After careful consideration, the time has come to announce the winners of the 2019 Mapeadores Mapping FRANKENCONTEST! We are very happy with the amount of submissions, the overall quality of the maps you have managed to build and the pool of new and old mappers that have contributed and made the contest enjoyable for all of us. Because of all that, thanks.
Without further ado, let’s begin by covering the entries that didn’t make it into the top 5. We have tried to give a bit of feedback, which we can detail further if you’d like. 
Honourable mentions:
ze_jp_stalactite by qazlll.
Qaz’s map follows his general mapping line. With little time according to him, he created a simple and straightforward map. Lighting and overall looks could be better: simple white lights are bland and boring. While gameplay is linear, it remains enjoyable for a few rounds. We particularly enjoyed an interesting camera idea, though it did not work very well during the map test.
ze_einstein by Kurt von Kolmar.
Kurt’s first map has been a nice addition to the server rotation. It crashed during testing, but he has since then improved the map and fixed the issues. Full of custom materials, it is a very worthy first Zombie Escape map! The overall looks are somewhat flat and blocky, though it fits the map. We note some of the interesting ideas on several fronts: math quizzes, moving walls and a face to face ending!
ze_18-fifa-soccer by Li-ion.
Li-ion’s map was enjoyable during the map test, but it contained too few zombie escape elements. On the football field, the ball was hard to see, probably due to being too small. We still had a lot of fun because of the many items spawned and thoroughly spam, a friendly UFO wacking players left and right and constant absurdity in the field. Still, it needed more work for both teams to fully enjoy the madness. Future updates improving the overall gameplay will make it a very welcome addition to the server!
ze_rocket_escape by Telo.
Rocket Escape was probably the simplest looking map of the whole pack. Although it was too short when we tested it, its open areas could be suited for more interesting pathing, revisiting previously seen paths. The props made it enjoyable to mess with other players, but if the map becomes larger they will probably become a nuisance. Finally, since Telo made it with very little time left, we think he could probably get something really good out of a little more effort into it.
ze_aliens by Manlio.
Sadly, Aliens was not submitted in time for the contest. As a map, it is both long and nicely detailed, with what is probably the highest concentration of NPCs to date in a ZE map (besides Mapeadores’ players 
). However, upon initial testing the NPCs didn’t work very well. Visually, the flat lighting and the poor detail in some areas really stood out of the overall theme, which was very well executed. Manlio has been hard at work on improving the map, and we are itching to see what he will be releasing!
ze_read_you_moron by Mojonero.
Mojonero assured no need for testing it locally was necessary, and then it crashed during the map testing event.
As promised, every entrant whose map gets added to rotation will get Mapper status. Furthermore, and because of the success of the contest as a whole, we will be giving all of you 3 months of Supporter status for free! Contact @Morell or @Syoudous in either case, to get both mapper and supporter status!
We hope you enjoyed mapping for the contest and that you will participate in any future contest we organise! As a teaser, we might want to set sail towards a healthy dose of Prey sometime soon ! But before any of that, we still have to give prizes to the top of the crop, our little crème de la crème… Here we go!
The top of the world is composed by…
5th Place. ze_coastalcity by ILKKA.
With a beautiful urban setting, we thought that @fgshdghj’s coastal city was really the best mapping revelation. Pretty straightforward, it was filled with traditional Zombie Escape gameplay to boot. Sadly, the overall pace was ruined during the test by teleports that were far too tight. As a side comment, some areas could take a bit more detailing — just as he has already been working on in the Mapeadores Mapping Discord channel!
4th Place. ze_eden by George.
George’s Eden is a minimalistic and abstract but still nice looking map, even if we take into account the rough shadows at some points in the map. In it, gameplay is tight, direct and to-the-face, with several split holds and innovative mechanics. In particular, we note the the drop-teleport room!
3rd Place. ze_star_wars by Raphi.
Raphi’s map feels large and fits the theme beautifully. It is well detailed, though some areas feel underpolished while others fit the bill perfectly. Gameplay is frantic, with great pacing throughout the level in a very engaging manner. We note a relatively repetitive bossfight, which could probably lend itself to improvements. Finally, @Raphi has been hard at work with lots of good stuff coming in future versions!
2nd Place. ze_Kitchen by Puklica.
Although during our test the first level felt too long and extenuating, finally causing the map to come up second, it is nevertheless a beautiful and detailed map. On the design front, almost every area passed the bar in terms of raw beauty while opening themselves for fun, exploratory gameplay. The very specific rats style content crafted for the map make the experience much more enjoyable, as it is both new and refreshing. Lacking is only gameplay at a couple of points, where certain triggers and areas feel needlessly long, and contrasting with a majority of interesting escape paths and mechanics for our players to enjoy. A good amount of this has already been remedied by @Puklicax’s updates, which have made the map an ever worthier entry onto our map rotation!
1st Place. ze_SUMAI_facility by Darnias.
Darnias’ map is set in a thoroughly detailed underground setting. We note the attention to detail, particularly in terms of the lighting across the whole level, with very well chosen colors all throughout the map. On the playability side, we find a Zombie Escape map in the full sense of the gamemode, with items, levels, bosses and auto-aiming turrets. Perhaps negatively, its narrowness affects gameplay, making holds too tough for zombies. However, most holds are designed in ways that play well with the visibility of the entrances to remain interesting. Finally, we note that the first bossfight is fun and innovative while the second one is repetitive, and should probably be subject to a couple of changes to spice things up. @Darnias has been further improving the map after the contest, increasing both the overall quality and difficulty!
Ranking the submissions at the top was a daunting task, and it involved many-a-discussions among us to decide. We hope that you find the feedback from the server and these little tidbits of text helpful. If you need any additional hand testing an update any time soon, just give us a swirl and we will make it happen.
For those you who have won the mad dough 
, @Morell will be in charge of sending your prizes to you. Otherwise, just coordinate with @Morell or @Syoudous for your year-long supporter and enjoy the ride. You’ve earned it.
