I don't like how this is set up. Changes I would make immediately.
1. Only place to release the map is on the forums. So the entire community can see all maps, and so the entrant can get feedback as usual. None of this Submission personnel mumbo-jumbo.
2. You should never have to give your .map away. Honestly if you cannot tell the difference between a stolen map and unique map then you should not be a judge.
3. Why do people need to say if they are entering? Just have a release date and let anyone who makes a map enter a map on the forums by that date, like the previous contests.
4. Because of the theme you chose, you are going to get a bunch of caves with similar texture sets. This cannot really be changed now :/
W/E. The above reasons basically explain why I am not participating :/
-Cusoman
TBH, I agree with every point of Cusoman's post.
1. The GGC mapping contest only had mappers post on these forums which worked well, also to identify them as a GGC contest map they named their thread title accordingly.
2. I think I've already made a post about this in this thread, but to recap, if you can't tell whether clip brushes were used or if there are misaligned brushes etc., without looking at a .map file, then you shouldn't be judging the mapping aspects.
3. Yes, having to have the xMAPCOM in your 'message' shouldn't be neccessary. As long as you release on the forums with an appropriate thread title, you should be able to figure out that the map is for the contest.
4. Although I chose to compete, I wasn't particularily fond of the theme either. With our current texture set, most mappers inability to create custom textures, and the theme's overall failure to draw original and creative maps from the contestants, only a minimum of the maps submitted will be very unique.
+1 Cuso, but I'm still participating