Assuming my recent blog post makes it through okay, and you've read it, you'll know that we're getting close to time for site launch. So we need to plan this contest!

To recap, we need the following things:

• What is the contest about? (SFM, Portal 2 mapping, TF2 mapping, etc)
• When does the contest take place? (School needs to be a consideration for some)
• Who will be judging (I need RELIABLE judges, and I might want to enter myself - it's also possible that we could open this up to the community, if it's something workshop compatible, and see what has the most upvotes at the end of a specified period or something of the like)
• What will the prizes be? (I can provide funds for some cheap ($15-$20) first/second place prizes, if necessary. Contributions would be welcome, too)

It would be cool if you could have a contest with a focus on originality, as opposed to just saying "make a Portal map". I like the TWP's concept of having different awards for different aspects of maps that excel e.g. "Best Use of 1940's Bebop Revivalist Hairstyles"

If we do a portal mapping contest, I propose the following categories

• Best original testing element
• Best custom art style
• Most challenging
• Best use of unused VO lines
• Best overall (can be a repeat of one of the previous)

Prize would be only for best overall, and it would be any one $30 or less game, item package, or item able to be bought on steam and traded.

Guess this means the TF2 portal mapping contest is dead. (I'm still kind of sore about that)

I propose "Best Original Audio;" that means sound design/soundscaping if its in SFM, voice lines (there'd have to be something about using external actors - its kind of useless if that one same guy or gal from the internet adds new lines to everybody's map), and music.

An SFM contest would be pretty cool, because I don't see any Portal-styled SFM competitions anywhere. I probably wouldn't be entering unless groups were allowed; I can write scripts, do sound, etc, but I'm not very good at filmmaker yet.
It would need to take place before Novemberish if I were to enter or put huge amounts of effort into judging.
...As to funding, I'll have $20 of rebate money in a month or two that I don't have any immediate plans to use. There were vague formulations of donating this money to the site anyway. I won't make any promises until further down the road.

Sweet! We are slowly getting there, and I'm happy to see mAI so far is not failing.

Ok, about the contest. First off, we should stay away from TF2. We are not a TF2 community, we are a Portal community. I would recommend a SFM contest, but everyone would rather do a video for the next Saxxy awards. To be opposite of TWP's mapping contest, I propose we do a contest in the winter months.

Now, what a contest would be. Well, again, we should not just do a normal mapping contest since TWP does that annually in the summer. After thinking for a while we need a contest that reflects us, the mAI community on how we love to mod the crap out of our games.

I propose a "New Testing Element" contest. This contest is beneficial in may ways.

[list:z468e9a9]
Both Portal and Portal 2 can be used.
Both vscripting and/or I/O can be used.
Highlights creativity.
Different from the Summer TWP contest.
[/list:u:z468e9a9]

We should also make the contestants make a demo map to showcase their new elements. It does not need to be long, or hard, just enough to showcase it. We can make up rules, and if we want to divide entries later. But that is my idea, different from TWP's contest, and highlights the people around here.

vanSulli wrote:
Guess this means the TF2 portal mapping contest is dead. (I'm still kind of sore about that)

I think I still have the maps, we could always play em on omega's server just for old time's sake...

vanSulli wrote:

I propose "Best Original Audio;" that means sound design/soundscaping if its in SFM, voice lines (there'd have to be something about using external actors - its kind of useless if that one same guy or gal from the internet adds new lines to everybody's map), and music.

Of course you would suggest that Definitely a good idea, would probably work no matter what we go with.

vanSulli wrote:

An SFM contest would be pretty cool, because I don't see any Portal-styled SFM competitions anywhere. I probably wouldn't be entering unless groups were allowed; I can write scripts, do sound, etc, but I'm not very good at filmmaker yet.

That was the original inspiration with it. The only problem is that the saxxy's are going on right now...God damn it Valve, you keep messing with our contest ideas.

vanSulli wrote:

It would need to take place before Novemberish if I were to enter or put huge amounts of effort into judging.
...As to funding, I'll have $20 of rebate money in a month or two that I don't have any immediate plans to use. There were vague formulations of donating this money to the site anyway. I won't make any promises until further down the road.

Any money donated to the site has the potential to be used for site bills, contest funds, or other various site-related transactions.

p0rtalplayer wrote:

vanSulli wrote:

I propose "Best Original Audio;" that means sound design/soundscaping and music.>
Of course you would suggest that Definitely a good idea, would probably work no matter what we go with.

It would be awesome to have a load of maps with loads of different aspects that are focused on e.g. one focused on an art style, one on gameplay style, one on story etc

[Moved Reep's post over here to keep most of the contest-related discussion in this thread.]

Jomonay wrote:
One for best art style, gameplay, and story.

This'd be cool. Also, since a good game is something that combines all these things, I'd say something that mixes these three elements the best or most seamlessly should also receive an award (possibly the grand prize).

reepblue wrote:
After thinking for a while we need a contest that reflects us, the mAI community on how we love to mod the crap out of our games.

I propose a "New Testing Element" contest. This contest is beneficial in may ways.

[list:24pbefqz]
Both Portal and Portal 2 can be used.
Both vscripting and/or I/O can be used.
Highlights creativity.
Different from the Summer TWP contest.
[/list:u:24pbefqz]

And this could fall under the new gameplay award.

Curse you Van for moving my post! lol.

Yeah again, we want to be different then the TWP contest. If we just have 'another Portal mapping contest' it will not last very long/not have any entries. So a contest that pushes custom content is a must!

And, no matter what the contest is, I'm submitting a Portal 1 map because I'm an old geezer.

Depending on what contest we choose, I might want to be judge (I just can't make new gameplay elements soo...). I think i'd enjoy a Portal contest better than Portal 2. I'm just in love with the 2009 engine

EDIT: Halloween themed contest?

I'd like a theme of "recycling".

the theme where you use old rooms in new ways to complete new goals. such as retrieving a cube from two rooms back for the current cube, or additional elements added to the main room if you press a specific button.

Rules Proposal: 'Anything Goes,' a custom-content-centered competition with a focus on original ideas and overall presentation.

[list:2mc8zaiq]
[:2mc8zaiq]Portal, Portal 2, and SFM submissions are allowed[/:m:2mc8zaiq][:2mc8zaiq]Three Categories: [list:2mc8zaiq][:2mc8zaiq]Custom Art, [/:m:2mc8zaiq][:2mc8zaiq] Gameplay, and [/:m:2mc8zaiq][:2mc8zaiq] Story[/:m:2mc8zaiq][/list:u:2mc8zaiq][/:m:2mc8zaiq]
[:2mc8zaiq]One small prize for each category, and One (Grand?) Prize for Best Overall Combination of the Above[/:m:2mc8zaiq]
[:2mc8zaiq]Entries must take place in an Aperture-centric universe.[/:m:2mc8zaiq]
[:2mc8zaiq]Submissions may be made in groups up to 3. Potential prizes would be split between across all the winners in the group.[/:m:2mc8zaiq]
[:2mc8zaiq]Only Valve and entry-specific content is allowed, even if you're able to get permission for third-party music, textures, etc. You must use assets included by Valve, provided by mAI for the contest, or made by your group.[/:m:2mc8zaiq]
[:2mc8zaiq]Halloween or autumn-themed?[/:m:2mc8zaiq][/list:u:2mc8zaiq]

vanSulli wrote:
[list:3nvh3oar]
[:3nvh3oar]Only Valve and entry-specific content is allowed, even if you're able to get permission for third-party music, textures, etc. You must use assets included by Valve, provided by mAI for the contest, or made by your group.[/:m:3nvh3oar][/list:u:3nvh3oar]

Do you mean you could only use external programs allowed by the contest? I'm a bit confused

It means you can't use voice acting from a different voice actor outside of you or your group, you can't take original music or textures from anywhere except from the source files or your group, etc.

I mentioned 'provided by mAI' in case we wanted to add resources (for example, elevator videos with our logo) to encourage people to use.

I personally would want to go with Reepblue's idea, is it's the most unique and we need to be unique to get a kickstart.

On the other hand, making a new element is hard for most normal mappers, especially one that works with portals, and there will be a lot of 'copies' that are either real copies or people having similar ideas. What is needed has to indeed be unique, but I don't think just 'make a new element' would be flexible enough.

My other ideas on stuff to make unique:

• Story
• Add a Core? (it's been forever and still very few maps have thier own cores)
• Music
• Textures

I still feel like having three overall categories (the aforementioned art, gameplay, and possibly story (it could fit under art)). Saying "You must add music" or "you must add gameplay" really constricts the amount of creativity and therefore the potential entries. Music, custom cores, and new testing elements all fit into the category idea.

I'd be down to make a map with a custom core, custom VO and custom music (not by me ofc). Though, Portal 2 cores look waaaaay better :$

I personally don't want a contest that focuses on custom cores as I'm terribad at stuff like that. Plus it wouldn't attract newer mappers as Grox pointed out, a majority of people won't have voice/scripting talent or the connections to get that done.

Perhaps encourage unique use of existing testing elements, that way we get creativity but it won't be an autoloss for people who are bad with Vscripts or otherwise.

Coppermantis wrote:
I personally don't want a contest that focuses on custom cores as I'm terribad at stuff like that. Plus it wouldn't attract newer mappers as Grox pointed out, a majority of people won't have voice/scripting talent or the connections to get that done.

Perhaps encourage unique use of existing testing elements, that way we get creativity but it won't be an autoloss for people who are bad with Vscripts or otherwise.

The problem is that's too vague. You can be 'creative' by using the funnel backwards or you can be creative by using it in a new kind of way.

I don't want to go with Custom Music alone as that's also something you need connections to do (going by Van's rules) and not many people know a composer willing to make music for them.

Reusing testing elements wouldn't work because of Grox's reasoning, but the rest of it isn't vague at all. New gameplay would be defined by hard rules like reep's idea of adding a brand new testing element. New art is very easy to guage: new textures, new sounds, new models, etc.

There are enough people here who work with music and sound for it to be a valid edition to a 'new-content' themed contest. There are also people who texture, write stories, and work on new gameplay. Most of us do combinations of these things; sometimes not in Portal/2 specifically, but throughout our hobbies and potential careers.

It'd be perfectly fine if you couldn't make music or suck at textures or don't have any good testing element/portal use/whatever ideas; you'd stick with another form of content you're good at producing.