IMO, the courtyard needs some work as it is rather flat and blocky, map is under lit, recommended 2-8 players should be 6-10 IMO, some pickups are placed WAY too close to each other, layout feels a bit weird.

Issues: some textures are misaligned.

Conclusion: This map is a gem in the rough, if Whitey puts a bit of work into it to take the rough edges off this could be a really nice map!


CTF-512K-Gravo_V2
Author: Rocky
Pros: nice skybox, good pathing, ok lighting.

Cons: Feels like this should have been a low(er) gravity map, textures use is rather bland.

Issues:

Conclusion: it plays ok, not my type of map but I really think that this map would benefit from some low(er) gravity. Map plays well with bounce.


CTF-512K-HallOfMidgets_v1
Author: FraGnBraG
Pros: good pathing, good lighting,

Cons: The reveb is so annoying! The boost tunnels boost the player so hard you can see over the edge of the level into the skybox, pretty much a smaller remake of CTF-HallOfGiants.

Issues:

Conclusion: A smaller version of hall of giants, plays well, that is about it.


CTF-512k-In_A_Cave
Author: Chamberly
Pros: A brave attempt at making a cave level.

Cons: pretty much everything, the walls are mostly straight, the centre is an underlit cube, WAY too open, bots have issues to name but a few things.

Issues:

Conclusion: broken is the best word to describe this map.


CTF-512K-Ioneye-v2
Author: Sinnical
Pros: Looks good, good lighting, good pathing, smart use of meshes, environmental sounds.

Cons: I don't like the layout, the shield belt and amp feel too clumped together.

Issues:

Conclusion: Looks good but I don't like how it plays.


CTF-512K-Kaylon Caves_V2
Author: Rocky
Pros: The caves look nice.

Cons: WAY too dark in the caves, weapons are limited, layout is a circle, the contest logo sticks out creating movement issues, 128K wasted on logo imports that are unused.

Issues:

Conclusion: I don't like the sniper+shock+rocket loadout of the level and I think the caves are way too dark to be playable.


CTF-512k-Ratchet
Author: Jay2
Pros:

Cons: Bot's are broken, texture use is bad, map is too dark, layout needs work, 128k worth of unused myleveled textures, there is a map with this name already!

Issues:

Conclusion: playing this map with bots is undoable! one of the bots decided to return the flag to it's team, so yea...


CTF-512K-RooftopRage
Author: FraGnBraG
Pros: Looks good, good lighting, good pathing, nice layout.

Cons: snipers are overpowered.

Issues:

Conclusion: This is how you do a city/rooftop level well. The biggest issue I have with this map is that the snipers can hit almost everything in the level.


CTF-512K-Templeness
Author: Whitey
Pros: looks ok, decent lighting, environmental sounds

Cons: Bots are broken because they refuse to take the flag and tend to camp the base, team lighting needs to be improved, WAY too dark, stairs that are not properly connected to a wall.

Issues:

Conclusion: offline testing/playing is not possible because the bots are broken. Map looks good if it was not so dark.


CTF-512K-TheBeatGoesOn_V5a
Author: FraGnBraG
Pros: Looks good, good lighting, proper pathing, nice details, interesting layout

Cons: Too open, I don't like that you NEED jump boots to get to the flag from the lower level, bots are easy to fool.

Issues:

Conclusion: This map looks nice but I think it really needs a path from the lower level to the higher level without jump boots.
DOM
Spoiler
DOM-512K-DropZone_v2
Author: FraGnBraG
Pros: Fun idea, good lighting, bots work.

Cons: Not enough weapons, blue spheres have a too powerful lens flare, dying is a bit too easy as you take a LOT of damage when you drop to a level below your current one.

Issues:

Conclusion: This map has a fun gimmick but besides that it is nothing special, there are not enough weapons in the level leaving you with only an enforcer unless you walk a loooong distance and good luck with the ammo!


DOM-512K-Qesh
Author: Hellkeeper
Pros: Looks good, good lighting, environmental sounds, nice layout, detailed.

Cons: 10 players feels busy 12 is certainly too much.

Issues:

Conclusion: This is a really well made map that looks as good as it plays!



And now for my personal favourite maps

Third place (1 point) goes to:
DM-512K-1on1-fastPaced
Intense twitchy fun! Own or get owned and run for your life as you try to outsmart your opponent!
Review:
Spoiler
DM-512K-1on1-fastPaced
Author: rtg
Pros: Well made duel map. Good pathing, uses textures well, use of icons on the ground for pickups, lots of fun!

Cons: Small (compared to some other maps but its a duel map to yea), suffers from edge of the world syndrome (not that is matters THAT much here), portals on the high parts of the level are on a very small ledge so when you keep walking forward trough those portals you are likely to fall off to the level below, the wall across the body armour is too hard to jump up (only works from a specific spot), lighting is a bit bland and could use some variety, no ambient sound.

Issues: near the rocket launcher the lighting is messed up and the textures for the portal are a bit weird as well (red and blue textures instead of one colour).

Conclusion: It's not the best looking map or the largest or the most impressive but it's a REALLY good AND fun duel map.
Second place (2 points) goes to:
DOM-512K-Qesh
Technical excellence, most overall polished map that feels like no corners where cut, that makes the map feel larger then it is and that plays damn good!
Review:
Spoiler
DOM-512K-Qesh
Author: Hellkeeper
Pros: Looks good, good lighting, environmental sounds, nice layout, detailed.

Cons: 10 players feels busy 12 is certainly too much.

Issues:

Conclusion: This is a really well made map that looks as good as it plays!
First place (3 points) goes to:
CTF-512K-CostaDelw00t
Insanity! the fun kind! The kind of map you want to play with friends over and over, has flaws but also has nice details and pulls of the atmosphere really well. Did I mention this map is fun?
Review:
Spoiler
CTF-512K-CostaDelw00t
Author: TheRoel-R
Pros: Looks good, fun to play, good map for the bounce gametype, good lighting, nice layout, environmental sounds, team coloured pickups.

Cons: Edge of world syndrome, skybox is blocky as in you can see it's a cube, bots don't like the alt/side path.

Issues: TheRoel-R forgot to add recommended player count.

Conclusion: This map is stupid fun! While it has insta death goo it's implemented well despite not looking like deadly goo. It has some skybox/ end of world issues (it's visible but not that bad) but in the heat of battle you are unlikely to see it. This map also plays REALLY well with the bounce gametype making it even more fun to play!
EDIT: to answer some of hellkeepers questions
Hellkeeper wrote:Carp Night: first, it's not set during the night, so wat?
It's short for Carpathian Nightmare.
Hellkeeper wrote:the central lava canyon cannot be escaped with the flag as you cannot jump high enough to climb the small blocky stairs, you have to use the translocator. Once you're down there, you have to use the lower caves. Too bad. Since these stairs are here, I guess it wasn't intentional?
If you mean the block stairs going from the lava cave/gully to the grassy top route those are indeed usable to go from the lower to the top route. If you mean to escape the lava then no there is no option for that as I did not even think about that when I was rushing to finish the map.
Last edited by memsys on Wed Dec 17, 2014 12:49 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: THE 512kb MAPPING CONTEST - Participants Vote

Post by jay2 »

After looking through the maps, here are my results:

CTF-ArcaneEnigma - Enjoyed theme/concept
CTF-Caliginous - Interesting layout
CTF-CostaDelW00t - Beautiful aesthetics/layout (more of an instagib map)
CTF-Courtyard - Beautiful lighting
CTF-Gravo - Neat bouncer idea
CTF-HallofMIdgets - Miniture version of hall of giants
CTF-In A Cave - Fun little concept (Possibly a good instagib map)
CTF-Ioneye - Interesting concept
CTF-Isotope 42 - Cool layout (Slime should kill)
CTF-Kaylonv2 - Fast paced but cave lights may be overdone
CTF-MeinKraft - Best concept map
CTF-Rooftoprage - Classic map with fun gameplay 1
CTF-Templeness - Relaxing lighting. (May make good instagib map)
CTF-Thebeatgoeson - Fun and fast paced (Possibly good instagib?)

Dom-Dropzone - Interesting concept (Some of lights were too bright)
Dom-Qesh - Best of the dom maps submitted

DM-Fastpaced - Amazing flow
DM-Warmupparty - Too small
DM-Aquarius - Castle themed
DM-Atraxia - Small and fast paced
DM-Carpathiannightmare - Interesting theme 1
Dm-IronGuard - Fast paced
DM-Ciudad - Another city map
DM-OoeyGooey - DM with BT
DM-Sonder- Fast paced with good gameplay
DM-StalwartBasement - Interesting concept
DM-Thunderdome - Interesting concept
DM-Vjenceslav - Fun gameplay and dodges

Winners:
First Place: CTF-MeinKraft (3)

The concept won me over

Second Place: DM-FastPaced (2)

The flow won me over

Third Place: DM-CarpathianNightmare (1)

Enjoyed overall theme and flow

Runner up: CTF-RoofTopRage

Classic city map
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Re: THE 512kb MAPPING CONTEST - Participants Vote

Post by papercoffee »

Keep it going guys ;)
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Re: THE 512kb MAPPING CONTEST - Participants Vote

Post by Hellkeeper »

memsys wrote:EDIT: to answer some of hellkeepers questions
Hellkeeper wrote:Carp Night: first, it's not set during the night, so wat?
It's short for Carpathian Nightmare.
Ah ok, I was a bit confused. Be sure it was a minor interrogation and didn't weigh into my decision :wink:
memsys wrote:
Hellkeeper wrote:the central lava canyon cannot be escaped with the flag as you cannot jump high enough to climb the small blocky stairs, you have to use the translocator. Once you're down there, you have to use the lower caves. Too bad. Since these stairs are here, I guess it wasn't intentional?
If you mean the block stairs going from the lava cave/gully to the grassy top route those are indeed usable to go from the lower to the top route. If you mean to escape the lava then no there is no option for that as I did not even think about that when I was rushing to finish the map.
So it's intentional, good ! It's better than if it had been a real mistake. It remains a bit confusin and frustrating though, but that's something really not very important. The map is still very cool anyway!
You must construct additional pylons.
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Re: THE 512kb MAPPING CONTEST - Participants Vote

Post by papercoffee »

Where are the votes??
If someone knows the whereabouts (other forums) of the remaining participants ...please inform them about the voting.
I'll PM them anyways ... but better safe than sorry.
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Re: THE 512kb MAPPING CONTEST - Participants Vote

Post by cro_xt »

Here's my vote:
3 points DM-512K-Aquarius
2 points CTF-512k-Belacruev1
1 point CTF-512K-CostaDelw00t

So first to say, i am much more experienced player then mapper.I just cant compete with you guys yet :). I have spent over 8000+ hours playing the game and have like 100h of maping. i have played allot of different mods, competed in ladders and cups and as a player only few maps here have got my interest of playing them.
There are allot of maps that have great visual look but as i looked better and started playing them, i was only disappointed. Paths too big or too narrow, too big or too small rooms or bad connection between the rooms when everything was fine.
There are maps that are just looking incredible but lack gameplay, and its obvious the mapper knows his/her job, but to those, have a look of the maps that have been played the most. most often simple maps are.
The hardest of all is to make a map everyone likes to play.

Aquarius
made me laugh at first when i saw where i actually am, but when i saw the map and played it, it offered me lots of ways to move from and yet its not complicated at all. The map can be played in many ways and it does require skill to play it well. You can play open if you move on tops, or you can try the narrow ways, well connected. Texturing is great imo.Very simple and clean. Geometry awesome, i really have that smooth feeling when i play it. Lights simple.
Just a great map to play. I will upload it on few servers! (if i can)

Belacruev1
I have played ctf allot beside TDM and played lots of similar maps and beside the design of the map that is overused already, this map is made just awesome. i would enjoy play it with both insta and all weapons.
Not much to say but the size is great and its really playable. The only thing i dislike is lights. Colors are too warm imo. But still it didnt prevent me playing it.

CostaDelw00t
I have for long time a wish to copy a map from ps1 console game into ut. And I just saw how cool and fun it can be while playing such a map.(im not saying its a copy, but a map id like to make is same idea)
Fun is what its all about, and all i can say its cool map, cool idea, a little different map then i used to play. Desigh, textures, lights, everything good.Good job!

So, thanks for letting me to participate in this contest, I hope i did not offend anyone by saying this, after all it is just my own opinion! i will be looking forward to next one, next time i will try to come up with something that will make both others and me happy with design, because thats what its all about!
Shame a cup was not made with all the new maps, after all the good maps that were voted here.
Cheers, I hope i can ask for an advice now and then here!
Greetings, Tom.
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Re: THE 512kb MAPPING CONTEST - Participants Vote

Post by TheRoel-R »

Alright!

First of all, I am pretty much only a BT mapper/player,
and I hardly ever play any other gametype. So my judgment
will mostly be based on personal taste and impressions, rather than the more technical aspects specific for a certain gametype.
(For example, the ideal player count or the quality of the bot pathing etc)

Here is my top-3

3 points: DM-512k-CarpNight-V2
Really liked the looks of this one, and the little details, such as the breaking windows at the health pack,
or the grate above the shield belt you can shoot but now walk through.
Also really enjoyed playing it, I liked the fact there is one central action-packed area,
yet still plenty of opportunity to walk around.


2 points: DM-512K-Sonder
Also a very nice looking map. The trimming is done very well and I liked the bit of volumetric light at the top.
The different height levels with the bridges and ramps worked well, as the map is quite
open spaced and it is quite easy the change between different levels.

The minor issues I had with the map is that the inventory-spot-decoration appears a bit too high off the ground,
and it felt a bit harder to get out of the lowest pit compared to changing between other height levels.
Nevertheless very nice map, hence 2 points :)

1 point: DOM-512K-DropZone_v2
I really liked how the warpzones gave the feeling of a very large space,
making the map appear larger than it really is.
The map is good looking and nicely lit, and I liked the look of the floating balls in mid-air.
Sometimes it is a bit confusing on at with CP you are, but despite that
really enjoyed playing it.

So these were my votes!
I hope what I said makes at least a little bit of sense, these are simply my impressions and opinions,
but as I said, I am not most familiar with any of the gametypes in this contest.
Good job to all the mappers that participated, I really saw some interesting maps, and all within 512kB!

@papercoffee: I think FraGnBraG's points are the wrong way around in the first post.
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Re: THE 512kb MAPPING CONTEST - Participants Vote

Post by papercoffee »

TheRoel-R wrote: @papercoffee: I think FraGnBraG's points are the wrong way around in the first post.
Oh ...you are right. Thank you.
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Re: THE 512kb MAPPING CONTEST - Participants Vote

Post by TomcaT112 »

Here is my vote:

3 Points -DOM Qesh - Incredible atmosphere (I can't emphasize that enough), great symmetrical DOM gameplay.
2 Points -CTF Isotope42 - Great classic CTF gameplay, love the jumping pad at the base.
1 Point -CTF CasaDelWoot - Lots of fast paced fun, woot pads are honed in to a dime. Perfect

It's been fun! I enjoyed almost all the maps but those are my favorites. Cheers all!
Last edited by TomcaT112 on Fri Dec 19, 2014 3:49 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: THE 512kb MAPPING CONTEST - Participants Vote

Post by Hellkeeper »

TomcaT112 wrote:3-DOM Qesh - Incredible atmosphere (I can't emphasize that enough), great symmetrical DOM gameplay.
2-CTF Isotope42 - Great classic CTF gameplay, love the jumping pad at the base.
1-CTF CasaDelWoot - Lots of fast paced fun, woot pads are honed in to a dime. Perfect
Are the numbers the position of each map on the podium or the number of points given to each (this would invert the order)?
You must construct additional pylons.
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