Hello and welcome to the fourth challenge for The Hammer Cup 2017.

Below are the details.

PLEASE READ THEM CAREFULLY.

FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE RULES WILL RESULT IN DISQUALIFICATION!

As always, if you have any questions, you can either post a comment or if you require a private reply, send Phillip an email: [email protected]

Where would the Half-Life story be without teleporters to spice up the action? Well Gordon’s adventures would have been a lot less dramatic for starters but that’s another story.

We want you to get familiar with the various methods of teleporting in the Source engine and then let your imaginations go wild and see what you can create.

Here’s a really useful page that explains how to get one-way or two-way teleporters working:
Valve Developer Community: Teleporters

For more complex teleporter set ups take a look at these links:

• Multi-Destination Teleporter (Snarkpit)
• Random Destination Teleporter (Snarkpit)

It’s worth remembering that it’s not just the player who can use teleporters.

NPCs can use them and even physics objects can be transported through them for some extra fun (change the trigger_teleport flags on the trigger brush to activate these).

Perhaps you want to create a manic firefight… or take some inspiration from Aperture Science and create some fiendish puzzles.

Anything goes in terms of setting or theme but some form of teleporting must play a major role in the gameplay of the level you submit.

The Hammer Cup 2017 consists of five mapping challenges, each with a different theme.

Entrants will receive points for each challenge they enter.

At the end of the event, the best 3 points totals from the challenges they entered will be added together for each entrant.

These totals will decide who wins the Grand Prizes.

This means that entrants do NOT have to enter each and every contest to win the grand prize but they will need to have entered at least 3 challenges to have a chance of winning the grand prizes.

Full details can currently be found here: The Hammer Cup Overview.

The deadline for submitting maps is:

Monday 9th October 2017 at 23:59 CEST

CEST is Central European Summer Time. Phillip’s Time.
Make sure you check your local time conversion.
IF YOUR ENTRY IS LATE IT WILL BE INCLUDED IN THE MOD BUT WILL NOT RECEIVE ANY POINTS.
That’s 19 days, with 3 full weekends.

DO NOT GET TOO AMBITIOUS. If you can’t build it in 2 weekends then think smaller.

Something is bound to delay your progress. Leave time for testing, bug fixing and polishing!

We highly recommend getting your map beta tested by somebody you trust.

Do this early in its development if you can.

A random Steam or ORIGIN game will be awarded to the winner.

Each entry will be judged on Design, Sound, Visuals and Gameplay.

The judges are looking for unique, cool, and fun interpretations of the “teleport” concept.

• Please end your map with a point_clientcommand firing this exact command: disconnect; startupmenu
• Maximum two maps per mapper per entry.
• The map must be original and not have been released publicly before.
• The map must run in system with only Ep2 installed
• By entering the competition you grant PlanetPhillip.Com and RunThinkShootLive.Com the right to release the map as part of the RTSL-THC2017-C4-TeleportVille Mod.
• Maps must not appear on ANY other website 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 are allowed.
• Other assets are allowed with written permission from their original authors, which MUST be included in the entry.
• All files submitted MUST be in lowercase and any custom assets must have unique names, both folder AND files.
• 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_thc17_c4.bsp
• All entries must be sent to: [email protected] no later than the deadline.
• If you do not receive a confirmation email without 24 hours of sending an entry, contact Phillip IMMEDIATELY.

SUBJECT: THC2017-c4-MAPNAME (Not filename)

BODY:
1. THC2017-c4-Mapname (Not filename)
2. The name you want used for credit. For example Phillip Marlowe AKA PlanetPhillip
3. Link to compressed file (or attach it to the email)
4. Notes you want included in the readme.txt

NOTE: I encourage all users to include a proper readme-mapname.txt file but it is not compulsory.

For this challenge, I will allow entrants to submit their own chapter image.
All I need is the image – you do not need to create the VTF, I will do that.
It’s not compulsory but it will be appreciated.
This can be done up to 3 days after the deadline.

RULES:
1. Image should be 16:9 ratio.
2. JPG or PNG is best.
3. Weapons and HUD MUST be removed.
4. Neither too bright nor too dark.
5. The FOV can be changed. I use between 75 and 90.
6. Visual effects can be added but be sensible.
7. No text must be added.

THINGS TO CONSIDER:
1. The chapter images are small. Some images look great full screen but look meh when small.
2. Don’t spoil the map for the player. I find something near the beginning is better, but not always.
3. Don’t spend hours trying to get it perfect. Often people use it for reference only.
4. But, if you can find the right angle and lighting, a good chapter image can get players excited. Do not neglect the promotion of your work.
4. Funky, weird or strange generally don’t work. Keep it simple.

The judges feel that teleportation is an idea that hasn’t been fully explored in the Half-Life games. We are hoping to see some interesting situations and perhaps novel uses of teleporters in the submitted maps. Surprise us!

If you have ANY questions, please don’t hesitate to ask, either here in the comments or by email if you prefer a private answer.