Iron Mapper IRONMAPPER Season 6: Discussion

Iron Mapper
Iron Mapper is a mapping competition on Relic Castle. Each mapping competition, otherwise known as a "trial", will have a deadline clearly stated, and you will have this time to complete and submit a map according to the theme and criteria of the trial. Once all submitted maps are judged after the deadline (this depends on the volume of entries, usually a few days), the judges will post the results, and prepare for the next trial.

Season 6
After a bit of hiccups with Season 5, we decided to really bring back IRON MAPPER with a new, improved, consistent schedule! @aiyinsi and I worked together to ensure that Iron Mapper trials can be something that users can actively look forward to, rather than having to wait patiently for the next one to suddenly appear.

Season 6 marks the beginning of a new era for everyone's creativity and innovation! Here are some noteworthy changes from previous Iron Mappers:

• Each Season will be bonded with the Game Jam, making each Season a year-long event beginning each September!
• Each Season will receive a unique Badge that will be granted to the winners of that Season's Trials!
• Each Trial will happen every other month. This does not include months that include the Game Jam or Winter Game Jam!
• Each Trial will be open long enough to include three weekends, to accommodate contestants who can only participate on weekends!
• Trials will focus on challenges more than they did in the past. Many previous themes would fall under the idea of "challenge", so this change isn't as drastic as it sounds!

Just like previous Iron Mappers, there will be an announcement in our Discord server a few days before the beginning of each new trial.

Season 6 will properly start in August, but we were so excited to bring back Iron Mapper that we snuck in a pre-season trial before the Summer Game Jam!
We're looking forward to see all the great maps you all can come up with!

Trials:
Pre-Season - Trial 0: Wild
Trial 1 - Trial 1: Future Verdanturf Town
Trial 2 - Trial 2: End Boss Location
Trial 3 - Trial 3: Early Game Route
Trial 4 - Trial 4: Trick House

For earlier trials, please check out past Iron Mapper seasons!

Rules of Engagement
The following are some general rules that apply to all trials. Abiding by them is mandatory.

• You may only submit one map per trial, and you may not reuse a map for multiple trials.
• Please don't just submit maps you've made prior to the trial, the purpose of this competition is to encourage you to map, not to post old work.
• The challenge or theme is mandatory. Making a map without the challenge or theme in mind goes against the spirit of participating in Iron Mapper.
• You're welcome to map in whatever software you like, but it must be on a grid, and it must use whatever tileset the trial specifies. RPG Maker XP is highly encouraged. The Tiled Map Editor is a free piece of software that would be a good substitute.
• Once you submit your map, you may not edit it further. Only submit it when you're finished it.
• Collaborative entries are not allowed unless specified in the criteria for a specific trial.
• Poor sportsmanship is highly frowned upon. Ultimately, this is for fun and self improvement. Enjoy it and don't focus on whether or not you win.

Judging
Maps are judged with the following areas kept in mind. These are subjective and general guidelines.

• Accuracy. How well does your map represent the theme of a trial, and does it meet all of the criteria?
• Gameplay. Can your map be traversed easily, and does it make sense in a Pokémon game? Is there room for NPCs?
• Technique. Are the tiles used well and without error? Does the map have detail and look polished?

The judges will have a group discussion with their thoughts on each map, the winner, and all the requested critique. The judges will agree on at least one map that has won the trial. There are no points or numerical scores.

The judges for each trial will be chosen by myself and Aiyinsi, and sometimes another judge might join a trial part way through. Judges may not partake in a trial they're currently judging. Those who have judged a previous trial who decide to compete will receive no advantage in knowing the trial theme, and there will be no bias in judging their map. Please do not ask to be a judge; I will approach you if I think you would be a suitable judge.

Submitting your Entry
In order to submit your entry, please make a post in the current trial thread with the provided information listed in the trial thread. You can leave your map untitled, and any additional information/notes are optional. Please list the number or name of the trial along with your entry. You may not submit maps for concluded trials.

If you're having issues taking a screenshot of your map, use the Map Screenshot Image Maker Script. It's very easy to use.

For discussion of Iron Mapper, please use this thread. You're more than welcome to talk about past trials, but we'll likely be talking about the current one!

Poggers

Pogalicious

Is this what we call a 'PogChamp moment'?

its an epic gamer moment

No I can't wait for two months you can't do this to me T_T

Iron Mapper pog

Good luck to everyone participating! I'm hella excited to see some of these awesome maps

it's beginning to look a lot like iron mapper season everywhere you go

VanillaSunshine said:

Collaborative entries are not allowed unless specified in the criteria for a specific trial.

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We were discussing this in #general of the discord, but if we were to gather feedback in lets say #feedback or in other servers non RC based before the Trial ended would that count as collaborative or not?

Omega said:

We were discussing this in #general of the discord, but if we were to gather feedback in lets say #feedback or in other servers non RC based before the Trial ended would that count as collaborative or not?

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In a similar vein to Game Jams, it's perfectly fine to seek out feedback without it counting as that person actually working on the entry with you!
We cannot stop people from collaborating in private, nor are we interested in micromanaging how much feedback someone is getting in public or private.

The spirit of Iron Mapper is for a single contestant to make a map to the best of their abilities that matches the Trial's criteria. Intention matters, and as long as every contestant keeps that spirit in mind, it's fine to seek out feedback to improve their skills. It's not about winning, it's about making cool maps! Just try to keep within the spirit of the event, since that's what makes it so much fun!

Sounds very poggers

Congratulations to the winners of Trial 0, @AnonAlpaca and @idilio! Find the results here:

Have I missed the results to Trial 1? I don't see them in the other thread.

Cryptochrome said:

Have I missed the results to Trial 1? I don't see them in the other thread.

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I don’t think they’re out yet

I am looking forward to Trial 2, which I believe will start in November?

However, I am concerned that the results for Trial 1 have not been posted yet. It has now been 5 weeks since that trial was closed and I was hoping to receive some critique for my current mapping skills. I tried sending a DM to @aiyinsi last week, but there was no reply. I hope they are okay!

It is indeed unfortunate, as I've grown tired of waiting, and will no longer visit here, so I'll miss out on the feedback you may give for my map

On the discord they said they will try to get results on Wednesday. It's important to remember though that real life comes first. I know waiting isn't always the funnest thing, but life likes getting in the way of plans.

Congratulations @Arma and @idilio for winning Iron Mapper Season 6: Trial 1!!
But honestly I loved all the maps that were submitted!

I'm sorry for not being more communicative about the delay! I hate that there was that negative taste to the trial and that is 100% my bad.

Trial 2 will be starting soon and I have two challenges in mind. What do you guys want for the next trial? Something very challenging that might get a lot of participants out of their comfort zone or something more classical?