A level design contest? Yes, that’s right! I’m happy to finally announce, after several months of delay, the contest will be open for submissions through September 1st until September 30th. Any map submitted before or after these dates will be rejected.

The winner will be announced by October 5th and they will receive $250 for their effort.

All submissions will be posted on a permanent page which you’ll be able to find here, giving everyone the opportunity to play them.

Please also keep in mind that as this is our first level design contest, your feedback is highly appreciated.

2019-07-21: Thanks for everyone’s comments and feedback! Further clarification has been provided regarding the theme and how the judgement for the winner will be made.

Theme

The theme for this contest is ‘Prey 1996’; Prey as it was developed under Tom Hall’s leadership, which was a science-fiction first-person shooter.

I highly encourage you to do your own research, as there are a number of magazine samples, screenshots and more provided on the archive – these will be valuable as you develop your level but will need your own interpretation.

Your map will need to be inspired/based upon any of the following screenshots.

























A map can incorporate one, multiple or all scenes seen in these screenshots; maps that incorporate more are more likely to win providing they effectively stitch them together.

The winner will be judged based on how creatively they incorporate the scenes visible in any of these screenshots into their map and how effectively they’ve filled in the gaps. As many of these maps were still a work-in-progress at the point these screenshots were taken, you’re allowed and encouraged to take creative liberties wherever you like providing the basic design isn’t lost.

As an example, your map may feature a room that heavily uses the Quake texture set but the geometry and textures are used in a way that convey the original design visible in the screenshot you’ve selected for that segment.

Another example; you created a 1:1 recreation of one of these scenes, I would expect to see considerably better use of lighting, textures more grounded to a consistent theme and perhaps some minor alterations to the geometry to better incorporate some feature/function of the game I’m building it for.

Maps that aim for extra authenticity (e.g. a custom texture set replicating the original) will get extra ticks, however they also need to account for the fact that many of these levels were again, a work in progress and it means nothing if the rest of the map is just an empty void.

Rules

Only a map created for the following games will be accepted; Half-Life, Half-Life 2, Quake, Quake 2 and Unreal

Maps can depend on modifications, providing in your submission you specify which modification it depends on and how to obtain it

Only a single submission per-person is accepted

You can use any level editor of your preference

Custom WADs and texture sets are allowed

There doesn’t necessarily need to be enemies in your map, you’re welcome to produce a simple showpiece if you wish

Submitting

When you’ve finished your level and your happy to submit it, hop into the Discord and post a link into the #map-submissions channel or alternatively send it over via email.

Please provide everything for your submission in a Zip file

Please include a text file alongside the Zip (e.g. mymap.zip and mymap.txt) detailing the author, description and any other details you want to share about your map

Each submission needs to include at least four unique screenshots showing the map in at least 640 by 480 pixels, these will then be used for the submission page

If your map depends on a custom engine to work correctly (e.g. Quakespasm), please specify it in your submission, ideally in the text file accompanying your map

FAQ

How do I receive the prize money if I win?

Any prize money will be transferred via PayPal, so it’s advised you setup a PayPal account if you don’t have one already. I’m open to transferring money another way, however please discuss this with me first before making your submission.

What will happen to my submission after the contest ends?

All submissions will be made permanently available on a dedicated submissions page for this particular contest. Submitted maps will also be backed up offline to ensure their preservation.