Welcome to the ManiaExchange Monthly Track Contest (MTC), March 2014, hosted by MX.

In the MTC, your task is to build a track on a given theme (see below). Later on, all of the entered tracks will be rated by our judges and a winner will be found.

The Details

Let's have a look at the details of the contest:

Theme of the Month: Flatland : You have to build a track as close to the ground as possible

Deadline: Monday, 17th March

Prize:

Honour and the right to brag! (Jozii used to say that )
Top 3 tracks will be featured in the News section, getting extra spotlight.

Theme explanation/Rules:

- ANY environment is welcome
- the track must be built low to the ground (only 3 tiles high off the ground is allowed OR 2 tiles below)
- the only exceptions to that rule are the loops/wall-rides and the scenery
- the length of the tracks must be above 30 seconds and under 60 seconds

Blockmixing is allowed, however there will be a 2 point "fee" deducted from the DESIGN category if your track uses blockmixing. Please state clearly in your track description that your track is blockmixed.

Only tracks in the main TM2 titles are allowed (Canyon, Stadium, Valley). Do not build your track inside a custom titlepack such as the RPG Titlepack, or it may get disqualified.

Max 1 map per author

Include the sequence of letters MTC somewhere in the track name so that it can be easily discovered on mania-exchange.com.

Deadline:
The track must have been uploaded to the exchange after March 1st 2014 and before March 16th 2014 00:00 Pacific Time.

Important: To enter a track, simply upload it and post a link to your submission in the thread linked here.

Confirmed judges:
N/A

The Judging System
Each judge rates each track in the following categories:
Design – Layout, respawnability of checkpoints, learning curve, scenery, the general "feel" of the track. -2 if you use blockmixing. Max 15 points/judge
- As a general rule of thumb, the faster a player goes through the track, the harder it should get, not the other way round.

Creativity – The creativity of the track itself and especially the "FLATLAND" aspect. We are looking for new, inspiring combinations of building blocks, and adherence to the theme. Max. 15 points/judge

Fun Factor – We rate REPLAY VALUE (how likely it is that a player would race the track repeatedly) and FUN (how much fun does a player have during each race). Frustration and the need to respawn over and over generally reduces this rating.. Max 10 points/judge

We need reliable and committed judges, so if you want to volunteer as a judge, please post in the JUDGE POOL thread!

Good luck! If you have any questions, please ask away

Great! I'm most likely in! And nice new MTC banner

Elvestad made the banner.

nica to have a new theme
but i dont understand why you are keeping alcators style
i mean some rules for the judging are in my eyes not necessary
just like the respawnable cps and the learning curve

but i also have a question about the theme:
what about terraforming?
does terraformes ground which is higher the the 0-level count as height or as new 0-level?

Lodec, on Feb 20 we asked for feedback about the MTC and if you wanted to see anything changed:
http://tm.mania-exchange.com/threads/2432?postid=31905

No one said anything.

I'm sure the hosts will take your feedback into consideration for future MTCs though.

One of the hosts will answer your question regarding terraforming.

From what I see, I'm thinking that there shouldn't be any in the main route. Because we're supposed to give a flat feel on the track. Cliffs don't give that idea. Although using lakes or forests shouldn't be a problem from my point of view. It's all more a style rule than an actual rule.

Actually, I don't know how this theme can make for interesting tracks in environments like canyon or valley, but it's not me who chose it

*Looks at all his Valley tracks*
> 80% are basically 'flat'

*Glares at osaka*

cool

guess max 1 map per author?

Nice theme, but have you considered that Canyon's ground level is about 7 tiles up (guesstimation)? Perhaps you'll want a downwards restriction in that environment as well.

Really cool banner indeed!