GameFlood portal and platform improves the experience for players of add-on content, while also serving to bridge the gap between 3D modelers, add-on developers, and game publishers. GameFlood, a newly launched division of Turbo Squid, the world's largest online marketplace for 3D models, provides a secure hosting environment for playing and sharing mods and maps designed for the world's most popular PC games, including first-person shooters, real-time strategy, and role-playing games.
"This contest announcement is a concrete expression of our vision for providing PC gamers and developers with the most comprehensive community platform to play, create, and distribute the most exciting PC add-on content available," said Matthew Wisdom, CEO of Turbo Squid. "The contest is our way of giving something back to developers and innovators of the mod and map making industry and others who are impassioned by extending the life of the finest PC titles in the world."
The submission and nomination period will commence as of May 29th, 2007 and will be open until the end of the community voting period, on July 16th. Community voting will take place from July 2nd through July 16th, and the final award selection by industry judges will take place between July 16th and July 23rd. Final prizes and awards for winners in the following categories will be announced on July 27th, 2007: Best FPS Multiplayer Mod; Best FPS Multiplayer Map; Best RTS Multiplayer Mod; Best RTS Multiplayer Map; Best RPG Mod (Single or Multiplayer). Prizes for these categories will be valued at the following levels:
- First Prize: $3,000;
- Second Prize: $1,000;
- Third Prize: $500.
Awards for Best FPS Mini-Mod, Best RTS Mini-Mod, and Best RPG Mini-Mod will have first prizes only valued at $500. All prizes include both cash and high-end keyboards, provided by prize sponsor Logitech.
Currently, qualified content created or updated since 1/1/2006 for the following games is eligible for the contest: Age of Empires III: Warchiefs, Civilization IV, Civilization IV: Warlords, Command and Conquer: Generals, Command and Conquer: Tiberian Sun, Company of Heroes, Medieval: Total War, Rome: Total War, Rome: Total War Barbarian Invasion, StarCraft, StarCraft: Brood War, WarCraft III, Warhammer 40000: Dawn of War, Warhammer 40000: Dark Crusade, Warhammer 40000: Winter Assault, Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Neverwinter Nights, Neverwinter Nights II, Half-Life 2, Battlefield 1942, Battlefield 2, Call of Duty 2, Counterstrike: Source, Doom 3, Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, America's Army: Special Forces, Far Cry, Day of Defeat, Prey, Quake 4, Rainbow Six: Vegas, Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory, Star Wars Battlefront 2, Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, Star Wars Republic Commando, Tribes 2, Return to Castle Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory, F.E.A.R. Online Multiplayer, Unreal Tournament 2004.
GameFlood may add additional titles to the list of eligible games based on feedback from the community.
GameFlood has been built to benefit everyone involved in the production, distribution, and consumption of add-on game content. For gamers, GameFlood's no-hassle, managed downloads and quality-tested catalogue of mods and maps will streamline the experience of finding and playing great new content. GameFlood provides developers with access to Turbo Squid's extensive pool of 3D models and artists, as well as free project management and bug-tracking tools. And GameFlood is working together with publishers to facilitate partnerships with the most talented developers in the mod and mapmaking community; eventually, these partnerships will allow publishers to provide ongoing support for existing titles without having to worry about the internal commitment, expense, or administrative hassles they have come to expect. In this way, GameFlood is empowering mod and map developers to professionalize the work that they love, and helping those developers provide gamers with a steady stream of world-class content for the finest PC games in the world.