BunnyTrack.net

BunnyTrack.net Blog

4th June 2024 by Dizzy

Unreal Tournament Package Format Breakdown 8th March 2020 by Sapphire

The guide that nobody asked for is here: UT Package Format.

New Server Commands 11th January 2019 by Dizzy

A few new commands have been added to the servers:

  • !rand or !random will immediately vote a random map from the map list
  • !next will vote the next map in the map list, alphabetically
  • !v [mapname] or !vote [mapname] will allow you to search and vote for a map by its name (or part of its name); for example: !v syn to vote Synthesis

Server 1 to Host Featured Maps Only 5th January 2019 by Dizzy

My upcoming book

You may have noticed that the number of maps on Server 1 has recently decreased. This is because I have chosen to limit Server 1's map list to a selection of high-quality maps only.

Almost all maps which have been removed will still be playable on Server 2, although a few have been deleted entirely (see below).

This decision was made to make it easier for existing players and newcomers to find and play high-quality maps.

It is well-known that a huge number of low-quality, low-effort "trash" maps have flooded the BunnyTrack scene since it began. These maps, in my opinion, do not (or should not) represent what BunnyTrack is about, and the fact that such maps are so prevalent on our server is an insult to the hundreds of mappers who have spent weeks/months/years creating BT maps with care and attention.

Low-effort maps are not a new issue, unfortunately; see, for example, the tongue-in-cheek map BT-STOPITNOW made by one of BT's original creators ([FEB]Kaplan) which contains parodies and criticisms of low-quality maps ("even a six-year-old can create better gameplay").

Moreover, low-quality maps are damaging to the BT community. New players who have never experienced the gametype before are very likely to think that BT is a joke if they join a server and find a map like BT-Zelly (a giant circle of porn), BT-Kman (countless repetitive "floating block" jumps), or BT-YouAreAnaled (falling towards the graphically spread anus of a pornstar). And who could blame them?

How do you decide which maps to feature on Server 1?

"One man's trash is another man's treasure." With that in mind, the criteria I used to define which "high-quality" maps to keep on Server 1 was the following:

  • The map should have a defined title and/or an author
  • A good effort should have gone towards creating a theme or atmosphere in the map
  • A good effort should have been made to apply textures to surfaces (especially movers) in the map
  • A good effort should have been made to create some semi-original obstacles
  • A good effort should have been made to light the map properly (i.e. not blind the player)
  • The map should not heavily feature floating blocks or pillars (e.g. BT-Kman)
  • The map should not heavily feature "luck dodges" (e.g. BT-DownNOut)
  • The map should not heavily feature pornography (e.g. BT-Jereth)
  • The map should not have been created as an obvious troll/shock/time-wasting map (e.g. BT-RideTheMagicDonkey)
  • The map should not be needlessly difficult (e.g. BT-Uncapturable)
  • The map should not be needlessly repetitive (e.g. BT-Monopoly)
  • The map should not be needlessly short (e.g. BT-Lol1)
  • And perhaps most importantly...
  • A player who has never played BunnyTrack before should be positively impressed as a result of playing the map

Actual thumbnail from BT-RideTheMagicDonkey

Why not let the community decide which maps to feature and which to not?

We tried. The "!rate" system (still active on the servers) was intended to allow players to rate each map with a quality score. Ideally, the scores from all players' ratings would determine which maps to keep/remove. However many players abuse the system, rating maps 0/10 or 10/10 even if maps are "objectively" high-quality or low-quality, respectively, thus making the scores unsuitable for sorting.

Do you think all the maps you've removed are trash/terrible?

Not necessarily. Many maps which were removed have potential, but may be let down by one or two issues such as lighting/textures/gameplay/duration/etc.

I am a mapper and I am insulted that you haven't featured my map on Server 1.

Firstly, don't be insulted; different people value maps in different ways and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. Many of the maps removed from Server 1 are made by authors who have made other excellent maps. Finally, the admins are happily recognising some of their own BT maps as lower-quality and have removed them too (e.g. DontLookDown, ReadySteadyGo, SimpleBT1, Preludio).

You've removed a map which I genuinely believe is good. Will you re-instate it?

If you believe a map has been mistakenly removed, please contact Dizzy or Sapphire on Discord to explain why.

Are you censoring porn?

No. Several good maps contain porn (e.g. BT-BehindSunrise) and they have not been deleted. Only maps which use porn in a blatant or needlessly visible way are being removed (i.e. so-called "porn maps").

This is terrible! You're a dictator! You're ruining BT!

Attempting to increase the visibility of high-quality BT maps is not ruining BT. What is ruining BunnyTrack is the plethora of low-quality maps which reduce the likelihood of players discovering the many excellent maps otherwise available.

Which maps have been removed from Server 1?

Which maps now remain on Server 1?

Which maps have been permanently deleted from both servers?