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Back to Back
version 1.17
Published on the European server
The main and natural are back to back. Defending two bases is easier when they're close to each other but you can also have more casualties if your defense isn't in place. Back to Back was created with Fast Expansions in mind. You can make a wall down your ramp so it either covers both bases or closes the corridor alongside the main.
It's easier to attack than defend the gold exansion. Instead of a line of grass there are several patches. You can place your army in the grass and have an air unit for vision. But beware of the Xel Naga towers that give vision on the high grass.
I plan to host some 8 player sit-and-go in the tournament section of Teamliquid forums. If you have demos of games you've played I would really enjoy watching them. Please send them to me at grumly@gmail.com
Good luck and have fun !
![[image loading]](http://capitainelechimp.free.fr/scmap1-8.jpg)
Changelog : + Show Spoiler +--- v1.17 - I Made the corridor along the main wider
- The middle route is now a bit shorter
- I tweaked the lighting
--- v1.16 - Changed the high grass
- Made the natural smaller
- Lighting is less bright
--- v1.14 - Lighting changes and tone mapping
- Fixed a column in the middle
--- v1.11 - Switched back the Gold and 3rd expansion like it was before
- Reduced the cliff behind the 3rd expansion.
- Made the 4th a bit larger and with a larger ramp
- There's a better preview picture in the custom map list
--- v1.6 - Switched the Gold and 3rd expansion
- Cosmetic changes
--- v1.5 - I reduced the area to blink to the main from backdoor
- You can't blink from the 4th expansion to the main without an observer
- Cosmetic changes
--- v1.4 - The Main is bigger
- There's less water in the middle so the middle path is a bit shorter
- The 4th expansion on the side of the main now has 1 ramp and is smaller
- Main and Natural have 8 minerals, other expansions have 7
- Cosmetic changes
- I fixed the Xel Naga and rich minerals to work with the retail version
--- Beta Phase 1 - I fixed the gas in the golden expansion
--- - I removed several cliffs or made them unpathable.
- I moved the main ramp a bit closer to the natural.
- The choke is narrower.
- The main has a bit more space but not too much.
- The 3rd expansion's entrance is wider.
- The gold expansions ramps are narrower.
- I removed the 2 useless towers.
Previous versions : + Show Spoiler +v1.16 ![[image loading]](http://capitainelechimp.free.fr/scmap1-7.jpg) v1.14 ![[image loading]](http://capitainelechimp.free.fr/scmap1-6.jpg) v1.6 ![[image loading]](http://capitainelechimp.free.fr/scmap1-5.jpg) v1.5 ![[image loading]](http://capitainelechimp.free.fr/scmap1-4.jpg) v1.4 ![[image loading]](http://capitainelechimp.free.fr/scmap1-3.jpg) Beta Phase 1 ![[image loading]](http://capitainelechimp.free.fr/scmap1-2.jpg) Official release release ![[image loading]](http://capitainelechimp.free.fr/scmap1.jpg)
This map was created in phase 1. Original thread
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ALLEYCAT BLUES50123 Posts
hmmm your natural expands away from your opponent(sort of) so thats good for zerg.You can forge fast expand as protoss.An open mid makes a happy zerg.
I wouldn't play mech on this map as much as I wanted to.
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I had a bunch of games played on this map in beta, very decent and close to cross positions metalopolis in therms of how fast and in what fashion you expand.
My only gripe is that the middle of the map is not a place anyone would go, generally me and my friends take a tower and attack from that route or use the middle as a way to flank marching armies. An expansion there could provide an alternative expansion pattern for terran mech pushes.
The narrow paths make it easy for a terran that focus on mech and siege tanks to defend any sort of ground push. Any of the non zerg factions have an easy time walling off the backdoor path with gateways or raxes.
it is also easy for protoss to forcefield your ramp and hit your natural and while i dont have anything to suggest to help with that issue i do wish the ramp was a little bigger but then again i play zerg so i have bias towards scrap station esque ramps. ;P
oh almost forgot, will you be bringing back congo?
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I've uploaded Congo to the Euro server too. It's been updated once since the first version but I don't plan to work on it anymore. It would require heavy changes in the layout.
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On August 17 2010 23:14 chuky500 wrote:
I've uploaded Congo to the Euro server too. It's been updated once since the first version but I don't plan to work on it anymore. It would require heavy changes in the layout.
ah shame, it is nice to have map diversity and no other people have really made Epic sized maps. I dont really have the time to further my map making skills or improve my own maps so that others make large maps i am happy ;D
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Blink Stalkers were a bit too powerful so I reduced the backdoor area you could blink from into the main. Also now you can't blink from the 4th expansion anymore and you always need and observer.
I also did minor cosmetic tweaks, underwater waterfalls are now colored, there's more detail around doodads and I added sun rays in the middle. I'm very happy with the looks of the map now. There's still a glitch, when you spawn as zerg it removes the bushes around the vespene geisers.
I agree the middle isn't much faster than the way around except for scouting, blink stalkers or assaulting with vision. I'm looking for ideas to tweak it but I don't think an expansion would help since noone ever takes expansions in the middle of a map.
I ran a small tournament on it last week on this map and there were nice games on it. I plan to run other small sit-and-gos so check the tournament section of Teamliquid or PM me if you'd like to play.
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I really like the design of this map. Very solid.
One suggestion about the middle would be to remove the watchtowers and just place a single one in the very middle instead. Players usually like to hold the watchtowers, so they generate some traffic. It's just a suggestion, you may be super happy about exactly where the watchtowers are now, in that case just ignore it. =)
Also, I may be mistaken but are the mains a little bit on the small side?
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I think that both of the gasses at the main should be on the opposite side of the ramp.
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This map looks pretty balanced except for the gold base. As a zerg player you don't want to expand closer to the opponent. I'd switch the gold and the 3rd base.
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I gave a go at CharlieMurphy's idea to switch the gold and the 3rd expansion. It should promote expanding a bit. I didn't put rocks like in Blistering sands because I think it's not that easy to defend it.
About the main being small I already made it bigger several times and I'm feeling it's fine now. If it's bigger it becomes harder to spot a hidden pylon. And there's plenty of room in the natural and it's probably easier to defend.
About moving the towers, they give vision over the grass. I'm not sure how that part plays at the moment so I think I'll wait and see before moving the towers.
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I think it looks really good. Just don't like that the mineral lines of the main and the naturals are that close together. Sure, it can be just as easily defended as harassed, but the people that lack the right turret timing would be kina screwed.
I'd leave the HY expansion like that. It isn't supposed to get those easily.
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this map looks a bit small. can you make the map bigger? rush distances seem quite short.
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On August 29 2010 02:15 sqwert wrote:
this map looks a bit small. can you make the map bigger? rush distances seem quite short.
its longer than steps of war, you expand away from your opponent and its a nice map. the size is decent imo.
i dont like the new gold mineral placement, before it was a nice to defend fourth now its just. your going to take it as your third, i could argue as zerg i could take it as my second because its now slightly hidden.
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I really like this map, it looks nice, is different from all those maps being made with wide open centers and a bright glow makes the map feel friendly. The only redesign I would suggest is rethink your side expo ramps I feel they may be too small but I havent played here yet so I dunno 
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I think you should rotate the minerals of the mains and naturals so that they are not blocking the ramps and dont make harassing the mineral so easy and op. Because reapers + hellions or anything on the ground would WTFRAPE those mineral lines...
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On September 02 2010 09:40 McCheese wrote:
I think you should rotate the minerals of the mains and naturals so that they are not blocking the ramps and dont make harassing the mineral so easy and op. Because reapers + hellions or anything on the ground would WTFRAPE those mineral lines...
no they would not. They would attempt to kill of drones in the mineral line and then they would die. You can protect both main and nat with a single spinecrawler+2 queens and a small force of zerglings / roaches.
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I switched back the 3rd expansion and the gold like they were before. It's better to let the choice between taking the 3rd or the 4th expansion rather that having the gold taken all the time.
The cliff behind the 3rd is a bit smaller now, I also made the 4th expansion ramp a bit larger like Broodie suggested. I don't know if it'll change anything though.
And I figured how to have a custom preview picture in the map list so I've put a better one.
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I changed the lighting and tone mapped a bit. The map now looks like the picture if you play on medium or more. It's brighter, warmer, more saturated. Try the map with good visual settings it's worth it.
I also fixed a column in the middle. Units were going around it instead of going straight.
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It's less bright now. Also I reduced the natural to compensate for the augmentation of the main in previous versions. I've changed the high grass too, now you don't have as much, you can go around it and it's one patch not several small ones.
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I updated the map according to what people in the Indy Maps tournament said. The corridor between the main and the water is now wider and the middler route is a bit shorter.
I'm looking for someone to publish the map on the US server and possibly update it when I update. So if you think the map deserves to be in America please send me a PM.
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I like it and the idea. Seems good.
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EPT
