World In Conflict: Call For Cartographers

Rock, Paper, Shotgun officially loves World In Conflict. Announced today is Sierra's WiC map-building compo, and a chance to see your map in an official release.

The competition asks players to create their own multiplayer maps for WiC using the map making tool, then to submit them to the competition, with a chance to win $1000, an Nvidia 8800GT, and your map in their game.

It would be extremely excellent to see your home-made map go on sale to the world - there's no denying it. But the press release's claims that the prize's effect are perhaps a little bold. They will:

"help the winning amateur level designer continue their quest to become a professional game developer,"

Were it only for that £500 and a new standard graphics card, I'd be working for Valve by now! Oh, listen to us. Go on, get designing and win, and then boast about it here. Then buy us stuff with your money.

Hidden away in the small-print rules is the detail that there are four categories for which the winners will get a graphics card. They are:

1. Best DX10 Functionality Map
2. Best Tug-of-War Map
3. Best Assault Map
4. Best Domination Map

Then there's some muddle about whether only the grand prize map goes in to the retail release, or other winning entries. But of course, if you enter at all, you're giving them your map for good. And finally, because I love the hyperbole of legal jargon, here's what you give Sierra when you enter:

"Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, you acknowledge that Sponsor shall have the right to use, modify, reproduce, publish, perform, display on all forms of media, distribute, make derivative works of and otherwise commercially and noncommercially exploit the Entry Materials and your name in connection therewith in perpetuity and throughout the universe, in any manner or medium now existing or hereafter developed, without separate compensation or credit to you or any other person or entity."

Throughout the universe!