The One Billion Units – Experimental Mapping Challenge

26th January 2018

The 1 Billion Units EMC.

Mappers are allowed to enter a map with a maximum cubic unit capacity of 1,000,000,000 Units. That is more or less 1024x1024x1024 or 20 metres x 20 metres x 20 metres in the real world.

The X,Y and Z dimensions can be anything the mappers’ want but the maximum total cubic size must not exceed 1,000,000,000 Hammer units.

The map must only have one area – not split into various parts.

This is the maximum volume of the map, NOT the area the player can reach.

VMF files MUST be submitted with each entry for easy verification. Within that space, the mapper can do anything they want.

The maps will be judges on clever, efficient and inventive use of the space.

No extra credit will be given for submitting smaller maps, but we may be secretly impressed.

Deadline

11am GMT Monday 29th January 2018

General Mapping Challenge Rules

Maximum two maps per mapper per competition.
The map must be original, meaning it was built specifically for the challenge and is completely original work, and therefore must not have been released publicly before.
The map must run in system with only Ep2 installed
By entering the competition you grant PlanetPhillip.Com & RunThinkShootLive.Com the right to release the map as part of the One Billion Units EMC Mod.
Maps must not appear before the release and for one month after the release of the mod.
No assets from retail games other than HL2, HL2: Ep1 or HL2: Ep2 and Lost Coast are allowed.
Other assets are allowed with written permission from their original authors, which MUST be included in the entry.
Phillip’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into about it.
The map MUST have a proper name.
The map MUST have a proper filename: MapName_1-bn-emc.bsp
All entries must be sent to: [email protected] no later than the deadline.

Notes

The Experimental Mapping Challenges (EMCs) are a chance for mappers to create experimental gameplay and design. Themes reflect this and the whole challenge is much more relaxed than the LAmbda Cup and Mesa Cup challenges.

No prizes are awarded. It is just a chance to have some fun.

Unlike the Lambda Cup and Mesa Cup challenge which require a special submission template, submissions can be sent as mappers want – ideally, just a readme.txt and BSP file.

As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

5 Comments

  1. Anon_1600044

    Is there an easy way to check how many units were used in a map?

    1. My plan is to take the VMFs and measure the 3 sides and do the math.

  2. “The map must only have one area” – does it mean only one big room (e.g. I can’t split map verticaly into rooms 1024×256 each)?

    1. It doesn’t have to be one room but you can’t have 2 volumes of 512x512x512 joined together by portals. So, yes, you can split it into multiple rooms, floors etc.

  3. Just for clarity, does this make a 3D skybox effectively forbidden? Those require a separate, isolated “room” outside of the main map after all.

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