DM map making contest

[Dagobert]

8. Valve Rights to Contest Entries. By accepting a prize, each winner grants Valve the royalty-free, fully-paid, worldwide, irrevocable right to exploit the intellectual property rights in the Contest Entry, including without limitation, at Valve’s option, distributing the Contest Entry to the public commercially or for free.

So basically you are providing a map for Valve for $5k or $3k, which isn't such a great rate for freelancing work at this level.

Give a Valve level designer a month to build a level, and you are talking about around $6600 in wages.

 

[Zeus]

They are doing this so that they will get tons of maps for hl2dm to make up for the fact that they only included 2 maps.

 

[Dead-Inside]

Those two maps included were basically directly taken out of the game (Copy pasted and moved around a bit with few "new" areas), at least the lockdown. Overwatch is newly built from the looks of it, apart from the center building which was.. well we all know where that was in the game I think.

 

[miked4o7]

It's a win, win situation. The people who enjoy spending time making maps are the ones who are good at it... and they would have made maps regardless of whether there was a contest or not. Now, they may actually get something for their work. The players win because it will definitely rapidly increase the amount of DM maps, and the prize money will offer a greater incentive for mappers to really concentrate on quality. And of course, valve wins for the reasons mentioned above. Good move by valve.

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Or, looking at it from a less cynical point of view than Dagobert, you get your map included as part of a major game, your name in lights (metaphorically) and a chunk of cash.

 

[$niffy]

God i'd pay valve to add one of my maps to THEIR DM

 

[Warlock]

And Pi Mu Rho hits it right on the head. Not to mention that if you make one heck of a good map, you might just become a Valve level designer anyway.

 

[Joy_Decoy]

It's a win, win situation. The people who enjoy spending time making maps are the ones who are good at it... and they would have made maps regardless of whether there was a contest or not. Now, they may actually get something for their work. The players win because it will definitely rapidly increase the amount of DM maps, and the prize money will offer a greater incentive for mappers to really concentrate on quality. And of course, valve wins for the reasons mentioned above. Good move by valve.

AFAIK there are only prizes for top 3. so if a 1000 have a go, only 3 will get paid, but vavle gets to 'exploit' every single one of those 1000 entries. I wish the wording was less 'WE ARE GONNA **** YOU UP THE ARSE' and more what Pi said.

 

[Spartan]

Aren't competitions a great way to make yourself known, if you're aiming for a job as a level designer?

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

Yes, very much so.

I have yet to read the terms and conditions, but I believe that Valve only get ownership rights of the winning maps, not every one submitted.

 

[SkateXer99]

I dunno, it feels like people are just gonna make a 5 feet map and send it in hoping to win... just for that money... if only it just said "Prizes"

 

[Joy_Decoy]

Yes, very much so.

I have yet to read the terms and conditions, but I believe that Valve only get ownership rights of the winning maps, not every one submitted.

fair play

 

[Mountain Man]

Simple solution: If you don't like the terms then don't enter the contest. There's nothing preventing anybody from making a map and releasing it themselves.

 

[Dagobert]

Simple solution: If you don't like the terms then don't enter the contest.

Yeah - if you think child labour is unfair, don't do it!! Great idea!!

 

[Pi Mu Rho]

After checking the rules thoroughly, only the winning maps end up being owned by Valve (assuming you accept the prize).

However, I'm not sure if releasing a map that you submitted is permitted or not - I've requested clarification.

 

[mortiz]

So basically you are providing a map for Valve for $5k or $3k, which isn't such a great rate for freelancing work at this level.

Give a Valve level designer a month to build a level, and you are talking about around $6600 in wages.

So you'd turn down 5 Grand just because it isn't a good "freelancing" wage? Remeber it'll be your work that'll get distributed to thousands of home computers for people to enjoy, so not only do you get your map distributed for free through STEAM you get $5000 to boot, and if you enjoy making map's, well, what are you moaning about? Would you prefer to make a map and not get paid at all?

I wouldn't turn down 5 grand.

 

[Mountain Man]

Yeah - if you think child labour is unfair, don't do it!! Great idea!!

Um...what the hell are you talking about? Valve isn't forcing anybody to enter the contest. Seriously, you don't like the terms, you don't have to enter the contest. Why is that so hard to understand?

 

[Cons Himself]

dagobert obviously isnt a mapper - why are people even responding to him