EPT![[image loading]](http://i731.photobucket.com/albums/ww316/Slugbreath/Blizzard-maps.jpg)
A small step for man, a giant leap for mankind.
Over a decade has past in StarCraft and with StarCraft 2 so close on the horizon that we can almost smell it, it’s safe to say that it’s been quite a ride.
Innovations have not only occured in the field of actually playing the game or hosting tournaments, but also in the act of map-making. Things like inverted ramps and neutral buildings, that we these days take for granted, were in fact a result of diligent work of programmers and map-makers and was not present back in the days when StarCraft first was released.
+ Show Spoiler [Remember when maps looked like this?] +
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images/b/b8/Challenger.jpg)
With innovations such as those in the art of map making, the standard of the maps have drastically risen and with it our expectations. Due to this, it’s easy to forget that the maps of today are a result of the maps of yesterday. It’s easy to forget the innovations that Blizzard themselves brought to the scene. Some of them were successful, most of them weren’t, but nonetheless they were innovations.
So let’s sit back and take a look at some of the innovations that we might have forgotten.
Mineral line as a wall
While using minerals to restrict access between bases might be something many relate to maps like
King of the Abyss, Iron Curtain or to some extent Outsider, the fact is that the first time it showed up in StarCraft was on a map called Landslide.+ Show Spoiler [Map image] +
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images/a/a6/Landslide.jpg)
One could argue that this concept isn’t new to StarCraft and was present even back in WarCraft II and one would be correct to some extent.
+ Show Spoiler [WarCraft II example] +
![[image loading]](http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/war2/images/lp/classic/(4)nowhere2run.jpg)
I would, however, argue back that the step from making trees serve as a wall between bases is less innovative than having minerals serve the same purpose, due to the fact that it's less intuitive and also because that wood in WarCraft II was cut through at such a quick rate that it was imperative that maps had a lot of it.
What was so unique about Landslide was the fact that not only did Blizzard take the concept of resources and turn them into a wall, but they also deliberately set the amount of resources so low that they in fact only served as a wall.
The concept of using minerals as a wall was later used again on the maps
Vulcan's Forge and Mystique, though with more minerals in each patch that time around.Critters. Lots and lots of critters.
This definitely goes under the label of an innovation that really didn’t work too well.
Since StarCraft is a battle of not only resources but also territory, critters that get in the way of your army or interrupt the placement of a building can change the tide of war drastically. Ask
Reach what he thinks of critters and I’m sure that you’ll understand what I mean. Now, while a few critters might change things up a bit and offer occasional entertainment for the viewers, an entire map covered in them might cause most players to go into nerd rage. While it might be a fun idea on paper, I doubt that
Crazy Critters can be considered a map with high replay value.+ Show Spoiler [Crazy Critters] +
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images/7/75/CrazyCritters.jpg)
You see all those critters? Or did you just see the Rhynadons? Look closer. There are a ton of Bengalaas too.
To get a better idea of just how strange that map is, here’s a video of a game played on that map:
I think it’s safe to say that it wasn’t a good idea.
While Crazy Critters is the most extreme of all critter-maps made by Blizzard, it’s actually not the only one. Check out
Scorpion Ravine, Ursadon Flats and Kakaru Keys for more examples of Blizzard experimenting with critters, though to a much more sensible degree.Map depicting something
While this really is stretching the bounds of what can be labeled as an innovation, it is worth mentioning. While maps like
Python, Enter the Dragon and Tears of the Moon all have names reflecting their layout, this too was something Blizzard implemented a lot earlier with maps like Desert Bloom, Baby Steps and the oh so humble map Blizzard.Though to be honest, this was a concept that they used neatly in WarCraft II.
+ Show Spoiler [Two WarCraft II maps] +
![[image loading]](http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/war2/images/lp/classic/(2)Dragonisle.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/war2/images/lp/classic/(6)skullisle.jpg)
While this innovation only led to maps being more pleasing to the eye, it at least made maps more pleasing to the eye…!
Overlook
Let me sidetrack slightly here by talking briefly about a map not made by Blizzard.
Valley Of Wind.+ Show Spoiler [Valley Of Wind] +
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images/e/ec/Valley_Of_Wind.jpg)
Valley Of Wind is a strange map. While the layout makes it a semi-island map, there is something that sets it aside from all other maps: It’s possible to cliff your opponent’s natural by just walking there up a ramp that’s inside your main.
Let me rephrase that. It sets it aside from all other maps with one exception.
Overlook.+ Show Spoiler [Overlook] +
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images/b/b2/Overlook.jpg)
Overlook is arguable one of the most innovative maps released with Brood War. It’s a three-player map where each player has the ability to safely harass one of the two opponents’ natural, while being exposed to harassment from the other one.
The uniqueness of this type of layout is sometimes credited to Valley Of Wind while Overlook, that was released years before it, is overlooked, if you excuse the pun.
Money Maps
While many players, including myself, don’t really like money maps, it’s hard to argue that they aren’t popular. Arguably the most famous of all money maps is
Big Game Hunters, possibly challenged by Fastest.To this day money maps are vastly popular and it all started with BGH.
+ Show Spoiler +
![[image loading]](http://classic.battle.net/images/battle/war2/images/lp/bne/(4)Gold_Rush_BNE.jpg)
UMS maps for “regular” play
Back when I first started playing StarCraft online, circa 2000, I was very reluctant to play standard games since I would be crushed by pretty much everyone. My solution was to play an UMS game called Hydra Rancher. I wasn’t very good at that either but at least I wasn’t completely demolished every game. But I digress.
UMS maps have been around in StarCraft since the beginning and fans have made their own UMS maps too. However, what Blizzard did was to create UMS maps that played out like regular maps but with a twist.
Enter:
Warp Gates and Black Hole.Warp Gates is a map that was, together with its two successors Warp Gates 2 and Evolution Warp Gates 2, in professional leagues between 2000 and 2004, though not on Use Map Settings.
You see, if played on Use Map Settings, Warp Gates turns into a 2v2 map where players can teleport units from their own base into the base of their ally or onto a high ground expansion.
+ Show Spoiler [Warp Gates] +
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images/1/1f/WarpGates.jpg)
Despite not showing on the map here, there are two teleporters in each main.
As for the map Black Hole, Blizzard decided to add a huge hole at the center of the map that destroyed any air-borne unit that strayed too close.
+ Show Spoiler [Black Hole] +
![[image loading]](http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/images/d/d4/BlackHole.jpg)
While neither of these innovations were ever used in professional leagues, it still provides an interesting change to the casual gamer. Call it a silly idea, call it a fun little curiosity, it still was innovative.
In conclusion
This text is getting way too long so it’s time to sum it all up. Blizzard have made a ridiculous amount of StarCraft maps and the ones I have pointed out above are far from the only ones that have been original or interesting.
For example, I haven’t mentioned
The Lost Temple nor Blood Bath. I haven’t said anything about the strangeness of maps such as Crystallis and Labyrinth. Nor have I written about Battle Lines’s resemblance to Geometry or Twisted Fate’s elegant design.I haven’t even talked about how
Ashrigo, Molten Playground, Predators, Showdown, Slow Burn, Snowbound and Turnaround all are maps (or have maps based upon them) that were played on in leagues and have thus had an impact on the history of progaming.No, there is a lot more to say about the maps of Blizzard than what is covered in this article. For now, I can just say that I am interested in seeing what maps Blizzard will produce for StarCraft II and what innovations they will bring forth.
/Slugbreath
