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South Africa4316 Posts
Maps in the Balance
by Daigomi
TeamLiquid: Final Edits
Through the last decade of professional Starcraft there has been a plethora of battles fought between all races, and each and every race has gone through a period of suffering- a period of drought where wins were few and far between.
During these times of drought there is inevitably an outcry by those hit hardest by it, and the most common thing heard at such a period is the phrase "imbalanced". The idea of "imbalance" (or "imba") rests on two pillars: The pillar of strategy, and the one of map design.
Much has been said about strategy, and today it is accepted that the races are balanced the way they are. Thus, whenever any match-up is seen as imba, it is usually blamed on the map rather than the races.
What is a map imbalance, and what makes a map imbalanced? The first way in which a map can be seen as imbalanced is if there are, for a specific race, no feasible strategies available that give that race an equal chance of winning, or on the opposite end of the spectrum, if there are strategies available to a race that gives them too great a chance of winning. The second way in which a map can be seen as imbalanced is if a certain race has too few, or too many, feasible strategies available to them on a given map.
With this in mind I will look at the map as a mixture of strategy and geography, and as it is impossible to analyze every geographical feature of a map it may prove to be easier to look at a map in terms of the strategies used on the map and to see why these strategies were effective on the map.
The maps that will be analyzed are the maps from the current Proleague season, and I will look at the features of each map that makes the map either balanced or imbalanced.
Baekmagoji(TvP: 8-16, TvZ 11-3, PvZ 3-7)![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/maps/160_Baekmagoji.jpg)
Baekmagoji is not the easiest map to start off with as it is a map created with the goal of deviating from standard map traits. The map has proven to be very imbalanced, but not favorable to a specific race; it can rather be seen as a complicated game of rock/paper/scissors, where each race is strong against one race, but weak against the other.
The geography of the map is straightforward with two starting points connected by three possible routes, including a short direct route. The first, and most notable, difference between Baekmagoji and more standard maps is its placement of resources: The starting base has 18 resource spots, and two vespene geysers. This deviation from standard design greatly affects the strategies available on the map, as standard strategies are based on starting points with 8 resource spots and only one vespene geyser. The next difference in map design is the placement of the natural expansions, in that there are no natural expansions that are easy to secure. The expansions are placed so that the multiple routes allow a player to bypass the expansions and run straight into the main base.
The first imbalanced matchup on Baekmagoji is TvP, with Terran managing to win only a third of the games played between the races on the map. The biggest reason for this imbalance is slightly obscure: The corridor split in front of the chokes, combined with the small corridor, makes it very hard for Terran to launch a decent tank push. There is no room for Terran to push in, so he has to push from one side, which allows a Protoss force to flank him, or launch a counterattack against his base very easily.
As far as a tank push usually gets
Added to this problem is the double gas given to Protoss at the start of the game, allowing Protoss to fast tech to templars and arbiters, and because of the bad geography for Terran, a timing push is not as effective as it should be.
No PvT is complete without an few arbiters
The second imbalanced matchup on Baekmagoji is TvZ, with Zerg only winning three of its first fourteen games. The reason for this was made clear in only the second game played on the map which was between Darkelf and Calm. Darkelf used the extra gas and resources at the starting location to go for a metal build, with which he then continued to slaughter group after group of Zerg's forces.
The reason the metal build is so effective on the map is thanks to a combination of factors. The first factor that influences the balance on Baekmagoji is the ineffectiveness of the natural counter for metal: Mutalisks. Early mutalisk harass is ineffective as Terran only plays from one base on Baekmagoji, making it easier to defend the mineral line. Secondly, Terran gets his metal much faster and much more cheaply because he does not spend resources on a second command center, and he can get his second gas before his second command center would usually be finished. Finally, the direct route between the bases is a short route for ground forces to travel on, which makes it possible for Terran to go from a defensive position to an offensive position in a very short period of time. All these factors make a metal build very effective on Baekmagoji.
And no TvZ is complete without some metal
The last matchup on Baekmagoji is PvZ, a matchup that hasn't truly been tested yet, but which has given Zerg a good winning percentage up to date. The first advantage offered to Zerg in this matchup is the tiny natural expansion inside the main base which has creep covering it. An early expansion to this spot gives Zerg a small initial resource boost.
A further advantage on Baekmagoji for Zerg is the corridors leading up to the choke in front of the main bases- this setup is ideal for Zerg to start an early contain in, allowing Zerg to expand comfortably. The extra gas also allows Zerg to research lurkers quickly. Finally, the closeness of the 12' and 1' expansions, and similarly 5' and 6' expansions, allows Zerg to easily take two expansions early in the game.
A few lurkers can contain Protoss long enough to take over the map
Games to watch:
Blue Storm(TvP: 16-17, TvZ: 14-29, PvZ: 14-24)![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/maps/159_Blue%20Storm.jpg)
Another new map that has been added this season, Blue Storm, has gained a quick following- being played in all three major leagues. The map has shown a decent balance in the TvP matchup, but Zerg has come to dominate against both Terran and Protoss. The most striking feature of the map is the great chasm in the middle of the map, dividing the map into two sections. The map has two main routes between the starting locations: A direct route through the chasm making use of a minimum choke at each player's natural, and a winding route that medium and large size units can also use.
While it is not immediately clear why the map favors Zerg in the ZvT matchup, there is one trait that stands out in ZvT games on the map: Map control. The chasm in the middle of the map allows Zerg to safely take the expansions on his side of the map, while fending off any Terran troops trying to cross the divide.
The chasm can easily be defended early in the game...
By making use of a combination of mutalisks and zerglings early in the game, and switching over to a combination of defilers, zerglings, and lurkers, the Zerg player can defend the middle chasm with relative ease.
A further feature is the ledges on the map, especially the ledges behind the natural expansions, which make it possible for Zerg to gain an early advantage, which in turn allows him to take map control before too much pressure is applied to him. These ledges allow Zerg to mutalisk harass with relative ease. In recent games Terran has attempted to counter this disadvantage by going for vultures followed by wraiths, and in some games this counter has worked wonderfully.
A final advantage the map offers to the Zerg player lies in the routing between the higher ground expansions, and the direct route between the two bases. These routes allow zerglings to either bypass or flank small Terran forces, making them more threatening early in the game, which once again helps the Zerg player to control the map.
Zerg uses the minimum choke to do some damage
In the ZvP matchup the Zerg advantage is less pronounced, but there are certain small advantages that add up to a noticeable advantage. The first advantage Zerg has is the position of the mineral only expansion which is close to the natural, and relatively safe. Countering a Protoss FE by taking the mineral only can be done without too great a threat.
A further advantage that the map offers to the Zerg player is the maneuverability offered by the multiple routes. Unlike in the Terran matchup though, these routes offer Zerg the greatest advantage during the late-game where it splits up the Protoss forces. The Protoss player needs to choose between defending one expansion and risk being caught out of position, or spreading his forces to thin and being overrun. The routes, combined with the large area in the main base which is ideal for drops, makes the map very difficult for Protoss to control. Thus maneuverability is one Zerg's greatest advantages on the map against Protoss.
Four bases destroyed in under three minutes
A final advantage Zerg has on the map against both Protoss and Terran has to do with the pathing issues caused by the minimum choke between the bases. While this is not strictly an advantage, and the players can easily overcome it, it adds an extra strain on the Protoss and Terran player's game, which could lead to potential mistakes. The Zerg player overcomes the pathing issues by building most of its hatcheries at the mineral only expansion.
815 shows us how to macro on Blue Storm
Games to watch:
Katrina(TvP: 5-14, TvZ: 12-11, PvZ: 22-11)![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/maps/162_Katrina.jpg)
Katrina has one of the worst records of any map currently in use. Terran has managed to win only 25% of its games against Protoss on the map, while Zerg has won exactly a third of its games. The problems with the balancing can be seen almost immediately by looking at the layout of the map. In TvP, Terran's greatest problem is its inability to get a fast push going. With the multiple routes, any Terran tank push can be flanked, or outright avoided. This inability for Terran to pressure effectively allows Protoss to channel the safe gas at the natural into either fast arbiters or fast carriers.
Protoss sets off with his carriers ten minutes into the game
Once carriers are built, the multiple ridges and the distance between bases allows Protoss to safely, and effectively, micro his carriers, while the distance between bases, as well as the size of the main/natural base, makes recall very hard to stop, and allows Protoss to outmaneuver Terran comfortably.
Constant recalls allow Protoss to dominate the map
In the PvZ matchup there are fewer clear advantages to Protoss. Perhaps the biggest advantage Protoss has on Katrina is access to a fairly close third gas, which allows Protoss to amass a corsair fleet (often along with a reaver mass) quickly.
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Hot_Bid/Daigomi/KTCorsairs1.png) Corsairs and Reavers go hand in hand on Katrina
The multiple routes around the third expansion are also a problem for Zerg, and a double FE can be exploited by attacking on two fronts, or by circumventing the second expansion. Drops are also dangerous against Zerg, as the distances between the bases make it hard for Zerg to defend all his expansions (while a few cannons and a stormer can easily defend a Protoss expansion). A final problem with resource gathering for Zerg is the exposed mineral only expansions, making them difficult to take and control at any point during the game.
As the game progresses to the late game, a big problem for Zerg is the positioning of all the mineral lines in the middle of the map. Except for the two resource lines per main, every single mineral line can be stormed from an obscured location by a well placed templar. It is practically impossible to protect against all the storm spots on Katrina, which makes the game very hard for Zerg once the middle expansions, as well as the mineral only expansions, become necessary.
A final hurdle Zerg faces on the map is the distance between the starting locations, especially if the players start opposite each other on the map. The distance between the starting locations enables Protoss to FE without any threat, which in turn limits the strategies that the Zerg player has to his disposal. The ramp also makes cannons more effective in defending against early rushes, which forces Zerg into a macro based game where expansions are difficult to protect.
Opposite starting locations and cannons nullifies early pressure
Games to watch:
Un'goro Crater(TvP: 4-0, TvZ: 12-12, ZvP: 2-2)
The last map too look at is Un'goro Crater, a map with only one bad matchup, and the easiest map to find the problem with. The layout of the map is similar to that of any standard macro map: Four main bases, with one easily attainable natural expansion per base. The middle of the map is an open field through which armies can travel to all of the possible bases. While this is a fairly standard setup for a map, Un'goro Crater has one geographical feature that differs from all other standard maps: The center of the map can be built on.
In most matchups this is not an issue, but in TvP this minor difference causes major problems for the Protoss player. Allowing someone to build in the center of the map allows Terran to build turrets in the middle of the map, which allows Terran to start a slow push backed up with Turrets. The addition of turrets to a slow push prevents Protoss from making use of strategies such as Zealot bombs, or Reaver drops, to diminish the Terran player's tank number. The only way for Protoss to stop a tank push is by taking it head on- a strategy that is usually not very effective.
The progression of a slow push with turrets
A further problem for Protoss is distance between the bases, which is uncomfortably short. Terran can begin a tank push in his own base, and reach the Protoss base in a matter of moments, giving the opponent little time to react. The short routes also make it impractical for Protoss to go for any fast Carrier or fast Arbiter builds, as a timing push can move from the Terran player's base to the Protoss player's base in no time. Even if carriers are built though, the map is not suited to carriers as the open center, and lack of cliffs, makes the carriers easy to target and hard to micro.
Turrets can be build from the one base to the other
A final problem Protoss has on the map concerns the ramps into the bases. A few well placed tanks, mines, and perhaps supply depots, can make it near impossible for Protoss to leave or enter a base. This is even worse at the corner expansions where the small ramps, and narrow routes to the ramps, make it easy to set up a contain.
Games to watch:
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After examining the four new maps used in the Proleague this season, the interplay between strategy and map balance becomes clear, and it can be seen that no race is simply imbalanced- a race is only imbalanced in the context of the maps that the race plays on.
With that in mind we can see why Terran has been less successful this season. in both the Starleagues and the Proleague. With both Katrina and Blue Storm being played in the ODT qualifiers, and Blue Storm played in the MSL Survivor, Terran has had a much harder time than usual in qualifying.
In the proleague the only players that have been successful were those willing to adapt, and the season saw an upsurge in younger or less experienced players doing well. The top four terran players of the season were: Sea, HiYa, go.go, and Darkelf.
This season has shown that Starcraft is not a game with fixed strategies. It is a game where each race has unique units with unique capabilities that need to be used to its maximum efficiency on each map. Medics and marines are not effective against Zerg on Blue Storm, so it is up to Terran to find strategies that are effective.
Of course there are imbalanced maps. It is easy to think of a map which has no viable strategies for a certain race, but it is also easy to fall into the pitfall of thinking that a map in which the standard strategy does not work, is an imbalanced map.
As long as there are new maps to play on, the best players will be those who push themselves both physically and mentally, and as long as there are players giving their all, there will be fans worldwide keeping this ten year old game alive.
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Nice write up overall, it's definitely true that "imbalanced maps" can create exciting, unorthodox strategies and different executions.
ZvP on Katrina is the bitch, I lost like 5 games in a row. But looking at the replays and reflecting on my play, I found playing on Katrina to be the most exciting even though I lost. The map just makes you think differently and it's definitely one of my fav maps.
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Fantasy II and Persona were taken out of the OSL for balance reasons. While I can clearly see why Persona was taken out, could you explain Fantasy II? I see that the TvZ percentage is pretty bad, but it isn't obvious why.
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Thanks for explaining Horse Many Minerals--I mean, Baekmagoji. That's a pretty weird map.
Excellent FE. 
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United States5262 Posts
This was a flipping good read.
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Canada7170 Posts
Good read. It's nice to go into the intricacies of each map, because I play very rarely nowadays.
Quick fix: Caption should read "no TvZ is complete without metal"
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Nice article.
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HonestTea
5007 Posts
Excellent read.
Each article, and each writer, brings a new wrinkle into the game.
This detailed analysis and discussion about maps and strategy is yet another way to make our watching experience thicker.
Mani talked about the maps in terms of memories and history, and Daigomi gives us the strategic and gameplay side.
Really enjoyed it, I can see you must have worked hours and hours on it. Good writing, too - simple and easy to understand for goons like me.
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Nice analysis on the maps indeed.
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nOice, don't blame the race blame the map :D
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United States33347 Posts
awesome analysis
was very nice for me, since I don't follow progaming that closely anymore and don't get to know the maps so well.
In general, I think that claiming imbalance for any matchup with a sample size less than 20 is a bit premature. While some maps will stay imbalanced till the end, other maps will pull an Arkanoid and end up reversing itself.
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Nice Write up
Another factor I guess to factor in map balance, is to see the number of mirrors on it, if its a Proleague map.
Look at Geometry for example
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United States7488 Posts
sometimes it just takes a while for a player to realize a viable or successful strategy on a map for a given matchup. This was a great read Daigomi, of the newer members, you are one of the best!
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i propose a standardized method to measure which map is more imba than the other.
let x = min(TvP, PvT)
y = min(TvZ , ZvT)
z = min(PvZ, ZvP)
q = min(x , y , z)
balance meter = x * y * z * 8
the lowest score is 0, and the highest score is 1. lower score = imba
we can also calculate the "hotness of a specific race"
hot meter for terran = [sum over all map of] chance of t win in a map^2 / number of maps x 2
lowest score is 0, highest score is 1. 1 being red hot.
hence, according to my imba meter, (using latest statistics right now on TLPD map info)
Baekmagoji = 0.189841968
Blue Storm = 0.48798288 Most balanced
Katrina = 0.328012272
Un'Goro Crater = 0 Most imba
This means Un'Goro Crater (it the TvP imba continues) has to be removed. It would make sense too i mean if the toss player has no chance of winning this map, it would be very unfair to play a T player in the finals. (assuming other maps are balanced)
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Russian Federation363 Posts
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GrandInquisitor
New York City13113 Posts
Many of the Blue Storm PvT games are proxies by P, I think?
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Great read. Thanks
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With the premise that imho the number of games played on this maps it's absolutely not enough to state what mu is imba or not (u need more played matches for this kind of analysis ...) it's funny to see how the same number can lead to different opinions:
TvP: 8-16 favour P vs T
TvP: 5-14 favour P vs T
PvZ: 22-11 favour P vs Z
TvZ: 11-3 favour T vs Z
TvP: 4-0 favour T vs P
TvZ: 14-29 favour Z vs T
PvZ: 14-24 favour Z vs P
PvZ: 3-7 favour Z vs P
This tell me that P is quite favoured on T while Z is quite favoured on P. Nothing else.
Considering that the analysis was carried on 4 different maps, so different playground, i COULD state that:
Zerg have a balance mu (ZvT) and an easy mu (ZvP)
Protoss have an easy mu (PvT) and an imbalanced mu (PvZ)
Terran have a balaced mu (TvZ) and an imbalanced mu (TvP)
Map issue or race balance issue?
Beside this, great article as usual. Very good JOB.
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On January 22 2008 01:18 IH4t3z3rg wrote:
With the premise that imho the number of games played on this maps it's absolutely not enough to state what mu is imba or not (u need more played matches for this kind of analysis ...) it's funny to see how the same number can lead to different opinions:
TvP: 8-16 favour P vs T
TvP: 5-14 favour P vs T
PvZ: 22-11 favour P vs Z
TvZ: 11-3 favour T vs Z
TvP: 4-0 favour T vs P
TvZ: 14-29 favour Z vs T
PvZ: 14-24 favour Z vs P
PvZ: 3-7 favour Z vs P
This tell me that P is quite favoured on T while Z is quite favoured on P. Nothing else.
Considering that the analysis was carried on 4 different maps, so different playground, i COULD state that:
Zerg have a balance mu (ZvT) and an easy mu (ZvP)
Protoss have an easy mu (PvT) and an imbalanced mu (PvZ)
Terran have a balaced mu (TvZ) and an imbalanced mu (TvP)
Map issue or race balance issue?
Beside this, great article as usual. Very good JOB.
It's a map issue and that should be obvious.
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3 Lions
United States3705 Posts
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Thanks man, i'm still very surprised that people spend time to make so good , intresting and detailed articles about broodwar.
Very nice.
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Very nice writeup, I've always just accepted that some maps were imbalanced, never really took the extra step to learn what it was that made them that way.
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Good analysis. I agree with I think all of the points, and have nothing to add
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United States24670 Posts
On January 21 2008 22:00 dybydx wrote:
i propose a standardized method to measure which map is more imba than the other.
let x = min(TvP, PvT)
y = min(TvZ , ZvT)
z = min(PvZ, ZvP)
q = min(x , y , z)
balance meter = x * y * z * 8
the lowest score is 0, and the highest score is 1. lower score = imba
we can also calculate the "hotness of a specific race"
hot meter for terran = [sum over all map of] chance of t win in a map^2 / number of maps x 2
lowest score is 0, highest score is 1. 1 being red hot.
hence, according to my imba meter, (using latest statistics right now on TLPD map info)
Baekmagoji = 0.189841968
Blue Storm = 0.48798288 Most balanced
Katrina = 0.328012272
Un'Goro Crater = 0 Most imba
This means Un'Goro Crater (it the TvP imba continues) has to be removed. It would make sense too i mean if the toss player has no chance of winning this map, it would be very unfair to play a T player in the finals. (assuming other maps are balanced)
I like this idea and I think it can be applied to other areas as well. Although, you might want to propose it in a more suitable place.
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Did I help inspire this post in my comment (and your followup) to the Proleague week 13 report? If so, then I'm very honored.
I've often thought about the map maker's catch-22. The only real way to tell if a map is balanced or not is to put it through its paces in a tournament. Any kind of prior "beta testing" that could be done would be ineffective, as the best people to help with that are the players, who have a conflict of interest. But if the map turns out to be unbalanced, it defeats the purpose of having a tournament. Are we testing the maps here, or the players?
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South Africa4316 Posts
You actually did Tigron. I was asked if I wanted to write a TLFE just after that comment, so I thought it would be an interesting project
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Damn, that was a really excellent matchup.
Although I gotta say that people read too much into map imbalance sometimes.
If for example PvT is 10-5 on a map this is too small of a sample to mean anything at all. When people talk about maps, the players skill is unfortunately often ignored.
Anyhow, fucking impressive write-up
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On January 21 2008 22:00 dybydx wrote:
i propose a standardized method to measure which map is more imba than the other.
let x = min(TvP, PvT)
y = min(TvZ , ZvT)
z = min(PvZ, ZvP)
q = min(x , y , z)
balance meter = x * y * z * 8
the lowest score is 0, and the highest score is 1. lower score = imba
we can also calculate the "hotness of a specific race"
hot meter for terran = [sum over all map of] chance of t win in a map^2 / number of maps x 2
lowest score is 0, highest score is 1. 1 being red hot.
hence, according to my imba meter, (using latest statistics right now on TLPD map info)
Baekmagoji = 0.189841968
Blue Storm = 0.48798288 Most balanced
Katrina = 0.328012272
Un'Goro Crater = 0 Most imba
This means Un'Goro Crater (it the TvP imba continues) has to be removed. It would make sense too i mean if the toss player has no chance of winning this map, it would be very unfair to play a T player in the finals. (assuming other maps are balanced)
lol? sample size?
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Belgium6771 Posts
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On January 21 2008 22:00 dybydx wrote:
i propose a standardized method to measure which map is more imba than the other.
let x = min(TvP, PvT)
y = min(TvZ , ZvT)
z = min(PvZ, ZvP)
q = min(x , y , z)
balance meter = x * y * z * 8
the lowest score is 0, and the highest score is 1. lower score = imba
we can also calculate the "hotness of a specific race"
hot meter for terran = [sum over all map of] chance of t win in a map^2 / number of maps x 2
lowest score is 0, highest score is 1. 1 being red hot.
hence, according to my imba meter, (using latest statistics right now on TLPD map info)
Baekmagoji = 0.189841968
Blue Storm = 0.48798288 Most balanced
Katrina = 0.328012272
Un'Goro Crater = 0 Most imba
This means Un'Goro Crater (it the TvP imba continues) has to be removed. It would make sense too i mean if the toss player has no chance of winning this map, it would be very unfair to play a T player in the finals. (assuming other maps are balanced)
Nice, I would suggest a different measure though.  I think we both agree that a x = y = z = 0.1 map is more imbalanced than a x = 0, y = z = 0.5 map. Your measure can't tell the difference of a 0,0,0 map and a 0,50,50 map, which I think is a flaw.
maybe ( x + y + z)?
Or if you want to discourage heavy imbalances more you could take
sqrt( (.5-x)^2 + (.5-y)^2 + (.5-z)^2 )
or even higher powers for more weight to worst matchup on the map.
Also normalise them if you prefer from 0 to 1.
Well, that was just a few ideas...
Good article btw! I'll watch a few of the vods and think about what you wrote.
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lol? sample size?
obviously when we take statistics we are assuming the sample is representative of the population. it may not be in this case but it is the most accurate information we have. this is why i stated "if the TvP imba continues"
it would help the analysis alot if we can get a hold of qualification round information as well, but hey, i tried.
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Nice, I would suggest a different measure though. I think we both agree that a x = y = z = 0.1 map is more imbalanced than a x = 0, y = z = 0.5 map. Your measure can't tell the difference of a 0,0,0 map and a 0,50,50 map, which I think is a flaw.
it was intended. i realized this problem when i formulated the equation. but then i realized 3 things
1. starleague do not offer TvZ only or ZvP only maps. all match ups are possible on any given map. balance must therefore imply across all 3 races, not 2 races.
2. in addition, suppose we are at superfight 5, T,Z,P race wars. on a 0,0,0 map, it is a deadlock, on a 0,5,5 map means 1 race immediately get taken out without contest. thus 0,0,0 is actually less imba than 0,5,5
3. finally, i feel that any map that has 0 in it should be taken out because there is no real contest.
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awesome write up!
i just showed this to a friend who said that sc was no skill and it totally changed his mind. he said he had no idea the distances, layout, chokes etc played such a big role.
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noooooo
I liked that map T.T it looked interesting and seemed like it could bring about some new and exciting plays...
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great analysis thanks alot. and yea maps are to blame for imbalances not the races.
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Wait, why does the "chasm" on Blue Storm give zerg an advantage (you said it was easy to defend, and zergs can take the expos on their side of the map)? I would think helps terran because they can shoot across it, forcing zerg to run into it (and losing vision of the other side).
Zergs often expand to the expo behind their opponent's nat, anyways.
edit: Thanks for writing this up, but I do think that the sample size is wayyyyyy to small for us to gain any knowledge from it, and I don't think we can be accurate by trying to theorycraft imblances from so few games.
Look at temple: it's balanced, but the first 30 or so games would have never told us that (and you are using sets sometimes much smaller than that).
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South Africa4316 Posts
Because the chasm gives Zerg a single place of defence from where they can defend all their expansions. Further more, Terran can only really "shoot over it" with tanks which are uncommon until later in the game, and later in the game the advantage is even bigger for Zerg as dark swarm nullifies not only the effect of the tanks, but also the slight advantage the marines might have had. The reason the marines advantage in the beginning does not count is that their range is too small to have a great effect, and the higher lower ground can be used much more effectively by Zerg.
And the sample sizes are definitely too small, but there is little that can be done about that now. Most of these maps will probably be discarded in a month or so after this season's proleague. In my conclusion I specifically state that many maps that are "imbalanced" only because standard strategies don't work on them, but if a non-standard strategy (Silver's build on MH) were used on the map then the map might no longer be seen as imbalanced.
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I think the point with the ramp at blue storm is that zerg can attack just when the terran is moving across. Zerg will have the benefit of uphill shooting from terran, while still having plenty of space for flanking.
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Korea (South)922 Posts
meh, this is nothing compared to the zerg friendly/terran friendly maps before.
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Ultras are a bitch on bluestorm TvZ due to the mobility, they can just run around and use the ramps to their advantage while defending expos easily.
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Great analysis. I only wish someone had started on these in-depth articles years earlier.
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someone should make an analysis on why T has such high win ratio vs P on python, honestly i have no clue. o,o
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perhaps when SC2 is introduced maps won't have as much of an impact since a variety of units and their combination would propose a completely different strategy for a given map, and not the other way around following a fixed building pattern that has to work on all maps.
And i think after these maps mature strats will be found to alleviate for the 'imbalance'.
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South Africa4316 Posts
YanGpaN, the simplest reason is that the map doesn't give Protoss any advantages. No third gas, no extra routes, it's just a "standard" map (and I put standard in inverted quotes, because it is only standard by convention, not because the standard is better in any way). Terran can slow push a few of the bases (the 3 and 6 bases most notably), the middle is easy for Terran to take, there are no comfortable carrier ledges, and the expansions are far apart.
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What do you guys think of the balance of Troy in PvZ?
I think Corsairs will give the protoss some important air superiority as long as they stay out of the middle of the map, where it's open and accessible by ground units. The ramps into the nats are a bit tight for zerg to not get raped by psi storms/reavers in conjunction with cannons. The ability to close off areas of the map by destroying the extractors can even further hinder the mobility of hydras trying to chase down or preempt a drop or corsair raid. I think this makes zerg drop tech much more important, but then there's nowhere to drop. Protoss cannons up the nat and cannons up the island expo, leaving no entry for a doom drop! The only advantage Zerg has is the wide open middle, which allows zerg to flank, etc. But the protoss never really has to go into the middle. I think the layout of the map allows protoss to abuse the lack of mobility given to ground units (which makes up most of zergs power), through Corsair air dominance, and an endless wave of drops.
Anyway, that's my take on the map. What do you guys think?
edit: this would also transfer to PvT with Carriers, although Terran has some better air-to-air options.
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i have a question, though. For baekmagoji, the reasons for the imbalance is supposed to be race specific, as well as geographical. But for why Z > P on baekmagoji is purely geographical, and when i think about it, all of those reasons could be beneficial against terran as well. Fast lurkers? hell yes! and for terrans not having to build a second CC... isn't that true for ever race once again? zerg can get tech fast, toss can get gas units fast....There's no denying the statistics that supports the idea that it's a rockpaperscissors map, but I don't know if the complete reason for it can explained by what you've written for that map alone.
very insightful, and written easily. great job. i enjoyed reading it =)
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i have a question, though. For baekmagoji, the reasons for the imbalance is supposed to be race specific, as well as geographical. But for why Z > P on baekmagoji is purely geographical, and when i think about it, all of those reasons could be beneficial against terran as well. Fast lurkers? hell yes! and for terrans not having to build a second CC... isn't that true for ever race once again? zerg can get tech fast, toss can get gas units fast....There's no denying the statistics that supports the idea that it's a rockpaperscissors map, but I don't know if the complete reason for it can explained by what you've written for that map alone.
very insightful, and written easily. great job. i enjoyed reading it =)
also, what is an FE? forwards expansion? Forge expansion? Front entrance?
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On February 05 2008 06:19 gwho wrote:
also, what is an FE? forwards expansion? Forge expansion? Front entrance?
FE means Fast Expand. You might also see the phrase 'FE build'.
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South Africa4316 Posts
On February 05 2008 06:19 gwho wrote:
i have a question, though. For baekmagoji, the reasons for the imbalance is supposed to be race specific, as well as geographical. But for why Z > P on baekmagoji is purely geographical, and when i think about it, all of those reasons could be beneficial against terran as well. Fast lurkers? hell yes! and for terrans not having to build a second CC... isn't that true for ever race once again? zerg can get tech fast, toss can get gas units fast....There's no denying the statistics that supports the idea that it's a rockpaperscissors map, but I don't know if the complete reason for it can explained by what you've written for that map alone.
very insightful, and written easily. great job. i enjoyed reading it =)
also, what is an FE? forwards expansion? Forge expansion? Front entrance?
gwho, just to comment on what you said. Yes, these advantages are applicable to all races, but as I said at the outset of the article, I will simply analyze the strategies that do work on the maps, and show why they work. There are too many potential strategies for me to do an analysis of the map itself, so I rather put time into analyzing why the strategies that work do work.
As for your statement on fast lurkers vs Terran- they're fairly pointless against a metal build. Goliath and Tank range minimizes the splash damage done by lurkers, which means that the lurkers become very expensive medium damage units without any special advantages.
Furthermore, Terran not having to build a second command center is not true for all the races. You'll notice that I mention that specifically in the TvZ matchup, and the reason for this is because Zerg still needs to build hatcheries in order to get its unit production up. Thus the double gas and extra resources offer a greater advantage to the Terran than it does to the Zerg.
If you look at the article you'll see that I state specifically that in the TvP matchup, Protoss getting double gas quickly gives them a greater advantage than it gives Terran. This is because the double gas, combined with Terran's inabillity to push, allows the Protoss player to comfortably get Arbiters early in the game.
As for the geography of the map- it does give a race specific advantages in certain matchups but not in others. The ability to flank is much more important for Protoss in a PvT than in a PvZ, thus a map that allows easy flanks will help Protoss more in the TvP matchup than in the PvZ matchup.
So no, advantages can not simply be carried over from one matchup to the next. While it is true that certain things help all races (lots of minerals), to look at imbalances in a map you need to look at which race is given the greatest advantage by something.
Thanks for the comment
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I think this is quite serious. The blizzard have done so much to put the races in balance, and all this work is going to trash because of maps imbalance.
I don't understand why don't they use in MSL/OSL the balanced maps. At the quick look I've selected some of the most balanced maps. Here they are:
Sin Peaks of Baekdu
Tau Cross
Blitz X
Arcadia 2
It would be much better if they would use three of old tested maps, and forth - some new, but already proved to be a good map. Or if they want more innovation in games they could use two new maps, but the other two should be balanced so that there's some fair play in all this stuff.
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Aotearoa39261 Posts
your concluding analysis is 100% spot on; imbalanced maps force a change in gameplay from one or both sides of the matchup. If we look at it from an evolutionary standpoint, if the map pool consisted of pretty much the same maps every season, stategy would pretty much be the same from season to season, but with new maps (and their *imbalances*) the strategies are shaken up and new ideas need to be pushed forward for the race to succeed. Thats why the true champion overcomes the imbalances in a map by finding the correct strategy to use. Even though the game is 10years old, there are still new strategies and tweaks that change how the entire game play unfolds.
There are a handful of maps which get skewed by shitty players getting trounced by far superior gamers which lead to imbalances arises. One such map (imo) is Baekmagoji. Protoss is strong against all races in Baek, its just that there are a lot of games there that have subpar protosses losing to much better zerg opponents (e.g. nal_ra and reach  ) this is similar to the nemesis issue where T>P statistically, but P>T in reality.
Blue Storm is often credited as a highly balanced map by progamers. They say it generally gives good winning opportunity to the better player, and im inclined to agree. The reason why Zerg's are doing so well (imo) is not because of the features you pointed out, but it is the brainless methodical terran rookies which go out fashioning their newest FE build and get raped by smarter Zerg opponents. Same goes for protoss (who just love their beesuits). As Bisu vs Jaedong showed us, its not the imbalance that won Jaedong the game, it was his superior late game management - this game reveals far more about the map than a bunch of games played by players with varying levels of skill.
Un'Goro poses its own set of problems PvT, some of which you touched on. The center of the map does give the map a terran edge over protoss, but not that much. Correct me if i'm wrong, but Terrans generally go 2base -> push out and then take third; very similar to luna style. Essentially this map plays like a shorter rush distance luna with a buildable center ground. But the center ground is alter drastically altered to narrow the center. The small choke to the nat is very easy to defend for Terran, and the ground is very nice to push out on, as at many points a flank is impossible. This restricts protoss to shuttle-based play; which hasn't existed for a long time now. Either that or some serious arb tech haha. I think one reason why no more protoss were sent out is that the adjustments required to PvT on this map are so extreme that its just not worth it. Better to practice on the more protoss favoured maps and use a more moden PvT style than revert to an outdated style.
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South Africa4316 Posts
I definitely agree with you on the points of sub-par players going out on maps, and I had that feeling about most of these maps before I wrote the analysis. That said though, looking at the games played on the maps I found that many 50/50 games turned in favour of the race that has the "imbalance", and very very few weaker player beat stronger opponents on the map, a much lower percentage than is to be expected.
While this doesn't prove that the maps are imbalanced as in the other race does not have a chance, it does point to a higher difficulty in winning on that specific map.
Once again, I agree with you on Baekmagoji that it was generally weaker Protoss players that skewed the stats in the direction of Zerg, but as I said at the outset of the article my purpose was to find out what made the strategies that work, work. So yes, I think that some of the losses ZvP on Baekmagoji is because of weaker P players being played, but the purpose of the article was to see how they got beaten and why it worked on the map, as much as to say that the map was imbalanced.
On Blue Storm I disagree with you though. Blue Storm clearly favours Zerg in ZvT in my opinion, and it's not just novice rookies being beaten on it. From the top of my head now I can think of Sea, Xellos and Midas that got beaten on the map, and if you look at the games they lost on there you'll see certain elements come through very strongly, especially the defense over the chasm is a key element in early game ZvT on the map. Another game that looks at the ledge abuse was Kwanro vs Canata on Blue Storm from the MSL. I was seriously laughing out loud that game at how annoying Kwanro was being to poor Canata. You can also look at Xellos vs Luxury from the OSL, and see how Xellos completely over-compensates with his protection.
As to Un'goro, as you say, the middle of the map advantage is very slight, and I only mentioned it because it was there. I have, in fact, never seen anyone make use of it. But yes, you're analysis is coinciding with mine, although the point you make about the flanking is an important one that I missed. The middle prevents a flank almost completely.
Thanks for the in-depth comment, and although I don't necesarily agree with everything, you raise some important points, and it's always good to have criticism.
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EPT![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/Hot_Bid/Daigomi/MapsintheBalance_Cover.jpg)
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