Hey everybody! I hope spring is treating you all well. We are thrilled to announce that the OLDC is officially back after all these months!
In case you missed it, the OLDC is no longer a contest. It has become a purely collaborative event. Check out this news post to catch up. We concluded that article with the news that OLDC submissions would be closed until our new rules were in place, and now that they’re published, I’d like to talk through some of the changes with you.
First, the collab divisions have changed. There are now only four of them, all part of base SRB2: Single Player, Circuit, Match, and Capture the Flag. We know there are still a good number of Battle fans out there, but we’ve run into logistical issues that prevent us from including its game modes. On the plus side, this means there only has to be one file per pack from now on, which should hopefully make adding the OLDC pack to your game a little easier.
The second and most important change to the event is the new requirement that all participants must be members of our Discord server in addition to having an SRB2MB account in good standing (read: not banned). During our last few events, we have used a private Discord channel for event participants to talk in, where they helped each other test maps, fix bugs, and more. It is now the most important source of map feedback for all submitters, and discussion there leads to an overall better final map pack for everyone to enjoy. But why require every participant to be there? Well, submitters who chose not to be present there simply weren’t there to get all the important feedback, and therefore they couldn’t use that feedback to improve their maps before each pack launched. We believe that this phase of private group testing, bug fixing, and feedback is so important that we are requiring all participants to be a part of it. We have even moved the submission process to Discord — you won’t be submitting OLDC entries via the Message Board anymore.
Third, I’d like to mention that each OLDC pack from here on out will have the permissions set for anyone to maintain it, but not make major modifications to it. This is a more lenient approach compared to previous packs, which were fully barred from being ported or otherwise modified by anyone outside of event participants and staff. (If you weren’t aware, the simple “reusable” vs. “non-reusable” system we used to have for addons submitted to the Message Board is gone; it’s been replaced with new options you can read about here.)
Finally, some minor details: In the past, we required maps to work properly in the software renderer and not cause crashes. We still require maps not to crash, but we have expanded the requirement for maps to work properly to include both software and OpenGL rendering modes. It’s fine if one render mode doesn’t look quite right, though, as long as the level remains playable in it. We are willing to make exceptions for submitters who don’t have computers capable of running both render modes, but please note you will need to hand off your map to other participants in order to have it fixed in time for release. Also, custom music and sound effects must be converted to OGG format (quality level 0). We’ve included a link to how to do this within the event rules. [EDIT: A small handful of other formats are now allowed for music as well — see full rules for details.] Last but not least, we have lifted the restriction on the amount of maps you’re allowed to submit. Please keep in mind that you should be striving for quality over quantity when you make maps to submit, though — don’t spread yourself too thin!
That’s it! The submission deadline is Saturday, July 1st at 6:59PM EST. Be sure to check out the full rules before you submit, and make sure your entry complies with them. We’re stoked to get this event off the ground, and we hope you are too! See you soon!
