Balance-Sorted Pro-Map Pack

-BALANCE: is defined as being between 40% and 60% in the matchup in question. That is, it must not be 40% or 60%, but between. a 40%/60% would mean 3 to 2 advantage, meaning 50% (1.5x) more likely to win (as 2 to 1 is "100%" more likely, or 2x). I find reaching that unacceptable. Naturally, all mirror matchups are "balanced," though a map may still have starting locations that affect your outcome.

-WELL TESTED: is defined as at least 20 games for matchup in question. May lower to 16 on request (also will for the exception that the map is a sequel with a similar score in that matchup, and it is very close to 50%). See description of folder "New or Too Untested" for more information. If they are only good for mirror matches, then they must be played at least 50 times total by any matchups and 20+ total for mirrors to be considered worth the time.

++TECHNICAL NOTE: There are times when less than 20 games allows you to predict balance for 20. If all wins for either race until 20 games is reached, and it can't break balance, then it is balanced (basically, if lower/equal number is 9, so 9-9 or 9-10/10-9 out of up to 19 games). Conversely, if one number has 12+ (12-19 out of up to 19 games), then the lower number cannot achieve balance by 20 games, so it is imbalanced. Recall reaching 40% or 60% is considered imbalanced.

++I'd also like to impose another rule: if a matchup has 90%+ (or 10%-) with 10+ games, I'll consider it imbalanced. So far, only Ragnarok qualifies.


-MAP VERSIONS: I take the latest version of a map if both it and its predecessor are not definitely balanced. This also means that even if there's no obs version for the newer version, I will ignore the old one, assuming it's been changed for the better. Really, I'll usually only take an older version if the newer one is obviously worse. Exceptions where I take multiple versions are in the Random Notes at the bottom.

-OBS: I will include Obs and Melee of selected versions together when available. I may work on creating Obs versions for ones missing, in time (it's not hard).

-FOLDER CATEGORIES are as follows:
(NOTE: any folder with an x in front denotes nothing in it)

*1 All Matchups (all matchups in this folder are balanced and well tested, aka a great tried and true map. The 1 denotes the order in which the folders will display, in terms of importance.)

*2 PvZ and PvT (balanced for Protoss vs anything.)
*2 TvZ and TvP (balanced for Terran vs anything.)
*2 ZvP and ZvT (balanced for Zerg vs anything.)
*3 PvT only
*3 TvZ only (balanced for only this matchup, or mirrors, as always.)
*3 ZvP only

*4 Mirror Matches only (these maps suck at balance, but might be interesting for mirror play. They must be played 50+ times [20+ mirrored] to be considered. No map met these criteria, so it would be lowered in the future. Anything that imba was probably also rather weird, and got put into "Weird," or more likely was simply too untested. In other rules, changing the rules for this folder probably won't help any.)

*4 New or Too Untested (They may show some trends of balance or otherwise, but really it's too early to tell. Use at your own risk, perhaps to test one's adaptability. Any map that has any one matchup that is poorly tested will have a DUPLICATE here. Basically, I will sort into a subfolder "PvZ and PvT" if TvZ is obviously imbalanced. So the "possible balance" of PvZ and PvT will be shown. Older maps [2years+ since last played] are put under individual "Rarely Played" folders wherever they're sorted, since they may have been dumped for a reason.)

*5 2v2 only so far (self-explanatory. They've never seen 1v1 play in pro games.)

*5 Recommended nonPro maps (self-explanatory. They have nothing to do with the pro scene, but have potential. (4)Yellow as seen in ICCup is what brought about this folder. Any suggestions or comments?)

*5 Weird (I don't know what to think of these maps. Whether they are tested or not, if the map is just really weird (or island), it's going here. There will be a duplicate of all previous folder names inside, sorted appropriately. Furthermore, if a map hasn't been played even once, then it will likely go here.)

*Alphabetical (All maps in pack sorted by first letter into letter folders for easy searching (Neo Harmony would be under both 'N' and 'H'). Also, Lost Temple maps are found here in a special folder.)

Remember, maps are sorted by # of players before alphabetically.

gl + hf. Questions/requests go to StrikerX22@msn.com.

- StrikerX22 @USWest

TO DO:

---Make/find Obs versions of maps that don't have them (maybe). I've already looked through ICCup, and gotten a couple from MapDori, as listed in the next section.

---Separate Island from other "Weird" maps (so many are)? Also, let me know if there's any Island maps I missed due to not noticing a lack of ramp... sneaky little buggers.

---Check for balance more thoroughly in "Weird." I'm not sure I was careful with island maps, but so far only one was put into a balanced folder (Neo Forbidden Zone, PvT only, barely). I also opted not to sort untested maps according to imba, which I did for the other maps (TvZ and ZvP imba but untested PvT would get into PvT only, under "New").

List of maps d/l'd from elsewhere:

-Sin Chupung Ryeong 2.1 from ICCup 7th season pack. I am NOT sure this is the version used in pro leagues, but Mapdori only lists versions 1.1 and 2.1, so I assume it is. (Was a bit hard to find good info on this.)
-Desperado @MapDori (Assuming anything directly from MapDori without any other versions is probably the right one.)
-Destination @MapDori
-Neo Harmony ("Sword in the Moon" 2.1) from ICCup 7th. evidence: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=88328
-Isles of Siren from softpedia, googled. No picture from TLPD or MapDori. Map is islands with thin separations.
-Lycosidae from softpedia, googled. Goofy high-mineral expansions.
-Medusa 1.1 @MapDori (see note just below, in "added obs from mapdori.")
-New Remote Outpost - melee from softpedia, obs from nibbits.
-Outburst from broodwarmaps.net. Min only nat, weird expos.
-Tears of the Moon from ICCup. Broodwarmaps.net only had a trainer+obs version listed as Melee. Map has min-only's on edges with 4*3k min each, above that is 5*3k-min + 10k-gas. Central 4*1.5k expos as well. Main is 8*1.5k+gas, Nat is 8*1.5+gas. There are also 2 double-stacked power generators on inside wall of each 4*3k.

-Warp Gate 2 (Can't find. never played in pro leagues.)

added obs from ICCup:
-carthage
-athena 2
-byzantium 2 (2.2)
-colosseum II 2.0

added obs from MapDori:
-byzantium 2.3
-medusa 1.1 (instead of 1.0 melee, but it seems exactly the same, save for babelfish remark: "Amended the line attempt terrain of each area." So pathing? Either way, same map. I have thus added 1.1 melee also.)

More to come later, perhaps.

Interesting Maps (not necessarily good or balanced):

1v1:
-(2)Highway Star (only been played a little. It actually seems fairly well made and normal, save 2 thin-walled+cliff "central" expos to the sides which 10 min patches + gas. I think it's worth a look at.)
-(2)Korhal of Ceres (A tall map, tight map probably bad for Zerg. Interesting layout of expansions and paths.)
-(3)Demon's Forest (Low vision in center. Said to be rather zerg biased, but TvZ: 2-1 and ZvP: 0-3.)
-(4)Neo Arkanoid (Must break through many lines of buildings to get around.)
-(4)Desperado (Double gas in main, no gas in nat, close min-only with building blocking base placement, behind that is a gas expo. Also, nearby island gas expo. Between min-only and nat, there's a bridge partially blocked with low minerals.)
-(4)Fantasy 2 (Not symmetrical, so play for adaptation/fun, not balance. It's pretty weird, but every main is high ground with a ramp, at least.)
-(4)Geometry (Tons of hills/lumps.)
-(4)Iron Curtain (Has 4 starting points, 2 on each side of a wall, some of which is made of minerals [3 expansions, 1 w/ gas, easily attackable from other side]. You must scout to see if you're playing an island/NR15 game or not.)
-(4)Plains to Hill D (Not too odd. Just has low ground spawns with high ground nats with normal ramps, and high island expos up/down 7-min and left/right 7-min+gas.)
-(4)Persona (Has a pretty interesting structure, and incorporates perma Dark Swarms in acceptable places, as in not your main or nat. It does have one on a wide ramp to your nat [nat is attached to main], and it places some over mineral lines farther out. There are also a few scattered in the middle battlefield for strategic play. Expos are rather spaced, which justifies the DS's a bit. I like this map in theory.
-Vampire (Never played in pro games, but worth a look at. Gas expos are along the left and right sides only, while the top and bottom contain two very close and connected min-only's each. No ramps. Double gas on main, like Desperado, but has gas in nat too.)
-(6)DMZ (has roads through the center in which ground units cannot attack from via perma DWebs.)

2v2:
-(5)Hwangsanbul (has 2 ramps for each base, one blocked by nonempty mineral patches, and one by mature cocoon. Both have a working, permanent disruption web lower than the block on the ramps. This may make Terrans more viable in 2v2. Of course, mirror teams are always good.)

* Don't forget anything in "Weird," and don't forget about "Rarely Played" under "New or Too Untested." They're more likely to be imbalanced, but also likely to be interesting. Keep in mind Island maps are going under "Weird," and most there are.

* Maps included that have not been played in pro matches, but are in TLPD:
(I didn't keep track of this extremely well, so I may have missed one here or there.)
-(4)Chariots of Fire
-(6)DMZ
-(4)Iron Curtain
-(4)Vampire
-(?)Warp Gate 2 (Can't find.)

Random Map Notes/Exceptions: (Yes, I type too much. Consider using search for map titles. Feel free to give me insight on any of these, as I don't claim to have it.)

-BladeStorm 1.05 and Blade Storm are both included. 1.05 is NOT a different tileset (it says jungle instead of twilight). There is no picture of it (I looked, and I didn't notice any difference), and it has even less plays than the original. Both are under "Rarely Played," under "New or Too Untested," though the original made balance in "TvZ only" as well. Further investigation: MapDori.com has v1.01 and v1.5, and 1.5 visually matches "1.05" (TLPD) exactly, and the TLPD pic for the "original" is wrong. The "original" matches v1.01 when opened.v1.01 was different, though.

-Byzantium 2 and 2.3: 2.3 has what looks like 1 less mineral patch at each expansion, which seems fine, and altered gas placement slightly, but no pro games have been played on it. 2 seems pretty balanced but is still new; only TvZ has enough games behind it to qualify, so it's in "TvZ only." Both 2 and 2.3 will appear under "New or Too Untested." Heck, 2.3 is so close, it goes in "TvZ only" as well.

-Bifrost 3 vs Neo Bifrost: Neo is older, but is better tested. 3 changes the resources significantly (adding gas to a central expos and minerals to behind-base expos). It's a strange map to begin with, but Neo has shown better balance in TvZ and has enough games to show balance in PvT (is) and ZvP (isn't). 3 unfortunately shows only barely enough for balance for TvZ (barely isn't). I think the changes seem good based on that a central expo should be worth taking for the risk, and there is no nearby expo other than the behind-base mineral-only. I've included both, Neo under "TvZ and TvP," and 3 under "New or Too Untested."

-Chupung Ryeong and Sin ("Neo") versions: What an interesting but imba map. Sin makes a significant terrain change near the back of your base, taking out an area easy to drop on and replacing it with low ground behind your nat for proxies. I can't decide on either, the balances don't match and aren't very thoroughly played yet. If they had some more ZvPs, I would throw Sin in Mirror Only probably. I will include both under "New or Too Untested," with old also under "TvZ only." Search txt for rule on "10-9" match. (I had to take the iccup version of sin, as it isn't uploaded to TL yet. I renamed it (2)SinChupungRyeongOB2.1icc.scx [too big with (2) in front to match. This name is tested to work.], and added the player count again.)

-Detonation F seemed a bit odd to me with the expansion layout and types, so I put it under Weird. If you think it deserves to simply be in Untested>Rarely Played, then let me know with your reasons.

-"Emperor" vs "Emperor of Emperor": What? "Emperor" doesn't seem to exist; it has no info except it was played only once, in a league that also played "Emperor of Emperor" several times. Chances are this is a screw-up. If you know anything about this, let me know. I did come across "The Emperor" by neobowman, but I figure that's unlikely.

-Forte and Neo Forte: I include both, because they have near opposite balance. Forte has balance in TvZ and 12-5 imba in ZvP, not enough in PvT. Neo Forte has 12-2 TvZ, but balance in ZvP and PvT. Therefore I will add Forte to "TvZ only" and Neo Forte to "PvZ and PvT." Neither will go under "New or Too Untested," despite Forte having low PvT, since Neo takes over for that.

-Gaema Gowon and Sin Gaema Gowon: This was a more difficult choice. The changes are in the terrain seemed to bring balance to TvZ, but PvT was changed drastically, from 6-10 (37.5% 16 games) to 12-8 (60% 20). I have a hard time believing these terrain changes would bring about such a big change, as it was a small one for TvZ. Thus, since the balance is right on the border (60%), I've decided to take the original map's games into the statistics at 1/4th their normal value. TvZ still shows balance, and ZvP still has insufficient games, but looks balanced so far. The PvT, of course, ends up lower than 60%, at 56.25%. So, I will put Sin Gaema Gowon in the "TvZ and TvP" folder. Keep in mind I would've accepted it anyways at 59.9%.

-Gauntlet 2003 vs Gauntlet TG: Two different maps. TG came after, and is based off 2003 in initial base design and nearby expansions, but adds a gas to the "alternate nat" behind the base, adds 2 island expos, and more bridges to take up the new vertical space (96->128 height). They're old and look it, but could be interesting. Reminds a bit of Destination. Not played much.

-Hall of Valhalla, Neo Hall of Valhalla, and WCG Neo Hall of Valhalla: It's island, I'm going with newest and WCG Neo is exactly the same as Neo, so if it weren't Island, I would take both stats into account. There are some other copy maps with WCG in front for no good reason, so expect similar treatment. Maps are: WCG Lost Temple, WCG Neo Jungle Story, and WCG Neo Legacy of Char.

-Hunters: uh yeah, it only has a weird obs version that would work fine in melee. Problem is, it's labeled obs, so I'd doubt anyone would attempt melee... not that that's much of a loss. It's Hunters. 2v2 only. Why would anyone play this 2v2 again? Well 2008 Shinhan Bank Proleague did. I won't bother making a "non-obs."

-Jim Raynor's Memory vs Jim Raynor's Memory J: I have no idea why it's called JR's Memory, but the J version is Jungle instead of Desert, looks more modern in resource alignment, and central expansion is deleted. J is the only version with games. Barely balanced for TvZ alone, at 58.8%. PvZ: 11-5 looks bleak as well, and PvT is 11-18 37.9%.

-Katrina vs Katrina SE: Katrina original has a lot of games under its belt, and it clearly shows Protoss bias. TvZ is pretty balanced, though. Katrina SE simply hasn't had enough games to tell, though the very few played have been pretty even so far. Problem is, it's only been changed slightly: expansions and ramps are altered a bit (notably less minerals in main+nat), and 4 small ramps help you get to high ground from another angle. I wonder if those ramps alone would balance this Protoss map. I'm no balance scientist, but I'd think that'd allow easier flanking. Might be good for Zerg, but Terran? I'll include both.

-Lost Temple maps: yeah these are going in their own little folder under Alphabetical. There's a lot of them, not all named starting with L, not played enough, not all easily accessible (ie. TLPD), and I am prejudiced against them. That's right. The ones on TLPD will be included. Otherwise, unless you give them to me, the others won't be.

-Luna vs Luna the Final: another toughie. Luna original is very balanced for everything, but has somewhat stupid starting bases which are fixed in Final, but Final hasn't been tested enough (save TvZ, balanced). Final has not-so-thin bridges, and I'm unsure how that affects balance. Terrans do show improved TvZ, 44.6% to 56%, but that seems counterintuitive, though less games have been played (25 instead of 65). I will include both just for the great balance of the original, though I'd figure Final is worth it.

-Medusa 1.0 vs 1.1: seems the same thing, but 1.1 isn't shown in TLPD. 1.1's only change is "Amended the line attempt terrain of each area," according to babelfish. Pathing? Both are included if you're picky.

-Monty Hall vs Monty Hall SE: Just a warning... SE has very few games, so it would end up in New>All matches, though I doubt Zerg are balanced. Map changes include 1 less min patch at main, and block minerals from 64 to 48 a piece (8 trips to 6). Ironically, with 28 non-mirror matches so far, it has very similar balance %'s to original (with ZvP 5-11 31.3% a bit underplayed). The changes seem pretty small, and iirc do not most zerg games end early here? I'm compelled to include the stats from both maps for SE since they match so well, unless you have good reasons that the balance has changed enough. Otherwise, this puts Monty Hall SE into PvT only, and I'll leave Monty Hall original out. Give me your input on this.

-Old Plains to Hill vs Plains to Hill vs Plains to Hill D: D is an updated version (without many games) set to desert terrain. Changes include 2(up/down) of 4 island expansions having gas taken out, leaving 7 min. I suspect they just didn't want Terran getting an easy 3 fully functional bases from lift? or at least require more work to defend another island farther away now. Land formations have moved a bit. Open ground a tad more, but not much. Main is slightly smaller. I also am unsure if upper left spawn would cause issues when you try to go up the ramp to the defensive high ground; it's pretty tight. Normal (but not 1.0/"Old") Plains had TvZ balance, and I'd suspect this one to be similar. Kinda interesting map anyhow. Using D only since normal had only somewhat enough games to show TvZ balance and significant changes were made.

-Old Symmetry of Psy vs Symmetry of Psy: 2 completely different island maps. Yes, base locations are similar and they're both desert, but Old has middle ground play with 4 expos reachable without transport once you're in it, and the newer version has a middle expo, gas at all expos, a much messier look, and main minerals at island cliff. I found "Old" on MapDori and it claims it's 2.0, and normal is 1.0. Go figure. I don't know what to call it now. I'll stick with "Old" = "Symmetry of Psy 2.0" and normal as "1.0", and include both.

-Outburst: Hard time finding it. According to one poster, it was a temporary name for the people at MapDori, but I don't see it there. It also has weird expansions. Map name I got was (3)OutBurst0[1].9.scm and matches the terrain shown in TLPD. No pro games recorded there though, so goes in "Weird."

-Python: Just letting you know, this well-played map barely passes balance in every matchup. TvZ:45-31(59.2%), ZvP:28-19(59.6%), and PvT:28-41(40.6%), meaning Terran are a bit strong, Zerg are averaged (T>Z>P), and Protoss are a bit weak. There are better balanced maps.

-Requiem vs Neo Requiem: This is likely a problem with statistics. As far as I can tell, there isn't much balance change here at all (terrain altered slightly, nats moved toward center a bit more, 1 min patch moved from "4th" to "3rd" base, both of which are behind the nat's mineral line, requiring lift/transport/tricking, and center mineral cross is smaller). Both have been played a lot (Neo being played now), and TvZ's match well. But ZvP's and PvT's do not. Each show one balanced, and the other well over. Even if I considered the stats to be one map, the balance vs imbalance would match Neo's. It's also important to note that PvT was played exactly 47 times for each map, and they show widely different stats.
Requiem | Neo Requiem +1/4R +1/2R +1*Requiem stats
ZvP:24-11(68.6%)| ZvP:53-50(51.5%) 52.8% 53.9% 55.8% Still bal.
PvT:24-23(51.1%)| PvT:34-13(72.3%) 68.1% 65.2% 61.7% Still imba.
If you don't think this is due to randomness, and I've missed an important balance point, please let me know, and I may include both versions. Otherwise, only Neo.

Rush Hour 2 vs Rush Hour 3: Similar problem, they have little changed (mineral patches adjusted a little, top left spawn made smaller), but the Terran matchups are quite different:
Rush Hour 2 | Rush Hour 3 +1/4RH2 +1/2RH2 +1*Rush Hour 2
TvZ:26-31(45.6%)| TvZ:43-24(64.2%) 60.9% 58.6% 55.6% Now bal.
PvT:16-15(51.6%)| PvT:8-24(25%) 30.9% 33.7% 38.1% Still imba.
Since the changes could have a little effect, I would go with "+1/2", and thus call RH3's TvZ within balance. If you think these changes will significantly favor Terran in TvZ, tell me so and I will consider "+1/4" or "+0" influence from RH2. Either way that'd put TvZ imba.

Vampire: The map has no games, but it looks somewhat interesting and not too abnormal, so instead of putting it under "Weird" for lack of any games, I'll put it under "New or Too Untested">"All">"Rarely Played.

Xeno Sky: I thought I recognized this, and that's good since I've gone through over 190 maps over the course of this project. This map is the newest version of Legacy of Char, after Neo (and WCG Neo, same thing). I've removed Neo Legacy of Char, as neither of these have shown balance (or enough games for it).