The medium-large battle map contest!

[Treylina]

EDIT: Contest over. Thanks to all of those who entered!


I regret not starting this contest earlier (I should've announced it as soon as the CaB winners were) but here it goes anyway.

1st prize: £30
2nd prize: £15

If you don't/cant get a paypal account, I can try to reward you another way, like a steam game/s or gift card.

Rules and guidelines

You can submit maps you have been working on lately, as long it's not an already uploaded map.
It should ideally accomodate 8-16 players.
Multiple entries are allowed.
Original layouts only
All characters should be able to get around the map without much struggle. :lori:
Collabs are allowed. The prize money would be shared between the winners - who gets more depends on how much they worked on it.
Plus-only features are allowed. If I get any exceptional scripted level, I may have separate scripted and non-scripted categories.
The deadline is the 31st of December 2016. NO DELAYS, I'd like some JCS award candidates!



This might be my final contest, but we'll see...

And no I havent forgotten about making the winning entry for the CaB contest.

Also as usual, if I don't get any quality entries - no one wins.

[PurpleJazz]

I'm in :)

[SAMI]

What do you mea by "Origi al layouts only"?

[Treylina]

What do you mea by "Origi al layouts only"?

It means no editing existing layouts or taking bits out of them.

[Primpy]

I like JJ2 contests. Not because I'm participating but because people show a little more dedication to this game. Thank you, Trey.

[Jelly Jam]

If the deadline is 31st of December, I might release something. I hope my parents will get Internet here soon, since I have to upload it somehow...

Though I still don't understand what 'medium-large' is supposed to be. We could all end up making too large levels because we fear they might be too small, and vice versa.

Maybe announce this on jj.net as well? Lots of other people post there, so at least maybe one of them will participate.

Also, Primpy, why not participate? :(

[Treylina]

Though I still don't understand what 'medium-large' is supposed to be. We could all end up making too large levels because we fear they might be too small, and vice versa.

Here's a few examples of medium-large levels; Zes, Forsaken hot springs, Castle bunnies for life.

Or in other words, ideally accomodating 8-16 players. It's less about the size and more about the amount of available powerups and ammo (and how frequently they respawn).

[Jelly Jam]

Alright. After day 1, I'd say my entry is about 18% done. Just to let everyone know that "might participate" did not mean "I won't participate, I just wanted to post here".

EDIT: I need to ask, is water not recomended? My level won't be half flooded, but it will have several routes at the bottom.

[ShadowGPW]

Got a week off next week (thank f***) might give it a shot... one more time.

[Jelly Jam]

So, umm... How are your entries going? Mine is deffinetly the best level I made so far (which isn't really hard to achieve), though I can't post the screenshots, and I really hope I'll be able to post the level itself once it's done. All I can say is that it uses one of the original JJ2 sets and its music.

I really wanna know how many of you are actually participating...

[PurpleJazz]

I'm still in. Progress is slow but I'm sure I'll have a level finished by the deadline.

[Treylina]

Just a reminder - there's roughly 1 month until the deadline. Time marches on!

[Jelly Jam]

Well, my level is nearly finished. Just one more area and a few platforms here and there need to be made. Then there's the weapon placement and eyecandy stuff. I don't promise any outstanding level design or eyecandy, but I assure you that I used the level's tileset in a way nobody's ever used before.

It will be finished by the deadline. I hope I'll find a way to upload it, since I have no Internet because it isn't a priority next to so much processes I'm going through. My sixth sense tells me that PJ is going to win, anyway.

[Treylina]

10 days left! Time is marching on, so you should be releasing your map/s sooner rather than later.

[Seren]

My entry is now available for download.

[Treylina]

After the deadline is over, I will need a bunch of playtesters to get an idea of the gameplay in practice. Actual playing, not just wandering around the level. No date announced just yet. Will be looking to at least get 8, and 16 at most.

[Slaz]

I somehow forgot about this contest, lol. Been too busy this month and not much online. I guess the deadline has been hit, or perhaps not, as it doesn't say at or past December 31. :p

I have a level that's done for the most part. It needs some more eyecandy and weapon placement. I don't think it matches up too well against the current 2 entries, but I'll try and finish it before the year is over since I have some time today.

If not, I'll release it later anyway because the more levels, the better. ;)

How about your entry Jelly Jam? Did you manage to complete it?

Good luck to the contestants!

[Treylina]

December 31st is the final submission day. Also, here's FireSwords entry: https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/7687/forest-swamp/

[Jelly Jam]

Done. (https://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/7688/ruins-of-the-futuristic-temple/)

[Slaz]

Happy new year everyone!

I worked on and considered releasing my level too, but after playing it I felt like there were some balancing and flow issues to work out. That, and the fact there are 4 entries now, enforced my decision to release it later outside of the contest.

Thanks Trey for hosting this contest, as it motivated me to attempt another MP level, trying to grasp what truly makes them fun.

Good luck to Loon, FS, SE, and Jelly! ;)

[Treylina]

If you failed to get your entry on time, there's the upcoming Anniversary Bash 19! Chances are, all entrants here will be featured there.

[blurredd]

Quasi-late submission? (https://d3.jazz2online.com/downloads/DM-Rift.zip) (It was technically December 31st when I finished, and it's still December 31st somewhere.)

Not a big deal if it's too late to be accepted.

[cooba]

That's 2016 redeemed right there

[FireSworD]

Great diversity with all of the entries: There's a swamp, (a city?), abstract dream worlds, and a distant future.

I like every one of them in some way.

[Jelly Jam]

Was Blurredd's entry accepted?

[Loon]

(a city?)


*Indeed a city, in the sewers =)

[Treylina]

Was Blurredd's entry accepted?

Might as well.

That reminds me, I gotta make a playtesters needed thread..

[Treylina]

Lets get this over with for already. I'm going to briefly review each entry, in no order whatsoever. Sorry for the delay, I just found it really difficult to give an equal amount of critique for each map. Major cons are in bold.

Disclaimer: Some maps have been updated since the playtest session. However, we are going to review them from that point.

Rift by BlurreD
What a suprise this map was! When we thought Blur retired from map-making. Rift is an experimental map with quickwarps at the ceiling and right corner. There's little seekers about, making this more offensively-oriented.

Pros:

Takes innovative risks
You can't spam seekers left and right to win
Flows well


Cons:

The framerate is choppy for a lot of players
Hard to navigate
You can't see powerups/players through warps on areas that look warpless, adding to the confusion.



Ruins of the Futuristic Temple by Jelly Jam
This map is a big step up from Jelly Jams past creations. It has modern, innovative eyecandy with an oldschool gameplay style.

Pros:

Pretty good eyecandy
Well landmarked
A big improvement from previous creations



Cons:

Respawn times are far too long, especially for powerups.
The layout is too complicated, making it hard to hunt down players.
The seeker PU area looks potentially campy.


Firgun by Sir Ementaler
This map takes the commonly oldschool "Get coins for a reward" concept and makes it easily accessible for everyone, with some unique tileset usage.

Pros:

Easy to learn
Easy to recover. No need to wait much for getting a powerup.
Unique and memorable eyecandy direction.


Cons:

There's no reason to take the electric shield over the bubble shield (unless you're closer to it), especially with the same price and safer placement.
The layout may be a little bit on the small side for the amount of players it intends to accomodate.
The bubble shield is overpowered because of the tight corridors, somewhat linearity, minimal spawn delay, and low price.


Forest Swamp by FireSworD
Standard gameplay, with somewhat ambitious eyecandy.

Pros:

A solid layout
Easy to move around in
Easy to learn


Cons:

...the seeker spam.
Even if the level is meant to use all tiles, I don't find it aesthetically appealing. Just weird and kind of misleading.
There a bit too much centralisation on the bottom/ish right corner. A seeker powerup, toaster powerup and lower spawnrate carrot are all packed closely by.



Pootropolis/Shittown by Loon
A very Loon level, except it doesn't have a Finnish title this time.

Pros:

Cool background and a relatively fitting atmosphere.
The layout is easily learned
Ammo is plentiful


Cons:

The layout feels a bit obstructive.
The seekers are little too much at the top...
It feels a bit lacking in powerups (gun9 anyone?) and carrots.


Thanks to PurpleJazz giving a little help with reviewing these. Because I find it very hard to determine this time, a winner will not be announced now, but soon.

[Jelly Jam]

I wouldn't like to sound really impatient or like a bad guy or anything, but these levels just aren't that new anymore. I don't care about that money, and honestly I think none of the participants actually care about it that much, I just want to know whose level won, and please don't make this your last JCS contest. =)

[Stijn]

I honestly forgot this was still going on. A more timely announcement of the results would have been nice...

[Treylina]

I got anxious (shame in leaving it so late and having trouble deciding the winning entires that would result in salty people either way) then sort of forgot about it due to getting occupied with other matters, honestly.

I'm still indecisive. :/ But I hope to get this over with sooner rather than later.

[Treylina]

Well..better late than never they say. PJ helped judge the entries a bit so I could finally come to a conclusion.

And so, the 1st place winner finally is..

Firgun by Sir Ementaler!
At first glance, it seems a bit naive to pick this. But out of all maps, I had the most fun here, and gameplay is what truly matters. Perhaps I prefer a little chaos over slow-paced gameplay.

And the 2nd place winner is..

Rift by BlurredD!
I admit I don't find this map as fun as the honorable mention mainly due to confusing navigation, but I gotta admire the risks taken in innovating gameplay. This was also weighed by PJs opinion on his fun factor.

And an honorable mention to..

Forest Swamp by FireSword!
This map has received a sprite palette improvement since it first came out, but at its core of gameplay - it's still biased towards the bottom right and not really innovative. However it's an easy map to play, which is always a plus for more casual players - where the multiplayer community has headed these days.

This was by far the hardest contest I've had to judge. They all had their own unique upsides and downsides instead of one outright being better than the other. Next time I won't take so long on announcing winners again.

While I do want to start another contest (particularly true coop, Bank robbery, event-sized CTF, Assassination or something conventional with a twist) I'm concerned others may have lost faith in my ability to reward winners (hold your horses I haven't forgotten about the create a boss contest winner). Maybe I'll start up another contest idea poll, since it's been so long and my ideas have narrowed down.

[Stijn]

Well, indeed, better late than never :) Congrats SE, Firgun is always a lot of fun to play.

It's annoying how BlurredD rarely uploads his levels to Jazz2Online. I think his level is in AB19, but having it available as a separate download would be much better. Upload your levels, people! It makes it easier for others to play them!

[Jelly Jam]

Yay! I love all of the levels, but Firgun was my favorite from the start. Congratulations SE!

ok stijn, uploading test level

[cooba]

Maybe let other people make more interesting contests.

[Jelly Jam]

But some of us don't have a decent reward besides showing off the winner's level

[Stijn]

It's always possible to sponsor someone else's contest. But anyway, that seems like a bridge to cross when we (you?) get there. It'd probably be better to get the stray ends of previous contests done first.

[Treylina]

Maybe let other people make more interesting contests.

It's not like there can only be one contest running at a time, though. Besides, there are multiple running right now, but the tight rules/complicated requirements put off people from entering.

And most community members don't have the resources to give out decent prizes.

I just prefer more simple themed contests over the gimmicky ones. I like to go for what is scarce/in demand for recent quality maps.

If anyone wants to start a new contest, I'm not stopping anyone though.