The Wednesday Report.

[Windecker]

Due to a lack of input on my part due to various time constraints in several areas, I have not been around to keep this place up or rally up attention. Similar can be said for a lot of other people who don't have the extra time to get this place on it's feet, so I would like to make a proposition and a request.
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This was supposed to be run by several people initially, with the intent of being public, but it never quite caught and there just weren't enough people around to put in the time required. We have six administrators, two global moderators, and one moderator, but what we lack are two or three dedicated people who are willing to put in the time and effort to keep things running and pull in people.

The Proposition.

- Any user may post an event that they want to run themselves. : Users would make a thread detailing their event with rules, regulations, and a date. All entries would be submitted in the same thread.

- Any user may post their idea for a new event that they want us to run officially. Here a user suggests an event, with rules, regulations, and other specifics. From there, a site admin, global mod perhaps, or coordinator would go over the suggestion and make sure everything is sound. If all checks out, the event would be added to a queue of official events which will be announced, and scheduled for specific dates.

- Multiple events would be run at once, but which events depends on what they are, and how long each runs. I picture a single large event running at any given time, with a number of smaller, shorter events running beside it. This allows people a choice of what to enter, and less time to wait for a new event to roll out.

- Cash prizes or prizes of value could be offered in specific large events, but it depends on who is running it and who is willing to supply a prize. ( a free game on steam, for example, could be a potential prize ) I'm not sure of the system yet, but chances are that a few games of equal value could be offered, and the winner would choose from one.
It wouldn't be hard on my part to scrounge up some extra cash for a prize, only getting that heavy physical money into the computer is my problem.

- Hall of fame - This would be some sort of page showing the people who've won 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in various events, with links to their entries.
We could also list those great people who were generous enough to supply a prize for an event.

What we need:

- A website that is more supportive towards our purposes.

- A new voting system and somebody with the talent to create it. If prizes worth money are to ever happen then we will need a voting system that can be better moderated.

- People willing to put in the time to coordinate and schedule events, along with various other tasks.

- Publicity! Once things are running that is.

- More input. Recommendations on how to make things work. ( What should prizes be, what do we get from events without prizes, what events should be run, what ones shouldn't, how should we run them, how could we attract attention once things are rolling, how much sugar do you like in your coffee? )

Right now, input is platinum. ( Which is currently more valuable than gold ) So say what you think so we can think about what you've said.



I didn't proofread this very well. Feel free to criticize me.

[Drekow]

Any user may post an event that they want to run themselves.

Seems a nice idea, and i'm interested in share some rules to make a map, that can be turn in some quick contest (also to spicy a bit QMC wich seems dead). But where we have to open it? In what section of the forum?

[Drekow]

I'm thinking something more specific, but easy, like this EXAMPLE:

Make the CTF map - 01
The contest will run for a month, it starts now, and last day for submitting is Friday 30 September 2011

The aim of this contest is to make a simple CTF map like face-capture, where two bases will face each others connected with a central way, personalize it, and build a cw friendly map. You have to focus on item placement and layout first, and on a nice theme and graphics then. Simply, best map win.
To participate read well the rules and do your map, then post here your files; DO NOT POST THEM ON QUADROPOLIS, keep that site clean. There are no limit of submission for any player, but NO WIP are allowed. Only well finished work. Use the packing standard of quadropolis (.zip file) and please add an image for your map, and optionally waypoints.
You can work in couples or teams.

MapSize:
There is no limit on the map size, you can double it if you need for the surrounding. For the gameplay area it need to long from 10 to 14 cubes of size 7, and large a maximum of 4. But remember to keep the map playable. Try to not exceed the 200wtr and don't make lag friendly spot. If the map have a big drop of fps at the centre it can be consider unplayable.

Modes:
The map need to have the right entities to play a 4vs4 CTF game and a 3vs3 instaCTF game. The two bases need to be balanced, better if perfect mirrored, but you can try to make some original layout. You have also to add playerstarts for allVSall mode. Optionally you can add bases for capture from a minimum of 5 and a maximum of 7.

Layout:
The map need to have 2 bases with flag and playerstarts one opposite to the other. You can make them of any size and of any kind of complexity. The two bases need to be balanced, better if perfect mirrored, but you can try to make some original layout. Bases must be connected by one or two “bridge”, them can run straight from base to base or cross each other at the centre, and can be of any size and any form. Optionally you can add a third trick-way like the tube in reissen, but it need to be very “tricky”. You cannot put a teleport or a jump from one base to another. You can put a third base at the centre of the map.
Most important thing is that the map fell like a face-capture map, were ways and bases are well distinct and clear to locate and paths are not like a maze.

Themes, textures and config:
There are no restriction about the theme of the map, but you can only use content for the current relase of sauerbraten (no SVN maps), no custom contentment is allowed in this contest. You can make the config for the map if you need.

Entities:
Ammo:
There are no restrictions for ammo placement.

Armour and powerups:
There are no restrictions for armour or powerups placement. But keep them to a reasonable number for gameplay reason.

Others:
You can't use mapmodels in the gameplay area.

Judging and winning:
Cause this is the first contest, and we are (I'm) testing the ways of making it. At the end of the given time I will lock the topic and open a new one for the voting (if possible... ).
Parallel to it, I would like to setup some judge for this kind of contests which rate the maps and comment them. At the end is possible that best maps will be packed in an apposite mappack and upload on quadropolis, otherwise, if you wants to finish, expand the map fell free to do it.

And using a similar format to make some contest, all maps related. It would be nice to have some judges, like some pro players, to rate the map and choose the best.

[Suicizer]

Actually, that idea seems way more difficult and complex than mine .

"no costum contentment are allowed"
Does that mean things like textures, sounds, skyboxes, models, etc can only be used when they are already included into the official sauerbraten?
That seems like a very stupid rule, since it kills the creativity of mapping.
Why it shouldn't be allowed? Sauerbraten still misses a lot of models, textures and sounds for several themes.

"You can't use mapmodels in the gameplay area."
O.O Really? Mapmodels have the purpose to add an even better detail and creates an even better atmosphere that marks the theming even more in the map. It also is less wtr-consuming, since it's not part of the world-triangles and gets loaded when the map is getting loaded (so its "kind of" occlusion culled). If you have a proper set up for a model, there shouldn't be any problem with using them.

Creating a ctf-map which also works great as deathmatch map, is nearly impossible (there aren't any maps on sauerbraten which are great in ctf but on deathmatch as well, since deathmatch shouldn't contain mirrored areas while team-modes like capture the flag are screaming for it. People who think reissen, shipwreck or forge are great deathmatch map are fooling theirselves and never played any good deathmatch map at all. I advice them to duel a lot more but also play more free for all and instant gib on public servers).

Also, since when are jumppads and teleports not allowed? I agree they shouldn't lead you directly to bases, but they should keep their purpose in gameplay, which is to add another path to another area (which is most of the time on a higher floor, especially for jumppads).

By the way, face-capture actually has just 1 way to each flag, but it's just subdivided into 2 "second paths" which cross each other. When you look at each base, you would also notice that there's just 1 entrance.
The chance that several people create such map is with succes is pretty small since you have to make a ctf map like face-capture (which fails as ctf map to me, because it always get played with more than 16 players, while it should be played with a max of 8 players).

The idea of such challenge isn't bad but to me, it seems like someone written that so he doesn't have to compete against maps which have anything custom or different than a map like face-capture...

[Drekow]

That was an example how a contest which I would like to see/run. Sorry for going OT, but I hope it can be useful to explain my idea.

I have pick the CTF and face capture as example cause is simple to explain and almost all know it and how it works.

You can make unlimited maps bases on that kind – it can have two bridges, or one, or two wich cross each others... and you can add a trick way. You can put something in the centre. Bases don't necessary need to be symmetrical... you can use jumppad and teleport, but you can't put them from base to base. You don't have to cares for deathmach, sorry for the mistake; but optionally you can put from five to seven capture bases.

Is more the format of the contest that I like... it explain how to do the map. The size, theme, layout, entites... it make lots of rules, so that maps can really be compared each other. And this is not the only advantage, but this is focuses on gameplay not on nothing else.

Authors form the contest can learn to make a good map, first, and at the end they have a solid base to make a relase standard map.


Maps are very important for a game, and making a contest like this can prone people to concentrate on editing for gameplay.


Last I like that any one can vote, and the people, judge is important. But parallel the map should be vote by some very good player (hard to convince ok...) for two reason: 1) cause some time players/editor aren't good enough at this game to judge all the gameplay of the map, and how it can work in clan-war and in tournaments. 2) because very good people will choose a map for playability, gameplay tactics, and not for others reason like.

I hope the IDEA was a bit clear now.

[Windecker]

Specific or not, as long as it works and people enjoy it.

I will make some forum modifications and make a new board with some very rough guidelines.

Edit:
I've created a "User Events" board, and I removed some others.

You can probably guess what it's for.

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Opinions and recommendations to better this forum will all be considered/looked in to.

[Drekow]

Ok wind, i will spam some contest like the one you can read in post 4; near the start of the new months, when i finish to prepare them. And i hope to run them montly if some body is interested.