Valve announces 2011 Portal 2 Summer Mapping Initiative

News by Stephany Nunneley-Jackson News Editor

Published on May 25, 2011

Valve has announced a Portal 2 contest called the 2011 Summer Mapping Initiative.

The mapping contest, which started yesterday and will run through June 6, tasks folks with creating maps, obviously, and here is what you need to do in order to be considered for one of three prizes:

Maps must be submitted no later than June 6 at 11.59pm/EST.
Both Singleplayer and Co-op maps are allowed. You may submit one map of each game mode.
Maps cannot contain custom assets of any kind. No exceptions. Spend your time working on your puzzle, not making models, textures, sounds/voices, or other extra content.
Maps must contain both an Entry and an Exit elevator, the style of which as appropriate for your map theme. 1940's Aperture maps can use the old style elevators, destroyed Aperture can use the destroyed looking elevators, and so on.
Maps must be able to be completed without using engine or portaling glitches of any kind.
Entries must be uploaded to the ThinkingWithPortals.com Download Database and uploaded in a compressed file format (such as ZIP, RAR or 7z).
Entries must include the source VMF.
Remember - making a puzzle extremely difficult does not necessarily make it better! Players of all skill levels will be playing and judging the maps, and while we all enjoy a good challenge, maps should be accessible to all players. But don't take that to mean they should be "easy"!

Maps will be judged on several factors, such as: puzzle complexity; visual appeal; attention to detail; innovation; imaginative design; adherence to an overall theme; fun; and playability.

First and second place winners will get the following: