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PlanetPhillip: GravityGunVille Released; HalloweenVille Announced!

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GravityGunVille is PlanetPhillip’s sixth mapping competition and mappack. He’s been doing these since December 2009, and they’ve mostly been terrific, with the exception of the lackluster StriderVille, which featured only 2 levels. GGVille was just released, but that’s not the only Ville Phillip’s got lined up!

PlanetPhillip: GravityGunVille Released; HalloweenVille Announced!

Let’s go through GravityGunVille first. Released earlier this month, it contains 9 entries. Entries had to feature the Gravity Gun, although they were allowed to include one other weapon. The winner of the competition was Radu “IceMan” Tănăsie, with his entry, “In Mind” (it’s the third map in the mod). He walked away with a cool $100. Here’s the GGV mappack’s release post on PlanetPhillip. You might be wondering what I think of the mod. And, yes, I’m saving my impressions for a larger review post. It’s on its way, and it’ll focus on all 9 chapters. But, until then, be sure to check out GravityGunVille yourself.

Moving on, Phillip has also announced a new mapping competition: HalloweenVille. Sponsored by JustMakeGames.com and TheHappyCloud.com, the goal of the competition is to create the scariest, most atmospheric entry of all. Combat is allowed, but not required, because as Amnesia showed us back in 2010, the best horror games are the ones that leave you completely and utterly defenseless. The judges are Phillip of PlanetPhillip and Alex of Just Make Games. Your map can be made in any version of the Source SDK, which I assume, means that it can be made in any Source title that has mod tools and is readily available. Still, don’t go about dusting off your copy of Dark Messiah just for the marquee value.

You can create a room, corridor, house, basement, street, any location you want. All you have to do is scare the judges. The scariest, most atmospheric entry wins Amnesia: The Dark Descent via The HappyCloud.Com. The size of your level is NOT important – so don’t make a big level thinking you have more chance of winning. The level must allow the player to move about.

The current deadline is 12:00 PM GMT, Monday, the 7th of November 2011. There’s some more rules and a handy FAQ section over at the official HalloweenVille page. Good luck on your entries, if you’ve decided to enter. 5 days seems like a reasonable time for a great horror map or two, so let’s hope you guys bust the whole competition open.

In other PlanetPhillip-related news, Phillip recently interviewed CosmicD, the creator of The Core, not to be confused with that other The Core mod for Half-Life 1 (which looks amazing, by the way). No, this The Core is the first notable Portal 2 mod to be released since P2’s launch. I have, shamefully, not played it yet. The interview lasts for one hour, and it touches on a number of modding-related topics, as well as an update for the mod that may or may not have been released yet. Doesn’t seem as though there are any spoilers, so you can check it out even if you haven’t finished the mod.

Apart from that, Phillip has also announced the winner for his MapTap giveaway – the winner’s application ID is 755840050. Start up MapTap, and go to the About MapTap window to find your ID. Do it quick, because Phillip will be selecting a different random winner if the winner doesn’t respond in time. It might just be you!

And he also released the sixth, and final episode in a series of podcasts centered around his 100 Summer Days of Nostalgia event. In this one, he talks together with Unq and Emo about their favorite releases, their most hated releases, and some statistics. It clocks in at over one hour, and it’s really great. Remember, just because the 100SDoN event is over doesn’t mean you can’t re-experience it, so to speak, or listen to the podcasts. Be sure to check it all out!

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