Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to TNS (Tournament News Station), for all news regarding the 1v1 mapmaking tournament. Please check in here regularly, as we will have feature interviews on mapmaking with contestants and judges once in a while!

As is tradition, all submitted maps have a reasonable chance to be used for the 2010 1v1 PBEM-tournament, and the winning map is ensured participation.

So, what are you waiting for? Read the rules and conditions, and sign up!

*** THE CHALLENGE ***

The assignment is simple.
Make the best 1v1 tournament map in the world.

Conditions (read carefully!).

The map needs to be...
- the only map you submit to this tournament.
- of a SMALL SIZE only.
- playable as 1 vs 1.
- original, so do not use existing maps.
- made by you, and you alone, using the upatch-1.4.
- in English.
- open to criticism and (sometimes heavy...)
- open for the development of special tournament version. These are revisions meant to improve playability and balance, as the map may be used for an upcoming 1-v-1 pbem tournament.
- made as a tournament map. This means, for example, as balanced as you can! Both *human* playable Wizard should have an approximately equal chance of winning.
- available for the public (once submitted).

For the rest, everything is up to you! You can have underground or not, as many events (but be careful...) and story as you like, a million custom heroes/Wizards, AI Wizards or not, etc, etc...

For good examples of tournament maps, I would highly take a look at the mappack for the 2009 PBEM tournament.

*** THE WINNER ***
Now, why would you want to win this?

#1 - the winner will win a special Age of Wonders/HG drinking cup!
#2 - the winning map is guaranteed to be used in the prestigious 1v1 singles PBEM-tournament final, starting in the summer of 2010. In addition, the winning map may also be used in the first rounds of subsequent PBEM tournaments.
#3 - you can proudly wear the title '1v1 Mapmaking Champion 2010' in your signature! Forever...

NOTE: After the judging, the second and third ranked maps are also guaranteed to be used in the tournament. Remaining maps may also be used, but have no guarantees.

*** REGISTERING ***

Please sign up for this tournament by expressing your interest in this thread and posting your email (This way we can send reminders for the deadline). You can sign up anytime before the deadline to submit the map (see below).

List of contestants: 13
- Swolte
- Enginerd
- LordDuck
- PawelS
- nyarlathotep
- KillKenny
- Albaron
- The AM
- Bluebaby
- Puncturebox
- Charx
- Unsellord
- iBobs


*** SUBMISSION AND TIMELINE ***

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT COMPLETED MAP: MARCH 25th

Please submit the following to: chowguy@heavengames dot com

1) The Map
Please send the .ahm file (doesn't need to be zipped). I recommend NOT to put your name in the map so that judges have no idea who the mapmaker is and be (unconsciously) influenced.

2) -- OPTIONAL -- Statement of Testing and GI-Events -- OPTIONAL --
This is an honor-statement in a text file where you can explain how you have tested the map for balance purposes (no need to submit one if you aren't testing) as well as describe important game influencing events.

- Playtesting (balance): Playing for more than 12 ingame days counts as one testing session. You can indicate how many times you have tested and in what fashion
It's up to each judges' discretion how much value they attach to these statements for their score on 'Balance'.
- GI Events: Game influencing (GI) events are events that influence actual gameplay (Events other than for atmosphere and story). You are advised to indicate the most crucial ones, and in your mapmaking of a tournament map, to keep them to a minimum.

See example below in the FAQ!!

*** THE JUDGING ***

- Who will judge?

TO BE CONFIRMED:
- Arnout (Your Triumph Studios main scenario design/balance developer)
- Timelord (Your Cherub, winner of 2009 1v1 mapmaking tournament, former WL-champion)
- Costa (Your 2009 PBEM champion)
- The Groll (Your expert mapmaker)

- How will the maps be judged?
Chowguy will send the maps on to the judges who will only get the titles of the maps. They do NOT know who made those maps.
The maps will be judged on these three characteristics at face value.

Balance
This design basically and PURELY answers the question: "would you take a challenge playing either Wizard?"
- Are there any unfair advantages for one Wizard?
- Does one side have more opportunity to exploit game mechanics than the other? (e.g., seduce, control animal, etc...)
Note that a map doesn't need to be symmetrical in order to be balanced. You can be quite creative here.

Playability
This design determines whether a map is fun to play AND suits a tournament. Is there something unique/creative in the (strategic) design of the map that makes the gameplay stand out? Is it too predictable, or unpredictable? Is it easy to see what the game-influencing events are doing? Would it take too long to finish, or too fast? To what extent does winning depend on human x human play (as opposed to against AI)? Etc...

Atmosphere
This design determines how the map feels to play: the setting. Can you relate to the Wizard/Heroes? How creative is the landscape and special areas? Are there events or special signs that add to the atmosphere? A story?

*** FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ***

Feel free to ask any questions in this thread and I will put them up here with the answers.

What does a statement of testing look like?
A statement of testing should give a judge a quick impression.

This is an example:
---------------------------------
STATEMENT OF TESTING/ EVENTS
Map: The Depths.

BALANCE TESTING
Map playtested against myself (5 sessions)
Map playtested with friend (1 sessions)
Map playtested by testers (1 sessions)

(Provide links if there were actual threads)

Relevant comments: Big Archon main starting city does not allow building of Saints.

GI EVENTS
All events were play tested!

Important game influencing events:
- When Queen Ellessil captures the Wand of Earth item, and brings it to the temple of Gaia, the Goblin main underground area will collapse (change terrain: dirt/rock).
- A mighty hero will appear for King Gobbo upon killing the rogue elven hero called Skitzy.

----------------------------------

Isn't the statement of testing flawed and unfair?
The main purpose of this statement is to motivate people to actually test their maps. It is also a way to appreciate those mapmakers who do test!

However, the judges can now also take this into account at their discretion. It will simply be unrealistic time-wise to judge balance on the basis of playing the map once as a judge. There is a lot an experienced eye can see. Keep in mind that if, for example, the map has a lot of events, and is quite asymmetrical, a judge may put more value on the presence of such a statement than when the map is quite straightforward and doesn't need much testing.

However, it is an honor statement and people can indeed lie, and exaggerate. Not to mention that the amount of testing doesn't mean the map is actually balanced better. Please bear in mind that the judges will be (made) aware of this as well.

As for events, these are sometimes not obvious to people and pointing Game influencing events out may make for a better assessment of the balance.

No points are subtracted from NOT having such a statement.

Will the scores of my map be made public?
The idea is that we will only make public a top 5 ranking of maps without scores. Average scores (from all 4 judges per map) are available upon request after the judging. We will not make the names of the judges known.

Can I still change my map after the mapmaking tournament for the pbem tournament?
YES! If your map will be chosen for the upcoming pbem tournament you will receive feedback to make it even better. If you don't have time to fix things, the tournament organizers will make a tournament version of your map and use this.

Can my map get disqualified?
Yes, your risk disqualification if your map does not adhere to any of the conditions listed at the top. Ultimately, the judges decide what to do in such situations.

Why ONLY small maps? I have too many cool ideas and they don't fit!
Sorry, this particular mapmaking tournament is specifically designed for an upcoming 1v1 pbem tournament. FFA mapmaking tournaments allowing for larger sizes will certainly follow in the future.
Allowing medium maps would take too long to finish, even though these can be more interesting. Another reason is that its a very manageable size for our overambitious, and beginner mapmakers. A short but intense time to mapmake is usually best and keeps things fun!

Will my map be played blind?
('Blind' means that the players will not look at the map in the editor before the tournament starts).

No. In the case where knowledge can have influence on the outcome of the game, it is tricky, especially with the eye on the upcoming tournament. We cannot realize people playing the map blind for several reasons. First of all, there is no way we can really ensure that people don't know the map. Second, the judges will also want to play in the subsequent tournament. Third, maps may be played simultaneously in rounds so that earlier logs may betray crucial secrets to others. Fourth, the mapmakers themselves may be participating in the tournament.

Can I use SEM?
Yes. SEM stands for 'Standard Editor Mod' which is a tool designed by JamieJME. It is not a mod in the traditional sense, but it can aid in applying cool tricks to existing maps.
Check it out here

[This message has been edited by Swolte (edited 03-24-2010 @ 08:31 PM).]