That pretty map you have been playing on? That expression of the blood, sweat, tears and hard work of one of the awesome UWE mappers? Once upon a time, it wasn't quite so pretty. No matter the skills of our mappers, sometimes, little things slip through. Props can be left out of Perforce (our art asset version control system), holes can be left in maps, occlusion hint geometry can be misaligned. The consequences of a map mistake getting into public Steam builds would be catastrophic. Oceans could rise, skyscrapers fall, and puppies become mildly confused. A thin, ambiguously coloured line stands between you, the player, and those potentially cataclysmic misaligned pieces of whosawhatsit geometry. The map playtest group. Every Tuesday and Thursday, at 1600PST/1900EST/midnightUTC, the maptest group strides forth into unreleased levels and conducts rigorous scientific testing (blowing each other apart). Under the leadership of the revered WasabiOne, They give feedback on map balance, framerates, layouts, missing geometry, and the trim job on Wasabi's 'stache. Now, you have the opportunity to join this crew. See pre-released maps, give input that will determine how they will play, and have great fun playing NS2 in an organised environment. Joining is simple: Email maptest@unknownworlds.com with an expression of interest. You will get a questionnaire to fill out, and if successful in your application, will be given access to private maptesting builds of the game. The few, the proud, the gorgeous of the map playtesting group are generally competitively minded, willing to commit time regularly, friendly and above all in possession of a large number of 'plays well with others' skill points. If you think you've got what it takes to save Earth from certain destruction, join now!