AN OPEN LETTER FROM FORGEHUB REGARDING THE 2V2 CONTEST​

As the owner of ForgeHub and the creator of the 2v2 Throwdown Map Contest, I'd like to apologize for the recent events that have come to our attention regarding the perceived mis-management of this contest and would like to address all of the concerns raised with as much transparency as possible.


WHAT HAPPENED?
During testing for the 2v2 Throwdown Map Contest, improper testing conditions were applied to the map 'Orxgens', which was forged and submitted by thefro3po. As will be shown later in the article, this was totally unintentional. The judging panel had every intention of applying fair and equal testing conditions to all of the maps that were entered into the contest. Unfortunately, in the case of Orxgens, the version of the map that was tested had been updated after the submission deadline.


HOW DID THIS HAPPEN?
Once the submission deadline had passed, all of the submitted maps were saved via 'bookmarks', which meant that updates could be applied to a map file after it had been saved. Furthermore, if a bookmarked map file was deleted by the forger, the bookmark would be rendered 'Invalid'. With no intention of wrongdoing, the combination of these circumstances lead us into our current predicament.


WHY DIDN'T WE SAVE THE MAPS LOCALLY?
- With 145 map submissions and 100 local storage slots, we were unable to 'locally' save all of maps onto a single profile.
- The convenience of being able to 'bookmark' all 145 maps onto a single profile seemed more attractive from a logistical perspective, as saving maps locally would have added a considerable amount of time to the process.

Despite reasoning that seemed logical at the time, we recognize that this was a poor decision.
All of the issues we encountered would have been prevented if we had properly saved all of the map files 'locally'. For this, we are deeply sorry. This will not happen again in future contests.


WAS 'ORXGENS' MODIFIED PAST THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE?
Yes, Orxgens was modified after the submission deadline.
Without any intention of wrongdoing, the map used during testing was modified past the submission deadline by the original author. Due to maps being saved via 'bookmarks', all updates applied by the author automatically transferred over to the version we collected. The author updated the map after the deadline in an attempt to address feedback that was posted on his map page which, you can read below.

Before the Submission Deadline (Midnight of March 1st)

The following feedback was posted on the Map Thread for Orxgens:

"I fixed your lighting issues to an extent" - purely fat (March 1)
"I think you should take the Railgun off a weapon pad and drop spawn it. That many shots is going to break the map in Doubles. I'd also suggest you reduce the amount of lights on your map because you have framerate drops, most noticeably in the space area." - A 3 Legged Goat (March 1)​

After the Submission Deadline

The following changes were made to the map by the author, and addressed within the Map Thread:

"I ended up changing the Rail to three shots, I don't like taking the weapons off of the pads, but not being able to change the amount of ammo is quite the downfall for sure" - thefro3po (March 2)
"Just deleted a massive amount of lights and re-positioned others." - thefro3po (March 5)​

WAS THERE EVER A VERSION OF ORXGENS PLAYED THAT WAS MODIFIED BY THE JUDGES?
Yes. Please read on for the explanation.

The version of the map that was used during contest testing all the way until the finalists (Top 5) had been solidified was NOT modified by the judges. All modifications and alterations were made by the original author of the map. We've searched through Game History on Waypoint to verify this.

March 2nd (the day after the submission deadline)
- There was an unofficial playtest on Orxgens (Waypoint Link). Note that if you look at the top left corner of the map image, it says 'PARALLAX'. As will become evident with the subsequent links, maps show up this way after they've been deleted by the original author.

March 7th
- First judging session occurs (Unfortunately, for some reason the Game History on Waypoint is unavailable for a stretch of days in March (Exhibit A, Exhibit B, Exhibit C, Exhibit D), so there's no record of our first official judging session for Orxgens.

More Tests on Orxgens
March 18th - Waypoint Link
March 24th - Waypoint Link
March 25th - Waypoint Link
March 27th - Waypoint Link
March 28th - Waypoint Link
March 29th - Waypoint Link
March 30th - Waypoint Link​

As can be seen by looking at the top left corner of the map picture in each link, the map being used was last updated by thefro3po. The judges did not make any alterations to the map during contest testing. Testing concluded when we reached a top 5 decision on March 30th. One more note regarding this - click This Link for proof that the Game History shows the last person to modify a map as the author (Matclan shows as the author of this map, which was originally forged by Shifty).


BUT I THOUGHT YOU SAID THE JUDGES PLAYED ON A VERSION OF THE MAP THEY HAD MODIFIED?

After Orxgens reached a finalist position (Top 5), I was responsible for preparing maps for the 2v2 playlist. We made an alternate version of the map with the Camo and OS placed on Weapon Pads, and found that it played better with those adjustments. I handed in the final selection of maps to 343 with the adjustment I noted above shortly afterwards.

I had to make adjustments to all of the 2v2 maps to properly hand them off to 343. Maps that go in matchmaking must undergo a series of refinement checks to ensure that the general population will have the best experience possible. That requires a full inspection of the map including other changes such as player containment, name location volumes, decals and other aesthetic touches for player orientation. The changes made to the 2v2 maps in no way impacted their placement in the Throwdown Map Contest.​

Spoiler: Timeline Review

March 1
- map submissions due midnight
- Goat recommended to update lighting and railgun (dropspawn) fro3po's map page
- Match with aPK and Warholic (midnight) - Orxgens (unofficial playtest, not all judges present)

March 2
- Chunk bookmarks all 2v2 maps
- Railgun changed on map by author

March 5
- Lighting updated on map by author

March 7
- First judging session occurs

March 30
- Prepared 10 maps for matchmaking, fine tuning and other necessary adjustments made
- Top 5 maps established
- Alternative version of Orxgens with Weapon Pads tested - Waypoint Link

March 31
- Maps sent to 343 for playlist

THE VERDICT
Since the version of Orxgens used in testing sessions was modified by the author after the submission deadline, we have no choice but to disqualify it from the Map Contest. On behalf of all the judges, we wish to express our sincerest apologies to thefro3po for our failure to properly save your map. We're embarrassed and disappointed at our own lack of foresight, and deeply saddened by the fact that it's resulted in this disqualification.