I wanted to start a general thread for the admins who will be voting on your map so they can let you know what they will be looking for. Personally, my main interest/criteria for judging the maps will be quality of play and visual quality - ie does it look nice. I'm just one vote though....there's a bunch of admins who will be voting as well.

Admins, help out the people making maps and let them know what you look for in a map!

InYourEye']my main interest/criteria for judging the maps will be quality of play and visual quality - ie does it look nice.
Same here, but the fun factor outweights the visual quality. The FPS also matter too. I've played some maps with some horrible lag.

1. BALANCE!! It should NOT be a T sided or CT sided map. Those getting boring, FAST. Example, cs_compound (or old school - cs_assault)

2. Gameplay. Should be a nice combination of "firefight areas" with a couple of choice awper spots. If it is too open, it because an awpfest, which is gay (eg/ de_aztec; aka: awptec). The dust does this pretty well.

3. Visuals - make it look nice man!!!

4. STABILITY!! Thoroughly test your map. If it lags or crashes the server, it is a useless map, no matter how well it is designed.

5. Originality. See if you can come up with something fun that no one has seen before.

There's my top 5.

BIO

The FPS also matter too. I've played some maps with some horrible lag.

In my book lag doesn't "look nice":D

I'll echo much of what Bio cited....

My main focus is "playability".

Eye: you said that you also look for something that's visually appealing, and I think something that's "pretty" only adds a small portion of what makes a good map. Take speedball, for example.. probably the ugliest map that I've ever seen, yet it's in my personal top 5 favorite maps that I've ever played (it is so ****in' fun to play, and balanced at the same time.)

As far as playability is concerned. I think "Balance" is THE most important aspect. I've played maps that were so stupidly out of balance, that they weren't fun to play at all, even when you were on the team doing to slaughtering. So, I'll look for good balance as my primary means of judging.

Overall, these are the areas that I will put my focus on:

Balance:
-There have to be pros and cons to joining either T or CT. Again, one team can't have a distinct advantage over the other.

-The map can't be entirely "camp-able" by either side..this will do nothing more than spawn an entire side of awp whores, camping out the other side. This isn't fun. Take "de_dust" for example...which I think it a beautifully balanced map. There are areas where campers can camp, awpers can awp, and everyone else can rush. There are several ways to get to either bomb site.

-There need to be several ways to accomplish your mission. For example, in Dust2, each bomb site has three entrances/exits. So, when the bomb is planted, T's can't simply cover one entrance to the bomb site. They need to keep an eye out for the other two as well. Or, when CT's pick up the hosties, there need to be a few different routes back to the rescue point, so the remaining T's can't camp the only passage back, ("Office" is a good example, as well as Italy. There are many routes that can be used to get the hosties back to the safe area.)

Size:
Not too big or too small for the mission at hand. I've played maps that were bigger than they needed to be, spreading out the player-base unnecessarily. This isn't a big focus of mine, but one that I will keep in mind, as 90% of maps I've played were sized appropriately for the mission.

Creativity:
Any map maker can throw up some walls, drop some wooden boxes and barrels, and call it a map. I'll be looking for creative/interesting layouts.

Mission:
There are plenty of bombing missions out there, but only a few with hosties.. Extra points for a hostage mission.

By the way, one of my fav's with CS 1.6 was the VIP mission.. is something like this available for CS:S? I'd really like to see another VIP map...

Well, that' s all I got.. Looking forward to checking out the entries!

Extra points for a hostage mission.
Extra points for functioning bots. You just have to love when bots get stuck trying to go through walls.

Me, I'm looking for urban combat. I was a big fan of N. Africa in the game Global Operations; basically building to building fighting in close quarters.

Minimal- if any- space for snipers; something to force people into the more standard weapons. Also something that forces people to think about actual tactics instead of just "run and gun" rushing. Maybe a tighter version of office, with more rooms and hiding places. Definite plus for hostie maps.

Outside of that, I'm looking for a map that is as much fun for 3v3 as for 12v12. Something that's big enough to handle a lot of people, but not so big as to swallow up a small game.

Oh, and NO SNOW. Pure white is annoying on the eyes.

Pretty much the same as most have already posted.

1. Fun - Includes balance and flow of map
2. Pretty - Nice looking but with good FPS
3. Originality
4. Bot Playable - Not a major concern

Don't think Source is geared for VIP play.

Is it explicit in the rules what type of map it is supposed to be? I personally like fy_ maps because they are quick and dirty.

Well, my map (which, currently, has an awful error meaning i must locate and fix it) is based on using stealth and cover. It's based on a small town which has undergone lots of vandalism... And desertation. I am trying to find a skybox that is dark, but not too dark. There are about 5 buildings, and some open spots with choice sniper points. If the CT's are smart, and don't all rush at once, they have a fair chance at saving the hosties.

Is it explicit in the rules what type of map it is supposed to be? I personally like fy_ maps because they are quick and dirty.

Any type of map is welcome.

http://news.csgamezone.com/2005/04/counter-strike-source-map-contest-faq.html

everything is basically covered... i would like to see a vip map tho... like oilrig (that map rocked). dont really care what it looks like... just make sure its nice lookin and fun for all the 1337 players and for the noobs.

i have nothing new to add. everyone has stated the important things needed in a good map. good luck guys and thank you.

1. Fully working, no glitches.
2. Well balanced.
3. Good Colors.
4. Good sound FX and some music.

Most everything has been said:

Balance
Playability
Graphics
Originality
Some (but not too many) sniper positions

thats my list

My preference is balance between the teams. Also, it doesnt need to be visually stunning, but creative is a big plus.

One other thing that may not have been mentioned is variability. I like to see teams mix it up, and not have to go the same way every time because it is the best way to go.

Lastly, keep the spawns fairly open. I dont like dastardly spawn camping. It makes me want to ban things. You don't want that.

i'm voitng on if you igve me the money afterwayrds. if you give mee money i wioll hlep you win by telling all the adiminss to voote for you.

i'm voitng on if you igve me the money afterwayrrds. if you give mee money i wioll hlep you win by telling all the adiminss to voote for you,.

That's why you don't do drugs while you surf the internet, children. :D

That's why you don't do drugs while you surf the internet, children. :D

LOL, yea, friends don't let friends type drunk:D

You got an air bag on that keyboard!!??

Urban combat would be cool.. But, I would really like to see something based on the current world issues (US soldiers rushing into Baghdad, searching mountain caves for Osama, etc). I guess creativity is what I'm trying to say.

Things I will be looking for and scoring on (in order of importance to me)...

Balance(30%)
Stability(30%)
Creativity (see above)(20%)
Visual Effects ( like creative ways toinclude the CSGZ requirement, not just a spray on the wall)(20%)
cs_ maps get an extra 5 points (100 point scale)

so yes, some maps, if they are hostage maps could get a 105/100 score from me

One of my fav type of maps are the off the wall ones like the Deagle maps or the Rat maps.

I am knowned to us a scout so it must have some place that is scout usable :)

I like speedball but i think it is a little too small cus you can bascially nade one side of the map from the other, which I dont like.

Everyone else pretty much hit the main points.

One other thing, NOT Too DARK. i hate dark dark maps.

speaking of scouts.. one map I thought was a lot of fun was "scouts and knives".

I do agree with cg, that some off the wall themes would be a refreshing change.

I know this might sound dumb to you guys, but do you think you could extend the contest by about a week or two?

Taking into account that I have to optimize/add proper lighting/make bots work/bug fix, I'm sure i might not make it...

You have over a month left. I think thats enough time if you put enough time and effort into it. If this is your first map I can understand since your learning the tools. I'm working on my first map and it can be a bitch at times when your not completely familiar with the tools. It's taken me awhile but I take my sweet ass time and spend more time playing it then working on it. :D

That's my problem, i frequently have to play it, in order to sharpen it up.

Plus, i've run into one hellish error which is disabling me frmm playtesting my map any further. I've posted my .vmf at multi mapping sites, and nobody can find why there's an error :(. At thie rate, i'll never be able to make a playable version of my map. Plus, since this is my first map, the lighting and optimizing parts will be the worst. I need a list of skybox names which can be used with CSS. Preferably, i'd like a dawn-ish skybox, which is dark, but not too dark. I've had a hard time getting one.

Plus, it's nearing summer, and i have a job and social life to pay attention to...

If any of you know how to solve annoying bugs, please contact me, or check my thread at filefence.com.

I'll post the thread here when i get a sec.

I'm still learning myself so I doubt I could help with your error but check this place out

http://www.chatbear.com/board.plm?a=boardlisting&b=4989&v=flatold

I've gotten help from them and they seem to know their stuff.

For a list of some skyboxes go here:
http://forum.interlopers.net/viewtopic.php?t=1808
I remember seeing an other site with more but I can't seem to find it.

Thanx. I'll try posting there.

i wish i had time to sit around and fk with trying to make a map... losers

i wish i had time to sit around and fk with trying to make a map... losers
I <3 YOU TOO

Well, I'm working on the most original concept for a map thus far. I won't go into any details this early on in the game, since I don't want my idea stolen from me by some retard mapper with no skills. It is very balanced so far, and a few tweaks will fix some of the issues with some lighting. Once I finish this one, I'll make a second map and submit that one to you guys as well.

I'll post some screenies in the near future. Mwaahaha.

Cool man, looking forward to your map!

Gah, my map STILL isn't working when i try to play it. Plus, nobody has given me ANY bloody feedback on what might be causing it, other than MrBen at the filefence forums.

Fook.

Gah, my map STILL isn't working when i try to play it. Plus, nobody has given me ANY bloody feedback on what might be causing it, other than MrBen at the filefence forums.

Fook.

Still plenty of time left. You'll get it...I have faith:D

Gotta agree with balance being important. Slight advantages to one side or the other is OK, but massively one sided maps get old fast.

Visually stunning is not necessary, although I have to admit it's cool to see what things you can shoot in Source.

I have to admit that I have a soft spot for the old cs_deagle and scoutzknivez type maps.

I'm gonna relase some teaser pics of my map, even though it's unplayable. almost near beta releasing time!

too bad you can't beta test it! :p