Competition 32 Created 12 years ago2011-12-16 17:02:11 UTC by Daubster

A new competition but one week since the last one? CS:GO beta keys as prizes? TWHL is on fire!

Re-invent a Counter-Strike Classic is live, judged by me and Archie.

Any questions, post them here.

Since part of the emphasis has been put on gameplay in this competition, we will try to get testing servers up and running in the later stages of the competition. potatis_invalid has kindly agreed to help out with hosting 1.6/CZ, so props for him!

Finally, if you have never mapped for CS, now is the perfect time to give it a shot. The official maps have a big variety of wonderful themes, re-creating which would make for a great challenge for any mapper.

Looking forward to seeing which maps you choose!

Official maps from CS 1.0-1.6

• cs_siege
• cs_assault
• cs_militia
• de_dust
• de_nuke
• de_prodigy
• cs_backalley
• de_train
• as_oilrig
• cs_747
• as_tundra
• cs_italy
• de_aztec
• de_cbble
• cs_office
• cs_estate
• as_highrise
• cs_arabstreets
• de_foption
• de_vegas
• de_dust2
• de_inferno
• de_vertigo
• cs_thunder
• de_rotterdam
• de_storm
• de_survivor
• de_torn
• cs_havana
• de_airstrip

Compiled with the help of this awesome guide. Well worth a read if you're doing one of the maps cut from 1.6 or the earlier releases, as it offers some insight on all of them gameplay-wise.

Condition Zero/Source
Consult this wiki page. It lists all the official maps for both games with descriptions for most of them.

[m]Playtest servers are up![/m]

To get your map on the server, upload it to the appropriate folder (css, czero or cs16) at ftp://twhl.oskar-lh.name/

To get the server to play your map, connect to the server and write map name_of_your_map in chat (say: map cs_awesome). The map will play for the next 20 minutes.

Game server addresses:
1.6: twhl.oskar-lh.name:27020
Condition 0: twhl.oskar-lh.name:27021
Source: twhl.oskar-lh.name:27025

No fast DL.

Huge thanks to potatis_invalid for setting them up!

Is it allowed using .mdl .wav .spr custom files ?

From the brief:

Custom content and deviations are both allowed as long as they are coherent with the overall style of your theme.

All types are allowed. :>

Holy crap, this is basically the competition i've been waiting for since i started playing CS and mapping.

The hardest part personally will be choosing which engine to map for, but i'd have to think i'm leaning towards Source.

Lajron: I can't see why not, and would assume any custom content is fair game. BTW that is a sweet Hammer avatar!

Yatta! This is really good. But I have one question I must get straight:

Am I remaking the theme, or the map itself?

Uh how do I explain. I know I must remake a map from counter-strike, but what are my limitations? What if I create Havana for example, but this time I recreate it with a completely different layout than the previous map, creating something like Havana 2 instead. Will that be an acceptable map since it's the same theme as Havana? Will there be no problems with the fact that it has a completely different layout?

No problems at all, in fact that is exactly what we're looking for. You have full freedom in what you do with the gameplay, including the map type, layout, etc.

The real goal in your case would be that the players could immediately tell they're playing something based on the havana style. Both in terms of visuals and atmosphere. Take the style in any direction you like, as long as that link is absolutely clear.

So essentially what you're meant to do is to make a brand new map based on your chosen theme. In other words, we're not looking for dust_2x2-esque remakes.

I hope you don't mind, I posted about the competition on gamebanana, incase anyone from there feels up for the challenge too (might bring us some popularity) here are the threads:

http://www.gamebanana.com/threads/180296

http://www.gamebanana.com/threads/180297

Not at all - thanks for spreading the word!

I'm so doing this.

edit: nvm

going to map something a'la italy with cgtextures and custom models

I am going to do a Havana theme (I love that theme ever since I did that sea side map). I will start with a completely new layout though, and It will be set in a slum area of Havana with many compact buildings rather than the Big central city areas like in the original havana map. I think I will use same textures as havana in cs, but I might import the css ones or something.

Sounds awesome. I'll try to arrange my schedule to have some more mapping time in the near future.

Will this be the first official competition I take part in? We'll find out in the next episode...

Nice! I will totally have a stab at it (and actually finish something for it this time). I loved the original CS maps so I might remake one in SCC that they never did, like 747. I loved that map but it never did play too well with bots XD

Good luck to all the entrants! Also, how on earth did you guys get Valve to give out three beta keys? Did you email them, or did they email you offering to do it?

This sounds like fun, I love cs :). I like many of the old standard maps! No one wants to play them though :P. Any ways, dont know what I'll do yet but I'll figure something out.

I'm way in! Too bad i've already made a aztec map. Quick question, I know it says to target maps that didn't have great gameplay but does that rule out one's like dust and inferno? I had a dust map in mind for a long time.

i think that i am going to map a medievel town based on the layout from de_dust2.. it is consistent with the rules?

No... I think the rules are that you take the theme, and recreate it. There are no medieval town maps for cstrike, so there is no such theme. The only thing closest to that is maybe de_storm.

You've got it backwards, ninja. The rules are to take a theme from an existing CS map and create a completely new map with a completely new layout based on that same theme.

You should NOT be taking an existing layout from a CS map and giving it a new theme.

@Zeeba: Dust should definitely not be used because it's been milked to DEATH. We're looking for some of the less common themes to be used, so you can probably discount Aztec, as well - but I'll let Daubster make the call on whether the Aztec theme is okay or not.

Don't you guys think that the standard themes of classic CS are too boring and
frequently used? Look, I mean there are thousand of maps using the mentioned themes. Why don't we just take the layout of, let say, nuke, dust, aztec (whatever) and try to make something eye-candy. Let's try to elaborate a new look (a new wrap if you will) to good old stuff. Certainly, this is just my own view to how the competition should be like. It is definitely all up to the organization.

ok i got it ;o

Why don't we just take the layout of, let say, nuke, dust, aztec (whatever) and try to make something eye-candy.

Because that's also been done thousands of times.

The goal is only to recreate a map with the same theme as a CS map and make it better!

It's not to take a layout and spruce it up, but to completely redesign it.

I intend on doing cs_747 as it was my favorite map but the whole map was just too linear and usually involved the terrorists camping in the plane. I want to expand it (and make it a DE map because I dont like CS maps) to include more of the actual airport and less of the plane (the plane just doesnt work) and we'll see how that goes.

Also, is it allowed/legal/possible to use L4D models in CSS? Because they have all the great airport models.

Collapse, show me at least 3 top-notch remakes (crafted in a completely different theme) of any official cs map for GS. Good luck on that...

We want to focus on gameplay for this compo - using an existing layout offers no new gameplay opportunities at all. Imagine if de_dust2 was never made, but instead it was simply remakes of dust1 using the same layout. That would be pretty boring.

So: Choose a map from CS with a distinct theme (not dust please), but create a new map from that theme, just like how dust2 is a whole different layout to dust1. Your layout design skills are just as important (if not more!) as your detailing skills - we want to see you use both in this competition!

Hotdog: I'm not sure about that. Technically it's not legal to distribute content from any retail game without permission from the publisher of the game - Valve included. I think I'll let Daubster have the final say on this one (again).

i want to use the models from hl-lab.ru

Hmm, that is true even though it's being used in a game by the same company...

darn...they had all the good stuff too :

how on earth did you guys get Valve to give out three beta keys?

Got in touch, told them about the site, they said yes.

I know it says to target maps that didn't have great gameplay but does that rule out one's like dust and inferno? I had a dust map in mind for a long time.

Like Pb said, dust has been remade and re-imagined in pretty much every possible way, a billion times each. I know you're highly skilled, so if you really, really feel like you can bring something new to the table in that theme, go right ahead. It's not a favourite though, and it really will need something exceptional to make it look interesting/fresh.

Aztec & inferno are popular as well, and have reasonable gameplay (with inferno being very common in pro league map rotations), but you're free to give them a crack if you want. The original aztec was highly imbalanced, so there's room for improvement there.

But yeah, in the end, we really want this to give the less-played themes another chance. It will certainly be more impressive to see a 747 map that plays well, than a dust one.

Don't you guys think that the standard themes of classic CS are too boring and frequently used? Look, I mean there are thousand of maps using the mentioned themes.

If you mean the most popular ones (dust, etc.), then yes, but certainly not all of them. You can find plenty of good stuff in the unplayed (storm, oilrig, ..), or even cut maps (arabstreets, rotterdam, etc.).

Also, is it allowed/legal/possible to use L4D models in CSS? Because they have all the great airport models.

i want to use the models from hl-lab.ru

Go ahead. We're not making commercial projects here.

going to mix inferno with italy and add open spaces like in de_train

You can't mix themes visually I'm afraid.

It is so on. As soon as i finish my SSanta map, it will be 24/8 compo 32 up in this maw.

Could you please list the "official" maps.

btw. i am going to stick to the default wads because if it is so difficult to create textures which will remind the original stuff

There's more to the list than the ones ninja posted, but those are the main ones. I'll compile a full one tonight, Deathan.

very nice i was thinking on doing the exact same thing. =))

I'm SICK of dust. Also I always thought of oilrig as very depressing.

Has anybody ever played an es_ map? I've never seen one, only read about them somewhere.

whats an es_ map? and yeah oilrig was very very depressing, and the whole vip thing was a cool idea but I guess nobody liked it. Either that, or the only map that had it was very depressing :D.

Well if you had to choose a sunny warm desert map or a metalic oilrig in the middle of the ocean and to add to that the sun has nearly set so it's dark and you can hear a lot of wind... It's an obvious choice.

I don't have CS.

Someone needs to pack up the default maps and wads and make a download, that'd be a useful thing since everyone needs an equal chance to compete anyway.

dude, it cost like one dollar on steam. seriously, splurge and buy it! =P

es - Escape or as - Assassination

Its the samething its about a counter strike player (VIP) that needs to espace and the terrorist team needs to kill him (Assassinat) befor that.If terrorist team kills (VIP Player) the game end's.

I know about :

as_oilrig
as_forest
as_highrise
as_snowy2
as_tunda
as_riverside

BTW I'l do the remake of de_torn

Check out es_jail, that's the only official one I know. It was cut in one of the release versions after 1.0 afaik.

Lajron: Nice! Loved that theme.

god i had this awesome idea for fy_iceworld... well, i guess theres gotta be something else

Glad to see that sponsorship from Valve!

What's up people? Long time no see....

Have been caught up with life and car repairs. I have still been working on some levels but haven't had much time lately. I would love to enter the CS competition but I don't see myself having alot of time to start a new project. Maybe I will post some screenshots of the shuttleport I am working on (well, have been for a couple of months).

Official maps from CS 1.0-1.6

• cs_siege
• cs_assault
• cs_militia
• de_dust
• de_nuke
• de_prodigy
• cs_backalley
• de_train
• as_oilrig
• cs_747
• as_tundra
• cs_italy
• de_aztec
• de_cbble
• cs_office
• cs_estate
• as_highrise
• cs_arabstreets
• de_foption
• de_vegas
• de_dust2
• de_inferno
• de_vertigo
• cs_thunder
• de_rotterdam
• de_storm
• de_survivor
• de_torn
• cs_havana
• de_airstrip

Compiled with the help of this awesome guide. Well worth a read if you're doing one of the maps cut from 1.6 or the earlier releases, as it offers some insight on all of them gameplay-wise.

Condition Zero/Source
Consult this wiki page. It lists all the official maps for both games with descriptions for most of them.

How did you know that they were giving out beta keys to begin with? I don't keep up with Valve news.

I don't think he was under any impression that they were even going to give out cd keys, he probably just explained he wanted to offer CS:GO Beta as a prize and they gave him keys.

No, i've seen people playing CS:GO on Steam for a little bit now, so they have been giving out keys for a little while I would imagine.

Where is Havana on that list of official maps?

srlsy but the default .wads sucks

Skals: My bad, that guide I was using didn't have the maps added on 1.6. Added Havana & Airstrip to the list - I think that's all of them now.