EPT
Back in 2011 we held the first TeamLiquid Map Contest which culminated in three maps being added to the StarCraft 2 ladder. These were Cloud Kingdom, Ohana and Korhal Compound. Cloud Kingdom and Ohana went on to become tournament staples for 2012 and continue to be used today in a variety of events. Blizzard have given us the opportunity to do this again and make it bigger.
Team play maps haven't received much turnover on the ladder and Blizzard are looking to address this problem. As a part of that, this edition of the TeamLiquid Map Contest will feature a serious team play component. Blizzard will be considering the finalists for use on ladder, along with some of their own maps. We think that the serious consideration of team play maps this edition is really exciting. The map making community has been heavily focused on 1v1 maps for a long time, and with this new incentive to make team maps we can finally see what kind of innovation the mapping community can bring to team play maps.
So What's Going On?
This edition of the TeamLiquid map contest will have two categories - 1v1 maps and team play maps. Team play maps are 2v2, 3v3 and 4v4 maps. After a rigorous judging/testing process, finalists and winners in both categories will be announced and those maps will be considered by Blizzard for use in the official StarCraft 2 ladder map pool for future ladder seasons. Selected maps (if any) may be altered by Blizzard to comply with ladder map pool standards.
What are the Rules?
The first TeamLiquid map contest saw an incredible number of entries. We expect a similar number of submissions this time around across both categories. As such, we are restricting the number of entries per mapper to 2 per category. This is, two 1v1 maps and two team play maps. We feel that two maps across two categories gives mappers enough incentive to seriously work on both categories, rather than just focusing on one. We also feel that four maps total gives mappers enough room to be innovative and create some really solid maps.
We suggest that you adhere to the following guidelines when creating your maps for the contest:
- The contest has two categories - 1v1 and team play. Mappers can submit up to two maps to each category.
- We suggest maps follow the following restrictions:
1. Normal bases are always 8 normal mineral patches and 2 normal geysers
2. High yield bases are always 6 high yield patches and 2 normal geysers
3. Don’t change values on Neutral units. For example:
a. Don’t change Xel’Naga watch tower or destructible rock graphics
b. Don’t change values on mineral patches, geysers, or rock health/armor values
c. Don’t resize mineral patches or rocks
4. Map sizes should be sensible, use the current map pool as a guide. - You are welcome to use custom textures, but they shouldn't detract from the clarity of the map.
- Maps with locked start positions are okay.
- Maps which encourage the metagame to develop in interesting ways will most likely score well.
- Entries are not limited to non-Koreans, Korean mappers are welcome to submit entries.
- Maps which have been used in premier competition are not eligible for submission. A list of maps which this excludes can be found in the questions section.
- Don't steal other peoples work and try to claim it as your own, although this should go without saying!
Any maps which are selected/considered for the final shortlists in both categories will be checked for compliance against a list of requirements set by Blizzard - any maps requiring alterations will be communicated to the mappers directly. This first round of quality checks is to ensure that, if selected, maps are able to be integrated quickly into the ladder pool unlike what happened with Ohana in the first TeamLiquid Map Contest.
Blizzard has been kind enough to contribute additional prizes to this tournament. These will be announced closer to the time.
When are the maps due?
Mappers will have until Friday, May 10 2:59pm GMT (GMT+00:00) to complete their work and PM it to TL Map Contest.
How does all of this work?
- Specially appointed judges from the community and TeamLiquid staff will evaluate the entries and decide on the top maps. We aim to pick approximately 8 maps. This will vary depending on the submissions we receive.
- Mappers with maps which have been selected will have approximately a week (possibly less) to make final adjustments to their maps to fix any issues.
- The maps will undergo testing through use in TL Open tournaments. The details of these will be announced closer to the time. Expect something similar to the first TLMC testing process.
- We will then hold a public vote and progamer vote to determine the best map. Rankings from the public and progamers will be combined to determine the top 5 maps.
We estimate that the contest will conclude anywhere between 3-4 weeks after submissions close.
How to Enter:
Please PM your map(s) files to TL Map Contest with the following format before Friday, May 10 2:59pm GMT (GMT+00:00):
Map Name:
[img]a picture of your map[/img]
Main to Main distance: (in game seconds using a worker from town hall to town hall)
Natural to Natural distance: (in game seconds using a worker from town hall to town hall)
[img]Any relevant analyzer images (optional)[/img]
[url=]Your maps download link[/url]
Entries not in this format may be excluded from consideration. Please don't ask 'TL Map Contest' questions - you won't get an answer.
Questions?
If you have any questions about the contest please post them in this thread and I will do my best to answer them.
Q: I only have WoL, can I still submit maps to the contest?
Yes you can, but please keep in mind that these maps will be intended for use in HotS and thus should be HotS appropriate.
Q: I want to make an FFA map for the contest, can I do so?
Unfortunately, at this stage we are not accepting FFA maps as part of the 'team play' component of the contest.
Q: Who is judging this contest?
The judges will be announced once the submission phase of the contest concludes.
Q: How crazy can I be in my map?
Ultimately, these maps will need to be ladder appropriate i.e. need to be accessible to players of all skill levels. Things like geysers blocking ramps, which require prerequisite knowledge to be able to use, are thus not contest appropriate. Use this as a guide when deciding on what features to include on your maps.
Q: I'm interested in the contest, but I'm horrible at map making. What can I do to support the mappers?
A: Post in their map threads and give them support, encouragement and replays on their maps! Giving your favourite mapper support will be much appreciated by the mapper.
Q: What maps are excluded from submission?
Any map which has been used in GSL, GSTL, IPL, IPTL/IPL:TAC, NASL, MLG, ESL, IEM or Dream Hack tournaments or the official Blizzard ladder is not eligible. If you think your map might violate this rule please check with Plexa before submitting.
