$5000 Budget Contest: Discussion Thread

-------------------------------------Banner by Crypto nv---------------------------------

Update (9/1): We will be doing our absolute best to make sure all the larger maps are played with the appropriate amount of players. Somehow it wasn't clear to many players that there was an 8-player limit, and I blame myself for not making it so. However, if we are unable to get a large enough party going to judge these in a timely manner, we may have to play them with fewer people. Hopefully this will not be the case.

Please read the rules! (6/22/2011 : 8:30 pm)

--Please do not mention the contest in the thread title for your map previews/submissions to the TG. However, you may feel free to mention the contest inside the post somewhere in your description.

Any more maps that bear any mention to the contest in the title of their thread will be disqualified. This is being done to avoid any confusion concerning the date the submission thread will be opened, which is still TBD.I know it sounds harsh, but I'd like to keep things consistent and avoid having the forge discussion forum become filled with "$5000 budget contest entry" all over the place.


$5000 Budget Contest

Due to the very positive responses seen on the poll in my most recent thread on map-making competitions, along with a suggestion from Soul Slasher, I've decided to start an unofficial contest. The aim of this contest to see what Forger's can do with half the budget if they are careful with how they spend their money. I'm certain some awesome maps will be born.

Prizes (updated):

--1st Place:

-A Steam game gifted to your account that is valued at $10 or less. You must have Steam in order to receive this prize. If you don't have it, you should get it. It's free and awesome.

-New: An exclusive Forge Hub custom title of your choosing.

--2nd Place: Custom banner for your map/sig courtesy of Crypto nv. If Crypto happens to get 2nd place himself, I'll make you one I haz photoshop skills, too.

--3rd Place: A Banshee prop for your Xbox Live Avatar, courtesy of Soul Slasher.

Edit: If you are doing a co-forge, then you'll have to decide amongst yourselves how the prizes will be divided.

Rules (update v3):

--Budget must come in at $5000 or less. A single dollar over the limit will result in disqualification. All objects are allowed.

--NEW: Must support at least 2 players, up to a maximum of 8. May be any kind of map (except Aesthetic), ranging from your casual Invasion and Puzzle maps to your standard 4v4 competitive map and everything in between.

--If a specific game-type is necessary or preferred, that may be submitted along with your map. Whatever game-type you recommend your map be played on, that is what will be played and your map judged upon. However, expect a not-so-well put together game-type to negatively affect judging.

--Must be built on either Forge World or Tempest

--The map must either be new or have never been submitted. You may post a map preview and utilize the Tester's Guild in order to improve your map, but you may not post it to any section of the "Halo: Reach Custom Content" forum beforehand. Doing so will disqualify the map from the contest. Once you have submitted your map officially for the contest, you may also post it in the Custom Content forum.

--IMPORTANT: If you choose to submit a map preview or use the TG, you may say it's for the contest in the description, but please do not include the contest name in the title of the post. Thank you.

--1 entry per person/co-forge

How will maps be judged?

♥Sky from the Tester's Guild will be the primary judge for the contest. Judging along side him are BroccolliPie and Draw the Line. Draw the Line has graciously agreed to helping judge the submissions and I believe having his input will of great value to this competition. I will be helping test maps, but judging is out of my hands.

Maps will be judged on the following relatively standard criteria:

--Budget clocks in at $5000 or less spent
--Game-play & Flow
--Aesthetics & Originality
--Durability. If it's possible to get outside the map, things do not bode well for you.

The exact weighting of these criteria are up to ♥Sky, but it's safe to assume that it will be similar to that of the Review Hub, which means game-play and enjoyment will have a greater impact than aesthetics, originality, and durability, though they are certainly important in their own right.

Where to post submissions

--Do not, I repeat, DO NOT post maps in this thread. This will be mainly for discussion amongst yourselves regarding the contest.

--The submission thread is now open.


I hope everyone really gets into this competition and we can help inspire the overlords here at Forge Hub to set up more contests like this in the future! Have fun and happy forging. Also, a huge thanks to Crypto nv for the sexy contest banner. Too legit to quit.

 

♥Sky says he has that map pack, so yes, Tempest is allowed. I have appended the rules to reflect this.

 

There is currently no set time-limit. Once the 2x2 Bank Contest winner is announced (which shouldn't take too long to decide honestly...), I will make a new thread for submissions and decide on a due date. Tentatively? I'd say sometime around the end of July, but nothing is set in stone regarding this matter.

So for now, take your time to do some planning and get started on your map

@Rogue: Don't be such a baby. The point of this contest is to help people realize what they can do with only half a budget. I know you've got it in you.

 

Okay, it looks like I haven't been detailed enough with the rules, which was expected since I haven't organized anything like this before. I'll update the OP to be more specific about what needs to happen. Thanks for the advice everyone.

Also, I've stated that I'm not trying to compete with the Bank Contest, which I'm pretty sure the deadline for is very soon anyways. This thread is mostly to get people interested and maybe get a head start on their maps.