All right folks you guess it… after weeks and weeks of auditions the time has finally come. We have narrowed our mapmaking finalists down to a select few (well... all seven actually). There will be no Hollywood week…. No putting our contestants through the torture of Simon and his comments. No… but you will get to see an in depth analysis of each map… and then you, our audience, will get to Vote your scores on these maps (starting Mar 15). Let’s now announce our contestants:

Festive Winter Holiday Maps
1... Toy Wars by Skout77
2... Snowflake by ThePreachr

Historical Maps
1... Andelin's Quest by Enginerd
2... War of 1812 by Froster
3... Mene in Venezuela by Slipkyes
4... Capture the Flag by Arctic Wolf
5... World of Paradise by Skout77

And now let me introduce our Judges….. Hailing from far across the seas… with a great number of accomplishments in mapmaking, upatch support, and distinguished veteran of the game, Pawel!!! He is joined by a relatively newer player but one that has made his mark in the forums since his arrival, he plays with tenacity and fights to the end, a real tough opponent, Here’s Disenchanted!! (seriously folks… these two did a great job and spent many hours on these maps, when you see the details of our discussion you'll know what I mean. I really appreciate their efforts).

When you go to the links above you will see the discussion that took place while reviewing the maps. Starting March 15, you can post your score for the map 1-10, only vote once for each map. You do not have to vote for every map but we encourage you to do so. We also encourage you to leave your comments in the download section and rate the map there as well. Don't vote and leave scores in this thread.

Between now and Mar 15th we ask you to review the maps once again and get ready to vote. Voting will remain open until the end of March!

Scoring – 10 points possible. The average score from the community will determine how many of the 10 points the mapmaker will receive. This score will be comibined with the judges' scores for a final tally (judges are 50% and community is 50%)

Judging – The judges based their decisions on the standard categories (creativity, playability, map design, balance for MP, see the link HERE for a good guide) they also took into account how well the map fit the theme. Your method for scoring can be whatever it wants to be.

Judging will begin next weekend (approx Mar 15) and will continue until the end of the month. During that time you can vote ONCE for each map.

Judging FAQ

1 - do I put my vote in this thread? No, put your score for the map in the map thread discussion (linked above). This thread is for general comments and questions about the competition

2 - how many points can I give a map? You can score a map from 1 to 10 points. You can only vote ONCE for each map, you can vote for every map (and we encourage that).

3 - Can mapmakers vote for maps? - Yes and No.. YES, there is going to be a special award for the maps from the mapmakers. The scores from the 6 mapmakers will be pulled out separately to determine which map they liked best. That map will be given the "Mapmaker's Choice" award. No judges, no community, just mapmakers and their choice on the best map. NO, these scores won't be used to select an overall winner.

4 - Can mapmakers encourage others to vote for them? Yes, they can make comments and send emails to garner support.

5 - Why are the threads locked with the judges comments? Judging has not started yet... when it does the threads will be unlocked.


Judges Scores!

[This message has been edited by Enginerd (edited 03-23-2009 @ 07:59 PM).]