Jul-Aug 2020 Level Design Contest

I hope everyone had as much fun with the Blitz level design contest as I did! Thanks again to bobdaduck for setting that up. I figured I'd take a stab at the next level design contest! Check it out:

Contest Overview

• Create one or more levels incorporating the theme below!
• Submit level(s) via forum PM or Discord.
• Play the levels during game nights or other times!
• Discuss and review the levels on the forums.
• Use the edit period to modify your level(s) if desired.
• Vote for your favorite levels, with fun prizes up for grabs!

Contest Theme

SEQUELS

There’ve been many iconic levels made in Bitfighter’s long history. Pick one that stands out to you and create a sequel for it! Make a new level that incorporates elements of the older level including, but not limited to: Art, Design, Structure, Features, Narrative, etc…

Timeline of Events - UPDATED

• Thursday, Aug 6th at 11:59pm EDT – Submission deadline
• Sunday, Aug 9th at 9:00pm EDT – First game night
• Wednesday, Aug 12th at 10:00pm EDT – Second game night
• Saturday, Aug 15th at 6:00pm EDT – Revisions deadline
• Sunday, August 16th at 10:00pm EDT – Third game night
• Monday, August 17th – Voting begins

General Guidelines

• Each level must be no longer than five (5) minutes.
• You may submit up to ten (10) levels for voting. You can create more, but only 10 can be voted on (you choose).
• All levels must be brand new, not just copies with some edits made. That said, some mechanics can be copied from level to level, so long as the level still feels new overall.
• Joke or novelty level welcome, but keep them shorter.

Other Notes

• Any level can receive a sequel, including levels you created, or levels that aren’t well-known. However, only finished and publicly-released levels can have a sequel. In other words, don’t make a sequel for some half-baked level you never released, make a sequel for a level folks have actually played!
• You can create a sequel for a series of levels, such as the Emperor’s Revenge series or Unknown’s Mini series. But there should be a clear tie-in, not just a loose callback to a general level type. So a generic dungeon wouldn't fly, but a sequel to a specific dungeon probably would.
• You don’t need the file of the level receiving a sequel, unless that level is obscure. That said, the original file is helpful for players who might not have played the original, to see the various connections between the original and your sequel.

Anonymity - NEW!

• Levels generally should be anonymous, however for this contest you may recruit up to a few players to help with:
  
  • Levelgen creation, editing techniques, etc
    
  • Testing your level(s) for bugs, design issues, etc
• To be clear, each level should still be made by one person. This is intended to help less-experienced level creators participate, as well as help avoid preventable issues in level development.
• Please limit help requests to three (3) players max, and please don't upload your level to any public channel, forum, etc (ie. just send it privately, or host a locked server).

Voting - NEW!

• Voting will be conducted via google form. More details later.
• Anyone who is somewhat known in Bitfighter may vote. So, don't ask your cousin who played once four years ago...
• Levels should be judged based on: Design, Playability, Aesthetics, Relatedness to Original Level, and FUN!

Prizes

• 1st place: $15 via Paypal/Venmo/gift card, plus in-game icon! Alternatively, first place may instead choose a custom bip from Footloose! I’ll pay Footie (if she doesn’t win) to create and ship one bip to you (continental US only) if you pick this option.
• 2nd place: $5 via Paypal/Venmo/gift card.
• I will actually pay prizes on time this contest...

If you have any questions, the fastest way to reach me is via email: jomskylark[at]gmail[dot]com. You can also comment below or message me on the Bitfighter Discord. Good luck, and have fun!

To clarify: You can make multiple different sequels stemming from a single level if you'd like! So if you have a lot of ideas for a certain level, you can make several sequels for that one level.

Also, to help with creative brainstorming, here's a simple process you can use to figure out where to begin!

• First start by coming up with a list of the levels that you have distinct, fond memories of. You don't have to remember the exact names, just what they generally look like.
• Then think about some of the key concepts or structures in each level that make them stand out to you. When you create your sequel, bring those concepts or structures along, but add your own tweaks and improvements to make them better.
• And then build the rest of the level inserting your own style and flair to make it your own!

Not sure about what level(s) to create sequels for? Hop onto the Pleiades server and type /random to peruse some random levels! You can also go onto the Pleiades online database yourself and search by your favorite author to come up with some levels to try making sequels for. And remember that ANY level can have a sequel, so long as it was finished and released. It doesn't have to be well-known.

Here are some more concrete suggestions:

• Old Zap! stock levels
• Old levels in general - give one the new Bitfighter treatment!
• Contest levels from past contests
• Levels specifically from creators who are not longer active (ie. sam686, thread, kaen, cloakdood, qui, hamster, etc)
• Levels YOU created early in your career that deserve a new look
• Novelty levels: Tournament Race, Death Star, Emperor's Revenge, etc

In the words of our own Footloose, level development should be FUN. If you're not having fun, then it's not worth it. So pick a level that you've had fun with to try to create a sequel for!

[bobdaduck]

so if I want to do a sequel for levelgen carnival, would I have the option of that not being anonymous?

Haha well you wouldn't need to tell folks that you were creating that sequel (outside of a couple users if you wanted help testing etc). We'd obviously figure out pretty quickly it was you, but that's ok, that happens in every contest

Less than a week in and we have FOUR (4) entries already! Remember, ANY level can have a sequel made for it. Think of a level that you've enjoyed playing and a different way it can be modeled or given a twist! And don't be afraid to lean on fellow community members for inspiration or ideas, or even recruit a couple folks to help test your level for bugs or improvements!

It's been about two weeks and we now have TEN (10) entries! Keep them coming folks! Remember, the levels can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be. Just pick any level you're fond of playing and come up with a remake or redesign of it, adding in your own editing style! It's that easy.

Deadline to submit is this Monday, July 27th at 11:59pm Eastern, but it might be pushed back a week if folks would like more time! Let me know if that'd be something you're interested in.

Don't miss out on $20 in prizes up for grabs! Let me know if you have any questions or want help testing/editing.

EXTENSION: Some folks have asked for some more time, so ask and ye shall receive! I'm pushing back the contest deadline to Wednesday, August 5th at 11:59pm Eastern. The first contest party will then be Sunday, August 9th at 9:00pm Eastern. Here is the updated timeline of events (also updated in the main post):

• Wednesday, Aug 5th at 11:59pm EDT – Submission deadline
• Sunday, Aug 9th at 9:00pm EDT – First game night
• Wednesday, Aug 12th at 9:00pm EDT – Second game night
• Saturday, Aug 15th at 7:00pm EDT – Revisions deadline
• Sunday, Aug 16th at 9:00pm EDT – Third game night
• Sunday, Aug 16th (after game night) – Voting begins

Time is running out to submit a contest level for the "Sequels" level design contest! Up to $20 available in prizes. Deadline is Wednesday, Aug 5th at 11:59pm Pacific time.

[Quartz]

^^^

24 HOUR EXTENSION: The deadline for the "Sequels" level design contest will be moved back one day to Thursday, August 6th at 11:59pm Pacific. This will be the final extension. Submit a level for a chance at up to $20 in prizes!

Submit level(s) via forum PM or Discord.

Excited to share that we have over 20 brand new levels with several featuring levelgens! Join us for the first of three contest parties this Sunday, August 9th at 9:00pm Eastern.

Thanks everyone for playing! Had solid 3v3 and 4v4 action for over 3+ hours and played through all the levels multiple times. I've made a Discussion thread here and will add screenshots of the levels for easy discussing tomorrow.

Raptor kindly enabled demos for the server, so if you'd like to grab recordings of your levels to see how they fared, you can do that by accessing the server, hitting esc, and scrolling down to download recorded game. I also screen recorded everything in case folks prefer a video clip - just ask.

The next contest party is this Wednesday, August 12th at 10:00pm Eastern (note the slight time change to better accommodate our west coast and mountain time friends). The official revision deadline is this Saturday but if you'd like to make some revisions now, I'll probably send raptor some updated levels on Tuesday or early Wednesday, in advance of Wednesday's party. (That is, if he's ok updating the server). So just PM me here or on Discord if you'd like to do that!

See y'all on Wednesday!

Just a reminder that there's a little over one day left to submit revisions to contest levels! The revision deadline is Saturday, August 15th at about 6:00pm Eastern. I likely won't be extending the deadline beyond this, but if you need more time, let me know and maybe we can figure something out!

Also, just a note that I've modified the third and final contest party on Sunday, August 16th to start at 10:00pm Eastern instead of 9, to accommodate to our friends in earlier time zones a bit more. After this contest party who knows when the next Bitfighter party/game night will be, so hope to see y'all there!

Voting will begin on Monday, August 17th.