Ignition Point is a 2-spawn rotational symmetry map. I've been working on this map for the past couple days and feel it is ready to get some feedback from you amazing TL folk.
Specs: Availability: US Map Size: 120x139 Expansions: 10 Blue, 2 Gold XWT: One, directly in the middle. Tileset: Tarsonis Cracks/Dirt/Concrete, Char Rocks, Auir Grass, Mar Sara Rocky/Dirt/Dirt Cracked
very polished map. i like the duel entrance to the nat. the map might be too plain but then again it might produce really good games ... have you had any people play on it?
Thanks, I've had a couple friends play on it, I'm on my laptop at the moment so I can't get the replays tonight. I'll post some replays on the map tomorrow when I can.
I decided to keep the map itself pretty plain just to not clutter up the playing field. I put tons of doodads around the outside of the map and in some of the holes and on some of the cliffs thru out the map but I wanted to keep it nice and clean where your army will be running around.
I dont like how every expansion(except gold) is on the high ground. lot of ramps to abuse. Really like the rest of it, nice mix between open spaces and chokes. edit: if a terran spreads out of a bunch of siege tanks at the xwt, Is there any way to pass?
[aggro] I wish people wouldnt base an entire map critique on the possibility of forcefields, or tanks for that matter ...
yes forcefields and tanks exist yes people will abuse forcefields and tanks on every map at some point
But that does not mean that 1 siegespot or a few ramps make a bad map. If taldarim altar would be posted here, would you also say the nat is siegable from the lowground? Probably not, same for shakuras (single wide ramp to nat & lowground siege), scrapstation (airadvantage due close spawns). I can name every map and tell something that imba one way or another. Does NOT mean they are bad maps.
People, look further please. Theres alot to maps. Theres structure, looks, flow of the game, strategic points, expansionpaths you take, airpositions, visionblockers and so on. As much as I like the 'pro gamers' opinion on maps, they never seem to get past forcefields and tanks...
This map has great structure and looks, the expansions are very very well thought out and theres enough room to manouver and flank all paths and bases. Its just a very good map overall.
i would consider making that backdoor your concerned about a ramp leading upward into your base, so you will have A easier defense posture and B another base on even ground with the gold or watchtower layer. Also you might consider changing those "plantwalls" at the golds to LoS to create a little bit more moveability around the XWT covered centre area. Other than that i like the texturing and eventhough green plants might not be the best fitting in a lava-ish map the kind of colour it adds to the whole flaming area all over around makes it a lot more interesting then all those boredom 1colour pattern maps that tend to pop up once in a while.
@ ihasaKarto: <3 I wanted to put some different color variation in the map because otherwise it did feel a little bland and I thought why not add some alive and dead trees and a little bit of grassy area. Maybe I'll put something else in the place of the squares so they don't look so "city-ish"
@Phaint: It might change if I switch some bases around, we'll see. Although most of these areas take 3 or 4 forcefields to totally choke off an area, but then again most ladder maps are the same way unless you are going thru the middle.
@Ragoo: Glad you agree! :D
@OneNutTony: I've experimented with making the third on the low ground but the way I did it I didn't enjoy how it turned out. I'll possibly keep working on it and see what I can do with it though.
@IronManSC: I'll probably take a look at some of the expansions and see about putting 1 or 2 of them on the same level as the gold. Either the 2 and 8 oclock bases and maybe I'll see about the one by the destructible rocks.
I think many people think the map is full of chokes but you need to realize is that there are TONS of flanking oppurtunties on this map. So the chokes help terran and toss a lot but with all the movement around the entire map zerg can really do a number on their enemy. Plus if T and P are pushing along the sides of the map to stay where it is all choked up, zerg would easily be able to run around a set of lings or mutas to counter attack the main since the T/P army would be so far away.
Thanks for all the feedback so far and I'll mess around with a couple things, mainly seeing if I can move an expansion or two down to the low ground.
Just thought I'd draw up some pictures to show that even though there are a lot of chokes around the sides of the map, zerg has plenty of options:
Put one of the 3rds (assuming you expand away from your opponent) on low ground. This makes the chokes a little bigger as well.
I could put the 2 & 8 o clock bases on the ground level as well but I think I'll keep it how it is because then you will have vision over the LoS blockers, plus those bases will be tougher to take as is so it'll allow for easier "sneaky" expansions.
OP has been updated with Overviews reflecting this change.
This is much nicer looking. However, I am wondering about the golds now and whether or not you should put rocks there, or block them off at the choke. The golds seem really easy to take.
Looks really pretty actually lol, I love the colours and the props. It's also a quite good size, maybe a little small but there are too many large maps these days anyway, so good job!
I definitely like the 3rd on lowground more than highground, nice change. It makes it flow nicer, and it makes a cool visual design!
The backdoor could prove to be too much of an easy option for aggression, since it doesn't have a highground advantage. That'll have to be tested though, not much point in theorycrafting.
Overall looks really solid, way better than when you first showed me :p
Could use some feedback on this latest change. I'm testing around with making both 3rd options on low ground. What do you guys think of this change, better, worse, indifferent?
I think I'm liking it on low ground. Doing this makes the natural a little more open and makes it feel a little more safe. With the base on low ground it also makes that 3rd a little more open and a little less safe. To compensate for this I added LoS blockers by the ramp to give some more protection to that base. Since you'll have the high ground you'll be able to see over the LoS blockers and should be able to prepare yourself better if they decide to attack from that side hallway.
Terran is not able to hit anything with siege tanks from behind those rocks. My concern about it still is that with that 3rd on low ground the choke is much smaller if the Terran/Toss decides to attack the zerg through that path it still might be super hard to defend.
Thanks for all the feedback so far and please let me know what you think.
On June 14 2011 06:13 SidianTheBard wrote: Could use some feedback on this latest change. I'm testing around with making both 3rd options on low ground. What do you guys think of this change, better, worse, indifferent?
I think I'm liking it on low ground. Doing this makes the natural a little more open and makes it feel a little more safe. With the base on low ground it also makes that 3rd a little more open and a little less safe. To compensate for this I added LoS blockers by the ramp to give some more protection to that base. Since you'll have the high ground you'll be able to see over the LoS blockers and should be able to prepare yourself better if they decide to attack from that side hallway.
Terran is not able to hit anything with siege tanks from behind those rocks. My concern about it still is that with that 3rd on low ground the choke is much smaller if the Terran/Toss decides to attack the zerg through that path it still might be super hard to defend.
Thanks for all the feedback so far and please let me know what you think.
I think its better on lowground. Unfortunately, the map I'm currently working on has the same natural set-up, so it'll look like I'm copying Haha oh well, balance is more important.
On June 14 2011 06:13 SidianTheBard wrote: Could use some feedback on this latest change. I'm testing around with making both 3rd options on low ground. What do you guys think of this change, better, worse, indifferent?
I think I'm liking it on low ground. Doing this makes the natural a little more open and makes it feel a little more safe. With the base on low ground it also makes that 3rd a little more open and a little less safe. To compensate for this I added LoS blockers by the ramp to give some more protection to that base. Since you'll have the high ground you'll be able to see over the LoS blockers and should be able to prepare yourself better if they decide to attack from that side hallway.
Terran is not able to hit anything with siege tanks from behind those rocks. My concern about it still is that with that 3rd on low ground the choke is much smaller if the Terran/Toss decides to attack the zerg through that path it still might be super hard to defend.
Thanks for all the feedback so far and please let me know what you think.
I think its better on lowground. Unfortunately, the map I'm currently working on has the same natural set-up, so it'll look like I'm copying Haha oh well, balance is more important.
@monitor: It's a good setup so I can't wait to see your version!
@sidian: I'm glad you already enacted what I meant to suggest. ^^
Btw this also fixes your warpin problem, which of course you adjusted for by moving the grass. I really like the grass in that spot too.
Due to some recent testing I've changed up both thirds on this map to make them both a little easier to take.
Third expanding towards your enemy: (This one I'm unsure if I like it that much or not. Do you guys think the choke is too small now and the defender has too much of an advantage with the high ground? There are still plenty of flanking opportunities. I might revert the high ground and just make the choke a little smaller then the original) + Show Spoiler +
Before: After:
Third expanding away from your enemy: (This one I am definitely keeping in. It isn't a big change at all and only makes the third a little bit easier to hold.) + Show Spoiler +
I've decided to do this because it seems getting a 3rd especially against Zerg was much harder due to the fact that they are so many paths around the map and plenty of flanking opportunities.
So pretty much my only concern is expanding towards your enemy. Do you guys think that base will be to easy for terran/toss to hold now even though there are still plenty of flanking opportunities? Should I remove the high ground and revert it back to the original but maybe shrink the choke just a little bit? Keep it how it was?
Might I suggest, purely for aesthetics, of course, replacing the green plants closest to lava with dead/brown plants? Just the ones right on the edge, not the whole line.
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Haha oh well, balance is more important.
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