EPTOrigins: Dream Forge
Primer
You may find the originals here:
Part 1: http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?id=408594
Part 2: http://www.teamliquid.net/blogs/viewblog.php?id=409817
Continuing onwards to Part 3!
We had officially reached the primer period of our journey. This has been probably the most interesting period to date for us as a map making team. We had previously re-organized ourselves due to attrition of map makers to their personal lives and projects as well as a diminishment of time for several of us. I was nervous about the team during that time period because we lacked vision, attainable goals, and leadership. We began by solving the last one first.
I stepped up to the plate as team leader, backed up by the important works of NewSunshine, ArcticRaven, Scorp, eTcetRa, and Rkynick. Due to the lack of map uptake in the premier tournaments, I began contacting smaller tournaments and showmatches to inquire about their map pools. I quickly confirmed that many tournament and match organizers simply are not aware of the custom map community and the resources available that accompany working with us. We had around 8 to 12 maps prepared for use in competitive play, and began by simply stating that we would be more than happy to offer these maps to tournaments. Under the belief that new maps create interesting and dynamic games for players that otherwise view/play the same maps repeatedly, we were able to gain placement in our first competition -- the Prodigy Cup. Sponsored and casted (final match) by Sean "Day9" Plot -- the Prodigy Cup is a tournament ran for the express purpose of non-professional players being able to compete with one another in a friendly environment. This tournament was a learning experience for us. We learned the appropriate materials to provide and accompany our list of candidate maps, as well as how to quicly troubleshoot our maps when they did not work well during the tournament. In the end, the tournament ran well and the maps were well received. We had done our jobs and developed a good relationship.
Piggybacking off of the success of Prodigy Cup, I than contacted the manager of the Chicago Ignition showmatch series between CSL players for Albaquerque, NM and Chicago, IL. Again we were fortunate enough to give a good showing of 1 of our maps (Yeonsu) without problems--so much so that Yeonsu would be used in the second showmatch.
Boy wonder Tim Frasier (sorry if I mispelled that Tim!) would make his appearance on the map making scene at this point. Working for IGN's IPL at the time, Tim was gung ho about new maps and map rotations. So much so that he entered the dangerous and labrynth like conversation of the map making community on skype--a no holds barred anything goes environment where we critique and attack each other's concepts constantly, often critiquing far harsher than what I would assume is 95% of the Starcraft II user base. Undeterred, Tim asked the community to compile a list of maps to approach his then superiors with to be used in a solitary test tournament. While the tournament itself was successful, and the tides of map makers cries were dampened due to joyful glee at seeing our maps played, an even bigger event awaited.
Quickly following the heels of IGN's IPL, Dream Forge member Scorp received an email ominously marked with GomTV's sender address format. They had watched the tournament, and wanted to know if they could use DF Atlas in the GSTL. O.o WTF?! OMG! Yeah... we about had seizures and strokes. Scorp eagerly and rightfully agreed, and Dream Forge was placed amongst the elite of the map making teams alongside ESV, TPW, and Crux.
Normally, many people and organizations at this point might consider abandoning those smaller tournaments and showmatches that helped them reach that point. However, as I was for all intents and purposes (and remain) Team Leader--I made it a sticking point that we would continue to work with and help develop the small tournaments and community leagues.
While DF Atlas remains our most well known map (and arguably most successful), we continue working with the community and branching out our capabilities to ever expanding possibilities. A map maker and team is not simply their maps, we are explorers of the possibilities of the game and cannot sit still for long lest we be reduced to mediocrity. At this time, I re-created a website for us (this time investing some money to try and do it "right"), and continue contacting all manner of e-sports visionaries and developers. We have since worked with the likes of MLG to do a little bit of consulting, the xSin Gaming Community Team League, several small tournaments. However with success sometimes comes roadblocks.
We knew TLMC #2 was coming. Having remained with our ears on the pulse of map making, I oriented Dream Forge to not release maps until TLMC, making sure we would have plenty of time to create, refine, and protect our time investment. Just as we were about to reach the TLMC, my brain was wrenched out--ESV had contacted one of my map makers about transferring to their team. Allow me to say this, when this happened the map maker immediately contacted me and we began to discuss it, I was already worried due to my future plans (Graduate school). I have and always will maintain that map making teams are not simply about the maps, it is about developing the map makers into capable creators and leaders themselves. I discussed the concept with the map maker, and no animosity existed or was ever created. He took the time I asked him too to think about the situation and why he might make a decision either way. It was never simply a matter of an off the cuff decision, rather I wanted him to understand the reasoning behind any decision he might make. While it did not go our way, it has by no means been a terrible thing, and I genuinely feel he made the best decision for himself.
Be that as it may, we were now down another map maker. Dang! Not to mention we hit TLMC, had to release maps, and I had agreed to be on an episode of Climbing The Ladder with Chris ChanmanV (good marks all around about it). That was a crazy month. Thankfully, we are now almost through the ordeals and have since grown tighter and stronger. We continue our work, each with our strengths, and we all want to see Dream Forge continue to succeed. Despite where this journey may lead, I do not think I will ever view my time with Dream Forge as a failure or as wasted. I can honestly say I have personally impacted several individuals who I hope and believe have grown stronger and more confident with themselves. That, to me, is the Dream I wanted to Forge.
- John "SigmaFiE" Emerson
Team Leader
Dream Forge Maps
http://dreamforgemaps.net
