So BlizzCon ended and there was not a single official anouncement of winners of the Custom Map Contest? What are they thinking? Did they forget this altogether???
Well, if Rocket Arena and Photon Command are indeed two of the three winners, it is very likely that they intentional skipped this embarrassing contest. Rocket Arena is acceptable. Not too sophisticated but at least the gameplay looks exciting. Photon Command is a total joke. Hundreds of people here can make better maps in a couple of days. I can't imagine what is the third map.
How come Blizz picked Photon Command? Maybe they didn't and the maps were picked by a random employer of the sponsor, who doesn't play computer games at all except braindead facebook games. In that case it becomes totally reasonable for Photon Command to win! When Blizz got the list from the sponsor, they were "WTH, no way I'm going to anounce these craps as the best of the custom maps our editor can make!", and decided to give the prizes unnoticeably and hope people will forget this stupid contest gradually.
Or maybe there were just way too many maps submitted in the order of tens of thousands and they really didn't have time to pick up the few one-in-a-thousand good maps. If this is the case, the big prizes are to be blamed as they definitely motivated a lot of random newbies who had no mapmaking experience at all to submit terrible maps that only had some random custom units and triggers. Though in this case, they could have simply come to sc2mapster or other big mapper sites around the world to grab a few better maps, so I don't know.....
Just because the creator of photon defense beat you to this simple, easy to make, but reasonably entertaining idea doesn't mean it is a bad map unworthy of winning. It doesn't matter how many people could have made this map or how quickly they could have made it as long as the map is fun for the majority. I personally wasn't impressed in the beginning, but after playing it for a bit I came to appreciate it. It was a refreshing change of pace after the countless TDs and autospawning unit maps (Nexus Wars, Desert Strike, etc) that flood the main page.
I would like to say that even the simplest maps are often the most popular. Most people here are very good and experienced veterans of the editors by blizzard, often forget the core value of making a map to be played by all on Battle.net is the fun factor.
Really? Just because debates is a polished and shiny map does not make it re playable or fun for 95% of people on battle.net. Sorry to single handedly point fingers at your map but you have since complained about it since the release of Starcraft; literally.
Other hand look at your simple defense map as of now it's #1 on the popularity list because why? It's re playable, challenging, and fun! Regardless of how many bots are inflating the popularity system doesn't not outdo the sheer numbers of people playing maps.
Do I agree with the popularity system? No, I personally hate it but you can't blame it for people not playing your map if you had front page worthiness.
Another rant is that some people call people stupid or call the general population of battle.net stupid, because they don't understand or sit around long enough to play their map. Look at the most popular videos of today, look how SIMPLE they are. I play games to have fun and don't like spending my time trying to figure things out and not at least be rewarded for it.
Sorry for those who created simple and fun maps but never had first page worthiness to have it stick on there at all.
Also, Stop bashing people's maps who won the contest. I bet I can find 10x more things wrong about your map and why it shouldn't have won the contest.
I have no objection to your point that the fun factor is more important than skill requirement to make the map. In fact this is one of the thing I frequently emphasize. Read my post again. I didn't say others should win because their maps require more skill to make. I said there are "better maps", which already includes the "fun" factor.
The problem is, while I won't question your feeling of finding Photon Command fun, it is hard to believe majority of people would feel that map is fun as well. Give me evidence if you think otherwise.
If you still insist Photon Command is a map that deserves the prize, please explain why Blizzard didn't openly anounce it, other than the reason I suggested above.
Maybe they had so many brilliant maps that they were forced to disqualify on a technicality - - whether a patch screwed it up or it had a multiplayer bug (shocking, I know) - - that they feel the contest was a tragedy and took a blood oath to never speak of it again.
Or maybe there were just way too many maps submitted in the order of tens of thousands and they really didn't have time to pick up the few one-in-a-thousand good maps.
On BlizzCon they said they had "almost 500" entries.
Two persons could check them out over the course of the 3-4 weeks time they had.
I think they have all rights to show or not to show the winners at blizzcon, naturally the winners deserve their prizes anyway (and they probly got their prizes?).
1 month aint much to make a good map. So Im not amazed the winners werent anything super amazing....
Well the MAD map is actually just a renamed RAD map which already existed pre-contest and thus should be disqualified. I don't know what Blizzard has been doing about this contest but I really don't care atm. Seems they don't either.
Cosmic Eclipse, Shape Wars, Bomberling Arena, Bovine Intervention, Facility 17, Soccerer's Defense... to name a few. Even a noobs can realize the difference in quality and effort put into them
"MAD" was the only winning map that was actually fun and polished; Too bad it broke the rules by being released 2 months before the contest even began, and should have been disqualified. The other two maps were horrible, not even up to par with Nexus Wars. That's saying a lot.
As progammer said, there were a ton of deserving entries that took experienced professionals 10+ hours per day for the full month to complete.
Additionally, both original posts advertising the contest encouraged innovative and new designs, such as "a first person shooter or the new dota map". However, none of the three winners were innovative or unique. None featured a WASD system. All three were poorly executed regurgitated ideas of the caliber of every other map on BNet 2.0 at this time.
- Stupid technical reasons that leave most out. (lag, advertising logo
etc..)
- Stupid maps were chosen on purpose so Blizzard made maps can stand
out.
+1
As programmer and rrowland said, there were A WAY BETTER maps submitted.
I haven't played Bomberling Arena, but just by the replay I could see that the map was highly better.
Everyore was complaining that the map couldn't be on youtube before the contest deadline. That nice map that won the contest was being polished since BETA!
Ps.: "Hi... I won the custom map contest and I want to know how many were there..."
So BlizzCon ended and there was not a single official anouncement of winners of the Custom Map Contest? What are they thinking? Did they forget this altogether???
Well, if Rocket Arena and Photon Command are indeed two of the three winners, it is very likely that they intentional skipped this embarrassing contest. Rocket Arena is acceptable. Not too sophisticated but at least the gameplay looks exciting. Photon Command is a total joke. Hundreds of people here can make better maps in a couple of days. I can't imagine what is the third map.
How come Blizz picked Photon Command? Maybe they didn't and the maps were picked by a random employer of the sponsor, who doesn't play computer games at all except braindead facebook games. In that case it becomes totally reasonable for Photon Command to win! When Blizz got the list from the sponsor, they were "WTH, no way I'm going to anounce these craps as the best of the custom maps our editor can make!", and decided to give the prizes unnoticeably and hope people will forget this stupid contest gradually.
Or maybe there were just way too many maps submitted in the order of tens of thousands and they really didn't have time to pick up the few one-in-a-thousand good maps. If this is the case, the big prizes are to be blamed as they definitely motivated a lot of random newbies who had no mapmaking experience at all to submit terrible maps that only had some random custom units and triggers. Though in this case, they could have simply come to sc2mapster or other big mapper sites around the world to grab a few better maps, so I don't know.....
What do you think?
The winners are the ones who advertised their maps on the forums more.
Just because the creator of photon defense beat you to this simple, easy to make, but reasonably entertaining idea doesn't mean it is a bad map unworthy of winning. It doesn't matter how many people could have made this map or how quickly they could have made it as long as the map is fun for the majority. I personally wasn't impressed in the beginning, but after playing it for a bit I came to appreciate it. It was a refreshing change of pace after the countless TDs and autospawning unit maps (Nexus Wars, Desert Strike, etc) that flood the main page.
The following quote says it nicely.
@Szei: Go
I have no objection to your point that the fun factor is more important than skill requirement to make the map. In fact this is one of the thing I frequently emphasize. Read my post again. I didn't say others should win because their maps require more skill to make. I said there are "better maps", which already includes the "fun" factor.
The problem is, while I won't question your feeling of finding Photon Command fun, it is hard to believe majority of people would feel that map is fun as well. Give me evidence if you think otherwise.
If you still insist Photon Command is a map that deserves the prize, please explain why Blizzard didn't openly anounce it, other than the reason I suggested above.
Do we even know if anyone got their promised prizes ?
Maybe they had so many brilliant maps that they were forced to disqualify on a technicality - - whether a patch screwed it up or it had a multiplayer bug (shocking, I know) - - that they feel the contest was a tragedy and took a blood oath to never speak of it again.
I played Photon Command. Nothing spectacular. Its fun but only for so long. I thought the Blizz contest winners will be epic maps.
So which is the third winner?? And where were these entries announced as winners? =O
On BlizzCon they said they had "almost 500" entries.
Two persons could check them out over the course of the 3-4 weeks time they had.
I think they have all rights to show or not to show the winners at blizzcon, naturally the winners deserve their prizes anyway (and they probly got their prizes?).
1 month aint much to make a good map. So Im not amazed the winners werent anything super amazing....
@s3rius: Go
Oh really? 500 entries is way too few than I expected. In that case the theory of flooding of map entries doesn't work. :P
Anyone have other theories?
Come on. There is no "idea". Photon Command is the 30000th remake of the famous game called Missile Command, released in 1980...
@Wakeman: Go
Either:
- Stupid technical reasons that leave most out. (lag, advertising logo etc..)
- Stupid maps were chosen on purpose so Blizzard made maps can stand out.
Well the MAD map is actually just a renamed RAD map which already existed pre-contest and thus should be disqualified. I don't know what Blizzard has been doing about this contest but I really don't care atm. Seems they don't either.
I honestly havent seen anything even remotely close to being "epic" that anybody would have submitted.
Now if "VECTOR" was completed enough to be entered Im sure it would have won..... hopefully they are still working on "Vector".
show me a (submited) epic map and than ull have a point
@deleted_4551290: Go
Cosmic Eclipse, Shape Wars, Bomberling Arena, Bovine Intervention, Facility 17, Soccerer's Defense... to name a few. Even a noobs can realize the difference in quality and effort put into them
http://www.gametrailers.com/video/blizzcon-10-starcraft-ii/706700
They are mentioning it but...
"MAD" was the only winning map that was actually fun and polished; Too bad it broke the rules by being released 2 months before the contest even began, and should have been disqualified. The other two maps were horrible, not even up to par with Nexus Wars. That's saying a lot.
As progammer said, there were a ton of deserving entries that took experienced professionals 10+ hours per day for the full month to complete.
Additionally, both original posts advertising the contest encouraged innovative and new designs, such as "a first person shooter or the new dota map". However, none of the three winners were innovative or unique. None featured a WASD system. All three were poorly executed regurgitated ideas of the caliber of every other map on BNet 2.0 at this time.
+1
As programmer and rrowland said, there were A WAY BETTER maps submitted.
I haven't played Bomberling Arena, but just by the replay I could see that the map was highly better.
Everyore was complaining that the map couldn't be on youtube before the contest deadline. That nice map that won the contest was being polished since BETA!
Ps.: "Hi... I won the custom map contest and I want to know how many were there..."