@DeltaV: Go I get the feeling they might already know which maps are going to win, or at least have a fairly good idea by now, and maybe some of these prizes have already been made.
I am thinking a mini game, like run zergling run, or the sorts, would stand the best chance.Maybe blasterbots?A classic style hero arena might do good; but they have all been too fast paced and pvp based.A slower, more "rpgish" hero arena might keep a playerbase around long enough to get bored.almost anything with a learning curve that takes more than a game to understand, will be too much."Flappy Mutalisk" would do well, I assume.
Again, some generalizations and theories to this.I am just suggesting through observation of past and present events what will hold weight in this contest.
Well Warships won their last contest, and that's a very slow-paced hero area of sorts.
SCU came second and it wasn't even really available yet. SCU certainly isn't a mini-game.
Mini-game type maps tend to really not do very well on the arcade, surprisingly. There are some very polished mini-games out there, and none are particularly popular.
Unfortunately this is also a double-edged sword. Based on my experience with the Arcade thus far, if u release your map too early in development it might end up giving it a bad reputation for your map as players might get turned off by the initial experience of your incomplete map. This is especially true if your map has a lot of features that you're planning to release in stages, or is vastly experimental(meaning it takes time to get the right fit). It is just unfortunate that the majority of players have no real understanding of a game that is in "Development Phase". They'll automatically treat it as the "complete product".
You DO NOT want to launch off your map with less than 3 star ratings.
I don't agree.
I would publish a map the moment that the core mechanics are completed.
If a map doesn't get to page 2-3 with just it's core mechanics, then it probably isn't very fun and no amount of polish or features is going to change that.
If it does reach page 2-3, then you can start adding features. This has the added benefit of introducing new features to players that already understand the basics of your map. It's less confusing to them, and they are the people you need to push a map on to page 1.
People get very vocal when you add a bad feature to a good map. They don't care if you add a good feature to a bad map.
That is assuming that you're not trying to make a better version of an existing map. If so, then the core mechanics already work so you don't need to test them, and ensuring all your added features are fully realised before release becomes an important factor.
Oh, that's why everyone thinks the open games and default popularity lists are garbage. I thought it was because titled lobbies made it easier to find like minded players and popularity lists kill diversity.
I think you're vastly overestimating how many people dislike the arcade. It's definitely not "everyone". It takes seconds to fill a lobby for some top maps.
It probably has nothing to do with the lack of kick and ban features for hosts either. I mean, sure, playing with a jerk sucks but the game would totally die otherwise. At least the map editor is highly approachable to its computer science illiterate user base.
Or maybe you're ignoring that kick/ban features don't work all that well. What if the host is a jerk?
It's possible for quality games to have a strong initial impact but it's also possible to have games that are terrible but have a strong initial impact (with good graphics, advertising, or something). I agree with Kildare that the problem needs to be addressed. Just so we don't get another Nexus Wars or Top Played first page where alot of people are very biased to a very particular game type.
To play devil's advocate, why don't you want another Nexus Wars-style map? The community interest is clearly there.
The arcade is the only platform that does tug of war style games really well. You just don't find high quality content of this style of gameplay outside the arcade.
Did not know you could do that. I've not tried it, but, could person A upload a mod, and person B use it? Say if I wanted to do all the data work for a map, I'd publish and update a data-heavy mod. The other person would focus on terrain and/or triggers. Is that viable?
Step 1) Make an empty mod.
Step 2) Import a ton of stuff.
Step 3) Publish the mod.
Now, never touch the mod again.
Step 4) Make your map. Add your mod.
Step 5) Create whatever data/triggers you need using the stuff you imported into your mod.
Step 6) Publish the map. Update the map as you please.
When someone downloads your map for the first time, they'll have some gigantic download. However they won't need to download more than once, even if you update the map (not the mod).
I'd assume "technical achievement" means successfully doing something unusual with the editor. An Angry Birds mod would be (again, assumptions) a technical achievement. A TD would not.
This will be one brutal contest if any map ever created is allowed to participate.
One of the criteria is "freshness".
I seriously doubt that old maps like Squadron TD would get far, or maps like StarCraft Universe which have years of publications behind it.
I could be completely wrong. Who knows how many people will even participate. My arbitrary guess is that we'll only see about 4-5 serious entries.
I'm still looking forward to it, though. Not only is this healthy for the arcade, but Blizzard have really been pulling out all the stops for the arcade lately. More importantly, this type of competition suggests that they have something in mind for the arcade after the competition has been concluded.
1) Is there a limit on entries per person? Could I, say, submit 2 maps that I felt each had a solid chance of winning?
2) Could you state which of the following is the most important factor in this contest;
a) The map really showcases what the editor can do.
b) The map will remain highly played on the arcade for a long time.
3) There's a requirement that a forum thread is to be made on the arcade showcase. Where should people aim if they are unable to post on the US forum? (EU forum has no arcade showcase, for instance).
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I doubt it. 3 weeks is a long time.
Well Warships won their last contest, and that's a very slow-paced hero area of sorts.
SCU came second and it wasn't even really available yet. SCU certainly isn't a mini-game.
Mini-game type maps tend to really not do very well on the arcade, surprisingly. There are some very polished mini-games out there, and none are particularly popular.
I don't agree.
I would publish a map the moment that the core mechanics are completed.
If a map doesn't get to page 2-3 with just it's core mechanics, then it probably isn't very fun and no amount of polish or features is going to change that.
If it does reach page 2-3, then you can start adding features. This has the added benefit of introducing new features to players that already understand the basics of your map. It's less confusing to them, and they are the people you need to push a map on to page 1.
People get very vocal when you add a bad feature to a good map. They don't care if you add a good feature to a bad map.
That is assuming that you're not trying to make a better version of an existing map. If so, then the core mechanics already work so you don't need to test them, and ensuring all your added features are fully realised before release becomes an important factor.
I think you're vastly overestimating how many people dislike the arcade. It's definitely not "everyone". It takes seconds to fill a lobby for some top maps.
Or maybe you're ignoring that kick/ban features don't work all that well. What if the host is a jerk?
To play devil's advocate, why don't you want another Nexus Wars-style map? The community interest is clearly there.
The arcade is the only platform that does tug of war style games really well. You just don't find high quality content of this style of gameplay outside the arcade.
@Kildare88: Go
Did not know you could do that. I've not tried it, but, could person A upload a mod, and person B use it? Say if I wanted to do all the data work for a map, I'd publish and update a data-heavy mod. The other person would focus on terrain and/or triggers. Is that viable?
@Trieva: Go
Several GB would be about the size of your garden variety standalone AAA title. There's also a cap at 150mb.
@Trieva: Go
Step 1) Make an empty mod.
Step 2) Import a ton of stuff.
Step 3) Publish the mod.
Now, never touch the mod again.
Step 4) Make your map. Add your mod.
Step 5) Create whatever data/triggers you need using the stuff you imported into your mod.
Step 6) Publish the map. Update the map as you please.
When someone downloads your map for the first time, they'll have some gigantic download. However they won't need to download more than once, even if you update the map (not the mod).
That's the idea behind it anyway.
I sincerely doubt that's why they did it.
I'd imagine it's for internal testing purposes.
I'd assume "technical achievement" means successfully doing something unusual with the editor. An Angry Birds mod would be (again, assumptions) a technical achievement. A TD would not.
Mouse near your avatar. Click the trash can to delete a post. Don't think it lets you if someone replied after you posted.
One of the criteria is "freshness".
I seriously doubt that old maps like Squadron TD would get far, or maps like StarCraft Universe which have years of publications behind it.
I could be completely wrong. Who knows how many people will even participate. My arbitrary guess is that we'll only see about 4-5 serious entries.
I'm still looking forward to it, though. Not only is this healthy for the arcade, but Blizzard have really been pulling out all the stops for the arcade lately. More importantly, this type of competition suggests that they have something in mind for the arcade after the competition has been concluded.
@TheSkunk2:
Thanks!
This is great!
I have a few questions though;
1) Is there a limit on entries per person? Could I, say, submit 2 maps that I felt each had a solid chance of winning?
2) Could you state which of the following is the most important factor in this contest;
a) The map really showcases what the editor can do.
b) The map will remain highly played on the arcade for a long time.
3) There's a requirement that a forum thread is to be made on the arcade showcase. Where should people aim if they are unable to post on the US forum? (EU forum has no arcade showcase, for instance).