BWMN Forever2

Only two months late, ie on-time, I give you your Map of the Month, for May! The theme of the same people winning every motm continues, as Ptar snags another motm, with another 2 player 128x96 map, how original! But thankfully, the map actually is original, hence it's motm!



Here's Ptar's (2)Sign! The map's originality begins immediately, in the mains, or rather behind them. Normally you might find a large plateau behind your expos farther out, or <em>maybe</em> behind your nat, but this map plops such a cliff right behind your main formation! To prevent it from being overwhelming, there's a small 815-style ramp leading up to it from your main, so like the cliff on Othello, you can send units to the cliff from your main to deal with any harassers. To complement this, the nat has basically no space behind it, making all forms of drop harass nearly impossible there.

The 3rd base, the closest base to your natural expansion, is a min only wide in the open, similar to that in Wuthering Heights. The area outside of here is covered with rocky terrain, but there's plenty of room for turrets still. From here, you're given two expansions to choose from. The one closer to your 3rd base is in the corners of the map. This expo has gas making it valuable, but two bridges facing you to prevent unit movement to it, offsetting how close it is to you by slowing how fast you can reinforce it. The other choke is wider, but still quite small and manageable, allowing the base to still be defensible. A temple cliff overseeing the expo facilitates harass.

The other expo is at 12/6, and also has gas. It's in a pit with your main cliff behind it, and ramps to the middle plateaus on the others. This expo is both less defensible and farther away than the other gas expo, with it being especially vulnerable to harass from your main cliff. Players can easily proxy buildings here, or build a factory to lift off bluestorm-esque.

The middle plateaus have four large ramps leading to the min only areas, and two smaller ramps leading into the 12/6 expos. They are dividied by a lowground tight pass, like in Loki2. Only small units can pass through this, large units will have to be manually controlled through either the northern or southern middle plateau.

The map has a fairly normal macro orientation, but it also has a strong harass potential, allowing for a variety of game forms. The 12/6 expos will be hardest to take and secure, ensuring back and forth fighting. The split battlefield along with there being no real neutral expansions, with 12/6 almost being neutral, will create a tug of war, which whoever can cross the middle strongest winning. Players will be forced to run back and forth between their expos as the aggressive player is favoured with all the harassable cliffs present, as players also must run between the two halves of the split map. Despite having a similar expo layout, the map shouldn't play nearly as linear as Bluestorm, and with far less turtley gameplay than Loki2, giving it potential to play really well.

Spam the map's thread here, download the map here, and grab the observer version here.


Winner of second place is FAMAT mapper Twos! Twos is a korean mapper who though has not been terribly active at this site, always has something interesting to show off. He in the past has gone by the name Single-. Twos takes second place in motm with his very interesting (and interestingly named) (2)Moonlight Punch Romance!



The map is different from many 2 player maps in that it's not at all linear. You're immediately offered three paths to take as soon as you leave your nat choke, with two paths leading to different expos. If you take either side paths, you're given two more paths to take, and you have four ways to go if you take the middle path. From here the map repeats itself, ensuring you have as many ways to run away as you do to go foward.

While the map doesn't have a lot of space in any one area which might inherently favour the non mobile race, it makes up for it by having so many different paths to take, allowing a plethora of flank setups, and definitely giving strength to the mobile race. The map's layout definitely encourages very aggressive play, because turtling won't get you many expos for "free". The expansions are mostly all pretty defensible, but the general layout makes it hard for a turtling player to run back and forth to get to all of his expos at any one given time, allowing harass to be summarily effective. The mains being rather spacious allows players to both comfortably build their base and drop into their opponent's, as well as encourages proxy play or hidden tech.

The middle path is tight (I believe it allows large units to pass), with the more open paths being unbuildable, so players who wish to "push" must take sort of a maze of paths, while their opponent can also take such a maze to engage and escape their opponents.

Outside of the nats and the min onlys, there really isn't any expo which automatically belongs to one player, so most expos can be considered neutral. The multitude of neutral expansions on top of the many winding paths definitely will force very exciting and aggressive gameplay. The thing which perhaps made it miss first place is that it is perhaps too "complex" even with its relative collaberation of simple and standard elements. Overall it's quite an innovative and well executed map, definitely earning 2nd place as map of the month.

See the comment thread here, download the map here, and the map does not have an observer version at the moment.


Another mapper who's plundered much of our motms, Crackling, takes a place in motm yet again with his (2)Chemistry!



This map is incredibly unique, starting with that it's an island map! However, there are only two actual islands, with all the other bases reachable by land. A double mineral wall blocks off a path connecting the two players. Behind the player's nat is a min only which is semi island in that its formation blocks the choke behind it, and the nat's formation blocks the path in front of it, but it can be harassed from behind from a path accessible to your opponent normally.

A neutral creep colony delays the taking of the natural expansion for protoss and terran, who have to destroy the creep colony and wait for the creep to vanish before they can take the expansion, making things easier on zerg (whereas most people often complain about zerg balance in island maps), and forcing protoss and terran to consider some more aggressive opening than to simply drop a FE.

The nat also has only 6 mineral blocks, forcing players to quickly consider which expo they wish to take next rather than allowing them to sit back comfortably on 2bases.

Besides your nat you have another gas expo accessible by land, with a very small 4 block mineral only expansion within your main. The other expansions are all only accessible by either air or by mining out some form of mineral block.

Hallucinated fastest-style stacked minerals right next to your sl give you a quick boost of money until they vanish, speeding up what otherwise might have been a dull and slow start.

All of the expos on the mainland are harrasable from some form of cliff or blocked path, with the islands having a fair amount of room to be dropped on.

Though the island format of the map, along with the paths being few and tight and mostly blocked off by some mineral wall, effectively removes a lot of strategies, the map ensures strategic diversity in its wide selection of expos to take, with multiple forms of drop, air, or harass oriented gameplay.

Crackling certainly earns a spot in motm with his great eye for detail, ensuring that all of the map's space is well-used on top of implementing a unique concept. The map is certainly innovative, and definitely pushes very aggressive gameplay, but its rather complex and radically different form of gameplay can be quite intimidating to players, which is probably what kept the map from earning a higher spot in motm. However, if you're an oldschool island fan, or simply wish for a game not exactly like every other, this is the perfect map to play on.

Flame Crackling Leave a comment in the map's thread, download the map to piss off someone for a great game here, and there is no observer version of the map at this time.


We're well into summer now, and there are so many great maps being made, each motm gets harder and harder! It really takes a motivated mapper with a great map to win a spot in motm, let alone first place! Even the maps which recieve few votes are still often quite solid, but just perhaps lack the flare the winning maps boast.

Congratulations to Ptar, Twos-, and Crackling!

Well, I suppose Sign is a well-made map, but as far as balance and gameplay goes I think it's probably terrible. It apparenly has one test game now, some random tvt which I haven't watched, but basically the map wasn't tested at all. It's just kind of a pretty picture-map, not a map made with starcraft in mind. Moonlight Punch Romance is a really crazy map. It's made by a korean mapper who maps for FAMAT, so it naturally is really different than most bwm maps. Chemistry is really weird, and really hard to play. It's interesting, but it's the kind of map that gets thrown into the OSL to piss of players, and actually gets removed. I'd be nicer, but stupid Crackling hasn't posted much on bwm in a while.

Not even two months late, ie early, I give you the slightly contraversial, Map of the Month for the month of June!

And here's Testbug's (4)Voices 4! Testbug is surely not an unfamiliar name to you if you have been following the Map of the Month competitions at all, as he has won or been involved in literally half of all Maps of the Month! Testbug surely is the current dominating mapper at the site, and looks to be for some time!

While Testbug's name is no stranger, neither probably is the name Crackling, who has literally won or been involved in a fourth of all Maps of the Month to date. Crackling made the original (4)Voices (seen here).

Testbug took the concept in Voices, which was actually developed by Tktkvroom, probably an unfamiliar face, who won the 3rd Map of the Week in 2007 with his (2)Kumba.

Tktkvroom developed this concept in his map (4)Devotion (seen here), which crackling borrowed and implemented in Voices, which Testbug took and brilliantly executed in Voices iv!




With introductions finally concluded, I give you the map!
The map starts out fairly standard, twilight with main bases settled in the map's corners, yawn... but quickly starts to unfold itself as a unique map as it gives the players two entrances to their mains! One entrance leads directly to your natural expansion, just like normal, and the second entrance heads right into a mineral only expansion. The secondary entrance is blocked with a 48 value mineral block, preventing both players from using this entrance, allowing the main base to feel safe and secure like normal.

But! Wouldn't you think that the mineral block, which while it blocks the path, causes units to believe it isn't there, thus resulting in pathing problems where the ai will cause the units to walk back and forth into the block endlessly, which would give all players a headache throughout the entirety of the game, as long as the mineral block is present? Normally yes, and that's the problem which Crackling faced, and later he fixed the problem by removing the second path altogether. But the brilliance of Testbug strikes, and by placing the two ramps nearly adjacent to eachother, they are positioned close enough that when a worker attempts to go through the mineral block (if he does at all), he will immediately find the non-blocked path and use it instead, thus allowing pathing to be perfectly fine on the map!

And from here, the map continues its brilliance! Starting in the nat, you start seeing features which can excite the gameplay. Overlooking your natural expansion's minerals lies a small basillica plateau, from which you and your enemy can harass one-another's miners. This feature, while not overwhelming thanks to its small size, will certainly play a critical point in gameplay, as both players must always keep in mind the plateau and ensure they can deal with any nuisance they throw up there, a cliff with no ramp which while can be fired upon from the natural is only accessible to air or drops for direct assault.

The next expansions in the map are in the compass directions, 12/6/3/9. These gas expansions are directly between each starting location, making them neutral expansions, not automatically "belonging" to any player. These are critical for gameplay, as they are closer than another nat or main, and give the players another vespene geyser to mine from. While these expos sport a fairly tight and defensible choke, they are quite open, making them quite vulnerable to drops.

From here you have the middle of the map, which while is open, forces or greatly emphasizes more flank and non-linear oriented movement, with the very center being somewhat tight, which while allowing players to use the very center and its pathing effectively and without annoyance, makes the proposition of using the side paths alternatively possibly more prudent.

One great thing the map offers, is complete expo order freedom. What I mean by that, is you aren't forced in any matchup to take any expansion in any order. You may take any expo based on the circumstances of the game, and your own strategical decisions. The mineral only expansion is a nice choice to take, as it is so close, and you can directly rally to it from your main if you need, once the mineral block is mined away. The fact though that the expansion of course has no gas certainly makes players reconsider taking it as their third base, with gas being so precious and critical in starcraft. You then can choose from taking one of the 3rd gas bases, in the compass directions, which are pretty close in proximity to your nat, and highly defensible from and by land with the tight choke, but they're so vulnerable to drops with their large size, and by securing that expo you don't gain anything else. Whereas if you take a main or a nat, with the nat securing the main, and the main having a tight choke, you gain the other expo as well, especially with the nat do you gain the main. All of the pluses and minuses to each expo must be carefully considered before a player takes an expo, giving the map an extreme strategical orientation, like all great maps.

While not completely original or unique, the map does feature its own unique concept, and then blends many common features and concepts in a unique way, while boasting the great thinking and adept execution Testbug excels at. With a layout nice, simple, easily adaptable to while still exciting and unique but homely feel, the map certainly earns its place among the Maps of the Month!

Spam the map's thread here, and download the map here.



In a very close second place, I give you the map which until the end of June maintained a short but veridical lead on Voices, Nastymarine's (2)Spinel Valley 2.0!

Nastymarine is probably another name you are familiar with, and while he hasn't been a major presence in the Maps of the Month, he certainly left his mark in six Maps of the Week, with many other near wins in MOTM and MOTW, along with winning the Two player Map of the Year of 2006 with his (2)Undying Lands. Also noteworthy, he officially has the most maps on the site, with proof here! Introductions aside, I give you the map itself!



Here's another map where the author borrowed another concept and actually did the execution of it, Nastymarine brought to life Spinesheath's concept, seen here.

This map combats the innate linearity of (2)maps by focusing the gas expos of the map and thus the attention of the map, on the sides while maintaining a very comfortable, open layout, with a middle friendly to all players, whether they need an open place or a tighter place to move through, provoking a great strategical sense in players while moving their armies. The expo layout being so spread forces players to remain alert to the many places his opponent could be, which helps balance what otherwise might be an issue of space given the relatively small size of the map given its layout and structure. It really accentuates the presence of the open space of the map which greatly decreases the potential of turtling and potential turtle strength, all-over helping gameplay.

With the mineral only expansions being reasonably close and thus defensible, they are quite vulnerable in actuality from the lowground middle directly behind it. This leaves players to carefully choose between the two gas expos, approximately equally distanced from the nat and min only areas. With such a sparsity of money in the map, players must be aggressive in order to best use their own money, while trying to best waste their opponent's resources, with every mineral deposit and vespene gas capsule being so precious.

Sporting a solid adaptation of Spinesheath's concept, boasting a fair endeavor at making a non-linear, and especially presenting a certainly unique layout and structure, the map earns its keep as this month's Map of the Month runner up!

Spam the thread here, download the map itself here, and grab the observer version of the map here.


A common theme this month's maps all share is the presence of a concept constructed not by the map itself's author, and the map which grabs 3rd place for this MOTM is no alien to it. The mapper juli3n adapted the more known mapper Ptar's concept, to make (2)3nim0, which means 30 minutes!



This map features a familiar feeling but yet unique structure and expo layout, with the expos as in Nastymarine's map all on the sides. This map immediately diverges from Nasty's model in that instead of giving the players an open battlefield, throws a still wide middle at the players, one dotted with bridges and tight chokes, forcing the players to move very carefully, and emphasizing more drop oriented play, with the middle being so treacherous.

The many paths would normally overwhelmingly favour a more mobile player, but these paths are so small with the chokes being so many, that there exists a balance between path size and path number, allowing players to balance the game with their own style and strategy.

With the fairly standard 3 expos beyond the main and nat per player, with 2 expos on the map being ostensibly neutral, players must carefully decide where they feel it is safe to expo at.

The map ensures intense, back and forth gameplay given the unpredictability of the middle as result of its weird path/choke setup. A in-my-opninion great example of this type of gameplay can be seen in this replay here. As tribute to the map's name, the game is approximately 30 minutes long, and features intense back and forth gameplay in the form of a pvp. It's worth checking out, especially as it presently is theonly uploaded replay for the map.

While the map <em>seems</em> to offer exciting and intense gameplay, it probably just appears far too unpredictable to gain a higher place in this MOTM competition, not that third place is at all shabby! And the map certainly earns a spot in MOTM with its interesting layout and structure, with solid execution.

Spam the map's thread here, and download the map here


So with June's MOTM finally out of the way, we can all give our focus to July's MOTM, which seems to be building up to quite a nice competition, there are a lot of really nice maps submitted, with only a few votes so far. So enjoy the summer while it lasts, and feel free to cast your vote in the MOTM 07.2008 in the competition thread, in the bottom right of the site.

Voices IV is a pretty nice map. It's an ICCup map now, and is MOTW this week. Please give it some games guys! And upload the replays to bwm please :D My only real complaint about the map is that the sunken dirt nats are really awkward, but my understanding is that they were necessary for Testbug to get the ramps right to fix the pathing issue the min only path normally would cause. Otherwise, the map is really solid all around. Spinel Valley II is kind of bad imo, Testbug's remake of it in Spinel Valley III is a lot better imo. 3nim0 is just a ptarish, basic 2-player map. It's fun to play on I guess because it's so basic, but it's not much of a real map since it's so boring. If it's not corrupt though, you guys should watch the replay I linked to in the post. I haven't seen it in a long time, but I remember it as a really close, pretty good pvp.

Well the summer's coming to a close, and it's time to close up two Map of the Month competitions! I can't say that activity has been as high as it could be, but hopefully as people settle into school or whatever as autumn starts people will be more active!

For MOTM 7, we have a familiar theme! In first place, Testbug unsurprisingly takes <em>another</em> win! This guy is seriously like Savior at his prime of mapping!



Interestingly enough, July's Map of the Month happens to be a remake of last month's second place map, (2)Spinel Valley, by NastyMarine!
Testbug's version, Spinel Valley III, has quite a few differences, as it was remade from scratch!

Starting with a bang from the very start, this two player map has low-ground mains with a high-ground nat, something seen in relatively few maps. Past the nat comes a pretty close mineral only expansion, which has its back to the middle low-ground main central path. This expo is very close, but very vulnerable from ranged attacks from behind the expo, in an easily accessible area impossible to defend with static defense, as the ground is rocky.

Beginning its unique structure and layout, the map features two paths brancing out from the area between the nat and min only, with one being more of a backdoor large ramp path, leading into the lowground which heads behind the min only, and the other being a large highground area. The backdoor path leads to the 12/6 expansions, which I'll call the 4th gas expos.

These expansions are directly cliffed by a hill which is accessible by a ramp from the mains. They are on the lowground, between the two large highground plateaus which feature the nats and min onlys. These expansions are interesting in that they almost belong to the player whose main is far from the expansion if you expo in order of proximity to your other expansions, but the cliff and distance from the min only make appear to belong to the player whose main features the cliff overseeing the expansion. These expos' "owner" is ambiguous, they could play as neutral expansions, though the easily accessible overseeing cliff does make this unlikely. The shape of the mains make them relatively easy to drop, and taking this expansion can be useful to help guard your main from drops, as it could be difficult to respond to such a drop should your force be elsewhere in the map.

If you take the highground path the opposite direction along the crags path, you'll end up in what I'll call the 3rd gas expansion, which is lowground and entered by a normal-sized ramp from your highground. This expo also has small entrance leading into the lowground, a path which passes two large ramps and ultimately leads to the 4th gas expo. The 3rd gas expo is important as while it is not the closest expo, it's easily the most defensible expansion. Ensuring it is not too defensible however, is an overseeing cliff from which players can easily drop/harass the expo.

Taking the first large ramp on the way of the lowground path leading out of the 3rd gas expo, or following the highground path past a very large ramp just past the min only is what I'll call the 5th gas expo. It is homologous in structure to the min only, in how it juts out of the highground to be surrounded and under-cliffed by the lowground middle. This expansion will easily be the hardest to secure, as it is both far and very vulnerable, but by featuring another gas geyser, it can easily critically turn the tide in a game. The distance of these expos can also make them neutral expansions. They appear to belong to the player whose highground plateau they are on, but they are quite near to the 12/6 expos belonging to the player whose cliff oversees it. For the player who owns the nearby 12/6 expoansion, taking this expansion could be easier, as they would be able to secure the middle lowground behind it easier, though securing the highground area could be difficult, as it is between the 3rd gas and min only expansions, with ramps and highground positioning which if used properly by their opponent could make taking this expansion from behind difficult.

Overall this map is quite unique. Its every expansion past the nat is quite vulnerable to some form of harass or cliffing. The map features many different paths which allows players to abuse their mobility and be all over the map at once. The map offers a lot of expo freedom, which each expansion having its own clear advantages and disadvantages. The players are not bound to taking any expansion in any order, and where and when they expo is quite bound only by the player's style and preference. The map is relatively open, with many different routes for flanking or escaping. Very well made, with lots of freedom for the players to control the game in any way they wish, without limiting any field of play, the map easily deserves to win this Map of the Month competition!

Spam the map's thread here, download the map here, and grab its obs here.


While this map never really threatened Spinel Valley III's first place position, it certainly was not far behind in votes. Following last month's theme, with Testbug taking first and NastyMarine taking second, Testbug takes this month's first place and NastyMarine again takes a close second!



Long time mapper NastyMarine shows us he's still got it, giving us another taste of his mapping skill which won so many Map of the Week competitions in the past, in the form of (4)Korhal Pride 1.3!

This map starts out standard, with 4 mains in the corners. It quickly starts revealing its unique quirks and features however, with two of the ten mineral blocks having only 500 minerals, so that the main will only have 8 mineral blocks after a relatively short time. The mains in this map are also lowground, with highground nats.

The nats are relatively normal, but the mineral only expansions are not. A narrow path leads from the mains around and behind the natural expansions to reveal an in-main mineral only. This area directly cliffs the nat. While this expansion is easy to take, it is somewhat out of the way, and at the same time easy to harass as it is not in the path of your normal pathing, from the main towards the middle, to respond to it you must head into your main and around the nat, or by air/drop.

Past the nat is the 3rd gas expo on a highground plateau entered from by a large ramp. Fairly close and relatively small, this expansion is mostly defensible, while being somewhat vulnerable to drops or harass.

And that's all the expansions on the map! Most of the map's money is close to the players, ensuring lots of macro based play. The unique mineral only expansion can encourage lots of aggressive play through attacking the min only, nat, or main, all by dropping/attacking the min only.

The map's middle is quite large and open, forcing the players to carefully maneuver their armies and reposition based on where their opponents are, and giving players many opportunities to delay their opponent as they retreat towards their corner.

As lategame approaches however, deciding on when and where to expo becomes very crucial, with the players having a fair amount of freedom on where to expo, and how to attack their opponents and their expos. On the surface the map appears to be a basic macro map, even perhaps a turtle map, but when you look closely, that's not quite the case. The close proximity of the first 3 expos outside of the main certainly encourages macro oriented play, but after that taking a 5th base can be quite difficult, with such a large distance from your corner to another. Players must carefully decide when and where to attack, when and where to expo. The gameplay will flow differently from "normal" maps, where you are given basically a path to follow to expo, whereas on this map you are given your first 4 bases, and must obtain the others quite on your own. The expo layout makes players think, about whether they want to try and secure another corner sooner or later, as doing so is inevitable should the game move on to lategame.

The map's many features still feel quite familiar, ensuring players can be comfortable on the map. Overall the map feels mostly standard, while still keeping its own unique gameplay despite using mostly standard features.
In the first daily bi-weekly testing tournaments I hosted, this map played quite well, with very few complaints at all. Players all seemed to agree that it feels and plays quite well. Leave it to an old and experienced mapper to create such a map, which definitely earns its place in this Map of the Month.

Spam the thread here, download the map here, and grab its obs here.


Taking a not so close third place, is Ptar's (2)Flavors! Ptar is also no stranger to MOTM, and interestingly was involved in last Month's MOTM third place, being involved with Jul13n's (2)3nim0.



Ptar takes this place with yet another two player map, something he definitely specializes in. This map is quite standard, and yet still has its own unique feel and structure.

The expo layout seems to encourage split map play, but the rest of the map's structure encourages non-linear non-split play, through making mobility easy and natural.

The main is normal, highground and all. The natural is nearly normal, with the secondary, almost backdoor path to its side being the only somewhat non-normal thing about it, which leads to a highground 3rd gas expansion. The natural and 3rd gas expo both have their own paths, which despite leading in different directions, still intertwine later, similarly to in Tau Cross, with the proximity of the 3rd gas also being Tau Cross-esque.

The nat path leads through a lowground area, featuring a min only, as well as leading to the highground middle in the center, and a lowground 4th gas expo to the side, whose ramp exit leads straight to the highground middle as well.

The 3rd gas expo's path leads through the highground to the 5th gas expo, and from here into the middle highground. All of these areas are linked with bridges and ramps, allowing for mauch mobility. The expos are basically player-owned, not really neutral at all, but the rest of the map's layout encourages more aggressive play, with players atleast preventing eachother from taking their own expos.

The map overall is well-made and well-thought out, but lacking the spark of any form of creative gameplay is likely what prevented it from taking a higher place in this MOTM, but it surely earns third place, which is still certainly not shabby.

Spam the map's thread here, download the map here, and don't grab the obs version because no one made one.


And thus concludes July's Map of the Month, but August's MOTM will actually come on time this month (zomg)!


August's MOTM's winner is a new face to the map competitions here, and we hope to see more such quality maps from him in the future!

This MOTM's winner is none other than Morrow[MB], with his map (4)Dread Core 1.1! This map obtained quite nearly ALL of the few votes this much. While it certainly earns its place in MOTM, it is disapointing that so few votes were cast for so few maps, but hopefully this batch of inactivity will fade as the summer does.



This map is quite nice, as it manages to have its own gameplay and layout, while still managing to remain very familiar and comfortable! Overall, there literally is nothing non-standard about the map, and at the same time it still is quite a nice map.

The map features normal highground mains in the corners, with normal lowground nats, with normal mineral only expansions past the nat in the middle, and then plateaus with 50%-larger-than-normal ramps which hold the 3rd gas expo. And that's it!

What then, do you ask, makes the map so special? It's the position of the otherwise normal expos! The expansions are placed such that you are forced no matter what you do to expo towards your opponent, which forces gameplay to be more intense, creating more action and aggression naturally, while keeping a normal and comfortable macro oriented layout.

The mineral only expansions and 3rd gas expansions both belonging to the player and the adjacent position are nearby the first player, creating some expo freedom, and ensuring some action no matter what, with the min onlys being vulnerable by being out in the open, and the 3rd gas expos being almost just as near to your opponents as they are to you, forcing you to move out of your base more.

The map may not be terribly unique, but for what it lacks in singularity, it makes up in execution and gameplay. It undoubtedly is a solid map, with solid gameplay, and overall is well-made and well thought out. This map is one of the few entirely standard maps which still earns a place in the Map of the Month competition purely out of execution and comfortable gameplay. This map was also in the map testing tournaments, and after a simple modification played quite well.

Spam the map's thread here, download the map here, and grab its obs version here.


There were so few votes that there are no convincing second or third place maps for this competition, and there exists no hint that the other maps will recieve more votes should the competition be kept open and delayed any longer, so it will have to suffice that only Dread Core 1.1 takes a place this month. As an honourable mention of sorts, NastyMarine's (4)TheWake and (2)Morris Plains each recieved a vote, by the same person.


I really hope activity picks up here, but despite the inactivity we're still getting some quite nice maps, slowly but surely. I hope everyone has had a good summer, as it's definitely coming to a close. MOTM 7 and 8 are both out of the way, so everyone can put their full focus on September's Map of the Month, let's see some nice maps and some more activity!

So then, congratulations to Testbug, NastyMarine, Ptar, and our new face Morrow!

Spinel Valley III as a map is my favourite bwm map ever. I really like it. Unfortunately, I don't think now it's quite as balanced pvt as I thought (was hoping?) it might be. I played it a few times last week when it was MOTW on iccup, and I thought it was a pretty nice map for zvp atleast, which is basically all the games I got on the map (and one pvt, where I as p had a pretty big lead but couldn't do anything with it, probably my fault for getting arbiters instead of carriers, and not recalling). I liked Kohal Pride1.3 a lot, but it never got much attention for some reason. I used it in my summer bwm tournaments I attempted to host (and posted about on tl) and it played well, Infernal liked it! I think the middle is terrible though, just feels like a wasteland in zvt to me, more open feeling than Python imo. Nasty refused to modify the center though. Otherwise I really liked the map. Flavours? Well I forgot the map existed and had to look it up just to make this comment on it. It's not bad as a map, it's well-made I suppose, but I can't see it being that great in actual gameplay, I dunno. More of a picture-map again =/ Dread Core1.1 was nice, really basic map, but pretty well made. There's a really nice replay from patch 1.15 on it featuring Morrow[MB], B+ iccup player (he was B iccup when the replay was played) in the map's thread at bwm. The map felt really comfortable I thought, but was just really conceptually basic.

Note: there was a notice here about a mapping competition at some german site which I've omitted from this post but was originally here

Now for our much post-poned Map of the Month Competition for the month of September. Ok this post will suck, but it's better than nothing. Not quite as epic as I had hoped it to be, but atleast it's... different =/

MOTM 09.2008



The Autumn is fully upon us now, and we,
Exclaimedly present to you with much glee,
Surprisingly or not, a new Map of the Month,
To last past Ragnarok as doth the Amaranth,
Before the Death of Night takes, let troubadour sing,
Under the fire of sky or light of night bring,
Gustated by <strong>Protoss4ever</strong>, that grand map,
Bards tell of for September so let us unwrap,
Every concept, aspect, and feature this map boasts,
A spread of doodads numbers more than he has posts,
Texcoco is the map's name which none can pronounce,
Satiating our thirst let me this map announce,
Players of four in clear corners had rest and sat,
Rotational symmetry with a normal nat,
Odd not the map per the first glance doth seem though bore,
The map shies with thirds of egg o'er which you must soar,
Overseeing an abyss of the Midgard rock,
Stays the solely ore-rich camp for which you will flock,
Since ere thou go'est farther, will all else being knownst,
4 camps for the four comrades of the land you berth,
Each egged camp doth sport a gasconade of the earth,
Verily also the egged camp wields a spi're,
Earthworms dug tunnels 'round ore camps which perspire,
Railing ease and yet not ease to thy brave squi're..

(4)Texcoco by Protoss4ever is our heralded MOTM 9 for 2008 winner. A really nice and essentially basic map, with a unique layout, and using the newly developed egg wall concept. At worst it's a solid map whose play and layout should be familiar, and at best it's a unique map which tries out a multitude of concepts without over-doing it, giving it a very fresh but still comfortable feel. Either way the map should play nicely, as it has a good balance of fresh and familiar.

http://www.panschk.de/mappage/comments.php?mapid=3182
http://www.panschk.de/mappage/(4)Texcoco 3.0(n).scm
http://www.panschk.de/mappage/(4)Texcoco 3.0(o).scm


For second place we have the mapper everyone and their mother knows, NastyMarine, with his map (4)Dayun Si.

Dayun Si is on the surface a typical standard macro map, with a really nice layout. It's certainly more than that, and it gives me a feel of King of the Hill. The map is split by rivers into four sectors if you would. Each sector has four paths leading to the other sectors. The map isn't super wide, nor is it too tight, and its path diversity and variety certainly helps counter any kind of issues its relative tightness might offer. You have a normal safe main and nat, with a relatively vulnerable backdoor min only. It's pretty open to drop harass regardless of where your opponent spawns, but the positions will make a little safer or more vulnerable depending on what they are. Your 3rd gas expo is both out in the open, a little ways away from your nat, and overseen by an easily accessible but small cliff path. The min only which normally might encourage turtly gameplay is more accurately a stepping stone helping players get through the game with normal timing. Players have so many options for movement and pathing that turtling probably isn't the best solution anyway, players have a lot of options here. The map gives a real unique form of gameplay through its layout, without at all being radical or experimental. That being said the map perhaps lack some real colour which might help it stand out more on its own, probably hence it recieving second place, but it is nice nonetheless. Nasty is becoming the Stork and Yellow of the motm it seems.

http://www.panschk.de/mappage/comments.php?mapid=3235
http://www.panschk.de/mappage/(4)Dayun si(n).scm
http://www.panschk.de/mappage/(4)Dayun%20si(o).scm

Admittedly Jamssi's Thin Skin v3.0 claimed 3rd place by obtaining the third highest amount of votes, less than half of 1st place and barely over half of 2nd place lulz. I usually lie and make the 3rd place map seem a lot better than it usually is, but this map/author in my humble opinion doesn't deserve that. It's kind of a terrible map compared to most motm 3rd places, and is just an average map among bad and average maps at this site. Also, my input on the map was ignored, so fuck him and fuck this shitty map.
http://www.panschk.de/mappage/comments.php?mapid=3222


Look at Korean M#'s (2)Secret World instead, http://www.panschk.de/mappage/comments.php?mapid=3239, it's a lot more interesting with better execution, as well as being quite bold in its concept.

Also note-worthy, we've opened the competition for 2008's Map of the Year! If you can find a great map made this year, feel free to submit them! I promise to talk trash about every bad map though, so be forewarned! Of course maps created in the future but before the deadline I set, whatever it is, are allowed too. So the MOTY could potentially be a map made way back in the beginning of the year, or a day before the comp closes. Tips for checking the year: download the first replay uploaded and check its creation date through the file properties. If the map has no replays, it's probably not worth being MOTY, but you can also look at maps near it in ID and using the replay method to check their dates. Maybe someone should go find the first map of 2008 so we can set an official ID each map should be at or above to be allowed. I spose you could cheat the system by modifying an older map and uploading it now, which'd make it a 2008 map, but the edit had better be good in that case rofl.

I really like Texsomething. No one else seemed impressed by it though. And wow that's a terrible poem, I spent so much time on that too rofl. Just wanted to do something different, but really quickly lost interest on actually making it, and ended up making it a lot shorter than I had originally wanted since it was sucking so much. Dayun Si was a pretty nice map, but Nasty refused to spend any time on editing it, so Testbug had to take over and remake the map. Testbug's remake was pretty good, but the mains in it are too big and the nats are really awkward. Testbug felt they were good the way they are though and left them that way. I shut up about it since I didn't plan on remaking Testbug's version just to make the mains smaller and the nats suck less. And fuck jamssi, he's an asshole. Most of his maps are terrible, but for some reason lots of people at bwm like them. I make my normal in-depth comments, analysises and suggestions for his maps, and he ignores them and leaves his maps shitty, and then wonders why I'm so mean to him afterwards. I didn't fucking write a lecture just to be ignored -_- He could atleast dispute the shit I said instead of ignore it entirely. What an asshole.

MOTM 10 2008
October's MOTM was a pretty close near-tie, but I think we'll give the win to long-time mapper NastyMarine, who despite getting over nine thousand maps of his and remade concepts of his into 2nd and 3rd place of Map of the Month, he has yet to win a first place since the Seventh Map of the Week in 2007, nearly two years ago!


For first place, for October's Map of the Month, for the year 2008 we have NastyMarine's (4)Ridge to Ridge! This map is a good example of a MOTM which earns its place not through ingenious conceptual work, but through pure excellent execution. That's not to say it's entirely conceptaully lacking at all, which would be quite false, but it focuses on making a comfortable battlefield for the players without distracting them with concepts which alter gameplay. So what we have here, is a very well-made map of a familiar concept, with a unique layout. If it really was so "easy" to make such a map, our database would be a lot nicer.

The main bases are in the corners, the nats are just outside the mains, everything starts out really standard along with really well executed rotational symmetry. Past the nats not too far, maybe a little farther away than the 3rd gas is in Tau Cross, is a 3rd gas expo. Pretty normal so far. The center is large and open. Well, that's about it. Hm? You don't think that makes for a good Map of the Month? Then look closer! What I failed to mention was the presence of long ramps for all chokes in the map. Your main and nat are both lowground, but there's a ramp going up to a skinny plateau and then down a larger ramp into your nat, with a mineral block making the larger main ramp more or less default sized for all intents and purposes, but of course allowing players to more easily move to and from their mains later on in the game.

In the center are more large skinny plateaus/ramps, and the 3rd gas chokes are also the same. The middle is large and open, but is divided up a bit by these ramps, which both give/take altitude advantages, and add fog of war. All-in-all, it puts a huge emphasis on strategy, on tactics and maneuvering. On using the ramps to your advantage, and not being caught with your pants down by them. The map's relatively lax concept allows this focus shift without distracting players much at all. Also, the ramps tighten up what otherwise might've been a middle nearly as large as Python's.

Also, while the gas expos mostly appear to belong to a player, they are not much farther from your opponent as from you, making your expo vulnerable sometimes, and in some cases make "ownership" ambiguous, they are almost neutral expos.

The map's scarcity of resources only further emphasizes a strategical orientation.

http://www.panschk.de/mappage/comments.php?mapid=3265
http://www.panschk.de/mappage/(4)Ridge2Ridge2.0(n).scm
http://www.panschk.de/mappage/(4)Ridge2Ridge2.0(o).scm

In a close 2nd place we have Testbug's (4)Aztec, a remake of Djin)Xuul('s map of the same name:




What we have here is a very basic but very well-made map, which seems in a lot of ways more old-school style. A rotationally balanced map, with cliffable nats, no inverted ramps, a closer/safer min only, and with farther/more open gas expos. The map stays true to modern macro trends mostly, though the map offers less mobility and is tighter overall. There isn't much to say about this map, it's a really well-made map and a very good remake, everything you'd expect from Testbug.

http://www.panschk.de/mappage/comments.php?mapid=3274
http://www.panschk.de/mappage/(4)Aztec II(n).scm

In third place we have neobowman's map (4)Beast II. Neobowman is a mapper you may not have heard or seen much about or from, but he's been around here for a while and his maps are really starting to pick up in quality. Also, neobowman is an admin representing the mapping section of sc2gg.net, whose mapping forum is slowly growing and developing, and which could benefit from more (patient) participation and activity from bwm mappers.



More daring than the other maps we've seen this month, but still fairly basic, is Neobowman's (4)Beast. The map has an expo layout emphasizing use of the sides of the map, similar to (3)Rush Hour III, and likewise also has two quite seperate entrances to the nat, though overall its nat is safer than that of rh3. Its use of neutrals helps dampen the potentially radical effects having two entrances to the nat could have.

The map is quite open and grants players many options for mobility, especially after they break down some of the neutrals. The map is overall basic as far as the expo layout goes and general layout, so it should be comfortable. While it's perhaps more conceptually daring than the other two maps, it is however a little more sloppy, but it's not like many at the site can consistently make maps with the same execution as Testbug and Nasty, and the map certainly is not far behind.

http://www.panschk.de/mappage/comments.php?mapid=3257
http://www.panschk.de/mappage/(4)Beast II(n).scx


Coming soon to a newspost near you, a brief late MOTM 11!

So this MOTM really fucking sucked. The original Beast was an ok map, but what I liked was that it was a lot fucking better than like all of neobowman's other maps. I encouraged him to work on it a lot, saying I'd support it for motm if he did a good enough job on it. He did edit it to this, which is better than it was before, but not as good as it could've been, so I couldn't really push it for motm. Testbug said he'd remake the map, and I eagerly awaited that as Testbug remakes are some of the best bwm maps in existance. However, he couldn't find the time or motivation to finish it either. So it was really late in the motm time and I had spent a lot of time trying to get Beast good. Then it ended up a race between Aztec, a Testbug remake, and R2R, a Nasty map. This normally would've been great, except that Aztec was not only really standard, but kind of too tight and awkward in places, it needed some edits, and Testbug declared it an unfinished map, so I delayed the posting of MOTM further to allow Testbut to edit Aztec. Then R2R for some reason gets a lot of votes, but it's really awkward and is boring and sucks in places, so I delay motm for Nasty to edit the map. I don't remember if anyone edited it or not, Morrow was going to, don't remember if he did or not, but we were left with an unfinished map Beast, an unfinished map Aztec, and an unfinished map R2R. While all three maps were decent, they all needed a lot of work. All three individuals couldn't find the time or motivation, or Nasty, who just outright refused to edit it, for time/motivation reasons as well as just being a stubborn individual. Nasty was mad I was about to give Aztec the win even though Nasty claimed that at the end of the month R2R was ahead. So I just gave Nasty the win to make him shutup, in hopes that he'd be more active at the site as result, and as reward for all he's done for the site in the past. Bwm politics and drama is scary shit.

Alright, a bit belated, but here's our Map of the Month for November!
Of course, it's by none other than the embodiment of Jaedong in a mapper, Testbug!

(2)Lobotomy is a ptarish (2)map. The map is quite large, being 128x128. A complicated complex of ramps and chokes all over the map attempt to balance out the spacial issues making a (2)128x112 map create. Of course this is all done with the brilliant execution Testbug always delivers.

To start, the map has lowground mains and highground nats, with a neutral tightening the choke at the nat to ensure FEing is possible, and comfortable. The nat has an interesting layout, with two large chokes leading from it to two very seperate paths.

Along the main route we get the mineral only expansion, and just past that lies a temple complex which functions as a forward overlord spot. That's where to go if you want to buy some drugs from the local overlord. Past here we have the central choke, which is tight like in Loki II, forcing players to use the whole map, ensuring at worst a bilinear layout (as opposed to just being linear, like most (2)maps).

Through the other route we get to a lowground area with the most beautiful rocks Testbug ever made, which also leads to the 3rd gas expo on a plateau.
Taking the subdivision of the main route takes you to the other side of the map, where a cliffable and vulnerable gas expo lies. Beyond this back towards the corner by your main lies another gas expo, one that would be entirely too safe if not for the closest path to it being a 815 ramp, making reinforcing this expansion potentially difficult.

Large mains keep the harassability potential up high throughout the game, even as you secure all expansions. The map's sheer size and room for mobility make back and forth fighting quite possible. The map appears to be largely quadrilinear. A solid variety of tight and open sections of the map not only ensures quite a bit of room for pure strategy and positioning/maneauvering, but allows for the players to choose their battles carefully and creatively.
While having nothing particularly unique or experimental about the map, its unique layout keeps its exact balance an enigma, but what is sure is that the map should play well given Testbug's eye for detail.

Thread
Map Download



In second place we have another familiar face, Morrow and his (2)Treant!
Here we get a 112x128 stab at a large (2)map.

What starts out standard with a normal main/nat quickly diverges from the norm with a very close 3rd gas expo which actually cliffs the nat. Past here lies the 4th gas expo which is quite large, and cliffable. The long, large ramp makes it easy for your opponent to attack what otherwise might be an extraordinarily safe expansion.

From the nat towards the center lies a chupung-ryeung ramped-plateau, and an offshoot of this path reinforces a tight path to a 5th gas expo, which is quite vulnerable despite being on a small plateau due to it being hard to reinforce and relatively easy to attack from the center or sides.
Around the side of the 5th gas expo between it and your main lies a safe mineral only expansion.

A large clearing in the center gives players a solid battlefield, and ensures the map is not tight.

Overall the map is original in its layout, and is really well made. Somewhat inferior execution and more experimental features landed it below Testbug's map, but the map definitely lives up to the name "almost map of the month" for bwm. The map will definitely play well if you give it a try, and I do encourage you to do so.

Thread
Map Download
Obs map



Third place for this MOTM is korean FAMAT mapper Twos' (4)Wind Breaker.

Like any good 3rd place map, it's a well-made but not particularly daring concept. It reminds me somewhat of Wuthing Heights on the outside edge of the map, with a pretty bland center containing the 3rd gas expansions. The neatest thing about the map in my opinion would be its use of bridges leading to the center, tightening what otherwise be too open of a map. The map seems to have a nice balance between emphasizing the center and the sides and edges of the map.

Thread
Map Download
Obs map

So yeah this MOTM sucked too. It was already really late because MOTM 10 was really late, because the top three maps were unfinished. In this map, I wanted both Testbug and Morrow to edit their maps, and declared I'd support and push whichever map was actually edited. Of course, neither player edited their map. I actually like Treant a lot more than Lobotomy, Lobotomy feels really awkward to me. But Treant's nats are so easily cliffable, Morrow wouldn't fix that, and I wasn't going to do it for him, so I decided that hurt the gameplay/balance too much, and supported Lobotomy. When I say I have no power over the results of MOTM, that's not entirely true. Since I've been at bwm for such a long time, being really active, posting the motms, and motws before then, hosting competitions, hosting tournaments inside and outside of bwm for bwm maps, making tl and gg.net (used to atleast, gg.net fucking sucks rofl) posts, and trying to give everyone as best possible comments, suggestions, and analysises of their maps, as well as actually getting test games on some maps, I've made friends at the site and I can make a map sound a lot better than it actually is. So I can influence the vote atleast a little bit in favour of a particular map. My influence isn't really that strong, but it can and has made the difference between a first and second place map. And if I support a map early on in the vote, people will notice my comments about a certain map and use that as a decider between which prettier picture to vote for. I've made enemies too at the site though for wielding my influence. Mostly, just from sore losers whose maps I've said sucked or needed edits.

Luckily for us, Testbug was bored enough to churn out another really great map, once again. So for the last month of December, we get a pretty good reflection of the whole year in one map, a Testbug remake of a Nastymarine map. When you take arguably the two best mappers at this site and put them together, you're guaranteed to get an epic map, and that's what we have in the form of the aptly named (4)Yellow!



A remake of September's close 2nd place map (4)Dayun Si, Yellow takes all the great features of Nasty's map, and just adds on with such perfect execution as only Testbug can muster.

The map starts out basic, 4 starting locations in the corners. Rotational symmetry (done really well!), with bridges for chokes. That description reminds me of Spitfire's Artist, a great pgt map made forever ago. As you leave the nats, you get a few places to go. Towards the map edge lies your 3rd gas expo, a standard easily-droppable default-ramped cliff. This lies the biggest change from Nasty's map, this area used to be a mineral only expansion backdoor from the main, so you can imagine how close this expo could be to your opponent depending on how the positions turn out.

Should you head just past that 3rd gas cliff expo, you reach a hill, a plateau overseeing the central 4th gas expo, potentially of your opponent, just to throw out how close your opponent could be. If you take a turn towards the middle of the map instead however, you run into a bridge, leading to that 4th gas expo. If you turn towards the middle as soon as you cross your nat bridge, you have your own hill, and a little past that is your own 4th gas expo.

The center itself is not mirror symmetrical on all directions, as 3 and 9 are connected by a large central bridge. 3 and 9 thus have 5 ways out of their quarter of the map, while 12 and 6 have only 4. This slight asymmetry reminds me of Tau Cross' center, and adds a little positional variety and room for strategical differences and stuff in the game, without really limiting the players at all. The variety in path location, direction, and distance ensure players can move around the map pretty easily, but certainly not to any obscene degree.

The relative close proximity and presence of a 4th geyser in the central expansions are quite offset by being so vulnerable, both from ground and from the cliff behind them. Overall we have a pretty macro-oriented map, with the center offering some tactical emphasis in its multitude of paths and slight asymmetry. Large mains allow for a variety of drop-based harass and attacks, and the safe-by-ground 3rd gas expos are also quite droppable. The mains and nats are fairly safe from harass, but not to an asphixiating degree, leaving the players quite open to choosing whatever strategy or build they like. The only strategical limitations I can think of are that perhaps 1base aggressive builds will be perhaps slightly less effective (if that's even possible) due to what I believe are somewhat longer than normal nat2nat distances, and main2main distances.

The map perhaps lacks the flare of a bolder, more experimental map, but what it has instead is excellent execution of a fairly basic but still original concept. It really does combine the best talents of Nastymarine and Testbug, Nasty's concept planning and Testbug's damn good execution. As evidence of this map's quality, the map was accepted into the ICCup Mappool, so congratulations again to Testbug for getting a map into iccup; it really represents the best our site, gets our name out and doesn't embarass in the least degree.

Map thread
Map Download
Obs Version




In a not so close 2nd place, we have Nightmarjoo's (2)Idunno. What we have here is a fairly basic ptarish 2 player map. Pretty basic x/y symmetry, with the backs of the mains facing eachother. Outside the mains lies a pythonesque nat. Past the nat and towards the map corner is a highground 3rd gas expo. The expansion is relatively safe, being close to the player and far from the opponent, though its chokes are fairly large. I should say it'd be easy to attack if not for it being so far from the opponent. In the corner itself lies a 4th gas expo, cliffable by the 3rd gas expo, and by a temple cliff right next to the expansion. It represents some pretty easy-to-grab gas, but should players take it swiftly, it could provide your opponent with ample harass material to give you a headache. It is approximately about as safe as the 3rd gas expansion by land I'd say, though it has a variety of perks and drawbacks.

From here the map starts to get more interesting. If you take a quick walk from the 4th gas expo, you get to another highground gas expo. However, this one is directly cliffable from the lowground center next to it, and features very little room for defense buildings, but has small ramps, making it both hard to reinforce and attack, and easy to defend, potentially. Now, this is interesting because a quick jog in the same direction leads to another gas expo, but one that is right against the other player's main. This gas expo's geyser is cliffable from the main. The interesting part comes through it being much closer to the player whose main is right next to it, but it's somewhat not as safe as your 3rd gas expo, on top of being farther from you and closer to your opponent, making it not an ideal 3rd gas location. However, it being close to you makes it somewhat ambiguous as to who "owns" it. Furthermore, it is harassable from the small cliff expo by it. Who owns this expansion is apparently governed only by the players, as there is a lot of room for interpretation and variety here.

In the center of the map is an Andromeda expo, but one with more money to make it perhaps more viable. It is directly between the players, but also directly along nat2nat pathing, and fairly wealthy, almost making it a viable expansion.

The biggest thing this other-wise standard map has going for it lies in the somewhat ambiguous expo layout as far as ownership is concerned, which when tied with the general vulnerability and harassability of the expansions makes for some potentially interesting play strategically. Large mains keep drops open as an option. Lots of room for proxy play helps keep options open for players which the long nat2nat distance might normally block off.

Map thread
Map Download
Obs Version



In a close 3rd place (relative to 2nd place), we have name familiar to anyone who's ever looked at the MOTW list, pgt or wgt's mappools: Starparty! While he is not quite as active as he used to be, he still makes a great map here and there when he feels like reminding us Testbug is not the only complete-badass mapper at the site.

So here's Starparty's (4)Halo 2.3! While perhaps more conceptually driven, with then a lesser focus on execution the map may appear to not shine out compared to say a Testbug map, or one of Starparty's old maps, but a close look can spy some of the genius of Starparty.

Starting out simply we get 4 starting locations in the 4 corners of the map. Starparty immediately gets to work on ensuring this map is unlike the common map by placing the mineral formation nearly directly against the water's edge behind them, making them easy to harass. Furthermore, the otherwise normal lowground natural expansions are cliffed from behind, and then directly in front of them have another highground plateau smiling down on them. On this plateau lies the mineral only expansion, a worthy prize for those who make it this far through the gauntlet of harass and pressure opportunities Starparty gives their opponents.

These central plateaus do more than just overlook the wide center, they also oversee the very small chokes leading to the 3rd gas expansions, which also happen to be the only other expansion on the map. So here we get an interesting dynamic. The 3rd gas expos are "safe" in that they have a small choke to defend, but then they also are lowground, with highground plateaus nearby. These plateaus can give the expo hell, give the expo's defenders hell, or give the expo's attackers hell, all depending on how the game plays out. Also, to a lesser degree the mineral only expansions can be harassed from this area.

So in the end, while allowing macro players to play normally, Starparty greatly encourages more aggressive, perhaps lower economically based gameplay as well, giving both players many opportunities to shine. This map embodies a transition from the standard macro oriented play to the more old-school lower econ based gameplay, perhaps even with an emphasis on more 1base builds. Lower than normal mineral block counts all-over the map further reduce the macro tendencies of the map.

While perhaps not as flashy as a more experimental map, or not quite as well-executed as Testbug's microscopic-eye-for-detail, the map stands out amongst others quite well with certainly fair execution, and some great conceptual work without being terribly imposing on the players. Like the other maps this month, the map stands out as its own map while keeping plenty of options open for the players.

Map Thread
Map Download


So congratulations to Testbug, Nightmarjoo, and Starparty. Coming soon, the Maps of the Year for 2008 to finally put away 2008 and truly embrace that 2009 is fully upon us, then we can see what epic maps 2009 has brought us!

So yeah like I said above, I think Yellow's mains are too big and the nats too awkward, but otherwise I really like the map. It's nice that the map got into iccup, but to be honest the map basically got zero test games. I myself have only played the map once or twice, and that was after it got into iccup (after its modification). The first version of Yellow in iccup was a modification I made of the map, because Yello-ant needed the map right then and there without any forewarning, and Testbug was busy. Testbug then fixed my edits and fixed the problems I had been editing on his own later when he had time, and it went into the iccup map pack when the pack changed again later. I didn't push (2)Idunn at all. The map itself basically took like 30 minutes to make, but the decoration took like 12 hours because I put a lot of time/effort/detail into decoration. The map is entirely untested. That it got 2nd place in this motm just shows how inactive the site has become. I won't say anything bad about Starparty since he's an amazing mapper and since he'll actually probably read this post, but I can't deny I'm a bit disapointed with this last map. It's a concept map, and I guess a neat one, but it's really not up to par with Starparty's old execution. If you guys don't know, Starparty is a fucking legend at bwm, he was the original Testbug at the site. Initially, Testbug was the new Starparty of the site lol. You can see all of his maps here. I wish Starparty would be active again at bwm, he's a really talented mapper, and really gave a lot to the site in the past. Without Starparty, there basically would've been no bwm. I kind of took over for Starparty as far as posting and activity goes on the site, but I'm a really shitty mapper. I'm just good at posting about maps. Some of the best old maps at bwm are his, and I believe he still has the most foreign maps used in leagues (pgt/wgt) and tournaments. Also, a lot of really great maps were made for great-idea tournaments he made and hosted. My own have all really sucked relatively.

Well one man might call it late, but I call it early! I give you, 2008's Maps of the Year!

I can't really say the maps you guys voted for are a surprise at all. In first place, as The Best Voted Map of all of 2008, a Testbug/Nastymarine map, (4)Yellow! In second place, a Testbug map, (4)Voices IV! In third place, a Nastymarine map, (4)Korhal Pride1.3!

Predictably enough, not only are the maps by the two mappers who together earned the most 1st and 2nd place MOTMs ever, but all three maps have won first place in their own Map of the Month competitions. Since these maps have already been in MOTMs I won't write a whole lot about them, as you can see what I wrote about them in their MOTM threads, but I'll hilight what I feel are the best attributes of these exquisite maps.




With an overwhelming plurality of the vote, nearly 50% of all points went to this map, and an ICCup Ladder map to boot, we have ICCup Yellow1.1, by Testbug!
This map is a remake of NastyMarine's (4)Dayun Si, which would have probably won MOTY itself if Testbug hadn't have made this map.

This map is a fairly basic and standard map on the surface. But like any NastyMarine map, has a strong concept undernearth an illusion of mundanity. And like any Testbug map, has the completely and utterly perfect execution only perhaps the sc God could rival.

The key to this map's success aside from its brilliant execution, is in how Testbug and Nastymarine morphed a common expo layout into a rotationally symmetrical 4 player map, in such a manner that it makes what would otherwise be a string of so-safe-they'd-be-free-to-take expansions and makes them all quite vulnerable and harassable. The map takes a normal boring macro layout, and crafts it so that any player can comfortably pick up the map and feel at home, whilst rewarding the more aggressive players who would seek to abuse the maps many routes, cliffs, and places-ripe-for-dropping.

This map is just really well made all-over. It's no wonder it won MOTM, and is an ICCup map (I hope you guys have been playing it!). Not even the picky Nightmarjoo can find fault with "wasted space" on this map, and that's saying something!

You can find its MOTM post here for the month of December.
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In second place we have another really well-made map, Voices IV by Testbug! Just like Yellow, this map has been featured in the ICCup Ladder (and is a MOTW on iccup this week, be sure to play on it!). This map has a similar idea behind it to Yellow, though the two maps are conceptually entirely different.

Voices IV takes that standard expo layout, seen in Othello, Byzantium, Medusa, and Longinus to name a few, but executes it really uniquely. It takes these standard elements, makes them its own, and then adds a somewhat experimental feature to seal the deal. The experimental feature here is that the main base has two paths instead of the archetypal single route from main base to natural expansion. The second route leads into and through the mineral only expansion. Of course, Testbug does something only Testbug can do, and ensures this feature which when used in every single other map in existance (including to some degree, the pro-made and Courage League-used map (3)Medusa), and removes all possible pathing issues by placing the two paths right next to eachother. All units when bumping into the mineral block simply find the proper path immediately after, and thus use the correct path.

The mineral only, which gives both aggressive and passive players something more out of the map, be it a safe expansion or a new route to harass with. Aside from the double path, the map is all-over standard and basic, ensuring it's comfortable for all players. All-in-all, the map does a really good job of giving players a very wide variety of options strategically, to give players a really solid gameplay experience.

You know the map must be good when the only thing which could possibly beat it was a Testbug/Nasty map.

You can find June's MOTM post further describing the map here
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For third place for the 4-player Maps of the Year, we have a map predictably by NastyMarine, (4)Korhal Pride1.3!

In the same manner as the other maps, Korhal Pride1.3 modifies the execution of the standard expo layout, main, nat, min only, 3rd gas, and creates its own brilliant concept. It takes backdoor to a new level with its mineral only, which is behind the nat, but in front of the main! I can certainly believe you if just reading this makes it hard to understand, you really have to look at the map's picture to fully understand! It's not as complicated as I make it out, but it certainy is ingenious! The main simply has two paths like in VoicesIV, but the mineral-only expansion is closed off instead of further leading into the rest of the map like it does in VoicesIV.

This mineral only placement reminds me of that in Andromeda, except this one is more vulnerable to drops but safer from from land-based attacks. Either way, it's unique and really well crafted.
Other than that mechanic, the map is pretty standard just like in Voices, ensuring a comfortable battleground while keeping the map's concept its own.

These three maps complement eachother really well, and it just goes to show you how good these two mappers are, Testbug and NastyMarine. Three completely different maps, which all at the same time share key design (not conceptual) elements which separate them from most other maps.

This map only (lol) made 2nd place MOTM, in the month of July. It didn't win first place because it lost out to a Testbug map, and Nasty was busy making future 2nd place MOTMs and letting Testbug remake his maps for 1st place MOTMs. Oh, and that spammer Protoss4ever made his only good map ever too, (4)tex-something (which I voted for for MOTY!).
You can find the MOTM post further describing this map here
Map Thread
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And now for the 2-Player Maps of the Month!




In first Place, we have a Spinesheath/Nasty/Testbug map! Testbug/Nasty map, who'd have thought!? So the history behind this map is that Spinesheath made a MSPaint concept, Nasty adopted it and made the original Spinel Valley, Spinesheath loved it but decided to actually make a map (a first, I think!) and uploaded a modified version of the map, and Testbug decided Testbug-remakes are always better and remade the map entirely giving us Spinel Valley III, this brilliant map you see before you now!

Drama aside, this is a really well-made map! Conceptually and executionally I can't say I've ever seen anything quite like it before! So of course it's no surprise that the map also won MOTM, beating a NastyMarine map in the process, and is an ICCup Ladder map (I hope you guys played on it, as it was MOTW last week!). All in a day's work, for Testbug, eh?

If I had to describe this map in terms of other well-known maps, I'd have to say the map reminds me of Bluestorm + Othello somehow, if that even makes sense given how different these three maps are. Spinel Valley III really is its own map. The biggest focuses of this map are on mobility and harassability, which on top of a really solid expo layout gives players a lot of options here, ensuring solid if perhaps not perfectly balanced gameplay. The map features no real experimental concepts, aside perhaps from the highground expansions which are so easily harassable from the lowground center of the map, and somehow still remains quite unique. This something of course only Testbug could so masterfully throw together, and it probably took him like 30 seconds, knowing him.

You can read more in July's MOTM post here
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If you haven't been living under a rock, and have been visiting broodwarmaps.net at all for the last year, if someone says "2 player map" the first thing that should come to your mind ought to be "Ptar". Ptar has made over 9000 (2)Ptarish maps in the last year, all of reasonably good execution, if simple conceptually. It then ought to be no surprise that it's Ptar himself who grabs second place for 2-Player Map of the Year, and no shame that he didn't get first place, since first place was a god- I mean Testbug-made map.

So what we have here is (2)Sign, a ptarish (2)map, and that's basically it.

Kidding! This map actually differs quite a bit from the standard ptarish map, in that it's a lot more dynamic and conceptually interesting. The expo layout itself is fairly standard, but the different structures and features of the map are all basically completely different, we have a mismatch of ramps that looks like a 2006 NastyMarine map here, Nostalgia-esque bridges that give me nostalgia over there and a cliffable expo to boot, no choke at at all there, and a ptarish pit expo there. All complemented with cliffable mains which has an 815 ramp, and a nat which makes every terran go mech to make valkyries just to stay alive past 7 minutes. Oh, and don't let me forget a Loki2 central tight choke, dividing the map into two separate areas. If that description didn't make you imagine the most experimental, most complicated map ever, then you must be PsychoTemplar, or Lancet. But somehow, Ptar manages to combine all of those features, and not only make the map not look or feel experimental, but make it look natural! Seriously take a good look at the picture, the map is just beautiful to your eyes and sense of mapping! Takes a map like this to get 2nd place for the whole year at such a great mapping site. And of course, it won MOTM for July.

You can read more about the map in the July MOTM post here
Map Thread
Map Download
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Last and least, but not by much of a margin! we have korean FAMAT mapper Twos-'s map whose name is a mouthful-and-a-half, (2)Moonlight Punch Romance1.3! While the map didn't win a MOTM, it won 2nd place for July's MOTM, right behind Ptar's (2)Sign, and that's not too shabby!

If you thought the map's name was a mouthful, you should see the map itself! I can't say I've seen a more complicated and yet still basic map ever (except perhaps by RaDiX lol). The map is an absolute wonderful mess of ramps and paths, surrounding what otherwise would be a fairly simple expo layout. I say mess, but it's actually really well made and thought out. Without Twos' near-Testbug execution I'm sure this map would've been a mess, but luckily he knows what he's doing when it comes to making maps. Now that I think about it, this map would probably have been a ptarish map without the complex middle!

This map takes a fairly different turn than the other MOTYs. It takes a fairly standard and boring concept, and drastically complicates it, so while the underlying structure is comfortable, the rest of the map is very involved. It definitely makes the map unique, and further creates a unique playing experience. Playing on this map might feel like being in a labyrinth. Unlike the other maps, instead of modifying a standard concept to be its own, it takes the standard layout and puts its own concept on top of it. I am perhaps describing it badly, but this is a really neat and well-made map that is very unlike the maps we make at bwm, showing off a very different approach to mapping which clearly comes from a separate culture, of Korean Mapping. As a final word, this map is different from the bwm maps in that it's far more micro-oriented than macro-oriented. Either way it's worth checking out, and concludes our Maps of the Year!

Read a much more well written description of the map in July's MOTM post here
Map Thread
Map Download
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And so here you are, the voted-six best maps made at bwm in 2008! I eagerly await the brilliant maps you guys make in the coming months, for the next Maps of the Year! It really is amazing how quickly the average level of mappers and maps here rise, and it's wonderful to see such amazing maps, and then see you guys somehow surpass yourselves and create even better maps. It really shows how dynamic this game is.

On a final note, let me provide links to these mapper's entire collections here, to see their many great maps, and how their maps have evolved into what you see here, winning these competitions today!

Testbug
NastyMarine
Ptar
Twos

And, coming soon, the first two or three Maps of the Month for 2009!

Well I posted this MOTY thing today. It's a lot more optimistic, happy, motivated sounding than I actually am. Bwm is kind of really inactive, like an all-time low kind of thing now. There's more flaming going on than map making, and virtually no actual testing. No cooperation between mappers, no tournaments. I dunno. Still some great maps being made atleast, you guys will see some when I get around to posting MOTM 1 2 and 3 for 2009. This MOTY was really predictable though. Last year we had a (3)MOTY, but Testbug didn't really make any (3)maps this year, and his (3)maps are just so much fucking better than everyone else's at the site, that it's just not worth posting about. Spinel Valley III Voices IV were made by Testbug specifically with the aim of trying to make a TSL quality map, for TSL. He and I worked together to come up with the ideas behind these maps. I believe Korhal Pride1.3 also was made with hopes of TSL, atleast it was used in the same tournament Spinel Valley III and Voices IV were in, which was intended to show off good bwm maps to tl.netters in hopes of inspiring interest and support of bwm maps for TSL. The tournaments were basically disasters, out of like an intended 5 every other week for as long as it could go, I think 2 were finished, and 1's finals were postponed indefinitely. And, this was with A- Infernal playing and giving a winner's interview about how much he liked the maps, B+ Morrow, and B- Crackling playing. And C+ Nightmarjoo! The turnout was just awful, that's to be expected I guess when the "prize" is an interview to be posted in a random tl forum thread. It's hard to motivate people in support of foreign maps, when foreign mappers have no motivation, and the apathy for foreign mapping is so strong =/ At any rate though, this was a pretty good year in mapping. I'd say it petered out near the end, but the map which won 1st place (4)MOTY was made in December. But yeah, MOTM 10 and 11 really sucked.