Map Battle Discussion

[KILLA-COW]

Maybe we should do a little playable one, something a bit different.

[Jordash]

I've seen the winners of most of the battles and they are really awesome looking, but it's not a huge deal anymore, look anywhere on the internet and you can see amazing renders or awesome game screenshots, and most likely those images are getting more attention than the map battles here, if we start the battles again I'd say make it somewhat unique, like killa cow said, playable might be interesting. Maybe the theme is related the gameplay, and the winner is entry with the most innovative take on it.

Maybe people aren't interested as much any more because it was such an undertaking to enter, to compete with the likes of the more talented lopers you'd have to spend hours on a project and even then you'd need to have a good grasp of aesthetic design, it would be a disheartening experience and far from enticing new members. By limiting the technical scope of the battles we could open it up to more skill sets.

To achieve that we could try limiting the gameplay entries to only dev textures, or simple textures like them, so the difficult part is coming up with the idea but mapping it is relatively easy, as long as someone understand how to make entities even some of the less talented members could compete. This could even see UDK entries, gameplay is gameplay no matter which engine you use.

[PaulH]

Hard to say what made the original battles so popular really, though even if they were bought back I doubt i'd have time to enter anymore. Therein lies the problem I guess, that generation of battlers has moved on to career-city. There's no reason a new generation can't begin though. I'd be interested in being the new battle host, but I don't know if the popularity would continue to be a problem (and then I'd be the one blamed for their downfall )

[KILLA-COW]

Hard to say what made the original battles so popular really, though even if they were bought back I doubt i'd have time to enter anymore. Therein lies the problem I guess, that generation of battlers has moved on to career-city. There's no reason a new generation can't begin though. I'd be interested in being the new battle host, but I don't know if the popularity would continue to be a problem (and then I'd be the one blamed for their downfall )

Paul look let's have one big one again! You've got time for one more battle swansong!

Also Jordash I still think some of the entries we've seen in the past are some of the most creative things I've seen done with the source engine, you got to remember whilst we see loads of stuff coming out from UE and modelling we don't see many vanity shots from source, that is what is so great about the map battles. Even a playable one would still have to be about the aesthetics I think.

[PaulH]

Yeah maybe Killa, maybe :p Whether I enter or not it would be nice to see the battles continue

[Gary]

Yeah I'd do it. I have some ideas.

Just make a thread and do one, whoever is running them is evidently useless at it! Make it a good theme and I'll enter.

RawMeat3000 is the Modelling Challenges Moderator.

904 is the Design Section Moderator.

Jest@ is the Art Challenges Moderator.


If someone makes a post, I can move it to the correct subforum so it shows up on the main page.

[Zecrah]

Soooo I make a topic in say, Under Construction called Map Battle 51 - <topic> and you'll move it in here? I'll do that shortly if it's the case.

I'd even happily take over if squishy isn't doing it anymore or whatever. But small steps I suppose. ^^

[BubbleQ]

In my opinion we first need to have a better high-score system before we start of with new battles.. For me half the fun is to track my progress in between the battles, sure I like to map but seeing that someone is just one point over me will push me into adding extra detail or whatever.

This system should also then be pretty automatic, and on a sperate page on interlopers aswell. If someone does not want to have their score he/she should be able to hide it.
This can't be too har to make in like, php? I could try to make this my self but have to learn php first, or maybe something like django..

I think I have stated this once before but nothing good or bad came out of that^^ But in the simpliest form I think that if we are going to continue witht he battles we have to make more effort of how it is structured and presented. Just having some threads with random battles wont really attract anyone form the outside, if that is now what interlopers want, I don't know.

But still fun to see that this is not forgotten It would actually be much easier for me to map smaller maps than big projects

[Zecrah]

Hmm yes. Making it a core feature of Interlopers would be better - a front page, defining thing to attract others rather than down in a subforum. I was thinking of more focussed map battles too, in regards to your last sentence. It allows for more careful thought and really emphasising the detail. Equally, large plane maps could win too if that's what you're better at.

What do you mean scoring system? Like, where people can rate maps as they're being made or something?

[cz_squishy]

Soooo I make a topic in say, Under Construction called Map Battle 51 - <topic> and you'll move it in here? I'll do that shortly if it's the case.

I'd even happily take over if squishy isn't doing it anymore or whatever. But small steps I suppose. ^^

You can take over, I don't mind because I'll be gone for 9 months in 2 months and clearly won't have time to do anything.

[Gary]

Soooo I make a topic in say, Under Construction called Map Battle 51 - <topic> and you'll move it in here? I'll do that shortly if it's the case.

Sure. Just format the name in the same manner as we have in the past.

I'd even happily take over if squishy isn't doing it anymore or whatever. But small steps I suppose. ^^

Talk to Blink(or have me do it).

Hmm yes. Making it a core feature of Interlopers would be better - a front page, defining thing to attract others rather than down in a subforum. I was thinking of more focussed map battles too, in regards to your last sentence. It allows for more careful thought and really emphasising the detail. Equally, large plane maps could win too if that's what you're better at.

What do you mean scoring system? Like, where people can rate maps as they're being made or something?

We have a link on the front page that opens a little scripted window:


And you can suggest things here:
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=35654

[KILLA-COW]

LET'S GET THIS SHOW ON THE ROAD!

[BubbleQ]

What do you mean scoring system? Like, where people can rate maps as they're being made or something?

This: http://www.interlopers.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=3848
But done better kinda.

[Zecrah]

Soooo I make a topic in say, Under Construction called Map Battle 51 - <topic> and you'll move it in here? I'll do that shortly if it's the case.

Sure. Just format the name in the same manner as we have in the past.

Alright will do it now

I'd even happily take over if squishy isn't doing it anymore or whatever. But small steps I suppose. ^^

Talk to Blink(or have me do it).

I would be interested but I'll see how this map battle turns out. As Squishy said he'll be inactive, it's possible.

Hmm yes. Making it a core feature of Interlopers would be better - a front page, defining thing to attract others rather than down in a subforum. I was thinking of more focussed map battles too, in regards to your last sentence. It allows for more careful thought and really emphasising the detail. Equally, large plane maps could win too if that's what you're better at.

What do you mean scoring system? Like, where people can rate maps as they're being made or something?

We have a link on the front page that opens a little scripted window:


And you can suggest things here:
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=35654

I have to say I've never noticed that. I was thinking maybe having it in place of 'map spotlight', or have its own banner plastered across to make it really a core feature of the site. Will look at suggestions forum.

[BubbleQ]

Sorry for mentioning this again but I took some time today and created a first concept webbsite, of how a mapbattle ranking system may look like, something.. I my self sucks on designing webbsites an most of the insipration came from http://projecteuler.net. But I used the exact same width meassurement as interlopers it self does :3 Anyway, this post should be seen as an furter explination to what I wrote last, bye!

Here it is! http://0wn.nl/bub/