This Map Labs challenge focused on purely visuals – make a pretty map, gameplay optional (and did not count toward the score). This was a Test Tube, so the mappers only had about a week to pull off the best-looking map they could.

This time there were a whopping 28 entries (including a bunch of bonus maps, and adding another fantastic background map). Enjoy!

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.

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The latest Map Labs challenge is Back on Track, where the challenge was to create an interesting way to have the player backtrack through an area or even the entire map – a classic map design pattern. Yep, somewhat in the vein of BackTrackVille but certainly its own challenge. (But the next full Map Labs challenge is a collaboration with us here at RTSL, so keep your eyes out for that!)

This time there were a whopping 19 entries (including bonus maps, and a fantastic background map). Enjoy!

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!

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For this challenge, Map Labs expanded their Test Tube Companion Piece (couple days) into a full-blown lab challenge (3+ weeks). The theme was of course to make a map where the player works alongside an ally or companion.

So here are the 10 maps entered, along with 2 bonus maps!

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!

Fun fact: AllyVille was going to be one of the Lambda Cup 2018 challenges for a long time. Unfortunately we wanted to get some extra features into the game to expand the usefulness of NPCs, and that was never completed. So AllyVille was cancelled as a theme – glad it can live on somewhat under Map Labs!

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Map Labs put an interesting spin on the main challenge #7 – entrants had to select 5 grid spots in a row from the grid below for the framework of their map. The grid combines settings, setpieces, and map objectives with some bonus challenges for some spice.

The result? 14 new maps, and 2 bonus maps for you to enjoy!

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!

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This clever Map Labs challenge was a partnership with the great folks at Lambda Generation. Here was the challenge:

Imagine this: Your friend is too lazy to play Half-Life. They tell you that they’d rather experience the games in an abridged form of some kind. A little annoyed, you walk back to your desk and start creating just that.

Take a chapter from any Half-Life game, and make it WAY smaller. That’s the challenge! Half-Life: Abridged.

The challenge recieved a whopping 22 entries and 3 bonus maps! Here they are, enjoy!

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Well, the Maps Labs folks went ahead and created a theme we here at RTSL talked about many, many times – but never dared to do. A theme based only around puzzles. Here is Think Tank, and the theme summary is exactly that – create a map focused on puzzles. As always, if you’re interested… Read More

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