X-D CONTEST UPDATE: 6 NEW MAPS ARE OUT FOR THE PUBLIC BETA TEST!
Salutations, everyone!
It is a momentous news post today, truly long-awaited by many, both the X-D map grinders and the curious outsiders alike. That is right, we are finally announcing the release of the beta versions of the X-D Mapping Contest maps, and subsequently the start of the public beta testing phase!
Let us introduce the contestants first, and then we will get into the details of how to participate in the beta test, along with an important reminder at the end. And what better way to do it than by a flashy epic new edit? Luckily, one and only CyniuThunder provided us with just the video for the occasion! Please enjoy this truly fantastic edit and thanks to Thunder for taking the time to make it!
arte_dela by arte de la puerta
Lost between worlds lies a forgotten gigantic (and I mean, GIGANTIC) celestial chessboard, an ancient relic once used by gods to challenge each other to transcendent games of chess, where each move takes centuries, if not millennia.
And just like that, among the floating chess pieces frozen mid-motion, you have to fly through this otherworldly dreamscape at crazy speed and get past various obstacles on your way to the end. One wrong move and you will shatter on impact. Careful!
Gameplay
The map offers truly revolutionary gameplay, at least once you get past the few initial classic climb and bhop stages. Instead of the running and jumping we are all used to on kreedz, you are forced to fly around, floating and maneuvering through areas with different gravities, including negative gravity, something we have never seen before. Is it even kreedz at this point? You are free to try and decide for yourself!
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Difficulty: Death
Type: Climb & Special
Length: Middle
Download
How did a pirate like yourself wind up in the depths of a mysterious cave? The ship is gone, and so is the crew. Bad luck... But at least the treasure map is still here, and it will all be worth it once you find the treasure!
Distant echoes of unknown origin come to haunt you in the suspense of the first cave, then you are met with the unexpectedly melancholic melody of the second. Climb your way through the massive caverns and get to the surface of a bright and colourful, toonish fantasy-themed treasure island, and discover the fortunes hidden within Lumora. Or perhaps the real treasure was the skill you gained along the way? Just kidding, there is an actual treasure!
Gameplay
Lumora is a very balanced experience, featuring just enough bhops, slides, and ladders to not let non-stop climb bore you. It is a combination of traditional long-distance jumps, tricky turns, clever techniques, and just generally interesting jumps. A true test of any player’s dexterity!
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Difficulty: Extreme-Death
Type: Climb
Length: Very Long
Download
Immerse yourself in the nostalgic world of a card game beloved by many. Colourful dungeons painted in carefully crafted Yu-Gi-Oh-themed textures set a truly unique atmosphere for a KZ map, especially an X-D one. Dozens of familiar cards sprinkled throughout the map will inevitably spark nostalgia in a fan’s heart, or pique the interest of a clueless passerby.
Exodia refers to a very iconic and powerful card, an "unstoppable" monster. Actually, it is not just one, but five cards: left leg, right leg, left arm, right arm, and the torso with the head, which, if you have all of them in your hand at once, grants you an unconditional victory! Sounds exactly like the kind of power needed to tame the wild beast that is ph_exodia, does it not? Land all the jumps, collecting all five card pieces conveniently left throughout the map along the way, and assemble your own Exodia if you dare!
Gameplay
Exodia’s climb sections present a diverse challenge, from small-space HJ strafejumps to long-distance tight CJs and WJs, with a few bhop stages and a couple of slides and ladders here and there. Very entertaining.
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Difficulty: Death
Type: Climb
Length: Middle
Download
Recently, a previously unknown system of intricately interwoven ancient catacombs has been discovered in Egypt. As the head of an archaeological department, you set out to investigate.
After getting lost and wandering for days, completely out of supplies, it seems like you have finally found the exit to the surface. And up there, it is truly a sight to behold... the legendary second temple-city of Arid! Once thought to be a myth. Endless layers of tall walls tower above the sands and above each other, creating a multi-floored, ziggurat-like landscape. The streets are narrow and confusing, with imposing statues of the Old Gods everywhere.
The entire structure is embedded into a gigantic mountain, crowned with the sacred Ankh monument, the symbol of eternal life. Under its holy protection, the city has resisted the passage of time, remaining practically untouched for millennia. Incredible!
The second temple of Arid is no longer a myth. It is huge, uncharted, and full of mysteries, ready for you to explore. So, what are you waiting for?
Gameplay
As expected, Qicg delivers a wide range of creative jump ideas while keeping them grounded in traditional gameplay. Many bhops, slides, and ladders are applied in the most entertaining ways. The sheer scale of the map goes far beyond what can be described in a single post. Undeniably, this is his best map so far, the culmination of his mapping work.
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Difficulty: Extreme
Type: Climb
Length: Very Long
Download
Greeted by the dim light of distant stars and the deafening silence of space, you arrive at a lone space station, assigned with the task of reactivating it. But it has been derelict for far too long, so getting around will not be easy. Lifts are broken, and the corridors are obstructed by high-tech machinery that no longer works.
However, exploring this ancient facility is as challenging as it is intriguing, so giving up is not an option.
Gameplay
sky6666 has done a great job at making the jumps incredibly unconventional, while still keeping them within "the kreedz jump spectrum". You will have to utilize a variety of unusual techniques to get past these bizarre jumps. And it relates not only to climb, but to bhops, ladders, and slides as well. You will often find yourself confused, which is a great opportunity to put your KZ problem-solving skills to use.
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Difficulty: Death
Type: Climb
Length: Middle
Download
You awaken in an unfamiliar place. Dark corridors, all doors locked shut. The lack of windows suggests some kind of underground facility. The only exit appears to be a seemingly bottomless pit. Where does it lead? Does it lead anywhere at all? It does not matter. You jump down anyway.
Second awakening. Is it by miracle, or by someone’s devious design, but you survive the fall unharmed. An ocean of darkness surrounds you. Only a handful of godforsaken islands scattered around, ruins of steel and concrete shrouded in shadow, upheld by the impenetrable darkness itself. Far, far away, you manage to make out a vertical pipe stretching upward as far as the shadows allow you to see. A way back to the surface? You must reach that island at all costs. The nightmare ends once you reach the surface... Or does it?..
Gameplay
Pleasant climb sections combined with tricky bhops and occasional slides and ladders make the map a very intense challenge. Climb sections in particular stand out for their interesting use of CJs and strafejump trajectories.
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Difficulty: Death
Type: Climb
Length: Long
Download
THE PUBLIC PLAYTEST
Everyone can participate in the public playtest by joining one of the following servers:
KZ-Rush.ru #3 JUMP [Extreme], IP: cs2.kz-rush.ru:27017 (Russia/Europe)
KZ - RJ | BHOP Hard/Extreme, IP: hard.romanian-jumpers.com:27015 (Romania/Europe)
KREEDZ.EE: // Kreedz [Extreme/Death], IP: cs.kreedz.ee:27006 (Estonia/Europe)
KREEDZ.BG Jump [Hard/Extreme], IP: hard.kreedz.bg:27015 (Bulgaria/Europe)
[simen #9] http://bbs.simen.cn [X-D], IP: 43.138.220.154:27010 (China/Asia)
...and nominating one of the six maps you want to try ! Don't forget to add _beta01 at the end of the map name (e.g. v4r_intensity2_beta01).
Huge thanks to the respective owners of the servers for their cooperation, namely:
Kpoluk & lxr (KZ-Rush), R3AL (KZ-RJ), r0byN (KZEE), awaq & fxr (Kreedz.bg), paslalala (Simen).
The goal of the public playtest is for players to provide feedback to the mappers in case they encounter issues such as shortcuts, imbalanced jumps, visual bugs, or other problems, ultimately helping achieve the best possible version of each map for the community. You can report any findings in the dedicated X-D beta-testing section of kreedz.com's Discord channel for the mappers to see (see the image below).
IMPORTANT: After the public playtest is over (1-2 months, depending on how much feedback is received), voting for the best map will be announced, along with a SURPRISE TOURNAMENT, where X-D map players will compete on the contest maps (for more details, please refer to the original newspost). This will be the first ever tournament on X-D maps organized by kreedz.com / XJ.
Participation in the public playtest is highly encouraged if you plan to compete. But even if you are an average player, you can still try these maps with SCOUT. Sure, it might be hard, but it is not impossible! Trying the maps yourself will help you cast an informed vote when the time comes. Votes of those who actually played the maps will carry more weight, to ensure fairness.
I would also like to remind you that the prize pool currently stands at €405 (€300 - initial prize pool + €105 generously donated by ` Player from his Slide Tournament winnings, what a virtuous gentleman!).
Thank you to all the mappers for contributing enormously to the scene, your patience has finally paid off!
Additionally, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to one specific member of the Map-checking Team, who has been very consistent in his commitment to admin duties: extra big thanks to you, SAJKEE!
Note that there will be some adjustments to the voting procedure, as well as more details about the surprise tournament, coming later. But for now, please enjoy the beautiful new maps!
Have fun playing,
Map-checking Team
All map descriptions, as well as this entire post, were written exclusively by a human (no AI used)