The SD Map Pool

These maps are tested by and designed for high level players (although low level players should get just as much enjoyment from them). They tend to have easily defendable naturals and thirds, small diagonal main ramps, plenty of expansions and spacious designs. All those reassuring traits that we like to see (credit to ICCupDiamond for his post on the Blizzard forums). In some of my un-published designs I have also been experimenting with discouraging air harass on mineral lines and encouraging Reaper play. This is because I find Reapers a little under-used and have some issues with Mutalisks on my very large maps.

Our production process is fairly fluid, most maps start out imbalanced and gimmicky and evolve to become more playable and balanced after a series of small tweaks and heavy adjustments. Consequently the end product often differs from the original plan.

I try to decorate and name the maps with a theme relating to the tileset and occasionally the structure of the terrain. While several of my maps are ready to go public, I would not class any as 'finished'. Intricate decoration is not convenient at the moment due to the fact that they may all need some heavy adjustment. This is why some look unnaturally symmetrical. My maps tend to have perfect symmetry, this is partly down to obsession and partly because it insures positional balance. There will be pathing discrepancies due to doodad symmetry, this is something to iron out in the final edits.

I like bi-axial symmetry in 2v2 maps (Metalopolis) although I have yet to make one with limited spawn points(Shakuras Plateau).

With rotational symmetry, maps seem to look more natural; they appear to be less symmetrical. But in the case of 2v2 rotational maps (Delta Quadrant), if their structure is complex they can often be confusing to the player. Also I find inherent imbalances a problem with a 1v1 match on a rotational 2v2 map when players do not spawn cross-positions. I have one that I am working on at the moment but I feel limited in my choice of structure when designing them and find it difficult to come up with an idea I like.