New Worlds Map Contest 2: All Submissions (VOTE)

HeMsK is a relatively new map maker who already was quite successful with his first map, (2)Vertebrae, which made it in BSL. This one looks like a very solid 3p map with some beautiful decorative accents to make it stand out.

Fitting so many experimental features into one map, and in a way that makes sense and creates such wide-spanning game dynamics based on the evolution of the map structure itself, is a real achievement. While balance on such a map may be speculative and some players might be hesitant to even play something so far out of the ordinary, seeing it actually get played will certainly be both entertaining and informative.

Chariot is an experienced Korean map maker who makes some beautiful and interesting maps, and this one is no exception. I would definitely suggest to every one to check out the rest of his portfolio as well.
This one might need a bit more spacious naturals, but that is an easy thing to fix.

Suricatta is newcomer in this competition, and already he's giving us a layout that is unlike any other 2p map I know of.

Good take on the vertical axial symmetry for 2 player maps, more or less following the blueprint that was given by Ride of the Valkyries almost two decades ago, but with a logical expansion progression that should be much better suited for modern play.

KDMan shows us another fireworks of crazy ideas. While this will probably require a lot of tampering with to achieve a fair balance, it certainly looks and plays unique.

An interesting take on modern Space Platform map design, focussed on pronounced use of different terrain levels, this map has already proven its worth in various playtest games.

One would be hard pressed these days to find a CrystalDrag map that one could just pass by. They are always nicely designed, decorated and tweaked with a love for detail that is not seen often, and this one is no exception.

Jojo is another new map maker that has shown some great productivity and improvement in this competition, presenting us with some solid, large scale 2 player maps.

It's hard to decide between this and the previous one which one is better, they both look like solid layouts that should offer some good gameplay, maybe with some tweaks to the expansion layout.

TNWZombie is back, too, with a clean-cut concept arranged around a bridge cascade.

MAziciAn is another long time stable of the Korean mapping scene. My only complaint about this map would be that a mostly all-flat 2 player map is a bit boring. However, the layout is very logical with some quirks that are discreet enough that they will offer some unique ways of playing the map without leading players astray too much.

Another mAziciAn map, this one with a more abstract, "artsy" layou that would certainly have a pretty unique feel in a game. I feel like it's currently a bit hampered by a relative lack of gas and hard to take expansions, but those should be pretty easy things to fix.

Another CrystalDrag map. He certainly managed to recreate its template Cloud Kingdom well, including decorative decals, and adapted it so it will also play well in BW.

Interesting alternative approach to a 3 player map layout, with some symmetry breaks going on in the centre. While this may need some changes to facilitate overall better army mobility, it certainly deserves recognition.

Another interesting take on an alternative 3 player layout, that already fared well in NWMC#1, and even made it into playtesting for ASL map candidates. Maybe it will get another chance this time.

(2)Access Control - I especially like the cute ramps you squeezed in for scouts and early shenanigans. Also the thirds are cool, but the top part is a bit sadistic :D

(2)Anthropocene - Good job on the layout of the map! I think it is a little too tight and the neutrals are overdone.

(2)Baroque - The idea on the in- and outside center expos is a nice twist. This map will be awesome for mirror matchups, but I'm unsure whether you didn't sacrifice too much playability for the cool looks.

(2)Blackshot - The way the center is split in two should makes for interesting map control fights, I like that. The map looks a tad sleek (make of that what you will) and the corner expansions have very narrow entrances which makes them too easy to hold.

(2)Blood of the Scribe - Wouldn't be surprised to see this in an art contest. I honestly don't know what to say to this. It look so much fun to play!


(2)Callisto - This is such an out-of-the-book map. It is well saturated and seems very strategic. The downside is that it isn't very exciting (which is hard to do with the space tile set)

(2)Disco Pang! Pang! - Disco! Clap! Clap! This one is intriguing. I wonder if players will actually make use of the backdoors. Well done

(2)Europa - Every platform is well spaced, there is really nothing that should be changed.

(2)Frostmourne - Very cool looking, let the turtling ensue.

(2)Galactic Empire - The paths to the right and left are so sneaky. Subtle but dangerous. The asymmetry of the top and north regions might be a small problem

(2)Gale - A solid map. 나는 별로 창의적이지 않다

(2)Gambit - The super open corner expansions are cool, as well as the streamlined pathing. Matchups should be wild..

(2)Laputa - Please be careful when talking about this map in spain. Otherwise: well done!

(2)Lightning Whirlwind - You've put nice textures on this!

(2)Molecule - This is like the handsome little brother of blue storm (:D). Other that for pushes and scouting there is no real use for the very sexy center. Also had to chuckle about the visual aids for toss on the nat.

(2)Neptune - A nice take at spiraling! Big fan of splitting ramps into two directions (top & bottom). The neutrals are .. well just imagine toss mindcontrolling those

(2)Pella - Island expos! Yes! I'd argue that the middle set of temples is a bit too much. The east and west expos are well done conceptually! Would love to see some more decoration.

(2)Plan_B - I like that you took the time to tighten the top left ramp, but why is the bottom right ramp so much bigger? Also the disruptors give the game momentum. Good job!

(2)Ragefire Chasm - TWNZombie, you tiled the top rows to counterbalance the user interface blocking the bottom player? So thoughtful! I like that map and will likely play it some time, thanks!

(2)Red Eagle - This presents a variety of angles from which to attack your opponent beyond the natural. Cool!

(2)Reflections - These 3rds are so juicy even Artosis couldn't resist getting them. The way you intertwined the terrains in the main bases is chique. The flat center expos are pretty hot too.

(2)Sandslash - The map itself is weird and that doesn't necessarily mean it's bad. I would love to see a more fleshed out version of Sandslash 0.10!

(2)Scarabee - The only scarabs one would ever want in their main base. Nice semi-bridges and middle decoration!

(2)Silent Storm - A aesthetically pleasing desert map. The curved paths (east and west) might be too dangerous to be used to attack since you're so cut off from the rest of the map.

(2)Steel Dominion - It is so open it's scary. Then again the main to main seems so short. It screams action.

(2)Super Nova - The transients between natural and the rest of the map are well constructed. Nice macro map!

(2)Typhon - Nice visuals on this map. The main has a funny lalyout and also there are island expos (<3). Very nice but probably problematic in competitive play due to Zerg(?)

(2)Winter Solstice - Beautiful north and south. Many buildings behind the main mineral line can be shot with tanks from the third. Tough spot to be in as defender

(2)Защитная Технология - The drop Технология on this map is cool, rarely ever done on maps. Good job. The fields though.. I'd prefer any cluster of doodads over that :D you came in very strong in this contest!

(3)Cataclysm - The middle expos are nice and so are the islands. The reduced gas amounts add to the scenario, maybe the islands could be even richer?

(3)Dark Vengeance - The second entry that uses controllable neutrals! For a 3 player map I think this is very suited and should create interesting situations between the three parties. Good job!

(3)Elquiness - That top left island lmao! Such a tease - I was able to drop two workers. Intended or not? Who knows. Love it.

(3)Lambda - Top left island not buildable for trolling, but hey - a pretty three player map around a pretty expression

(3)Ringing Stream - Very powerful 3-player map with wonky expansions all over the place. Great for 3 player FFA, questionable for 2 player duels

(3)Sand Gate - These random hallucinations are .. ? Well, the center expansion mineral lines are nicely embedded. Also, the high ground each player has to access the middle is a good thought.

(3)Stratholme - Super interestaing gas concept! Would like to see how this plays out in actual matches

(3)Treachery - Good choice dereasing 3rd expansion resource yield and making it super open but close. This very quickly paces the game into mid-late game

(3)Turbine - Despite the vastly unused space around the expansions I think Turbine has a great balance of looks (those center fan blades man) and gameplay. If I had any vote left I'd cast it on Turbine.

for my votes, i tended to favor non-standard maps unless i really liked the standard map, because we already have many good standard maps. non-standard maps have a chance to change our ideas about what is and isn't standard, and give a chance for us to play some really weird games. i know a lot of people hated playing on plasma, but personally i really enjoyed it back in the day, and i was sad i only caught the tail end of it being around when i started playing again.

for any context of my comments/votes: i'm an E rank random player. i only started playing a lot again in the past 2 months. i played a lot back in the 2000s. i havent read the other comments about the maps in this thread. i made some maps for many other games and i have used scmdraft/staredit some over the years, so i know what type of work goes into this stuff.

i want to say i really appreciate how much hard work i can tell went into each and every one of these maps

access control - i dont find the narrow ramp stuff very exciting but maybe it will be better in practice than looking at it. it's easier for players to get excited about things that give you new weird options, and less easy to get excited about stuff that feels like they take away options. not sure how to simcity third base in any matchup

anthropocene - i like this one a lot. i am really excited to see how this map works out. if i have any complaint, the bengalaas walked over to block the top right expansion during my test game, i dont like that

baroque - i feel like the expansions are too exposed and there's just a lot of open space. natural choke looks difficult in zerg vs terran against vultures

biosphere - not sure how to pvz wall natural. it would be cool if the neutral zerglings in the center were hero zerglings for mind controlling. feels like a nightmare for terrans to defend against drops/muta/carriers

blackshot - i cant figure out how to wall the natural for pvz. i feel like the expansion layout is missing some variety. i also feel like the middle of the map doesnt use its space that well, im not sure how to put this into words.

blindness - i like the decoration, but something is missing for me just looking at it. something about the layout of the battlefield of maps i like makes me think a lot about how to move around it, and this map doesn't make me feel that way.

blood of the scribe - ok this map clearly does not care about cultural expectations of what a map should be like, and i love that. i noticed there was an error when i opened it, it complained about eggs not spawning. i think the choke to the main is probably?? too big? but it's hard for me to tell because this map is so damn weird. and a bunch of the other chokes are very small. air units are absurd on this map probably, and so are siege tanks? i do not know what to make of this.

butter - entrance from main <-> natural is too big imo idk what else to say

callisto - kind of standard and no obvious problems, it doesnt get me excited, but it seems good. i think i like the layout overall

coral shallows - kind of confused about what is and isnt pathable top right/bottom left on this map. also what's up with the bottom right main using the hallucinated minerals buildable terrain trick on the gas geyser but not the top left. the mineral only in the middle of the map makes me sad to think about taking. this map is very competent but it doesnt get me excited

dimensionshed - this map is interesting, the curves are difficult to keep in my head and reason about. i think? i like the expansion layout. i'm not sure how i feel about this maximalist aesthetic that this and coral shallows have

disco pang pang - this is really interesting. i'm worried this map will be really hard for zerg in zvp, idk how zerg is supposed to attack. zerg can get a 3rd really safely but the 3rd seems even stronger for protoss

europa - hmm i notice a positional imbalance, idk how much it matters, but it's easier to defend the 24 mineral at the choke with a zealot on the bottom spawn. the mineral only bases make me sad. the pine tree doodads in the middle of the map are a nice touch. this looks fine but i am not excited about it

frostmourne - i am not into the layout idk

galactic empire - the natural is really hard for zerg to defend in all matchups. im not sure why, but this makes me think of old school maps from the 00s and i kind of like that. the layout is simple enough for me to understand but complex enough for me to think a lot about how it might work.

gale - nothing about this map really sticks out to me as super notable. i noticed that the 2'o'clock and 8'o'clock bases are hard to pylon wall for pvt

gambit - this is really interesting and i like it a lot

kick flip / double decker - im not super excited about this but it's competent. could use some better visual clarity on which lowground parts are buildable and which arent. i dont think i like the expansion layout, it doesnt feel like i have a lot of choices on how to play

laputa - idk what to make of an island map tbh, might be cool

lightning whirlwind - all the spinning doodads are distracting. i like the shape of the natural. feels hard to take a 3rd base in zvp. i like all the paths around the map

molecule - this map seems interesting. i am a little worried about how many proxy locations there are? thank you for making the protoss natural wall locations really obvious.

neptune - the expansions all feel really exposed. i feel like zerg will struggle in zvp, and protoss will struggle in pvt. i am very curious if tassadar/zerutals will be mind controlled on this map, they have so much health and damage.

pella - i find the concept very interesting. i dont know how zerg will stop vulture runby on this map, seems like it will be a problem

plan b - very interesting concept. i think those 4 bases in the center of the map will be very very difficult to hold. i feel like whoever is winning will have those bases. the mineral only bases seem worthless to me. i would like to see less empty space on this map

ragefire chasm - this map is difficult for me to evaluate. the natural reminds me of revolver. revolver was deceptive, when i first saw it, i thought "it will be hard to defend", but then it turned out to be very hard to attack on revolver. i don't know if this will be similar. but right now i look at it, and i think it looks very difficult for terran to defend the natural in pvt. as zerg, i dont know where i would put my sunkens in any matchup. i also dont know where i should be taking my third as zerg, there doesn't seem to be a good third for z also, the walkable lava terrain behind the natural is really hard to see.

red eagle - i like this map a lot actually. i like the starting location sprite. i am not certain but it seems like top left's natural choke is bigger than the bottom right?

reflections - i really like this, i'm lacking in anything to say about it beyond that

sandslash - i actually like this map a lot. entrance from main -> natural seems kind of big. the mid right / mid left expos feel kind of weak, very exposed and also surrounded by high ground so you cant see air units coming. maybe want some parts of the main that aren't surrounded by high ground

scarabee - im not very excited about this. it seems like all the potential 3rd bases for zerg in zvp are very weak

sea breeze - i like the middle of this map. this third gas base seems really good for terran and very poor for zerg, especially zvp. im not sure where im supposed to put my 1st overlord in zvt. would be nice if the town hall in the main was moved a little bit farther back into the main imo, more space for buildings. the mineral onlys make me sad.

silent storm / dragon's lair - yo i wasnt too excited about the old version but i like this new update a lot! this layout is very interesting. minor thing: some of the rocky ground tiles are buildable when i expected them to not be

steel dominion - theres something very weird about this map that i cant wrap my brain around. i feel like the 4 center bases will be really hard to use.

super nova - i like this a lot. this seems really neat with the fast 3 bases. i find it interesting that this map was labeled standard when it seems a bit different with the narrow natural choke and the backdoor mineral only. i worry about long stalemate tvt games here, hopefully the center base helps with that. i wonder if it would be an improvement to remove some of the cliffs at the north/south side of the main to better see drops/recall coming.

typhon - this map is weird and i like it. i dont know how much use the neutral creep will be. i dont understand what the 0 mineral stack at the 3rd does since the worker can just slide through like on Plasma.

winter solstice - idk how to wall the top natural pvz. bottom natural has a bunch of unbuildable tiles where i cant put cannons? also whats up with having 6 mineral only bases

Защитная Технология - the center path is an interesting concept and i like it. kind of reminds me of hitchhiker but less extreme. some of the tile editing on this is like too much. im not so sure about this whole miss chance zone thing

cataclysm - crashes for me so i didnt get to try it but it looks really interesting in the picture

dark vengeance - i like this. the bottom natural seems a lot easier to wall for every matchup. hmmm mind controlling yggdrasil is really interesting. i'm not sure how this will play. i do wonder if Z could use some tricks for this map to make up for the yggdrasil

elquiness - i cant notice anything bad about it but it doesnt make me excited to play it for whatever reason. i wonder if protoss air will be too strong here

lambda - this asymmetry in the middle is neat. im not really sure about the statis cell + mineral only setup. my scouting worker got caught on them which is annoying

ringing stream - i'm not really sure what to think about this map. small thing: you can place buildings on the ramp to the top main? which is very strange?

sand gate - really interesting, overall i like this map. idk how much the difference in minerals in the backdoor mineral patches will matter but one spawn has 128 and another has 352, seems like an issue since zerg will be able to place a 300 mienral hatchery mainly for just production and get that 352.

sky bridge / kamar taj - i like this a lot!! i wish it was easier to see that the grass in the middle is unbuildable

stratholme - this is really interesting. i do not know what to make of the balance of this map and i am very curious to see how it will work out

treachery - i like this layout a lot. i wish it was easier to see which parts of the highground purple ground are buildable

turbine - i remember seeing an earlier version of this and watching some games on it. i like the changes from the version i remember. but i will say that i dont like these center mineral-onlys, they dont seem fun or interesting to me