INFORMATION AND SETTING: You must create a map of islands, for any mainstream Source game (Gmod, HL2, Counter Strike, TF2, etc.)

Your map must contain at least two, or a multitude of islands (that being separate pieces of land, disconnected). The islands can be separated by water for traditional beach islands, or made as floating sky islands, as well as other creative definitional routes of "islands."

You are encouraged to use custom assets - optional Starter Content pack below (featuring nature textures & palm tree models)[Those are posted on the discord server in #island-rules]

PRIZES:
1st Place: $50 Steam Gift Card, a map featuring in ⁠⁠⁠featured-maps, and given the @Islands Winner role!
2nd Place: $25 Steam Gift Card
3rd Place: $10 Steam Gift Card

RULES AND GUIDELINES:

-Your map must consist of at least 2 islands.

-Your map can be for any mainstream Source game. (Gmod, Counter Strike, HL2, etc.)
-Your map must be submitted by July 28th, 2024

JUDGING AND SCORING: Your map entries will be judged based on these criteria points:

Island Environment & Visuals: The central factor of this contest is the islands themselves, making your environment and level design foremost in judging. Whether you choose traditional water-separated islands, or sky islands, work hard to ensure the overall environment is interesting and fun. The visuals of your map should be consistent and appealing, as well.

Creativity & Theme Execution: No matter what route you take the concept of islands, your execution of direction and creativity will be key in judging.
Feel free to stick to traditional tropical settings, or to get creative, such as ice chunks in the arctic, or even small planetoids in outer space. Consider how you can implement unique attributes that separate your islands functionally and characteristically, such as different hazards or structures on each. Think creatively in terms of connective routes between the islands, such as underground tunnels and bridges, or vines and waterfalls for floating islands.

Optimization and Quality of Mapping: Your map should be well-optimized for smooth gameplay, via Nodraw, Hint/Skip, Areaportals, Occluders, Prop Fade, etc. Open maps with broad visibility can pose an especially strong optimization challenge, so ensure to be careful in creating your map, for best performance.

DEADLINE: Your map entry must be submitted by July 28th, no exceptions.