Starting today and running until February 25, there will be an official map competition! You can create a map based on a certain theme and the top 3 map creators receive cash prizes.
You can find all you need to know below.
Start: Now
End: February 25 2023, 23:59 UTC
Theme: Beyond the Horizon
Venture beyond the horizon, where unknown territories, structures, and futuristic worlds await. Embrace the unknown as you craft mystical lands, unexplored planets and continents, secret buildings, or hidden dimensions. Focus on discovery, from encountering new enemies, monsters or anomalies to unveiling groundbreaking technologies and wonders. Let your imagination lead the way in these uncharted realms, creating a thrilling experience of exploration and adventure.
Your map can play in any era, and we cant wait what creative ideas you come up with!
Rules
Breaking the rules will result in an exclusion from the ratings
- Each participant can only submit one map
- The map is created by yourself (no collaborations in any way!)
- The map has to feature a player controlled unit (static/spectate only maps are not allowed)
- Old maps are not allowed, you have to start creating the map after the competition started (the game keeps track of when a map was created, so you have to start with a new map)
- The map has to be submitted before the competition is over, updates to the map are not allowed after the competition is completed
- The scripting system, custom equipment/items/objects, custom units/prefabs can be used in any way
- This includes public workshop items of other players and content that you created in the past
- However, if you use content created by other players, you should clearly state which parts of you map/content were not created by yourself
Reward
The $100 prize pool will be paid out via digital Steam Gift Cards and is split between the top 3 creators:
- 1st place: $60
- 2nd place: $30
- 3rd place: $10
In addition, the top 6-9 maps (depending on the quality of the entries) will be featured as a quickplay bundle which usually results in these workshop items getting a lot of subscriptions!
How to submit a map
Submitting a map is very easy, but make sure your map doesnt break any of the rules or it will not be considered for the competition!
1) Upload your map to the workshop
2) There is a banner on the right side in the main menu where you can select one of your workshop maps to submit it
Rating
The maps in this competition will be judged by Tomebinder, who has both played and created various maps and campaigns. If you have been around in the community for a while, you probably already know him for creating "The Good of the Company" campaigns. He also creates Youtube videos of AW3 and will proably stream the judging process, so make sure to check him out and follow if you are interested:
https://www.youtube.com/@tomebinder4369
Each map will receive a score which depends on these categories:
- Appearance (0-3) Appearance is how the map looks from an aesthetics point of view - that is to say, how easy it is on the eyes
- Technical Design (0-5) Technical design covers how well a map is put together; that is to say, how well it runs, the efficiency of object and unit usage, and the complexity of the map in general.
- Balance (0-2) How balanced is a map, when the theme is taken into account? Is it too easy or too hard? Is one team steam rolling the other when it shouldn't be? Is the player waltzing all over the competition without breaking a sweat? Or is the player dying the moment they leave the starting area?
- Originality (0-3) Has it been done before? Has it been over done? Does it use original prefabs or does it borrow from the workshop? Is there something about the map that makes it stand out from the rest?
- Units (0-3) Is your map using custom units? Are they a designer brand fit for the catwalk or are they as bland as shredded wheat? Are they balanced, and do they fit the map?
- Gameplay (0-3) Is the map fun to play? Is there non-stop action, or is it scary/exciting/trilling
- Thumbnail (0-1) Does the map have an appealing thumbnail?
- Theme (0-3) How well is the theme represented in the map
Other relevant information about the rating:
- If you use custom scripting, it can positively influence categories like balancing, gameplay or technical design, but it can also negatively impact the performance! That being said, there is no need to use scripting to score the maximum points in the technical design category
- Custom equipment/items/objects are not required to score the maximum points in any of the categories, but it can help. In any case, using a variety of good looking custom units with vanilla equipment is sufficient