Duel Map Contest Poll

[Circa]

We've got a bunch of submissions for the Duel Map Mod Contest, and they all look outstanding. This will be a very hard decision! Please vote for the map you believe should win!

Due to the great turnout with the number of submissions, we're going to do a GOLD , SILVER , and BRONZE award for this contest, depending on the votes they receive. Votes are all public, just an FYI. Vote manipulation will result in disqualification.

I highly recommend actually downloading all of these and taking them for a spin ingame. Pictures say a thousand words but experience is priceless.

Voting will end 7th of March 2025. (This was extended from original announcement due to more submissions than expected)

View all Contest Entries

 

See a short preview of the maps in the video below, but please do your due diligence and try them for yourself!

 

[DEAD]

Castellaris looks stunning, love the vibes of Racto Droid Factory as well.

[Qira]

This was a hard choice but I'd have to go with TFFA Brutal. I absolutely love the thought and architecture that went into this map. 

My second choice would most def be Castellaris. The skybox is dreamy and beautiful. 

[Smoo]

My favourites are Echani Training Grounds and Rishi Station 2 because they look awesome and are best performance wise. The Skyboxes on Castellaris and Oasis Mesa are very beautiful though.

[GamerRedNeck]

These are all great, but Castellaris just vibes with me the most.  The skybox is excellent and the overall layout and architecture of the map is fantastic.

[Noodle]

After downloading and testing all the maps these are the general criticism I could muster of each one

Castellaris:

This is an incredibly creative map with an uncommon use of colors that are often avoided when it comes to mods. The castle's architecture is very interesting and it has a nice use of lighting. There's also a very good use of horizon blending that makes the surrounding sea feel very vast. That said, for a duel map, it feels awfully big and maze-like, which can be very tiring. I found the choice of music to be kind of a vibe-killer (I like medieval music, but Giaccona might not be the best choice here), the sky texture seems to be AI generated which makes it look alien-like, but at the same time the lack of general movement makes it look more stiff because of how over cluttered it is. Custom shaders could have made it more unique in that regard. And on a personal preference, I'm not a fan of teleports in maps. 

My score: 4/5 

TFFA Brutal:

The moment you see the map you can see it was clearly inspired by brutalist architecture, though I could also feel a general influence of art deco in it. Great sense of scale and aesthetic consitency. The brushwork is immaculate and it has a great balance of artificial and natural lighting. There are some art pieces made with brushwork that look really good and the map's size is great for duelling and tournaments. The elements that I'd criticize are mainly the bland music choice and that I wasn't personally a fan of using plants to decorate this kind of structure. 

My score: 5/5

Droid Ractor Factory:

This was such a fun map to explore, it's full of well thought details, like a collapsed gas tank that blocked one of the production lines. It also has a general aesthetic very similar to Coruscant as seen in the vanilla game and I love Star Wars themed maps in general. Lighting wise its good,  but there's a general lack of shadows in some areas that make it look flat. Some contrast would've been nice. The conveyor belt with the little pieces moving is great too. On a more critical note, the frames drop at certain bits and that's not good for a duel map, on that regard, there's an area that's accessible only with jump 3 and it could be used for time waste, which is also undesired in duel maps. Here, the music is star wars themed but its also very dull for the map in general, feels almost like an after thought. I'd have liked some immersive sound design, like an alarm where the tank fell, and I wish I could interact with the control panels.  On a personal preference, I'm not a fan of randomly placed crates, though you could have added more clever clues to explain their rather illogical positioning. 

My score: 4/5

Rishi Station:

This one is great. The Clone Wars inspired, perfect size for duels, original textures for the control panels, nice view outside of the window, its everything you could want for a Star Wars themed duel map. Only things I'd have added would've been ways to interact with some of the control panels (even if its just to play a sound indicating that you can't open the doors with them) and maybe some music from The Clone Wars instead of generic John Williams tracks. 

My score: 5/5

Jedi Dojo:

I really appreciate that the .map file was added to the .pk3 so that future modders can play with it. The map has some nice wood brushwork and decorations made with this technique, it is super close to what's seen in Star Wars Rebels and its a good and clean space for duelling. The use of colors and textures is generally nice and I think it fulfills its objective quite well. That said, some textures are rather flat, specially the banners, the music choice is a terrible one for the map's general aesthetic and I do wonder if there's any need for the small corridors in opposite sides of the map. They feel like an unnecessary distraction. There are very few light sources in the map and it doesn't make sense for how well lit the overall space is and personally I find it annoying when doors randomly open and close when you get near them, specially in duels. 

My score: 4/5

Oasis Mesa:

This map was made with Rend2 in mind, which is an immediate plus for me. Its a great experiment of work methodologies, since it wasn't made in Radiant but rather Unreal Engine and then ported to Radiant. It works well in this regard, thought since there's no brushwork involved you don't get lightsaber trailmarks on the surrounding spaces. The music and ambience in this map is top notch, and even though the space is huge, there's always clear visibility so that it doesn't become an issue for duels, which here work great both with sabers and guns. I really like some things like the crates covered in cloth and also the big entrance to an abandoned and ruined building. The things that could, in my opinion, be improved are the lack of horizon blending, making the sky texture move a bit so that it doesn't feel stiff and adding collision to the hanging cables. 

My score: 5/5

Hand of Thrawn:

Another great Star Wars inspired map. This one is tougher since its source is literary and not visual, which adds a level of challenge for the adaptation to a map. I really like its round shape and the use of small caves to hide stuff on it, same as the brushwork on the sparsi clone tank and the general use of lighting. This is also a great map for duelling. I did think the floor texture was a bit monotonous and I wasn't a fan of the inconsistency in the textures of all the surrounding control panels. Still, it's a great map in my opinion.

My score 4.5/5

Echani Duel:

I think this was inspired in the Telos academy from Knights of The Old Republic II. The general aesthetic and moody blue light are great in that regard and I really like the brushwork of the map, which makes the random crates in a corner more annoying since they clash with the appearence of all the other decorations in the map. The map size is perfect for duels and the use of light, as said before, is excellent. The only thing that I regret is that the map has such a good ambience that the poor choice of music completely ruins the vibe. Also, there's a missing texture in the roof's beam. 

My score 4.5/5

Overall, all maps are great so its really hard to vote between my favorite pics, but just for the eerie vibe and the fact that its rend2 friendly, I vote for Oasis Mesa, a true wonder in the field of mapping for JKA. 

 

 

 

 

 

[SpeedyJDFox95]

I have reviewed some of these, tested them out, but only one can win the contest. At the time of me making this post, I have hopes that there will be one first place winner.

[SephFF]

I spent a very long time on these maps making a point to really think about who was getting my vote.

My top 3 are

1. TFFA Brutal

2. Ractory

3. Duel Rishi2

 

Castellaris: 

Layout/Construction: Great patch and brush work with what is done so far. Its far too large for a duel map, with 2 hallways and 3 rooms it does not offer a lot of flow for TFFA or FFA as well in my opinion. The door to the tunnels is well hidden I assume by intention both leading to both sides of both rooms. neat idea just more flow to the layout would be needed if you want to turn this into a solid TFFA or FFA map. Personally i would love if you completed the building and removed the clips so I could jump all over the roofs but I am a fan of jumping around lol. some construction elements where the balconey and windows are don't make much sense from the inside of the building. also in that same room you see the sky in the ceiling but outside its covered up by the large building so more of a continuity issue there. There are also 2 models that are in the map that look amazing but seem off since they have such a high poly count in comparison to the rest of the map. 

Player Interaction: Water around the map kills the player and 2 doors to uses. lout side the building lots of places to jump around on There are places players using Jump 1 can reach, not a huge deal if person your dueling has some honor lol. again flow would be an issue with such a large space.

Textures/Thematic & Artistic Direction: love the castle and has a magical feel to it. Textures you did well in terms of contrast and visual variety but the scale of the marble seems too large. and the amount of marble work for a fantasy setting just not a practical one. the choice of wood has the grain direction off in some spots and where some of the wood is would be bad for construction, like on the roof and under the balconies. Skybox is nice matches a fantasy setting I just wish you added some moving clouds to it. the sand and grass, then sky, then water room. I def see what you are trying to pull off with all these and all great ideas. I would just play around a bit more with textures to really hash the map out.

Lighting: Lighting seems fine nothing stands out as jarring and easy to see who you are fighting.

Music: Not a fan of the music for a duel map does not match the fantasy vibe i think you are going for.

Performance/Bugs : if using rend 2 sky box in middle room and pond room doors breaks. On my system: i9-14900KF, 64gb ram, 4090 GPU, uncapped FPS I get average of 600 fps lowest spot is 450 while highest spot is 1000. 

TLDR: this map has a lot of potential and I really like what was put into it so far. Def can tell it was a lot of hard work and I think could be made into a goof TFFA or FFA map. Main think is some texture choices and adding more flow to the map.

 

TFFA Brutal:

Layout/Construction: One room with with 2 levels of play area. Construction is top notch to where I tried to find spots i should not get to but you where able to stop my antics. also could not find any hidden face that should have been caulked out. Great size for a duel layout and the extra floor ads to the flow with the map. I also appreciate how you have two clear "hero asset" as in the art works you made as a center pieces to the map. Consistent design of all parts around the map 

Player Interaction: Nothing to really interact with, could role play sitting in the chairs I guess.

Textures/Thematic & Artistic Direction: Theme is 100% on point to the Brutalist art style with the concrete. Again the hero asset center pieces tie it all together. the simple repeating patterns and shapes are all consistent to your theme. I am now in the mood to play the game Control thanks to this lol. I can't complain about lack of texture variety because it all just works to the theme and is easy on the eyes with I noticed most players want their duel area to be that way.

Lighting: Lighting is on point where everything seems to come from a source and really adds to the theme.

Music: I really with you added some different music, tho very hard to find something that truly matches the theme. some music from the game Control might be a good example.

Performance/Bugs : no bugs, uncapped i get average of 950 fps. lowest is 900 high is maxed out at 1000. Very well optimized map

All in all I love the artistic stye of this map and how cleanly you constructed it. only nit pick would be music but this is a map I actually want to duel on.

 

swgl_jt_dojo:

Layout/Construction: Simple layout perfect for duel size, very clean construction only a few spots where I found hidden faces not caulked out properly. wall mounted brackets for cabers can be jumped on. id recommend be clipped off.

Player Interaction: two open when near them, that's about it.

Textures/Thematic & Artistic Direction: Theme is a classic dojo super popular with Jedi academy over the years. Textures super simple but work well only a few spots where texture scaled incorrectly. Not a fan of the rock texture on the ceiling but I like the idea its a hidden dojo in a cave or something. The sabers on the wall are a nice touch but seems unfinished with the empty rack on the wall on the left while the wall on the right is left empty. Still very successful with getting the theme just right.

Lighting: Nice a bright easy to see. matches the dojo aesthetic.

Music: Basic music

Performance/Bugs: no bugs uncapped FPS 1000 that's it... cant get much better than that performance wise.

All in all a solid duel map that I think would work great to play on.

 

Oasis mesa

Layout/Construction: General layout and design works well for a duel map i think the bridge over water that kills you is a great idea. Since experimental I could write a book on some of the construction issues so I wont do that here. its mostly made out of models which can be done just hard to pull off and be optimized.

Player Interaction: Water kills you, sky big enough where if ya spawned a some ships in you could fly around and have space battles. I wish you were able to walk on the thick cables would add extra height to the map for a duel.

Textures/Thematic & Artistic Direction:  Them seems to work for island but the lack of horizon blending, better water shader and contrast from the sand texture to the rock seems jarring. Skybox seems like its stretched in a weird way

Lighting: lighting seems to not have a source in 2 different directions.

Music: I think the music matches well with the theme pretty well  just has a harsh cut in it when ending.

Performance/Bugs: Water with current taystjk does not kill you, z fighting in a lot of areas. performance uncapped average is about 300FPS, high is 400FPS low is 240FPS. For the size of this map that's quite a big performance hit but too be expected with how the models are used.

Visually great map if not looking too close to it. I appreciate being experimental with it as I love science and can't have progress with out experimenting. Would be fun for casual play but not competitive. 

 

Hand_of_Thrawn

Layout/Construction: Large open area only a few spots with hidden geometry not caulked properly. its a bit too wide open for a 1v1. Very simple in design I like the computers decorating the edge and tunnels.

Player Interaction: Some force holocrons to collect.

Textures/Thematic & Artistic Direction: Rock texture stretches unnaturally that stands out to me. also the tile texture is covering a lot of area id recommend needs more variety. still the them of an underground facility works well.

Lighting:  a bit too dark with the size of the overhead lights in my opinion.

Music: Normal music for JKA.

Performance/Bugs: No bugs, performance takes a hit due to the patch mesh construction average is  800 fps low is 500 looking up and high is 1000 looking down.

All in all its a good map just needs some optimization and maybe add some variety to the open area floor and scale down the size for a duel.

 

Echani duel

Layout/Construction: Good clean construction, no hidden faces and consistent layout. only weird spots are benches are floating above the ground. Just a simple room for dueling in.

Player Interaction: No interactable stuff in the map.

Textures/Thematic & Artistic Direction:  Dark moody Star Wars themed room all blend in well together.

Lighting: A bit too dark to see very well but seems interesting for dueling another person in with.

Music: Normal Star Wars music.

Performance/Bugs: No bugs FPS 1000 so maxed out.

Very simple duel room and a good size for dueling. Just a bit dark for my liking. 

 

Ractory

Layout/Construction: Clean construction with only a few hidden spots that should be caulked. Lots of effort was placed in the with the models. Interesting multi levels to work with but some spot jump 1 can not reach. like tops of pillars and in outside area. Though I do love I can jump over to that area and run around.

Player Interaction: Lava, droid belt, lava scooper, death pit, can break the droid belt if ya try to block it though. Still great to see.

Textures/Thematic & Artistic Direction:  Super consistent them with story telling in the map design with excellent texture choices. really can tell a lot of effort was done to get this done right with a lot of attention to detail. I like all the light up textures that really highlight the area and also the neon signs outside.

Lighting: Great lighting matches theme perfectly.

Music: Normal Star Wars music.

Performance/Bugs:  Droid belt can be stopped that's about it average FPS is 300FPS Low is 145FPS  High is 800FPS. 

Amazing map, just some performance issues I think could be fixed by reducing the amount of droid parts being rendered. Since with r_showtris you can see them in the brushwork being rendered. This was my number 2 choice of a map, would have been 1 if better performance since hard to get people to wanna duel ya on it if their comp cant handle it.

 

Duel rishi

Layout/Construction: Very clean construction, only thing that stands out would be the three boxes in the center that don't seem to match imp design. the stairs are also impressive and I like the window showing the landing platform outside. I like the dip in the floor that adds extra to dueling a person in this type of area.

Player Interaction: Lots of buttons but noting to interact with.

Textures/Thematic & Artistic Direction: Amazing clean texture work with clear them. the consoles I think could use more screen graphics or lights but still otherwise great in detail. Def feels like a imp station. very clean modern style.

Lighting: Great lighting nothing out of place.

Music: Normal star Wars Music.

Performance/Bugs: No bugs Fps average is 700, Lowest is 600 while high is 800. well optimized map.

Amazing map this would be my number 3 choice out of the bunch. Makes me wish it was a much bigger map to explore.

 

Took me like 5 hours to write this.... eyes hurt now lol

 

FYI all the maps are good, so dont take what I said bashing ya, just pointing out what I personally noticed.