Oh boy, so I've gotta lay out some ground rules now.
Rule #1
These are more guidelines than rules. If you have a good map that breaks one of these, don't consider it ineligable. If you have a map that breaks many of these, maybe you should consider submitting something else. One of the maps I've shortlisted for my contribution to the compilation does indeed break one of these rules.
Balance
Your map should be reasonably well balanced. It doesn't have to be perfectly well balanced; randomized resource rocks and militia are beyond our control, and so long as these factors overshadow the imbalances on your map they should be fine.
Size
You should have between 5 and 15 planets per player. That is, a 5v5 should have between 50 and 150 planets.
Start Locations
Players should have at least two lanes (preferably three or even more) leading from their homeworld, at least one of which is an asteroid. Uncolonizable gravity wells nearby is a plus, as well. If you place desert or terran planets near player starts, be sure to give them alternatives to avoid these (since they can randomly have lots of militia). In general, start locations should maximize player choice.
Neutrals!
Ensure you have neutrals to fight over. They don't need to be in the middle of the map, but they should be accessible to Vasari scouts...
Start Distances / Chokes
Try to make player start locations between 3 and 8 jumps apart so they're neither too close nor too far away. Similarly, try to avoid creating one choke point that must be crossed. If you absolutely must do this, try to make it a star or a gas giant (uncolonizable wells which are too large to cover with a single starbase). If you're making a multi-star map, you may want to include interstellar phase lanes and wormholes to add back doors.
Avoid Sloping Jumps
Sometimes it's possible to create very "steep" phase lanes. This usually happens when two planets are placed very close together or with interstellar phase jumps (since stars vary greatly on the Z-axis). Try to avoid creating steep jumps. The easiest way to avoid this is just to space out your interstellar phase lines and avoid placing planets in very close proximity (like virtually adjacent)
Something you want to play online
Most importantly, try to submit something that people want to play online! This is really subjective, but if you keep this point in mind I'm sure you'll pick some great material.
Anyone want to add other guidelines?
ps; if you need web-hosting for your maps, you can always try submitting on RTSCommunity.com. Feel free to yell at me if your submission isn't getting approved (I have admin power over there and can get it done for you).
