When posting your submission please leave the following details:

• Your full name
• Your nick name
• Map name and one screenshot
• Download link (no sign-in websites, use dropbox or something similar instead)

The most important thing however is that everybody adds this disclaimer in their submission posts. Without it, we can't play or judge the maps and you won't be able to participate.

“I agree that this content constitutes a Submission under the Unreal Engine EULA ( https://www.unrealengine.com/eula ).”

All off topic posts will be moved to the discussion forum.

You have until July 4th 21:00 GMT+1 before this thread is locked and the contest is officially over. We can't accept submissions after this deadline.

Please keep this feedback in mind for your Phase 2 submission:

• Keep the name of the pak file the same as the name of the map you have posted. Many maps submitted have a completely different name than what was submitted to Mapcore.
• Add a screenshot to your map (in game). It will help encourage people to actually play it. 
• Have all files available to download on a site that doesn't require sign-ins.
• Make sure the prefix on the maps are DM- or CTF-. For showdown they should be DM-.

Q: From when to when will the contest run?
A: The contest has started on April 4th. Phase 1 will end on May 2nd. Phase 2 will end on July 4th.
Q: Where can I learn more about UT mapping and Showdown?
A: You can read our guide here and download a PDF or Word document explaining Showdown.
Q: Do I have to make something from scratch or can I submit something that I was already working on?
A: Your map has to be specifically designed for this contest. In other words, it has to be brand new.
Q: After I posted my map in the submission thread (before the deadline has past), how will I know how my entry did?
A: Once all the entries have been posted we are going to send it to Epic and they will judge them and play them. The winners will be announced shortly after.
Q: I want to show my progression during this challenge. Where can I do this?
A: Feel free to post WIP shots in this thread or open your own topic in the 3D forum and post your progress there. If you are new here and you need help with this due to post limitations (our spam prevention method) then let me or another staff member know.

Q: Will we get any feedback on the maps of phase 1?
A: No, we will not provide feedback.
Q: How will we know if we made it to phase 2?
A: Everybody that submitted his/her map in time automatically advances towards phase 2. Phase 1 is about building the foundations and proving you made something new. Phase 2 is about actually finishing it.
Q: I thought that all the maps would be playtested?
A: As stated in the announcement: "Download links will be sent to Epic, who will judge all entries. Epic will also host a community playtest event of the final submissions".
Q: When will the playtest Twitch stream air?
A: We never said it would. "The entire UT team will vote for their favorite submissions and the results will be shared on Unreal Tournament's Twitch channel".
Q: But how will I get feedback then?
A: We've asked everybody to add this disclaimer “I agree that this content constitutes a Submission under the Unreal Engine EULA ( https://www.unrealengine.com/eula )” in their submission. Doing so will allow Epic to upload all maps to their HUB's that are already running custom content. That should make it a lot easier for the community to test the maps and provide feedback amongst themselves.
Q: Any alternatives?
A: Yes, you can also use the Community Test server. More information can be found here.
Q: When will Epic upload the maps?
A: That depends on how quickly everybody adds the disclaimer. We'll be contacting people directly to speed up the process. We'll announce the date as soon as we have one.
Q: I'm not statisfied with my phase 1 entry. Can I improve it?
A: Yes, that's the whole point. Make it better and finish it. Cultivate it into a winning map. Every designer knows that things change towards completion, so that can also include parts of the layout.  

Please keep this feedback in mind for your Phase 2 submission:

Keep the name of the pak file the same as the name of the map you have posted. Many maps submitted have a completely different name than what was submitted to Mapcore.
Add a screenshot to your map (in game). It will help encourage people to actually play it. 
Have all files available to download on a site that doesn't require sign-ins.
Make sure the prefix on the maps are DM- or CTF-. For showdown they should be DM-.

I'll keep updating this if more questions need answers. This thread is locked and purely meant to be a FAQ post only.

UPDATE 02-05-16:

Phase 1 has officially come to an end. This thread is now closed. I want to ask everybody to check their submission posts and make sure it follows the exact template below. Plus, a screenshot would be appreciated. 

The most important thing however is that everybody, that agrees, adds this disclaimer in their submission posts:

“I agree that this content constitutes a Submission under the Unreal Engine EULA ( https://www.unrealengine.com/eula ).”

It's needed so that Epic can put all Phase 1 submissions on their Epic HUB's that are already running custom content. That should make it a lot easier for the community to test and provide feedback amongst themselves.

Without the added disclaimer, your map cannot be play tested!

_________________

Please use this thread to post your Phase 1 contest submission. This thread is not meant for anything else. Feel free to discuss the contest here. 

When posting your submission please leave the following details:

• Your full name
• Your nick name
• Map name
• Download link

All off topic posts will be moved to the discussion forum.

You have until May 2nd 21:00 GMT+1 before this thread is locked and we move on to Phase 2. We can't accept Phase 1 submissions after this deadline.

Please note:

Just because Phase 1 ended it doesn't man you can't continue improving your shell during Phase 2. The deadline is set so we can playtest and evaluate to improve the outcome of Phase 2. As stated in the rules, feel free to move on to Phase 2 as soon as you are finished with Phase 1. You don't have to wait until the deadline. 

We've made it easier than ever to access the development tools for Unreal Tournament, in this guide I will share instructions, and some handy links for anyone who would like to build a level for the contest.

Downloading the game and editor

1. Follow THIS link and click "Download UT for Free" (yes, it's free!)
2. Sign in with your account or make one
3. With the launcher open, you should see Unreal Tournament up the top, click on this
4. Download the game (play) and editor (create)

Epic Games Launcher

The next step - Getting to know the game

Even if you are a Unreal veteran, before starting a level, it's wise to play the game for a bit to get a feel for it. Every Unreal Tournament game has it's unique feel, scale and pacing, and UT4 is no different. It is also a good idea to take a close look at the official levels, some have been finished, some are what we call "Shells", these are a great example of proving out a levels gameplay before investing time and effort with art,

Zaccabus has put together some wonderful guides, everything from basic movement to advanced weapon tips, this will be extremely useful for getting up to speed on what UT4 is all about. Click THIS to go to his YouTube channel.

Basics of the Editor

Unreal Editor has been widely documented, this should make it quite easy to find specific information you require, but I will provide some handy links for getting up to speed.

Epic's Map Making Tutorial - Good place to start.

Sid (Veteran UT level designer) demonstrating the editor - Tips from a pro.

Unreal Engine Tutorial Playlist - Everything but the kitchen sink (most of this is valid to some degree for UT4).

Jim Brown (Senior Designer) demonstrates the editor - Good summery of the editors core functionality.

What is Team Showdown Mode?

Epic was kind enough to provide us with a detailed guide on everything related to mapping for the Team Showdown mode. You can download the PDF version or the Word version.

Additionally, Nato just posted a guide and discussion over at the official forums, check it out HERE

How do you test your map in the game?

We've made it easy to test and share your maps in the actual game, although you can play in the editor, it's always advisable to play it in the real game, we support BOT play which is incredibly useful in the early days of developing a level. Sharing a level will package all custom assets into a single file, making it easy to share with others.

1. To add bot support for your level, simply add a "NavMeshBoundsVolume" around your entire level, when you hit build it will make the paths for you
2. Once your level has been Built, you need to do the following to play in the game
3. Click "Share", then "Share this level", in the bottom right of your editor you should see a message telling you the script is running, this can take anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minuets depending on the complexity of your level. 
4. Once packaged, a prompt will appear asking if you would like to share, before doing this make a note of where the file is being saved, click "Open window to packaged Content Directory, then click no
5. From the Epic Games Launcher, play the game, your map should show up in the list if you make Custom game. If it doesn't show up, you might need to revisit the "world settings" and make sure the game mode is set-up correctly.

Share button location