Our submissions have ended for BroodWarMaps.net's first map contest of 2021! Here are all of the submissions we received for the New Worlds Map Contest #1!
Please let us know your top 8 and why!
*Please note that the top 8 selected maps will be given 2 weeks to make modifications and polish the maps up, so all input is appreciated.
Mappers, please feel free to upload map updates on this thread!
A friendly reminder, please consider DONATING to our prize pools for this contest!
Prize Pools: To encourage newer mappers to indulge, we will be splitting the prize pool up to award the 'best new mapper'!
1.) Map Contest (Mapper prize pool): + + Donate Here + + - 80% of the prize pool will go to the first place winner. - 20% of the prize pool will go to the winner of the best "new mapper"*.
2.) Map Test Tournaments (Players prize pool): + + Donate Here + + - Each map test tournament will be worth 25% of the Map Test Matcherino prize pool. Total Pool divided by four map test tournaments.
*new mapper = Has not had a map featured in major leagues or tournaments. Non-veteran map maker.
so many amazing ones.. both conceptually and aestethically.. I'm going to think about it and go for my 5 favourite ones that would maybe, actually, kinda work at the competitive level (imo), and post the list tomorrow
thanks for all the contributions, this is great stuff
Mystery Box - games at 3rd taking 4th will be quite interesting for engagements/holds/play. CharacteR - can see some interesting aggression with wide open chokes similar to how Tau Cross had at times. Wavelet - it just looks sexy hands down! Chandelier - more aggression in regards to third expo holds Belt of Faith - obvious reasons The Dark Knight - batman gets instant pass Largo - looks fun Abyss of Remains - two great tilesets
Static - looks clean and the open areas are interesting Mystery Box - circuit breaker's mysterious cousin Goodnight - looks cool and I like the 3rds a lot Wavelet - I feel like the spawn possibilities will create wildly different games Chandelier - interesting 3rds that look hard to hold Carver - the terrain design is incredible and it looks fairly balanced Largo - looks balanced and clean Oil Flow - style points for destructible terrain creativity
Wonderful map submissions. 34 in total I believe. And I think we have 7 veteran mappers and 10 relatively new mappers (some newer than others). In any event, I spent hours today reviewing and thinking about all the maps above. Here are my two cents for what it's worth. CrystalDrag encouraged me to speak on my preferences in order promote further discussion so here I go!
Basically, I prefer new map layouts that share similarities to popularly preferred maps featured in recent ladder pools. Wavelet for example is very similar to Circuit Breakers which is no longer featured in the ladder pool or in other major leagues right now (unless I am mistaken), thus making it a refreshingly new albeit familiar map candidate for game play today.
My map preferences are rooted in my experiences of discussing new maps with players of all ranks, including top tier foreigners who have participated in our events. I have hosted over 400 showmatches, and many of them have featured newer/different maps. I typically ask players to provide feedback about their experiences on such maps so I have collected some information about players' preferences over time.
I believe high ranking foreign players want to adapt their builds/strats on new maps with relative ease, and not have to worry about too many new map features or variables 'getting in the way'. There are already a lot of variables unrelated to map features that players have to keep an eye out for so in my experience they don't like too many new features in a map.
Top players are used to laddering every single day on a handful of maps repeatedly, and they prefer certain ladder maps over others, and those maps are usually perceived by them to be more standard/comfortable/balanced than other ones. Terrans and to a lesser extent Zergs are more picky when it comes to maps than Protoss players in my experience.
In this connection, I think thirds should be relatively easy to take and include a geyser (where it makes sense to do so) but not be overly exposed. Pathing around map shouldn't be overly complicated and so easy for players to understand but not too boring to not create different rewards/risks. Rushing distances should be very similar to other popular maps, allowing Terrans to do their timing pushes, but not too short to create problems. Inside border areas of main bases should not be too large that they can't be defended against Protoss drops with turret rings. Boostable mineral patches for Zerg are important. Enough space behind natural mineral lines for mutas to harass Terran scvs are also another factor. Of course, at this stage of the contest, some of these points may not be that relevant or important.
As a result of playing on ladder maps countless of times, ladder map layouts have been ingrained in the back of players' minds, and so they have less difficulty producing good games on such maps. Newer maps always present the problem of being foreign and new to players, and they struggle a bit more adapting to them in the limited number of games they play on such maps (because they are imposed in certain tournaments or events). But I think if a new map is relatively simple and similar to pre-existing maps in some ways, players will be able to adapt and perform better on them.
Sorry if this sounds a lot like backseat mapping. I just wanted to participate in and contribute to the public discussions.
Here's a list of maps that I like more (in no particular order).
I wish there was links for download those maps. Idk how to analyze it for balance wise, only can tell which maps looks cool or not for me. 1) (2)Static 2) (2)Eurydice 1.13 3) (2)Clock Strikes 1.1 4) (4)Wavelet 5) (2)Chandelier 6) (2)The Belt of Faith or (2)Pearl both maps looks like has some interesting concept 7) (4)Abyss of Remains 0.92 8) (2)Midnight_Crossing
On April 13 2021 14:25 Dewaltoss wrote: I wish there was links for download those maps. Idk how to analyze it for balance wise, only can tell which maps looks cool or not for me. 1) (2)Static 2) (2)Eurydice 1.13 3) (2)Clock Strikes 1.1 4) (4)Wavelet 5) (2)Chandelier 6) (2)The Belt of Faith or (2)Pearl both maps looks like has some interesting concept 7) (4)Abyss of Remains 0.92 8) (2)Midnight_Crossing
I like more maps than just these eight, and I picked rather haphazardly. Good job on these maps, dudes, even ones I didn't mention. Anyway, here are my picks. Also, I haven't ordered my picks.
Oil flow: What a 9000 IQ map for geniuses. Yikes. I could play on this for years. It is a macro map because people will take lots of bases, but every one of those bases is very harassable. There are also many paths to counter attack and maneouvre against a slower enemy. First I thought that this map would be Zerg favoured in ZvP, because every Protoss base is severely harassable or counter attackable, while Zerg easily takes a new main's natural as a third. The egg paths to the naturals, I thought, only favour Zerg with lings everywhere, because Zerg can easily send zerglings everywhere, while defending against any Protoss attempt to use those paths with sunkens and lurkers. However, if the Protoss can stand there, then he can storm the mineral line from the egg path, letting him use it, too. If the Zerg takes any other base, then the Protoss can threaten it during the midgame, because the other bases are all easy to attack, making a new natural the only option for a turtle style Zerg. Still, consider making the ramp by the egg path wider, in case the map turns out imbalanced, so that Protoss can use it better in PvZ. The concept is good because it allows a Protoss ball to threaten any base on the map, while zergling mobility is also effective.
In TvP on the map, no third base is easy to take for Terran, but every expansion is severely harassable, leading to fun aggressive play instead of turtle play.
Macro, harassment, and counter attack maneouvres.
Eurydice: PvT: No easy third base for Terran, but every base is severely harassable except for the corner bases, which can be delayed by sniping probes trying to build them. Also dropships to use the pylon walls can work if the Protoss loses his shuttles. Fun stuff. ZvP: A big ball can run around and threaten every expansion, except for the corner bases. Looks balanced and playable for Protoss. In TvZ it's pretty good for Terran but the easy third base that allows for sunkens to immediately defend the narrow entrance makes up for the lack of a free fourth gas.
Harassment and counter attack maneouvres.
Augustgrad: This map might be Terran favoured, but it looks like a lot of fun, so I want to play on it anyway. It's the most massive macro map, but with some interesting traits. If the enemy spawns vertically to you, you can split the map by crawling in one direction and taking expansions as you go. If he starts horizontally, you might have to take the middle, as your fourth, which gives two bases, or you could expand toward the enemy for a strong all in. It's also very open, so even though Terran can get many bases, Protoss can use the psi advantage well which they usually get in the modern style. Also the third base has no gas. So it's probably fine.
In ZvT, late mech switches will be strong. The fifth gas bases and on are all vulture harassable because they have more than one entrance, or they exist in the middle which make them unviable for Zerg.
Protoss I think can play this against Zerg, because while Zerg gets four bases for free, Protoss can expand like a Terran in this match up, and get many easy bases, while preventing a fifth over and over.
Pure macro, as far as it can be taken without extra resources in the main, and a dash of counter attack maneouvres with the middle having some walls.
Clock Strikes: An other big brain map. Every base is very harassable in every match up. Every race can harass. Taking a third starts out doable as Terran against Protoss, but quickly becomes difficult to hold as the game goes on against storm drops. An interesting mixture of macro and harassment, instead of going hard in one direction like some other of my picks. On this map, bases can be taken, but also harassed.
Harassment, counter attack maneouvres, but a little bit of macro too because a fast third base is actually viable.
Wavelet: A standard macro map. Not crazy macro like Augustgrad, just normal levels of macro. Every map pool can have a standard map or two, and this one has an appealing apperance, so I like it. That may be shallow of me. I don't know why I am drawn to this map.
Macro and counter attack maneouvres, but slightly less of both compared to Polypoid, which allows four bases, but even more paths. A tempered map that doesn't go crazy in any direction.
The Dark Knight: An other map that I admittedly noticed because of its aesthetics. However, it's also interesting. In vertical positions, Terran can expand in one direction to split the map, while there's still decent terrain to maneouvre against the mech ball and to counter attack. Terran has to spread out to expand. In horizontal positions, Terran struggles to split the map in the late game, but can expand toward the enemy, allowing for a strong early lategame all in.
As far as four player macro maps go, this is one of the better ones for Protoss against Zerg, I think, because of the four somewhat easy bases that Protoss can take. It's not as Protoss favoured in ZvP as a map like Bloody Ridge or Blue Storm (they didn't start out that way but later statistics validated this claim, and I always picked them when I played Protoss in tournaments and did well PvZ), but we probably don't want to help out Protoss that much. 50% wins for P is the goal, not 55 to 60.
Heavy macro with some counter attack maneouvres.
Vertebrae This map has an interesting expansion layout, and there's more than one valid choice for which fourth base to take. Every race can take bases decently well, and every race can threaten bases of other races decently well. It has a bit of macro, maneouvering, and harassment; Zerg gets a third base for free with immediate sunkens on the ramp, Terran has a third base takaeble somewhat early. However, many of the bases that must eventually be taken are harassable because they can not be walled off. There are also many paths to counter attack and walk around a slower enemy through. It doesn't look flashy but it's one of the most interesting maps.
A balance of all three
Trinity
I originally picked Turbine, but changed my mind to Trinity after noticing and reconsidering it, which is made by the same creator. Four bases with one entrance, but one of them is an island. That's an interesting concept. It's good for Terran, but makes arbiters and recalls oppressive.
Macro and a dash of counter attacks (by air). Also harassment (by air) because of the large mains.
Turbine Three easy bases, but the third one has no gas. The terrain is good for mech, but it's also a great carrier map, especially considering the lack of centre buildable terrain and gas on the third base. Being a three player map is bad for Terran, but four bases are takeable in quite a small area. Zerg can take plenty of bases protected by ramps, and taking a new main as a third really gives a free fourth. The bases are difficult for Protoss to threaten, but Protoss can keep up in expansions. This might be a corsair reaver map.
In case viewers and more importantly commentators aren't aware, the maps that will be selected to go onto the next stage (8 maps) and then after that, the finalist four maps, will all be revised/edited by their authors. So your feedback/comments/reviews are very important. Mappers are also providing each other with feedback and constructive criticism. So please take this into consideration if you are debating whether or not to comment and when you are providing feedback.
We're going to apply to esports.fund for matching funds for our map test prize pool which will solely go to top foreign players who will test the finalist maps in separate tournaments.
If you have any dollars you can contribute to this prize pool, we would greatly appreciate it. Whatever funds we can gather before we apply for a grant, can potentially be doubled afterwards. This event will create four separate tournaments with many top tier foreign players competing in bo5s/bo7s. Please consider financially supporting the foreign mapping and player communities! The games will be casted in the future. The finalist maps, if deemed worthy, may be adopted in different foreign leagues/events (and submitted to ASL map contests in the future).
On April 13 2021 08:07 FT.aCt)Sony wrote: Abyss of Remains - two great tilesets
1 great tileset that's all from the Twilight tileset. But I know what you mean. Gives the Eclipse vibe, where both sides look different. I remember a clan mate once saying he likes how Eclipse is Jungle and Space, but it's actually all Badlands. These maps seem to astound people a lot, which is cool.
On April 13 2021 08:07 FT.aCt)Sony wrote: Abyss of Remains - two great tilesets
1 great tileset that's all from the Twilight tileset. But I know what you means. Gives the Eclipse vibe, where both sides look different. I remember a clan mate once saying he likes how Eclipse is Jungle and Space, but it's actually all Badlands. These maps seem to astound people a lot, which is cool.
Yeah this misconception happens a lot. A map can only be 1 tileset. I guess it’s not obvious unless you make maps.
On April 13 2021 08:07 FT.aCt)Sony wrote: Abyss of Remains - two great tilesets
1 great tileset that's all from the Twilight tileset. But I know what you means. Gives the Eclipse vibe, where both sides look different. I remember a clan mate once saying he likes how Eclipse is Jungle and Space, but it's actually all Badlands. These maps seem to astound people a lot, which is cool.
Yeah this misconception happens a lot. A map can only be 1 tileset. I guess it’s not obvious unless you make maps.
Eclipse has two subtilesets (subsections of a tileset). A subtileset is also a tileset. So actually it has two tilesets. Kappa.
On April 13 2021 08:07 FT.aCt)Sony wrote: Abyss of Remains - two great tilesets
1 great tileset that's all from the Twilight tileset. But I know what you mean. Gives the Eclipse vibe, where both sides look different. I remember a clan mate once saying he likes how Eclipse is Jungle and Space, but it's actually all Badlands. These maps seem to astound people a lot, which is cool.
They also tend to get labelled wrong in liquipedia or tlpd…
I'd like to remind new and old viewers of this thread that this a standard map contest, please select maps that are as standard as possible (the words '1st edition' in the map contest title were originally 'Standard Edition', thus indicating the main requirement and focus of the competition). Future map contests will focus on more experimental maps. However, there may be cases where a quasi-experimental map compensates for its sub-standard nature by making up for it in other ways, thus leading one to favor it over a more standard map, provided it does not deviate too much from our standard requirement.
It may also be worth paying a little attention to the authors of maps in selecting your final 8 or 4. For example, why select two or three maps by the same person to be in the final four when some of those slots could go to a different map maker? Collaborated maps also present opportunities to reward two mappers with a single slot. In my top four list example, I basically got two birds (two mappers) with one stone (one slot) by selecting Wavelet (by Freakling & crystal drag) or midnight crossing (by minerals & stylezerg) or sanctuary (by JungleTerrain & Minerals). This approach could also inform map selections (on top of the more important standard focus).
Is Pearl considered standard? It would be among my votes if so. I guess it is since it's here but at the same time, it's not really conventional for a standard map.
Pearl - My personal favorite, the middle is a standard battleground but it's all about using the outer edge to your advantage. Few small ramps to allow units to move in and out. I like that this doesn't have too many expansions, it helps concentrate the attention of the battle to the center of the map while making players work for the extra advantage of the outer bases. Your scouting needs to be good to not get caught off guard by drops that could easily go undetected while traveling on the edges.
Bridging the Gap - Nice standard map with many unique touches to make it interesting. The decoration is really unique and the vision blockers help make this interesting to play. Might be frustrating to some but I think exploring these concepts are necessary to break the staleness of most standard maps.
Chandelier - Nice layout and exceptional decoration. Haven't tried playing a real game on it yet but I really like what I've seen.
Carver - Standard layout but with a nice few tweaks and also with exceptional decoration.
Sanctuary - Standard layout with an interesting choice for the expanding direction. Both directions are viable for the 3rd base allowing a choice based on the necessity of gas, or adapting to the spawn position of the enemy. I like the flow between every expansion which makes it great for macro oriented games (if you can effectively defend every bridges/ramps, that is). Every expansions are still open enough for aggression which, I think, would lead to fun back and forth games. As an attacker, if you can take control of the ramps in between the 3rds and 4ths, this could lead to devastating losses for the defender. On the other hand, being able to defend that position leads to both the 3rd and 4th being safe with the natural being potentially open for aggression with the small bridge allowing army movement. I don't know, but this seems like a well thought out map and I like it a lot.
Eurydice - I like the layout of this. The 3rd base is interesting for possibilities of attack (drops) and defense (tanks behind the minerals?). There's an asymmetry in the decoration between the top right and bottom left. A nice little touch. I almost wish this was a 3 or 4 players map instead but I think the extra bases makes this a proper map for 2 players.
Mystery Box - The lack of decoration makes this seem a little amateurish but the overall layout is where it shines in my opinion. This is like a much better version of Circuit Breakers and is really fun to play. Late game TvZ is fun on this one.
Trinity - I love this map for the island expansion overlooking the 3rd mineral-only base. You are almost forced to expand there if you want to take the mineral-only or you leave yourself too exposed to drops on the island. On the other hand, you can expand the other way but the bases are further so you have to choose the proper approach depending on the matchup and spawn positions. I like these kind of maps that force you to not play too standard or you could lose to the proper aggression. Leads to creative games, in my opinion.
Almost every map was considered for my top 8, all of them are good and interesting. Shootout to Freakling for the super cool concept on Cellular Automaton.
Thanks to everyone, I love having new maps to play. You guys are really talented.
On April 15 2021 00:40 Essbee wrote: Is Pearl considered standard? It would be among my votes if so. I guess it is since it's here but at the same time, it's not really conventional for a standard map.
Some of these entries are not on our 'standard' list. Some examples would be Gold Treasure, Pearl, Midnight_Crossing. Though these maps may be awesome, the goal of this contest was to introduce the next FS, CB, Polypoid, Sylphid' into the scene.
* edit * A standard map should be comfortable to play on even if you didn't see the map preview. Wall ins intuitive, game play natural feeling.
On April 15 2021 00:40 Essbee wrote: Is Pearl considered standard? It would be among my votes if so. I guess it is since it's here but at the same time, it's not really conventional for a standard map.
Some of these entries are not on our 'standard' list. Some examples would be Gold Treasure, Pearl, Midnight_Crossing. Though these maps may be awesome, the goal of this contest was to introduce the next FS, CB, Polypoid, Sylphid' into the scene.
Oh, I see. Should I remove it from my top 8 and keep it for the "experimental" part of the contest?
Trinity - I love this map for the island expansion overlooking the 3rd mineral-only base. You are almost forced to expand there if you want to take the mineral-only or you leave yourself too exposed to drops on the island. On the other hand, you can expand the other way but the bases are further so you have to choose the proper approach depending on the matchup and spawn positions. I like these kind of maps that force you to not play too standard or you could lose to the proper aggression. Leads to creative games, in my opinion.
Almost every map was considered for my top 8, all of them are good and interesting. Shootout to Freakling for the super cool concept on Cellular Automaton.
Thanks to everyone, I love having new maps to play. You guys are really talented.
I missed Trinity the first time. Your post made me look at it again. It looks great. Four somewhat easy bases for Terran, but carriers will be oppressive. Interesting map.
On April 15 2021 00:40 Essbee wrote: Is Pearl considered standard? It would be among my votes if so. I guess it is since it's here but at the same time, it's not really conventional for a standard map.
Some of these entries are not on our 'standard' list. Some examples would be Gold Treasure, Pearl, Midnight_Crossing. Though these maps may be awesome, the goal of this contest was to introduce the next FS, CB, Polypoid, Sylphid' into the scene.
* edit * A standard map should be comfortable to play on even if you didn't see the map preview. Wall ins intuitive, game play natural feeling.
Isn't Midnight Crossing more standard than say Turbine though? I'd say maps that have a backdoor expansion or second expansion inside the main are always considered less standard / normal than maps don't (provided those maps that don't also have other standard/normal features). Many people veto Ringing Bloom for example but also accepted it more after it received a geyser at the third.
On April 15 2021 00:40 Essbee wrote: Is Pearl considered standard? It would be among my votes if so. I guess it is since it's here but at the same time, it's not really conventional for a standard map.
Some of these entries are not on our 'standard' list. Some examples would be Gold Treasure, Pearl, Midnight_Crossing. Though these maps may be awesome, the goal of this contest was to introduce the next FS, CB, Polypoid, Sylphid' into the scene.
* edit * A standard map should be comfortable to play on even if you didn't see the map preview. Wall ins intuitive, game play natural feeling.
Isn't Midnight Crossing more standard than say Turbine though? I'd say maps that have a backdoor expansion or second expansion inside the main are always considered less standard / normal than maps don't (provided those maps that don't also have other standard/normal features). Many people veto Ringing Bloom for example but also accepted it more after it received a geyser at the third.
I think that Turbine is standard enough. An inside expansion isn't that weird.
On April 15 2021 00:40 Essbee wrote: Is Pearl considered standard? It would be among my votes if so. I guess it is since it's here but at the same time, it's not really conventional for a standard map.
Some of these entries are not on our 'standard' list. Some examples would be Gold Treasure, Pearl, Midnight_Crossing. Though these maps may be awesome, the goal of this contest was to introduce the next FS, CB, Polypoid, Sylphid' into the scene.
* edit * A standard map should be comfortable to play on even if you didn't see the map preview. Wall ins intuitive, game play natural feeling.
Isn't Midnight Crossing more standard than say Turbine though? I'd say maps that have a backdoor expansion or inside main expansion are always considered less standard / normal than maps don't (provided those maps that don't also have other standard/normal features). Many people veto Ringing Bloom for example but also accepted it more after it received a geyser at the third.
The difference between the two is that one map has a wide open playing field, and the other is definitely split with multiple routes right off the bat. Lots of backdoor counter opportunities with Midnight_Crossing; where as a Terran's main army can push on one route and more mobile armies can easily and safely run around the army to counter.
Turbine and Midnight_Crossing could probably equally be defined as borderline experimental.
There are also classic standard maps that have inbase / backdoor naturals. Andromeda and Crossing Field to name two.
Thanks for the explanation. Again, I'm not trying to backseat map here guys, but participating in the contest as a viewer and voter. And well Midnight Crossing is one of my horses in the race. I think it is more standard than many of the maps submitted. It seems to be a solid two player map, with a safe third (and maybe fourth?) for both players, and four interesting pathing routes in the centre, with large enough spaces for big armies to move around, and a high ground in the middle path of the centre. Only Dewalt and I have selected that map as a potential candidate so far
I'd still be happy though (as a fan!) if Midnight Crossing gets eliminated but Sanctuary, Wavelet, and two other standardish maps get through.
It would also be nice if one person who is already an author of a selected (e.g., CrystalDrag or Freakling who created Wavelet together) doesn't get another map chosen by them and instead any open slots go to one author or two co-authors whose map has not been selected yet. This gives more people a chance to stay in the race and/or get their maps tested in tournaments. There is no rule around ensuring you all end up with four finalist maps by different authors, but perhaps this can be considered by voters, judges, players, etc. as something nice to do. Personally I'm a fan of extending opportunities and benefits to as many people as possible (hence our BBT 12-person round-robin format, prize system and community casting).
On April 15 2021 00:40 Essbee wrote: Is Pearl considered standard? It would be among my votes if so. I guess it is since it's here but at the same time, it's not really conventional for a standard map.
Pearl should probably not be considered standard. Neither, probably, is Belt of Faith, between its centre lock up functionality, main backdoor and overly hard 3rd gas choices. Gold Treasure would only be standard without all the extra resources and neutral blocks.
My guess is that Pearl is very Zerg favoured, particularly in ZvT, due to both the main and nat being floating. Think about Tres Pass as an example, or Pathfinder, which probably isn't too viable in today's 2-Hatch-Muta meta either any more.
I ilke Pearl a lot, though, and air-exposure issues aside it looks like you could probably employ most standard builds quite successfully on it. I just don't think it is quite the sort of thing Ox meant when he called for a standard map competition.
My picks are (in no particular order save for the size):
(2)Eurydice - it gives me the vibes of an oldschool map, but with a modern expansion pattern (2)Clock Strikes - interesting layout of the ridges (2)Midnight_Crossing - borderline standard, the middle is split in a cool way (3)Turbine - same as above (3)Tundra - it's beautiful and as standard as it gets ;-) (4)Wavelet - modified CB, not bad (4)Sanctuary - looks a bit like a combination of FS and Poli, that's standard enough :-P (4)Adun - unusual layout, but still fairly standard; wonder how things will play out on it
edit: Originally voted for Oil Flow, but while a cool concept, it's not really standard. Neither is Turbine, but there were only two 3p maps that I really liked.
As a bonus, 9 maps that dont make the final 4 in this contest (which will be play tested in separate tournaments), I will feature those 9 maps in a 9-game live showmatch between two top foreign players, or two such showmatches, in the future
On April 15 2021 05:55 ox.tQ wrote: As a bonus, 9 maps that dont make the final 4 in this contest (which will be play tested in separate tournaments), I will feature those 9 maps in a 9-game live showmatch between two top foreign players, or two such showmatches, in the future
Okay so here are my picks (in no particular order) --->
- (2)Static [by CharacteR]
Very nice, dynamic (hehe..) 2 player map. There are lot of paths to take, which I love in any map, and it does not look like unit control would get clunky at all, since all of the ramps and bridges are really big/wide. Super standard and I feel like it can be used in any competitive tournament with success.
- (2)Eurydice 1.13 [by CrystalDrag]
Aesthetically beautiful map. With a lot of paths to take, again (both in the middle of the map and on the outskirts). I don't really get the purpose of the back alley going out of the natural.. but I kinda like it. May be used to glitch a unit through the minerals, and make a surprise harrass and/or proxy something there. I like it.
- (4)Wavelet [by Freakling + CrystalDrag]
I get strong Circuit Breaker mixed with reversed version of Grand Line with small changes from this one. Extremely standard, extremely good looking map. Nothing more needs to be said about it, I think. Would love to see it being tried out in some tournament play. Future BSL pick maybe?
- (2)Chandelier [by Gosomi]
Aesthetically pleasing, super non-controversial map. I especially like the elevated paths that are leading to the "natural" 3rd base. Would make for some interesting plays, I feel like. Good stuff.
- (2)Vertebrae [by HeMsK]
Standardish map with a little bit of spice added to it with these ramps and walls going through the middle. Feels like a strong carrier map but I don't think it would be super imbalanced in tournament play. Very interesting map, indeed.
- (4)Serenity [by Minerals]
Probably the most standard looking map I've picked. I don't think alot of players, if any, would complain if this was added to the ladder map pool even. Great map to phase out the old and overplayed to the maximum dinosaurs like FS/CB, I think. Very easy on the unit movement, so I think it's one of the most if not the most noob friendly one from the pack.
- (3)Tundra [StyleZerg + Freakling]
This has to be one of the, if not THE most beautiful BW map I've ever seen.. Wow.. just wow. Absolutely amazing aesthetics. And I love the usage of ice, especially. It's standard but with a little bit of interesting high-low ground action on the outskirts. Feels like a very strong macro map. This is my favourite one from them all. Never understood the snow tileset problem that many players have, since I never had any problems with looking at snow in BW both from player and viewer perspective. If many players would complain, however, I think some changes can be made that still preserve the beauty of it while getting rid of the pesky snow a bit. Absolute banger of a map. Would love to see some games on it. 10/10
- (4)Oil Flow [StyleZerg + Freakling]
Extremely cool looking map with some incredibly sick play potential. The most "experimental" from all my picks. I think it would provide for us with some sweet BW insanity, especially if the game gets to the middle/late stages and all or at least most of the paths are open. Intense stuff and I love it.
You're the man M3t4PhYzX , thank you kindly for your interest and extensive feedback and praise of various maps. I am certain those encouraging words go a long way toward rewarding and making mappers feel appreciated and motivated to continue mapping.
On April 15 2021 06:47 M3t4PhYzX wrote: Okay so here are my picks (in no particular order) --->
- (2)Static [by CharacteR]
Very nice, dynamic (hehe..) 2 player map. There are lot of paths to take, which I love in any map, and it does not look like unit control would get clunky at all, since all of the ramps and bridges are really big/wide. Super standard and I feel like it can be used in any competitive tournament with success.
- (2)Eurydice 1.13 [by CrystalDrag]
Aesthetically beautiful map. With a lot of paths to take, again (both in the middle of the map and on the outskirts). I don't really get the purpose of the back alley going out of the natural.. but I kinda like it. May be used to glitch a unit through the minerals, and make a surprise harrass and/or proxy something there. I like it.
- (4)Wavelet [by Freakling + CrystalDrag]
I get strong Circuit Breaker mixed with reversed version of Grand Line with small changes from this one. Extremely standard, extremely good looking map. Nothing more needs to be said about it, I think. Would love to see it being tried out in some tournament play. Future BSL pick maybe?
- (2)Chandelier [by Gosomi]
Aesthetically pleasing, super non-controversial map. I especially like the elevated paths that are leading to the "natural" 3rd base. Would make for some interesting plays, I feel like. Good stuff.
- (2)Vertebrae [by HeMsK]
Standardish map with a little bit of spice added to it with these ramps and walls going through the middle. Feels like a strong carrier map but I don't think it would be super imbalanced in tournament play. Very interesting map, indeed.
- (4)Serenity [by Minerals]
Probably the most standard looking map I've picked. I don't think alot of players, if any, would complain if this was added to the ladder map pool even. Great map to phase out the old and overplayed to the maximum dinosaurs like FS/CB, I think. Very easy on the unit movement, so I think it's one of the most if not the most noob friendly one from the pack.
- (3)Tundra [StyleZerg + Freakling]
This has to be one of the, if not THE most beautiful BW map I've ever seen.. Wow.. just wow. Absolutely amazing aesthetics. And I love the usage of ice, especially. It's standard but with a little bit of interesting high-low ground action on the outskirts. Feels like a very strong macro map. This is my favourite one from them all. Never understood the snow tileset problem that many players have, since I never had any problems with looking at snow in BW both from player and viewer perspective. If many players would complain, however, I think some changes can be made that still preserve the beauty of it while getting rid of the pesky snow a bit. Absolute banger of a map. Would love to see some games on it. 10/10
- (4)Oil Flow [StyleZerg + Freakling]
Extremely cool looking map with some incredibly sick play potential. The most "experimental" from all my picks. I think it would provide for us with some sweet BW insanity, especially if the game gets to the middle/late stages and all or at least most of the paths are open. Intense stuff and I love it.
Thanks for the 3 links, I updated the archive with those missing maps (the download link is the same). If anyone has a copy of sanctuary, you can PM me the link and I'll add!
I played some fun games on Dodgy Dunes today, it was my favorite 2 player map so far.
I was asked to give my opinion on the maps so here is my top8, in no particular order:
static abyss of remains adun carver good night largo terraform wavelet
I havent played any games on these maps, but I did look over each of them in a replay. I chose based on what I as a player would most want to play on in tournaments, and avoided maps that had stuff like black tileset that I cant see lurkers on or see minimap features on, backdoor minerals/neutral buildings to kill or mine out, awkward pathing, naturals u cant wall on or are too small to fit a rally point in, super far/exposed 3rd or 4th base etc.
My favourites, excluding my own contributions, so far, going down the list:
Euridice: Just overall pretty straight forward, very solid 2p map that provides some distinct but not overly extreme path choices. The mineral wall expansion leading into a nat backdoor is an interesting knack that makes for some unusual options for scouting and harassing without being too much of a deviation from straight forward standard gameplay. Only thing I would probably change is given the 12/6 expos a bit more "character", making them overall less open without a clearly defined choke.
Clock Strikes: Interesting expansion layout with lots of harassment options. Maybe a bit too side focussed bilinear overall. Binging the clockwise 3rd closer/swapping it with the mineral only might be an options to provide players with a more comfortable 3rd gas.
Goodnight: I like the use of different terrain levels here. 3rds are relatively far away, but should be manageable, very comparable to Gladiator in fact. I liked the old "pipe" deco though
Terraform: Pure elegance of simplicity in the layout – for all positions shortest paths go through a low ground and a wider path is available on the central medium ground ring with lots of interconnection and flanking possibilities between those paths. I think the new addition of another Compound plateau in the centre actually takes away from this, particularly because it is so big that it leaves hardly any low ground remaining. Overlord spots scattered around the centre provide further character to the design. The use of Compound for the centre ring is also a neat and very modern idea. Unfortunately not all is hearts and flowers yet. The map has a long way to go to finish it. Basic terrain work is unfinished, decoration almost completely absent (in fact there is a lot of mono-tile spam that could rightly be called "anti-deco") and a look in the editor reveals some aberrations in symmetry. However, if all of that can be resolved I can see this giving HeMsK a run for his money and more.
Vertebrae: I liked this concept a lot from the first moment I saw it. Pretty simple, yet still distinct in design with a nice expansion layout. Great complements to HeMsK for really putting in the effort to perfect this map. There are still some bugs to fix and I would consider mixing up all the Structure clutter a bit, either with dirt cliffs and water, or using more varied textures. In particular I don't like using invincible critters to plug drop holes. Do not need to copy every bad precedence ASL map makers set. One can happen to accidentally click on them which can screw up all kinds of air unit movement/micro.
Sanctuary: Could become great. However, as I have been saying since the original Barzak was published, it would help rotational imbalance a lot it the layout could be tweaked to force the shortest scout paths through the tight bridges on both ends for all positions.
Turbine: I like seeing a 3p map with equal expansion opportunities in both directions. Very unfortunate how ASL treated this map.
Largo: Just overall solid, straight forward, good quality, as is to be expected from LatiAs. I feel like it should be included here, but at the same time I cannot help but feel that this is basically Bridging the Gap, only without any of the things that make the latter interesting and with further away, hard to take 3rds (being able to defend both chokes from one location might become handy in some situations though).
Some things I find worth noting about some of the other submissions:
Mystery Box, Serenity: I lump these two together because they have pretty much the same "issue": They are all pretty straight forward, basically solid, but simply lack the fine tweaking, level of detail and decoration that would make them stand out in any way.
Mayday: Similar to the above. There are some things about the layout that need to be fixed: First of the 3/9 o'clock bases are basically death traps that are impossible to defend with the huge high ground ramp surrounding them. I would separate the bases from the high ground, give them small, easily wallable entrances at the top and bottom, and move the high ground cliff further towards the centre to ensure he resource depot is out of Tank range. I would reduce the cliffs over the ramps at the 11/1/5/7 expos as well so Tanks cannot as easily cut off reinforcements on the low ground.
Static: Looks decent. The pathing looks more emergent than planned with the shortest rush/scouting path going through the mineral onlies and wide centre bridge. Maybe make the ramps from the mineral only to the centre small and instead widen the ramp to the low ground base, which should probably be a bit further away with its Geyser out of Tank range from the mineral only cliff. I would also shorten the centre bridge to make it visually less imposing.
Teknopathic: Still pretty raw in design. Somthing needs to be done with the empty spaces in the top left/bottom right corners for sure.
Angelmaker: Can't really see a clean line where this is going yet. Some nice ideas for deco though, but those need to be fleshed out a lot more.
Chandelier: Alright, it's standard. I don't like too straight forward, simple open middle designs for 2p maps though, kind of defeats the purpose of all the additional freedoms that 2p maps have to offer. Having a single obstacle in the centre also does not work so well for a 2p map because instead of one unambiguous scouting/rushing path there are two paths of about equal length now, one of which will be preferred by the game's pathfinding, effectively making the map asymmetrical. I also cannot help noticing that the real focus of the map doesn't seem to be so much on the layout but on a lot of "just because" terrain editing, starting with the Raised Jungle mains to the sprite spam clutter to the bridge-edged high ground, which does not take correct terrain levels into account and leads to erratic vision and miss chance around the cliff edges.
Carver: Shows an interesting solution to the above mentioned vision problems with the custom cliff edges (using High Ruins doodads instead of bridges). I see a pretty plain (almost all even ground) and standard map with some cool visual ideas. My only real quarrel is with the space management and expansion layout. A lot of space is "wasted" for dead air spaces, particularly around 12/6 while the expansions cluster together pretty closely. I would either go for more of a Polypoid layout with the mineral only against the mains and the neutral gas bases pushed back further toward the edge, move the mineral onlies to a more central position (examples: Shadowplay, Teru) or move the gas base closer to the nat with relocated ramps and other modifications that would space out the bases more evenly.
Scarabee: A bit of a let-down for me right now. This map started out quite promising, but I haven't seen any progress for a while now. Most of the ramps and other terrain work still leaves me rather confused and the decoration looks plain and straight-linish.
The Belt of Faith: Interesting design. I think this has too many integral "weird" elements to be considered a standard map in the sense of this competition, that allows players to for a normal build order relatively comfortable. Third gas choices are all very hard on this base, the best probably being out the main backdoor, taking the mineral only on the way or as a stepping stone. Contains at the front will be strong here (good thing there is a backdoor, I guess). I would move the ramp to the centre further away from the natural by a fair amount and make all of the high ground around it unbuildable. 4 mineral onlies on a 2p map is over the top, particularly with how hard securing another gas already is. Having two gas bases out the backdoor kinda pushes the pendulum the other way though, so I think the best solution would be to add Geysers to the centre expansions. The Assimilator gate will be a source of lots of very annoying pathing issues throughout the game, once it is closed. It would probably be a good idea to at least add some high HP neutral next to it that could be destroyed later on to reopen a path through the middle.
Pearl: 128² 2p map with only 5 bases/4 gas per player, and yet it does not look oversized, due to the floating mains and nats taking so much space. Again, not really within the realm of "reasonably standard". Again I basically like it, but I think it cannot be balanced. It's overall pretty similar to Tres Pass or Pathfinder and that's bad news in 2 Hatch Muta TvZ. It's probably gonna be even more Z>P>T with no good pushing possibilities, overwhelming air play and hard to take bases beyond the third. I don't like the high-ground-clutter-to-Rusty-Pit blends (or rather lack thereof) around the centre. I'd also get rid of all those mini mid ground ramp spots around the centre and on the outer circle. I am not sure whether they are meant to be decorative and the high ground is just happenstance or whether they are actually meant as a game play element, in which case they are pretty useless because you can only fit maybe 2 units on them, with appropriate micro and map knowledge. In either case I'd just get rid of them.
The Dark Knight: Stuff like this better belongs on city-themed UMS maps. It looks kind of blocky and meh close up. I guess fitting a deco theme like this into a melee map and get a basically functional result is somewhat of an accomplishment, but if I look beyond that the map is actually pretty plain with no usable high ground except for the small ridges into the 3rds (which cause paradoxical-seeming vision in turn) and otherwise minimalist terrain design. I also cannot help but notice that this is basically just a throw-away submission of a minimally updated rather old map, with the only thing that's changed being the ramp deco in the centre – which doesn't work because it introduces "random" high ground spots…
Trinity: I like the idea of 3p map with island expansions, but here it results in very hard to take 3rds. I think the way to do it is to have 2 half gas bases evenly spaced out between the nats (next to the main and in the current island positions) and then an island in the half-way position (where the ground 3rd currently is), The symmetry overall could be better, the air parameter for the mains seems very uneven in particular.
Adun: The new update improves on the symmetry problems. It looks as if the mineral onlies would still get in the way of unit movement between nat and counter clockwise 3rd a lot though. Otherwise this looks pretty solid albeit not terribly exciting (a unique theme with great decoration goes a long way to make an otherwise unremarkable standard map stand out and shine!)
Flying Battery: I like the idea of having a tight low ground path as the shortest rushing route on a 4p map. Unfortunately that's pretty much where it ends for me. The mains are oddly shaped and very uncomfortable, I guess to achieve a natural with a choke pointing to the side without using up too much perimeter space. This doesn't really work, however, since so much of the bulk of the main needs to be shifted to the other side and uses up the space there. Just a neat, mostly square main in the corner would probably make for the most efficient layout. With either layout I'd rather put the mineral only on the other side from the nat, further away from the 3rd, to achieve a more even spread of expos. There is a lot of "just because" terrain editing that doesn't serve the map well The doodad spam around the main edges looks way too blocky and everything in the centre somehow manages to look straight line bloppy, spammy and confusingly all over the place and haphazard at the same time. Some more subdued but better detailed ideas would be a lot better I think.
Abyss of Remains: Interesting layout. I'd consider adding an island base at 12/6 o'clock to make better use of that otherwise dead space (Eddy/Andromeda/Eye of the Storm-like). 3 expansions in a straight line along the left/right edges is way too much, should be reduced to two with proper separation and chokes. The idea for a half-and-half deco theme is there, but it still looks very raw and blocky and needs some work. I would "roughen up" the centre transition line a bit, having it just a perfectly straight line instead of a more gradual, chaotic transition (see Exlipse, for example) looks pretty bland.
Gold Treasure: Not standard. Get rid of the buildings and the extra resources and you end up with a pretty bland and boring CB/Toad Stone-like map with a centre that is way more restricted than would be required by the islands.
Midnight Crossing: Decent idea, but needs lots of refinements. Make it more organic, curving out the terrain around the expos, instead of everything just being straight lines. Also looks very turtly with the defender always having and advantage of both high ground and mobility. Needs a lot more unbuildable terrain on the high ground to stop Terrans from locking everything down with Depots and Turrets. It would probably help if there were more expansions on the central low ground areas to force players more out into the open.
Amazing maps. Hard to pick out the ones i want to play the most. I'm not sure what to look for when taking a quick look. In general i like two player maps, modern standard maps (not to complicated to play) and maps with interesting pathing.
The Belt of Faith Pearl Serenity Flying Battery Abyss of Remains Static Wavelet Cellular Automaton Chandelier Sanctuary
Some thoughts about my top four maps below. I am considering some factors that most people would not think too much about. But they help me come up with my list.
Wavelet -standard map, similar to CB, which is no longer in ladder or league map pools -co authored, by Freakling & CrystalDrag, gives two mappers one slot -veteran mappers, with active mentoring activities, and willing to edit/develop this map further (as necessary based on feedback/play testing). -4 spawning positions (important in relation to other maps chosen) -space tileset (important in relation to other maps chosen) - i am very confident in this map selection and it has received the most votes so far
Sanctuary -standardish map -co authored, by Minerals & JungleTerrain, gives two mappers one slot -veteran mappers, with active mentoring activities, and willing to edit/develop this map further -4 spawning positions (making it the second 4p map in my top 4 list now) -jungle tileset (different from tileset above) -there may be a few other maps that have a competitive edge over this map, but they don't take into consideration some of the smaller factors I have listed above which are important to me
Vertebrae -standardish map -single authored, by a new mapper, HeMsk -new mapper, active on BWMN discord, willing to edit/develop map further -most developed and complete new map -2 spawning positions (first 2p map in my top 4 list) -badlands tileset (different from tilesets above)
Fourth map undecided -Need to think about this. I would prefer to select one not authored by anyone listed above, and perhaps a 3p map, by mapper(s) who are active and willing to edit their map further as necessary (requirement of the contest) -I like Tundra by StyleZerg & Freakling, but the ice tileset is off putting to players in my opinion. -CrystalDrag's map GoodNight is nice but I already selected a map by him which also happens to be a space map -I really like Turbine but it's not a standard or standardish map, however interesting and well developed it is in my opinion -Maybe Bridging the Gap by Freakling & Stylezerg, 4p map, ash tileset.
Gosh this is so hard to pick and choose, while taking into account so many things!
We should also keep in mind that we will have a non-standard map contest in the near future. So maps that appear to be less standard, could be better top 4 candidates in the future.
On April 18 2021 15:35 Eidolonic wrote: Update to Terraform -> 0.37 Created additional elevation changes (middle) and broke up terrain throughout the map. Added more detail. Download
I think it looked much better without the middle high ground
On April 19 2021 04:45 ox.tQ wrote: Some thoughts about my top four maps below. I am considering some factors that most people would not think too much about. But they help me come up with my list.
Wavelet -standard map, similar to CB, which is no longer in ladder or league map pools -co authored, by Freakling & CrystalDrag, gives two mappers one slot -veteran mappers, with active mentoring activities, and willing to edit/develop this map further (as necessary based on feedback/play testing). -4 spawning positions (important in relation to other maps chosen) -space tileset (important in relation to other maps chosen) - i am very confident in this map selection and it has received the most votes so far
Sanctuary -standardish map -co authored, by Minerals & JungleTerrain, gives two mappers one slot -veteran mappers, with active mentoring activities, and willing to edit/develop this map further -4 spawning positions (making it the second 4p map in my top 4 list now) -jungle tileset (different from tileset above) -there may be a few other maps that have a competitive edge over this map, but they don't take into consideration some of the smaller factors I have listed above which are important to me
Vertebrae -standardish map -single authored, by a new mapper, HeMsk -new mapper, active on BWMN discord, willing to edit/develop map further -most developed and complete new map -2 spawning positions (first 2p map in my top 4 list) -badlands tileset (different from tilesets above)
Fourth map undecided -Need to think about this. I would prefer to select one not authored by anyone listed above, and perhaps a 3p map, by mapper(s) who are active and willing to edit their map further as necessary (requirement of the contest) -I like Tundra by StyleZerg & Freakling, but the ice tileset is off putting to players in my opinion. -CrystalDrag's map GoodNight is nice but I already selected a map by him which also happens to be a space map -I really like Turbine but it's not a standard or standardish map, however interesting and well developed it is in my opinion -Maybe Bridging the Gap by Freakling & Stylezerg, 4p map, ash tileset.
Gosh this is so hard to pick and choose, while taking into account so many things!
We should also keep in mind that we will have a non-standard map contest in the near future. So maps that appear to be less standard, could be better top 4 candidates in the future.
As for Tundra - you can always edit the snow from the middle + one of the expos and replace it with grass/dirt and leave one snowy natural so players will not complain about their delicate eyes getting hurt problem fixed!
Bridging the Gap is amazing, too.. yeah this is hard stuff, I don't envy your position with picking just four haha
Just to be clear it's not up to me. But we are trying to figure out an evaluation system so it can be repeated in future map contests. Input from TL users, high ranking players (those interested in participating in the play test tournaments or not), few individuals who volunteered to be judges, and map makers is very important, and perhaps they can all be weighted against each other, meaning they are all needed to balance each other out.
For example, some map makers are contestants in this contest, so there may be a slight conflict of interest there (whether real or perceived), especially if they list their own maps as candidates or those of their collaborators or acquaintances. Meanwhile, players sometimes arbitrarily select maps without giving those maps much thought or they select maps they think will be good for them (given their races or styles). Their feedback on maps after play testing can also be problematic for similar reasons. A bad experience or loss may result in a less thought out and unbiased opinion. At the same time, TL users could randomly list maps that 'look nice' without giving more thought to how high ranking players would react to such maps on first glance or how those maps would play out in very high skilled games. Nevertheless, the submissions are all pretty good and I am sure we can figure out a democratic, systematic and transparent system to make things work.
I will do a stream tonight where I go through all the maps and pick my favourites. Tune in around 22:00 CET if you want to share the experience with me!
I will do a stream tonight where I go through all the maps and pick my favourites. Tune in around 22:00 CET if you want to share the experience with me!
I will do a stream tonight where I go through all the maps and pick my favourites. Tune in around 22:00 CET if you want to share the experience with me!
In no particular order. Wavelet Goodnight Turbine Terraform Vertebrae Bridging the Gap Sanctuary Eurydice
Static and Tundra were high up in my list. I actually had to flip a coin between Tundra and Eurydice. :l Very impressed with everyone who came out of the wood works for this event.
One of my favorite submissions for this contest was Pearl, but unfortunately we couldn't fit it into our criteria of what we are looking for this go-around.
I will do a stream tonight where I go through all the maps and pick my favourites. Tune in around 22:00 CET if you want to share the experience with me!
-Main size reduced. -Turret space behind mineral lines added -Natural now completely wall-able. -Thirds in corners reorganized. -Semi-islands now have standard entrances, with same exposed minerals at cliff. -Thirds at 4 and 8 path to previous semi-islands removed, now single ramp third. -Additional bases near the center of the map for late-game purposes.
-Buildings can be re-added back to make semi-island bases again. -Decoration and tilework unfinished
I trolled through the thread and updated all the maps to the current versions. Grab the new pack from the OP! I recommend deleting the old folder and replacing with this new pack.
Hello Everyone, All of these maps are so beautiful. Great work map makers I can't wait to play on all of these maps.
My personal favorites just by the visual appearance and what I can assume the game play will be like. Sorry if I offended anyone by not selecting their maps these are only my personal choice. I tend to like the more modern looking maps and unique lay outs rather than the older jungle looking maps. Cheers!!
#1. -(4)Bridging the Gap 0.80 (collaboration with StyleZerg) #3. -(3)Turbine #2. -(2)Angelmaker #4. -(4)Flying Battery 0.9 #5. -(2)Clock Strikes 1.1 #6. -(4)Oil Flow (collaboration with Freakling) #7. -(2)Vertebrae #8. -(2)Midnight_Crossing (collaboration with Minerals) #9. -(4)Mystery Box #10. (4)Mayday 0.91
I really like the idea behind Gold treasure as well but it seems that maybes its not a standard style? But I was still very impressed by the idea of this map and thinks it could be really cool to play on. Its really unique. Cheers.
Thanks for all the lovely feedback on my map review. I will try to continue reviewing 4 player maps and some of the updated maps tomorrow around 22:00 CET on https://twitch.tv/kogetbw
Thanks for all the lovely feedback on my map review. I will try to continue reviewing 4 player maps and some of the updated maps tomorrow around 22:00 CET on https://twitch.tv/kogetbw
Tomorrow, that's Wednesday? Have you shared your notes somewhere?
Thanks for all the lovely feedback on my map review. I will try to continue reviewing 4 player maps and some of the updated maps tomorrow around 22:00 CET on https://twitch.tv/kogetbw
Tomorrow, that's Wednesday? Have you shared your notes somewhere?
Yes, 21.04. I will share my notes and scores after I am done with all maps.
Cross wrote to me: "I chose those maps mainly because this map context is supposed to be 'standard' maps and i thought those were mostly very well balanced comparatively"
Madinho got back to me with a few comments about the map submissions. They aren't very useful for public evaluation purposes but since he took the time to check out the maps, I'd like to copy his message to me in this thread.
"I liked most of the maps, short and simple some of the maps were very similiar to other maps, so easy to get to know with i started making a list, but realized it would take so long, and i got lazy, sorry Chandlier 1.4 - Nice, I like it. Dodgy Dunes - Too big for my liking (for a 2 player map) Scarabee - I like it, sexy. Look a lot like that STPL map. teknopatic - Nice map Vertebrae - nice"
Koget uploaded his map review on his wonderful YT channel by the way.
Really cool interesting maps. I was looking for maps which are new and handsome but still kind of classic.
My ranking: 1. Tundra 2. Serenity 3. Mayday 4. Mystery Box 5. Largo 6. Sanctuary 7. Oilflow 8. The Dark Knight
I hope they will come into Ladder/BSL/BWCL when finished and tested.
If one of my ranking list will win "Best Map" or "Best New Mapper" i will add 15$ to the winners price :-D
Add: I don't know if it's possible with bw but the following scenario would be interesting: Turbine as a 2:2 only map with shared base and 3 different starting positions. Because we have 1:1 maps with 3 different starting positions - why not in 2:2? Experimental..
I looked at KogeTs map review and i think he is pretty much spot on. This is mostly a copy paste from KogeT's review but this is what i found was lacking in many maps (from a balance pov):
- easier to take 3rd and 4th bases, with gases. This is to favor terran in TvP, protoss in PvZ and zerg in ZvT to make those match ups more balanced in current meta.
- easier to defend main bases, aka being compact and on same/high ground to give vision. This is because air harass is already very strong in current meta and doesn't need a vision advantage.
- easier to defend natural bases, following the "standard" natural wall in. For example, letting make pylon, forge, gateway and 2 zelots being ling tight. Zergling/zelot rushes are already popular on maps with these wall-ins and will become to strong if natural is to wide.
- same/low ground leading out of the natural, because else it will be very hard to leave your base if you're contained on high ground
- more simple creative features such as semi islands, destructible rocks, assimilators, etc
On the other hand it makes me happy to see many maps from many different map makers. Thank you for keeping this game fresh and exciting!
I think the best maps are:
(2)The Belt of Faith (2)Pearl (2)Vertebrae
(3)Tundra (3)Turbine
(4)Augustgrad (4)Bridging The Gap (4)Mayday (4)Terraform (4)The Dark Knight (4)Wavelet
Change the location of the main entrance. Center Hill Shrink and Entrance Adjustments. 3rd Mineral Change Location. Natural Modify terrain. Island Mineral Roll back. (1000→1500)
I don't like how the width of the middle has been shrunk down to only 1/3 of the map size in the newest version. You seem to sacrifice way too much just to make those mineral only bases safe.
Clock striker Good night Sanctuary Some maps I like from the img and how a visualize playing them.I seen a lot of maps with not good minerals formation and that is a big deal.The dark night is proly the best decorative map I have seen but I have concerns how playable it is in real games.The expansions seems to be very open and hard to defend vs terran bio.Im not sure the mutas are going to be good in this map either.dont really see good spots to be agresive or put the defense in crisis moments.
On April 26 2021 01:04 Freakling wrote: I don't like how the width of the middle has been shrunk down to only 1/3 of the map size in the newest version. You seem to sacrifice way too much just to make those mineral only bases safe.
The biggest criticisms of Terraform were clunky center, confusing ramps, and lack of decor. So I've spent quite a bit of time to make the map feel lived in and attempt to detail as much as possible. I've also removed many of the ideas from the previous update as they looked amateurish and noisy. I'm quite happy with the map from a gameplay perspective, but I feel like I could easily sink another 40+ hours into detailing work and minor touchups. Mapping is no joke.
On April 26 2021 11:28 Eidolonic wrote: Terraform 0.57 Update
The biggest criticisms of Terraform were clunky center, confusing ramps, and lack of decor. So I've spent quite a bit of time to make the map feel lived in and attempt to detail as much as possible. I've also removed many of the ideas from the previous update as they looked amateurish and noisy. I'm quite happy with the map from a gameplay perspective, but I feel like I could easily sink another 40+ hours into detailing work and minor touchups. Mapping is no joke.
I finally updated Static. Based on feedback I got from Minerals, Freakling, and watching Koget's stream when he went over all the submissions.
Static 0.13
Changes:
Double bridges are back! (they were on an earlier version and I removed them
Mineral only is now less open, has a chokier front ramp, and wider side ramp leading out of it.
Now has unbuildable high ground and fancy transitions
10/4 good buddy!10/4 bases are now high ground and more closed off.
2/8 bases are slightly more cozy
Main is moved up/down a couple tiles.
Now with 69% more deco! (but I reached the sprite limit because the transitions for the unbuildable terrain just kinda eats up a lot of sprites. so that's all you get
Different mineral lines: Apparently there were mining issues so I just copied mineral lines from other maps lmao.
EPT![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/VhPrV65.png)
CharacteR![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/zJvNksc.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/ynESF7U.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/qvwYbMM.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/QOAxQEL.jpg)
CrystalDrag![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/DXf2a9W.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/v6iH8Ch.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/0nH6eAE.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/wYKRAke.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/xJVDouX.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/I3CITBu.jpg)
Freakling ![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/oAyakPX.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/fDLYHMV.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/U8SHUYh.jpg)
Gosomi![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/GH785xM.jpg)
HeMsK![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/ZauhuCR.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/c4WxyPL.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/815494968592039937/830909919305793536/Dodgy_Dunes.jpg?width=338&height=451)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/DE2HS5i.jpg)
JungleTerrain![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/wdAu4tz.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/3f5OjMK.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/V6dvmb9.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/JGHqoCB.png)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/MdiIRsA.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/SmC16NX.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/1vTFkaO.jpg)
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![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/E9MVLqs.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/X19P22F.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/TmkIoDa.jpg)
StyleZerg![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/u8siL9c.png)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/PKfke7A.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/o3ILZNk.jpg)
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![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/9mwyISV.jpg)
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![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/iVbeWMN.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/aL66Qu7.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/gnhzMAx.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/plWR0JF.jpg)
