DeceptionVille – Map Labs Test Tube #17

for Half-Life 2: Episode Two

23rd March 2022

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Out of the grave comes this never-used Ville theme! Once again I’m glad to partner with Map Labs to bring these new mapping challenges to life.

Here is DeceptionVille, where the mappers were challenged to make a map wherein something isn’t what it first seems.

This is the first challenge of three in the Hammer Cup 2022 – stay tuned to see the standings and the results of the next 2 challenges!

As always, if you’re interested in learning more about Map Labs and maybe even participate in their upcoming challenges, visit the Map Labs Discord.

Basic Details
  • Title: DeceptionVille
  • Filename: sdk-2013-sp-mlc-deceptionvillev2.7z
  • Size : 476 MB
  • Author: Sylenth, Léo, 1upD, Tiop, Duck, Yousefstein, Coralilac, Cvoxalury, barrelzzen, Jean Knapp AKA XBLAH, Jason Gimba AKA Maki, matt71490 AKA Event Horizon, Juko43, Bouribou, Staps, iiboharz, Rubecula, Andrii Mykhailenko
  • Date Released: 23 March 2022

Download Options

Download to your HD [476 MB]

Manual Installation Instructions
  • Make sure you have the Upcoming branch of the Source SDK Base 2013 Singleplayer installed in Steam and run at least once. (Properties – Betas – select upcoming from the dropdown list).
  • Copy the deceptionville, mapbase_shared, mapbase_hl2, and mapbase_episodic folders into your SourceMods folder.
  • Restart or start Steam.
  • DeceptionVille should now be listed in your Library tab.

Reviewing

If you decide to use the Per-Map Opinion Images, feel free to use the file below as a template:

DeceptionVille-Review-Template.txt

Entries

Listed as they are displayed in the mod itself:

videogame by Sylenth
Dyson by Léo
Accidental Disclosure by 1upD & Tiop
The Nothing by Duck
J.O.L.L.Y.’S Cooperation by Yousefstein
Facade by Coralilac
U. C. by Cvoxalury
Encapsulated by barrelzzen
Weighing Nine Cinderblocks by Jean Knapp AKA XBLAH
Always Greener by Jason Gimba AKA Maki
d2_coast_02 by matt71490 AKA Event Horizon (bonus map)
Out Of Date by Juko43 & Bouribou
Detached by Staps
Border Crossing by iiboharz
plz gib idea by Rubecula
Person with three legs by Andrii Mykhailenko (bonus map)

Community Poll

Time for you to share your thoughts! Vote for your top 3 maps from DeceptionVille. Poll closes 15th April 2022.

What are your top 3 DeceptionVille maps?

  • Person with three legs by Andrii Mykhailenko (bonus map) (0%, 0 Votes)
  • plz gib idea by Rubecula (2%, 2 Votes)
  • Border Crossing by iiboharz (9%, 9 Votes)
  • Detached by Staps (4%, 4 Votes)
  • Out Of Date by Juko43 & Bouribou (2%, 2 Votes)
  • d2_coast_02 by matt71490 AKA Event Horizon (bonus map) (1%, 1 Votes)
  • Always Greener by Jason Gimba AKA Maki (11%, 11 Votes)
  • Weighing Nine Cinderblocks by Jean Knapp AKA XBLAH (33%, 33 Votes)
  • Encapsulated by barrelzzen (7%, 7 Votes)
  • U. C. by Cvoxalury (19%, 19 Votes)
  • Facade by Coralilac (1%, 1 Votes)
  • J.O.L.L.Y.'S Cooperation by Yousefstein (0%, 0 Votes)
  • The Nothing by Duck (5%, 5 Votes)
  • Accidental Disclosure by 1upD & Tiop (1%, 1 Votes)
  • Dyson by Léo (1%, 1 Votes)
  • videogame by Sylenth (3%, 3 Votes)

Total Voters: 41

Loading ... Loading ...

Winners and Points

Here are the top three places. Scores from all non-bonus entrants count toward The Hammer Cup 2022 scores as well.

  1. First: Weighing Nine Cinderblocks by Jean Knapp AKA XBLAH: 88.8 Points
  2. Second: Accidental Disclosure by 1upD & Tiop: 81.3 Points
  3. Third: U. C. by Cvoxalury: 80.8 Points

Full details of all the points can be found on The Hammer Cup 2022 Scores Spreadsheet.

Screenshots

WARNING: The screenshots contain spoilers.
Each map has 5 screenshots.

1600 x 900

Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3 Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Reader Recommendations
Avoid It!
Think Twice
Maybe
Play It Later
Play It Now!
6 recommendations, average score: 4.33 (out of 5), standard deviation: 1.22 (what's that?)
Total Downloads
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    Overall
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Meta Review Data
Statistics based on 7 comment(s) with meta review data.

Installed:
Using Gauge: Users
Manually: 7 Users
Time Taken:
Average: 3 Hours, 30 Mins
Shortest: 1 Hours, 30 Mins by TheLastBear
Longest: 6 Hours by Hec
Total Time Played: 24 Hours, 29 Mins
Categories (?)
Half-Life 2: Ep2 HL2-EP2 Mods Mapbase Play SDK 2013
Tags (?)
Collections (?)
Wibble has PlayedI did a videogame
If you believe this release is missing important tags, please suggest them in a comment?
Jump to a review
Play It Now!Play It LaterPlay It Now!Play It Now!Think TwicePlay It Now!

20 Comments

  1. Unq

    Updated to v2 file to fix an issue with d2_coast_02 map.

    Reply
  2. Wesp5

    As with a lot of the recent mapping events this was quite overwhelming. The best map by far was “Weighing Nine Cinderblocks” and there were a lot of stupid and short entries! Why do mappers still think it’s cool to show default Hammer textures or make the player do millimeter exact jumps?

    Reply
  3. Osiris

    Brilliant entry by Jean Knapp AKA XBLAH – Weighing Nine Cinderblocks. The (blue laser shooting super ships) that came out with the manhacks during the ride up in the elevator were a fun surprise. What are those called?

    Reply
    1. XBLAH

      Mortar synths.

      Reply
  4. Unq

    Just added a Community Poll by request!

    Reply
  5. XBLAH

    If anyone needs recomendations, play now Encapsulated, U.C. and Always Greener. You will also have some fun at Accidental Disclosure, Facade, Detached and Border Crossing.

    videogame by Sylenth
    It is okay

    Playtime: 11 minutes

    First part looks really meh. Second part looks interesting, but wasn’t used really well. It could have had some clips, I was getting stuck inside the bar. It was a missed oportunity. The deception wasn’t that clear, I don’t know what happened. NO AUTOSAVES!

    Dyson by Léo
    It is dire!

    Playtime: 3 minutes

    The map was a blockout, I have no idea what happened, and crashed me on the part with a mounted machinegun. Vortigaunts aren’t good enemies. There is nothing we can do about it, stick to soldiers, antlions and so on. This looks like it wasn’t finished or properly tested and shouldn’t have been submitted until it was finished, despíte the deadline. Couldn’t see the deception since I crashed.

    Accidental Disclosure by 1upD and Tiop
    It is good

    Playtime: 20 minutes

    Extra points for voice acting, with lip sync, some finicks like outline on models and hints. I didn’t like the deception was only at the end. I also don’t know if the result was random or if I had to pay attention to something. It’s nice that it added a story behind it, a little bit slow for my taste, but it was solid nonetheless. Other than selecting the two scientists at the end, which I don’t know yet if it was random or not, there isn’t any meaningful engagements other than pressing a button. The design is good, compared to other maps in the competition, but I didn’t like the selection of materials. The materials had no hotspots, so they looked out of place. NO AUTOSAVES. ONE MINOR MISTAKE AT THE END SENDS YOU TO THE BEGINNING!

    The Nothing by Duck
    It is okay

    Playtime: 22 minutes

    I have mixed feeling about the looks, but it clearly had a lot of effort put into it. It’s a matter of personal taste, I don’t like this kind of use of dev textures, obsolete, etc. Autosaves should be more frequent. The combat was not fun. The first deception was too cheap, in my opinion. It could have been better presented. The deception at the end was funny.

    J.O.L.L.Y.’S Cooperation by Yousefstein
    It is dire!

    Playtime: 57 minutes

    It could be fun, if didn’t kill you randomly. Yes, randomly. Some of the areas required pure luck that the explosion sequences wouldn’t take you with them. Learning how to progress by dying shouldn’t be a gameplay. I had to cheat with buddha once because of that. Another area I just noclipped because I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it. The design, looks and sounds are really simple. This is clearly a map to frustrate the player, and it’s a REALLY small niche that likes this kind of maps. About the deception, it’s not that explicit. I played to the end out of spite, and you shouldn’t be proud of that. It wasn’t satisfying to finish it. The jigsaw puzzle and the ring puzzle were interesting, but badly executed. It’s one hour I’m never getting back. Please, don’t do this again. Think of the judges who have to actually play it to the end. It drained all my will to play other entries. I played Facade completely silent, and then just closed the game. You had an oportunity here to develop a story, give the player some progressive training on the puzzles, but you missed the oportunity. We obviously missed a some of the stuff you tried to present, but that’s the result of frustration and unfair punishment. I didn’t bunnyhop around or random click stuff, I actually paid attention to the map and it still was unfair.

    Facade by Coralilac
    It is good

    Playtime: 5 minutes

    A solid map, with a solid but simple deception. I wish there were hints that it would happen. It basically came out of nowhere. The later combat was a little bit boring, as enemies were just standing there waiting for you. It would be nicer if they reacted to the sounds or what was happening, so you would see their movement or actions. The looks were simple, but pretty nice. It was nice that you added Alyx as a companion at the beginning, although something happened to the lipsync. The deception could have been presented in a better way than just scaring the player. With the amount of time you had, you built something really nice. As a suggestion, a few scripted movements and it could have been a lot better.

    U. C. by Cvoxalury
    It is great!

    Playtime: 11 minutes

    Visuals were great, ambient sounds were great, the engagement was great, the level design was well elaborated. Obviously time constraints and abilities had you use game texts as dialogue instead of choreographies. If I were you, I’d have recorded the voice lines and played them as sounds, even if there wasn’t lip sync. The deception at the end was solid, although I’d hope there was an aftermatch to play instead of just fading to black. The combat was on point. This map was really satisfying to play. I have no idea what the rose crown is for, but I took it with me. Wish I could do something with it. Those buildings look great, by the way.

    Encapsulated by barrelzzen
    It is great!

    Playtime: 8 minutes

    Encapsulated had nice visuals, althought the glow effects were too strong. Having citizens around gave life to the place, as well as the use of soundscapes. The deception was well presented in the middle of the game, and the deception at the end was funny. Killing the guards in the second part was partially weird. One crowbar hit should be enough to take them down. Overall, a good short experience.

    Weighing Nine Cinderblocks by XBLAH

    Playtime: 34 minutes

    Always Greener by Maki
    It is great!

    Playtime: 6 minutes

    This map nailed the goal. It had a good presentation, with good visuals, good sounds, good level design. It was weird that the guards didn’t rush toward us until we were close to them. The combat was really engaging, the npc movements were dynamic, and even the windows breaking while they were shooting was a nice touch. The triple deception was pretty good. If I were you, I’d have recorded the voice lines and played them as sounds, even if there wasn’t lip sync. It was a solid, satisfying experience.

    d2_coast_02 by Matt71490 AKA Event Horizon
    It is okay

    Playtime: 4 minutes

    This were more cromulentville than deceptionville. I wish it was more. It started really nice by (apparently) making the tunnel become larger and larger. It had some interesting visuals while you walked around, but that was it. The boss fight was not satisfying. It takes too long to kill, it just stands there, and I could camp without being targeted while I just kept shooting. It crashed me once. The custom content was nice, but visuals were ok-ish. I know the d2_coast_02 map doesn`t exist, and that this was the deception, but you missed the oportunity of making an actual coast map.

    Out Of Date by Juko43 and Bouribou
    It is bad

    Playtime: 15 minutes

    The whole meta map thing is not for my taste. The introduction to the dev part was good, but then it stopped there. I didn`t see the deception here other than that. Visuals were between ok and bad, mainly because of the dev area. The interaction was meaningless, it was just pressing buttons to advance, no thinking was necessary. The ambient sounds were non existant, and the npc just standed there or moved with AI towards me. It clearly took some effort to build this, with custom content and etcetera, but I think it missed the shot.

    Detached by Staps
    It is good

    Playtime: 21 minutes

    Detached was a solid little adventure. It could use a few improvements. The only thing I have to actually complain is the toxic waste, that can`t be trespassed without getting hurt, even by using the floating wooden props. The visuals and sounds of the map were good. If I identified the deception, I think it was the sniper hiding, and maybe the zombies under the toxic waste, but was that it?

    Border Crossing by iiboharz
    It is good

    Playtime: 5 minutes

    Border crossing started really good by presenting visuals I`d expect from HL2. The lower side was the combat. Just having metrocops standing there isn`t an interesting fight, and it got repetitive too quickly. I feel it could be more dynamic, with metrocops doing something. Also, there were too many of them in the same place, and it doesn`t make much sense. The deception was solid, and the epilogue was on point. Wish there was more, but the time constraint justifies it.

    plz gib idea by Rubecula
    It is okay

    Playtime: 5 minutes

    This was more Cromulent than DeceptionVille. The black/white walking around was weird. I`d suggest adding at least a reference to the floor, but I get your idea. The switch between this part and the rebel x combine fight wasn`t deceptive for me. And the combat against the rebels feels weird, because they have extremely precise aim. And not only that, they just standed there, as did the combine. It would be nicer if they moved around and did something. The ending was not that satisfying.

    Person with three legs by Andrii Mykhailenko
    It is bad

    Playtime: 2 minutes

    This map had a weird looking intro, and a weird combat against a hunter, a bunch of roller mines and random crates around. As viewers mentioned, it felt like a map you ran on gmod and spawned random enemies. I`d expect the player to have to get rid of the rollermines. The combat was just to keep moving around and shooting the hunter, which ended the game after dying. There wasn`t really a deception here other than a surprise enemy spawning. The visuals weren`t good, and can use a lot of improvements.

    Reply
  6. Winterman
    Play It Now!
    videogame
    It is okay

    Good gameplay in the first part, the second part is kinda clunky. The collision is really off inside the bar and ending with a CS meme is meh. Twist is kinda good but also out of nowhere. And no checkpoints.

    Dyson
    It is okay

    If there was a twist, I feel like it’s not the false opening message since the third Vortigaunt just attacks you. Thank god, the Vortigaunts are nerfed though. Apparently the ending is a reference to Evangelion, according to my friend.

    Accidental Disclosure
    It is good

    I thought there was gonna be more elements to the deduction but it’s all just memorizing the scientists each day. I can’t say the twist is much surprising when, in hindsight, the foreshadowing was really that obvious.

    The Nothing
    It is good

    I like how you put cameos of your older maps and the custom enemies were fun to fight against. The twist is completely unrelated to what’s happening though, and I’m not talking about the reveal that you broke out of a set with a crowbar.

    J.O.L.L.Y Cooperation
    It is dire!

    This map even fails to be a good rage map, Cat Mario makes more sense than this.

    First puzzle would have been good if the button is not where you literally cannot see or find within a time limit. Second one is a terrible, an insult to, even, trial and error gameplay. You don’t even know what you die from. Third one is impossible to complete since the puzzle piece can either clip into the wall or occupy the same space. The fourth puzzle is a terrible rehash of that one gag in Portal in the worst way possible. The final one is a total clusterfuck.

    Encapsulated
    It is good

    Atmospheric lighting but kinda didn’t know what was going on. But hey, the ending was funny.

    Weighing Nine Cinderblocks
    It is WOW!

    I think this map is too good at lying. I legit thought it was just a hard puzzle map and didn’t come back to it until I saw the site’s banner. So….have a bonus score for that.

    Combat is too easy and I expect Mortar Synth to bomb me, not burn me with lasers. Cool Gunship battle with a twist too.

    Facade
    It is okay

    I wouldn’t really call that a twist….

    U.C.
    It is great!

    That twist is set up so well! Combat is good too.

    Always Greener
    It is great!

    The twist was overall well done and I like how the ragdolls turn into a corpse in the next part, with exact location even.

    d2_coast_02
    It is good

    So….I played the broken version of this map and I thought that was it because it looked like something Matt would do. But it wasn’t because of an error of the map pack. …..Does this count towards deception?

    The twist kinda lacks a bit more build up and that RPG’s projectile is wider than China itself, damaging me several times.

    Out of Date
    It is bad

    The map is just too padded out with the length of each corridors and the twist is meh. Buttons inside the dev texture dimension also takes too long for stuff to happen. And to be honest, the twist of you being in Hammer is just stale at this point.

    Detached
    It is okay

    This score is only brought down this low because you can blow up the crates inside a house which you need to stack up to. Although, I also don’t know if that’s how to do it. It would have been OKAY or GOOD.

    EDIT: Never mind, it’s just that I found the platforming slightly confusing. Not sure what is the twist here though.

    Border Crossing
    It is great!

    OK, that one got me.

    pls gib idea
    It is good

    I’m struggling to call anything in the map a twist since it’s so random. “Platforming” part was neat though.

    Person with three legs
    It is bad

    Very weird Hunter fight and……what’s the twist here?

    Installed:
    Manually
    Difficulty Played At:
    Medium
    Playtime:
    4 Hours
    Reply
  7. Chasseur

    I think I managed to break Weighing Nine Cinderblocks…

    Instead of weighing the cinderblocks and deducing the light one that way, I picked them all up and threw them identically, and one flew slightly further. Does the game rely on the scales to trigger whatever is next?

    Reply
    1. Chasseur

      …never mind I figured it out lol

      Reply
  8. vancanucksfan

    I’d like to play this but my Norton anti-virus is automatically removing 2 of the files as it considers them a risk – client.dll and server.dll. For example:

    Filename: server.dll
    Threat name: WS.Reputation.1Full Path: C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\sourcemods\deceptionville\bin\server.dll

    ____________________________

    ____________________________

    Threat type: Insight Network Threat. There are many indications that this file is untrustworthy and therefore not safe

    ____________________________

    server.dll Threat name: WS.Reputation.1
    Locate

    Few Users
    Fewer than 50 users in the Norton Community have used this file.

    Mature
    This file was released 1 month ago.

    Medium
    This file risk is medium.

    Reply
    1. Unq

      Sorry Norton is complaining. I talked to the coder behind Mapbase and the code for the Map Labs challenges – he said he hasn’t seen this before. Your best option is to force Norton to ignore the files, sorry.

      Reply
  9. TheLastBear
    Play It Later

    Great to see another map laps! I’m rating the way I am because map quality overall is average when considered in a vacuum, even though the quality’s fairly high given the time limit for these (and so many entries, too!)

    Not doing a per-map rating since it’s hard to rate without spoiling the “deception”. My top three (in order) were:
    Weighing Nine Cinderblocks – Don’t understand how some people didn’t put this in their top three, awesome creation.
    Border Crossing – I can’t believe you did that, you absolute clown. Love it.
    plz gib idea – Not the cleanest map but the twist was well executed.

    Installed:
    Manually
    Difficulty Played At:
    Medium
    Playtime:
    1 Hour, 30 Minutes
    Reply
  10. melc311

    I really liked the buildings and visuals of U.C. I looks like the author was inspired by the architecture in HL Alyx a bit. I also liked how the buildings were placed off grid. With that said, it’s a bit disappointing that such a nice environment doesn’t have that much gameplay to go with it.

    Reply
  11. ShawnHL
    Play It Now!
    It is WOW!

    very good but the puzzle maps are bad

    Installed:
    Manually
    Difficulty Played At:
    Medium
    Playtime:
    5 Hours, 4 Minutes
    Reply
  12. MrWave
    Play It Now!

    For me, Weighing Nine Cinderblocks was absolutely the best in every aspect, although I still don’t get why you gave the scales three uses if two is always enough.

    The second would have been videogame if this contest didn’t have a theme. The map was very original, but the deception wasn’t quite clear.

    So my top two goes to Out Of Date. Maybe for more expirienced players this concept is old and boring, but for me it was something new and the map is really well executed

    And top three goes to always greener. Simple. Well executed. Great twist.

    Also, I wasn’t able to pass the first room in the J.O.L.L.Y. map, so I didn’t bother wasting too much time on it. From reading other comments: it’s a shame the author didn’t make a good map, but at least we’ll see jolly suffer again.

    Installed:
    Manually
    Difficulty Played At:
    Medium
    Playtime:
    2 Hours
    Reply
    1. MrWave

      btw, I posted my no commentary playthrough on youtube, in case anyoune wants to see the maps, but doesn’t/can’t play them: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJFj71K6fSDlguslL5Ny97mnPx8GM8chO

      Reply
  13. vancanucksfan

    Happily Norton now lets me play this mod without quarantining the files. I was about to give up on “Weighing Nine Cinderblocks” but I decided to play it one more time and finally figured it out. What a terrific entry. There are a few other interesting maps but that one was the best.

    Reply
  14. Hec
    Think Twice

    Well, I beg my pardon if this recommendation is relatively low, and because of the polemic of grading this as a Think Twice.

    Let me explain now by doing the next question. Is a terrible allowed entry enough to ruin a whole gaming experience? For me, this was the case. And again, pardon me if I may sound unfair here because most entries were pretty cool indeed. But I write this recommendation thinking of Deceptionville as a whole modding product, despite the mere individuality of the entries.

    It is dire!

    When I played this everything was just OK until I reached and played “JOLLY Cooperation”, now I don’t really know if the author of this “thing” really wanted to bother or annoy the player, but surely it had that bad effect on me, I haven’t felt pretty annoyed, disappointed and angry at the same time with a mod since I played some of those terrible Portal 1&2 mods available out there. Even the same “Half-Quake” Saga and “The Trap” Saga were enjoyable and brilliant compared to this “clusterf*ck” as Winterman stated before me. My rage was so high when I played this entry that just discourage me to play the rest of the entries. Now I may suggest that before releasing a mapping competition some authorities of the competition do a little beta-test before launching it, so that way you reject this kind of “piss in your face” entries. I mean, it is not personal against the author of this entry, but man! If you are going to deliver this, do it apart from this kind of competition, You could perfectly release it apart and in that way, people who really like difficult-hell maps or mods can try it… Now If I ever see another entry from you again I will definitely think before playing it. Because the whole mayhem and randomly killing the player was total nonsense. And believe me, I tried more than 50 times to pass the pipe-explosions part legally and that stupid puzzle part until I was done, I just cheated until the ridiculous ending where you also mess the visuals. Man, I’m really sorry for saying this but they should ban You forever from any other mapping competition, as You just can’t mod something like this and ruin the whole gaming experience. I mean don’t take these words badly, You can modding whatever you want but just stay away from the competitions! I beg!!

    It is WOW!

    Fortunately, even the darkest f*cked up nightmare has a nice part where You just wake up and dream another opposite beautiful dream! So for me, the utterly bright side of this whole competition was the worthiest winner “Weighing Nine Cinderblocks” What can I say! It was the only entry to apply the whole “Deception” concept from the beginning until the end. just Amazingly brilliant from the start, and the only one which really took me by surprise. It was outstanding and I guess is from now on, an instant classic.

    It is great!

    Also “UC” and “Accidental Disclosure” were pretty nice and entertaining to play.

    Overall the rest were just OK but the deception concept was hard to get in many entries. So yeah, I guess this was not my favorite mapping “Ville” of all times.

    Again sorry if I sounded too annoyed but I was just eager to speak my mind!

    Installed:
    Manually
    Difficulty Played At:
    Medium
    Playtime:
    6 Hours
    Reply
  15. ArctixSnowPup

    videogame by Sylenth

    It is okay

    I’m not 100% certain if I was deceived at all. I expected a twist ending and it just left me with more questions than answers. My biggest was “What was this video game? Did I actually blow up MapLabs HQ or did I think I was blowing up MapLabs HQ and it was all a video game?” I got a strong TF2 vibe at the start of the map, but it tapered off pretty quickly after I was confused on the sudden twist of theme. I went from a First Person Shooter to suddenly a Third Person RPG game. I think it would’ve been better if it was all first person and the twist was that it was actually the rebel base that was blown up, and that the video game was real. Just about 9 minutes of gameplay.

    Dyson by Léo

    It is bad

    What can I say about this one? At least it has a deception to it. I felt deceived. I felt betrayed… but the execution is just.. kill everything in the room and hope you don’t accidentally kill citizens. That was only AFTER I realized the vorts are enemies. I walked past two of them and they even said “Can we be of service” and “Certainly”. Like they wanted to HELP me. I wasn’t there to slaughter innocents, but I was there to HELP them. I was lead to believe that I helped the vorts defend them from the “aliens”.. until they started attacking ME. I thought that was a bug so I continued on, then they just came in waves. I reloaded a prior save after I accidentally killed a citizen. Turns out that’s the deception. The layout was just dev textures too. 6 minutes of gameplay.

    Accidental Disclosure by 1upD and Tiop

    It is good

    The ending really confused me. I understand I was just in a simulation, but…. for what? The ending was almost too much of a twist. I felt like I was deceived, but also confused. Why were we testing the combine teleporter, who’s the announcer, who is drawing on my whiteboard? Why did the door just suddenly close and what was that back room for? The announcer sounds so smug too. 10 minutes of “gameplay”

    The Nothing by Duck

    It is okay

    I really want to rate this higher, but I was just so confused the entire way through. Where am I? Why am I killing metrocops in some sort of weird dev building? Why do I need to destroy all these props to proceed. The twist ending was also pretty cliche, but confused me even more at the same time. Did I kill him in cold blood, or was there something I missed along the way that foreshadowed this ending. 11 minutes total.

    J.O.L.L.Y.’S Cooperation by Yousefstein

    It is dire!

    What in the goddamn? Why is this map here? Why is JOLLY involved. Is this map a haha funny map you die? 0 minutes played.

    Facade by Coralilac

    It is good

    This map is clever, but oh so short. I again didn’t really feel deceived, but that wasn’t the point of this map? I think it’s just EP2 inspired idea. Enter a building and realize there is more to it than first thought? There was no twist ending though. 2 minutes of gameplay.

    U. C. by Cvoxalury

    It is good

    What does UC stand for? I still am unsure. All I know is that this ending really made me feel betrayed. I wanted to help the prison escapees, but suddenly I am leading the combine right to the rebel base? “The merely feigned their injuries”. Yeah right, I saw blood and knocked one off the railing. They must be really bruised. Good idea though and some good level design. 6 minutes till I realize the twist. I did have some trouble getting the npc to actually move with me though.

    Encapsulated by barrelzzen

    It is great!

    This map was great. I loved that ending. This was a really good idea, cliche yes, but Barrelzzen knew that and ran with it anyway. What else should I say? I didn’t find anything annoying or confusing. All my questions were answered.

    Weighing Nine Cinderblocks by XBLAH

    It is WOW!

    Of course XBLAH comes through with this amazing entry. Didn’t expect that twist right at the start, since it’s usually at the end. However, afterwards it was just killing combine till the end. Took me 24 minutes to complete it.

    Always Greener by Maki

    It is WOW!

    This was another great map. The twist was at the midway point, then another twist at the end. A twofer. Nothing more to say. Play it now. All my questions were answered. 6 total minutes of fun.

    d2_coast_02 by Matt71490 AKA Event Horizon

    It is good

    Was was this map? I wasn’t really sure I was deceived in the way I was expecting to be deceived. I just kinda drove off into the sunset wondering what just happened? Math and more math. 5 minutes of math horror.

    Out Of Date by Juko43 and Bouribou

    It is okay

    There was no deception. There was just a mix of dev textures, hammer editing and combat. I have so many questions and no answers. 11 minutes.

    Detached by Staps

    It is okay

    There was no deception. There was just combat zombies and soldiers. Again, no answers.

    Border Crossing by iiboharz

    It is WOW!

    Hahaha. I love this one. It’s great! I loved that ending. I loved the combat and by God I love that NPC at the start. Nothing was annoying or confusing. I got what I came for at left feeling betrayed, bamboozled and even Todd Howard’d. 4 minutes of fun.

    plz gib idea by Rubecula

    It is dire!

    I spent most of my 7 minutes trying to figure out why I kept getting that “bug”. Turns out they were shooting at ME. Not the other way around. I thought I was Gordon Freeman… ya know.. with the airboat… and the rebels.. and being in the canals and all. The second half was horrible for my eyes. 7 minutes of confusing gameplay.

    Person with three legs by Andrii Mykhailenko

    It is dire!

    Accidentally speedran this map. Killed the hunter in like two or three hits. 1 minute is all it took.

    Reply
  16. ArctixSnowPup
    Play It Now!

    of course I screw up and accidentally hit submit too early. I really wish there was way to preview my post to see if there are any HTML errors. looks like I forgot a < again.

    Installed:
    Manually
    Difficulty Played At:
    Medium
    Playtime:
    1 Hour, 55 Minutes
    Reply

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