Map Developement Group
The competition idea is an interesting one, and I agree with the idea of a maximum number of mappers per group (3 sounds good), but I would:
- -- Not require the job breakdown. Two people can be designers and one the actual mapper if they like. However each team wants to break things down should be up to them.
-- Also allow less than three people per team. Some people may be able to work more efficiently by themselves, instead of having to communicate their ideas to someone else who may misinterpret matters.
Good point 
I agree, yeah, just max mappers to a group: 3
Glad to see some input on this idea.
Maybe we can set a little competetion up. See if we can get 4 or 5 teams going. I'll think about some rules, if you guys want to do the same, and we'll "announce" the very first "thinking with portals.com map competetion".
I would say start a thread on the topic, and crosspost this stuff (or an admin could move the posts *hint hint*), but give it time to fully bake. Work out a solid rules set and system.
But also, for the love of God, give us some time. I just started using Hammer yesterday, but I'd love to get in on this. I imagine I, and much of the mapping community, could use some time to stretch our legs.
Trust me, I agree. The mechanics behind mapping, as of thusfar, just to get everything to work has taken such a ridiculous amount of time this weekend of studying. I had nothing to do this weekend but test and try stuff, I can imagine most people will need another week or two to get accustomed to things.
How about we start the competition in the very near future, like next Friday. We'll see if we can get the admins to agree on a good time and get some official announcement made.
Time shouldn't be an issue. We could hold maybe a monthly competition for maps? Then put all the maps in the map packs making it a real TWP map pack.
: http://img-up.net/img/my_mapLZiyV.PNGNice, I like it. Let me know if you need any help with anything. I'd like to somehow be a part of this idea.
I would also like to suggest making little groups that work together (maybe have some neat little competetions.) In a group, you would have one puzzle designer/map critic, one primary room navigation creator, and one detail creator. Get like 3 teams of 3 going on mapsets. Maybe each group would have to make the hardest maps, or the most voted set of maps with a simple poll.
Let's say, theoretically, each team is given 1 month to make 3 well created and organized maps. To start, the puzzle creator gets to work on some map concepts, everyone votes amongst the team, picks the 3 they like the best, or merges some ideas together, then the puzzle creator gets to work on the final draft of the first map, churns it out after a few days, then shoots it out to the primary room navigation creator, then after he has gotten the basic layout made in the game, shoot it to the detail creator to insert models, doors, puzzle components, textures, etc, at which point, the puzzle creator should be about done with the second of three maps. The whole thing could definitely be done within a month (assuming other people have very little life, like myself. (man, my g/f hates me right now.)
Winners get props, and nothing more, haha.
That way, we are challenging ourselves, by challenging eachother and working together to get some really tough stuff going.
I would like to open an invitation, anyone who thinks this is a neat idea, pm me and maybe we can get some really good stuff going.
man if you want make it , because now i cant ... (only if you want 
) or i'll but dont know when .
and - i like that - puzzle designer/map critic
looks like the admins took our advice. A competetion deadline is already set for Oct 31.
ofc the admins took our advice
the way i see it, portal mappers have a problem, and that is once their map is played, its done. so making very challenging maps where maybe you don't know where to go, or there are many many ways to go seems to me like it might extend the life of the map, or make it more notable since it's the only one you haven't been able to do yet.. ect.. my favorite custom map so far is just one big room, and was the most challenging so far only because i didn;t know what to do. he was also able to integrate it into the bonus map feature so you can record # of portals/time/steps. which is very legit.
here's the map i was talking about here http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/s ... p?t=612396
looking at hints is cheating.