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The Official Level Design Contest is a mapping contest held on the SRB2 Message Board. It is currently held bimonthly, though in the past it was held every month. The objective is for people to make their own unique maps over the course of the two months. The contest is an excellent way to get feedback to help improve contestants' maps.
For more info, see Official Level Design Contest - Entry Rules topic.
Contents |
The Contest
The Submissions
The contest has four divisions, for each of the main gametypes: Match, Capture the Flag, Circuit Race and Single Player. Maps entered in a contest may support other gametypes, but they shall only be judged on the one it was entered in.
The Multiplayer contest divisions (Match, Capture the Flag and Circuit Race) don't allow the authors to use any additional multimedia outside of what is provided in SRB2's core wads. This is because all multiplayer submissions are combined into one single file, with the Match maps at the MAPMx slots, the CTF maps at MAPFx and the Circuit maps at MAPRx.
On the other hand, the Single Player contest allows the author to add custom graphics and music to their map. Also, it will not have its wads merged into a single file: they will be presented for judging as they were entered.
To submit a map, one must create a topic for it in the Contest Submissions subforum, with the name of the level in the subject line as well as a prefix designating which division the map is entered into. The topic must include the names of all collaborators, the map number and a ZIP or RAR attachment containing the map, or a link if the file is too big for the attachment system. The file must be hosted on a private webspace, files from file hosting services are ignored. To be qualified for voting, a map may not be publicly released before and must be the author's own work. Maps that are considered unplayable are rejected. Due to a new rule placed into effect for May/June 2008 and all later contests, authors can no longer enter multiple maps into one division.
The Judging
Judging consists of voting in a topic on SRB2 Message Board, and will last for a full week after the submission period. Any member can participate in the judging: they will play the maps on the intended gametype and then, according to how fun and interesting it was to play, they give their votes (and constructive criticism they see fit, if they want to) for each map. A vote must be a number from 0 to 10, no decimals; zero being the lowest, and 10 being the highest. An entrant cannot vote on his or her own map, but if he or she votes for all other maps in the division, the lowest score for their map is discouraged.
Once the contest judging period is over, the scores will be then averaged, and the person with the highest score is the winner.
The Awards
Every contest is registered here for historical purposes, with average ratings and records. Winners are highlighted and screenshots of their maps are exposed. On the SRB2 Message Board, winners will have their usertitle changed to "Contest Winner", and will be given a golden username. This will last up and until the next contest winners are decided.
List of Contests
Only legitimate maps are counted in numbers of maps and average ratings.
| Period | Number of Maps | Average Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | ||
| January/February | 23 | 4.83 |
| 2009 | ||
| November/December | 34 | 5.22 |
| September/October | 20 | 4.94 |
| May/June | 16 | 6.35 |
| March/April | 17 | 5.49 |
| January/February | 13 | 5.33 |
| 2008 | ||
| November/December | 20 | 5.94 |
| September/October | 23 | 4.78 |
| July/August | 15 | 4.28 |
| May/June | 11 | 5.14 |
| March/April | 11 | 4.75 |
| January/February | 17 | 4.30 |
| 2007 | ||
| November/December | 17 | 4.54 |
| September/October | 15 | 4.92 |
| July/August | 11 | 6.12 |
| May/June | 15 | 5.38 |
| March/April | 21 | 5.30 |
| January/February | 26 | 4.76 |
| 2006 | ||
| September-December | 14 | 6.49 |
| July/August | 29 | 4.72 |
| May/June | 32 | 5.29 |
| March/April | 27 | 5.76 |
| January/February | 13 | 6.90 |
| 2005 | ||
| November/December | 14 | 5.67 |
| September/October | 11 | 4.89 |
| July/August | 10 | 6.72 |
| May/June | 17 | 6.20 |
| March/April | 5 | (No voting happened) |
| January | 13 | 6.30 |
| 2004 | ||
| December | 23 | 5.17 |
| February | 3 | 6.66 |
| January | 7 | 6.49 |
| 2003 | ||
| December | 3 | 5.35 |
| October/November | 10 | 5.93 |
| September | 5 | 6.68 |
Current Records
| Rank | Name | Author | Contest | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single Player | ||||
| 1 | Nuclear Sunset Zone Act 2 | BlueZero4 | July/August 2007 | 9.50 |
| 2 | Aero Shrine Zone Act 1 | Tets | January/February 2006 | 8.78 |
| 3 | Gelespious Mountain Zone | Penopat | January/February 2007 | 8.71 |
| 4 | Mill Citadel Zone Act 2 | Ezer.Arch | May/June 2009 | 8.52 |
| 5 | Aquatic Labyrinth Zone Act 1 | Kuja | November/December 2008 | 8.47 |
| 6 | Blown Fuse Zone | SonicMaster | November/December 2008 | 8.39 |
| 7 | Dark Palisades Zone | Tets | July/August 2005 | 8.33 |
| 8 | Death Egg Zone Act 2 | Blade T. Hedgehog | November/December 2008 | 8.31 |
| 9 | Rocky Pass Zone | Oogaland | May/June 2006 | 8.30 |
| 10 | Hidden Sanctuary Zone Act 2 | Ice | May/June 2009 | 8.29 |
| Match | ||||
| 1 | Tree Ring Zone | Some guy | November/December 2005 | 10.00 |
| 2 | Four Seasons | Oogaland | November/December 2005 | 9.50 |
| 3 | Nocturnal Sahara Zone | Digiku | May/June 2005 | 9.14 |
| 4 | Greenery Hotel Zone | JJames19119 | March/April 2006 | 9.00 |
| 5 | Rocky Ravine Zone | Blue Blur | March/April 2006 | 8.56 |
| 6 | Ivory Square Zone | Digiku | September-December 2006 | 8.44 |
| 7 | River Side Zone | Some guy | January 2005 | 8.40 |
| 8 (tied) | Water Plant Zone | Ezer.Arch | November/December 2008 | 8.33 |
| 8 (tied) | Loopy Tunnel Zone | a441 | September 2003 | 8.33 |
| 10 | Plughole Zone | Oogaland | September-December 2006 | 8.14 |
| Capture the Flag | ||||
| 1 | Castle Canyon Zone | Mystic | January/February 2007 | 8.82 |
| 2 | Metal Star Zone | FuriousFox | January/February 2006 | 8.71 |
| 3 (tied) | Lush Falls Zone | Com | July/August 2007 | 8.29 |
| 3 (tied) | Isolated Canyon Zone | Neo Chaotikal | January/February 2006 | 8.29 |
| 5 | Daimondus(sic) Zone | Glaber | January/February 2007 | 8.27 |
| 6 (tied) | Amber Fortress Zone | Chaos Zero 64 | March/April 2007 | 8.00 |
| 6 (tied) | Card Carnival Zone | JJames19119 | September-December 2006 | 8.00 |
| 6 (tied) | Lily Pads Zone | Oogaland | May/June 2006 | 8.00 |
| 6 (tied) | Wall Fortresses Zone | JJames19119 | March/April 2006 | 8.00 |
| 6 (tied) | Techno Hill Zone CTF | Mystic | January/February 2006 | 8.00 |
| Circuit | ||||
| 1 | Race Alley Zone | FoxBlitzz | July/August 2006 | 8.86 |
| 2 | Four Seasons Circuit Zone | Oogaland | July/August 2006 | 8.20 |
| 3 | Thunder Factory Zone | Blade | January/February 2010 | 7.86 |
| 4 | Ice Cap Zone | JJames19119 | January/February 2007 | 7.60 |
| 5 | Endless Woods Zone | Blade | March/April 2009 | 7.40 |
| 6 | Crimson Caves Zone | Blade | November/December 2009 | 7.22 |
| 7 | Star Reactor Zone | Kuja | May/June 2009 | 7.11 |
| 8 (tied) | Aqueduct Circuit Zone | Ezer.Arch | January/February 2009 | 7.00 |
| 8 (tied) | Wacky Track Zone | SonicMaster | January/February 2008 | 7.00 |
| 10 | Generic Greens Zone | SRB2 Playah | March/April 2007 | 6.80 |
 Nuclear Sunset Zone Act 2. |
 Tree Ring Zone. |
 Castle Canyon Zone. |
 Race Alley Zone. |
Best of the OLDC
On the first of March 2009, Blue Warrior released a level compilation titled "Best of the OLDC", which consists of the highest-rated multiplayer maps up until the end of 2008. The corresponding SRB2 Message Board topic can be found here (compatible only with SRB2 version 1.09.4).