Are you ready for more Map of the Month? Map of the Month #8 is here, after an extremely successful Season 1 (Please sign our petition if you haven't yet). Each month, the judge panel selects the top 5 community maps to be played in a professional tournament! The winning map will be added to the all-time map pool. Please welcome the judges for August:
Andrew "Barrin" Chilson
Felix "Lefix" Weber
Chris "FlopTurnReaver" Widmer
Jonghyun "LSPrime" Weeks
Peyton "Monitor" Levin
This month's competition will allow any melee map made for 1v1 - the map must fulfill the melee requirements. We encourage creativity in number of spawns, bases, etc. Looking forward to the submissions! Please use the following format to enter your map in this thread-
Map Name Map Author
Overview image.png
Map Description Link to map thread (if applicable)
Remember to email the map file to submit.motm@gmail.com or you will be disqualified! Map submission closes Saturday, Aug 06 5:00am GMT (GMT+00:00) (6:00 CET August 6th). Finalists will be chosen by August 10th.
MotM’s main prizes are sponsored by iGrok and dimfish. We have no corporate sponsors, but we have big plans for the future. Anyone who wishes to donate to or sponsor MotM will only help us to grow. In the future we plan bigger prizes, extra side awards, and more.
Sponsors: iGrok dimfish pyrestrike bkrow
With any questions, please send a PM or email to iGrok @ igrok.motm@gmail.com.
2 spawn map with mains which are similar to Desert Oasis, with short air distances and a natural with two entrances. Tight chokes will force Zergs to abuse counterattacks which are favored by the layout. Thread link
Well, TPW Ohana isn't close to being finished, but it should be ready for MotM#9, but i'll submit one of my older maps since it hasn't had a chance yet...
TPW Scars of Aiur by IronManSC (or IMSC)
This is a 2-spawn, 1v1 map. The rush distances are fair, and there are two options to take a 3rd (high safe ground, or risky middle ground). The lighting is rather darker than usual, but Aiur usually has a darker lighting effect to it, so don't let it get to you personally ^^ TPW Scars of Aiur Map Thread
Scars of Aiur is awesome. A lot of thought in that. A little bit like a XNC 2.0 Really pumped for all the submissions, always great to have that overview of the greatest maps that have been made last months. Also really excited for TPWs and LoS(do they still exist?) performances. Always great maps coming out of those teams!
Not sure if I'm gonna make the deadline, "Across the Stars" doesn't even have a mapthread yet, though I'm working on it as much as I can after work :S
On August 02 2011 23:40 prodiG wrote: Jungle-y maps overrunning MotM again :D
I don't make jungle maps :D I suggest that the deadline be extended a few days on future MotMs to allow busy people (like me) to be more able to submit their maps.
On August 02 2011 23:40 prodiG wrote: Jungle-y maps overrunning MotM again :D
I don't make jungle maps :D I suggest that the deadline be extended a few days on future MotMs to allow busy people (like me) to be more able to submit their maps.
The judges are busy people too, you know... judging takes *a lot* of time and there wasn't much wiggle room when I was a judge o.o
On August 02 2011 23:40 prodiG wrote: Jungle-y maps overrunning MotM again :D
I don't make jungle maps :D I suggest that the deadline be extended a few days on future MotMs to allow busy people (like me) to be more able to submit their maps.
The judges are busy people too, you know... judging takes *a lot* of time and there wasn't much wiggle room when I was a judge o.o
Pretty much this. The reason we ran over so many times was that we weren't finished judging, even when we left ourselves several days. You guys know when submissions start each month, you should ideally have it done by then and spend the next few days checking for any minor details.
Medium size map. 4 different spawns. Easy to take natural but maybe hard to defend the third and forth. 3rd base has no chokes and is quite spread. There are destructible rocks to slow down enemy incomes. There are 4 Xel'Naga towers in the middle of the map. They dont have vision of the 3rd expansions. I wanted to make a similar map to GSL Crevasse with a different tileset and personal changes.
Lucentum is the roman word for "city of lights". And a map full of little lights is what i've tried to do
sorry for my bad english :D. I hope you understand everything.
4 spawn 1v1 map, macro oriented with 3 relatively easy to hold expansions and a gold 4th available for those willing to risk it. Lots of attack paths make for exciting flanking and counter-attacking opportunities. Made with Castanar Installation Texture set. http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=250371
This is a 128x160, 2 spawn map. There are 4 expansions. Your natural is kind of easy to defend while the others require you to gain more map control to secure. There are no Xel'Naga towers on this map... as I couldn't find a good spot for them without them revealing to much or being to easily defended.
This is the first map I publish and also my first post on TL. I hope my map will bring atleast one good game and I wish a good luck and keep on editing to all other map makers out there
P.S I will try to make a TL map thread on this map some day
A few minor changes coming later tonight at which point I'll send the map file, so this pic won't be quite 100% accurate, but very close. Removing the terrain "posts" in the middle, and moving a few LOS blockers to more functional areas.
Numbers: 2 spawn-positions at 5 and 11 o'clock 10 bases 8 bases each with 8 blue patches additional 2 bases each with 6 gold patches each base has 2 normal gases
Natural way to expand: Easy to take Natural blockable with 1 building between ramp and Hatch/CC/Nexus. Third is quite hard to take, since it has a backdoor and it is easy to cut in between natural and third. 4th can be taken easily either at gold, behind the natural third or at the semiisland next to the main, depending on you/your opponents mapcontrol.
Tactical Geography: Unbuildable cliff in front of the natural, but units can be dropped on top of it. Lot of space behind the main makes it easy to poke in with banshees/mutas, but a long distance to the natural without free space makes it hard to bounce between natural and main. Open areas between the Natural and the ramp to 3rd, in front of the gold, between XWT and semiisland, between gold and 4th/5th-highground
Ingame Vision: Xel'Naga-WT splitt the map in halfs and can be very essential to hold the gold-/semiisland-expansions (sight is almost the same as the gras ground) Smoke-curtains in the main will enable a reaper to safely jump up with just enough space for 2 pylons/depots.
No Abuse: The 4th next to the third can easily be attacked from the high-ground, however it will be hard to defend a counter-attack, since the army is out of position to defend. Siegetanks wont be in range to shoot accross the middle neither to shoot at the semiislands if placed on the highground of the other expansion neither to shoot at the natural if placed on the edge of the third (2 mineral patches will be in range). Building blockers next to the gas of the expansion will forgo a very easy bunkerrush.
Envirement: Some brave terran scientists have secured a dangerous zerg-egg at the eastern XWT and their camp is unpathable (they still can be shot ;-) The dark red light emphasizes the vulcanic atmosphere.
So far only published on EU.
Since it is about the map and not about anything else, i hope you dont mind my bad english.
On August 03 2011 04:05 LawrenceVern wrote: Platform EX-I-14 by WCILawrenceV
4 spawn 1v1 map, macro oriented with 3 relatively easy to hold expansions and a gold 4th available for those willing to risk it. Lots of attack paths make for exciting flanking and counter-attacking opportunities. Made with Castanar Installation Texture set.
On August 02 2011 23:40 prodiG wrote: Jungle-y maps overrunning MotM again :D
I don't make jungle maps :D I suggest that the deadline be extended a few days on future MotMs to allow busy people (like me) to be more able to submit their maps.
OR next time you just start working on your map a couple days earlier and you won't have a problem
MotM does happen at the same time each month so there's not much excuse for not being ready. ...though I do sometimes wish they'd announce it earlier. But then again I'd probably only rush my maps even more. Dx
Also, my map's not meant to be anything like a jungle, even if its main tileset says jungle >.>
You guys should really mark your starting locations. I initially read Castaway's spawn positions as the two desert islands in the middle and thought it was the stupidest map I'd ever seen . And on Lucentum it's not clear whether the mains are very small with a large natural, or if the small islands are backdoor expansions.
Other than that, great work guys! I love seeing what everyone comes up with for the MotM. Absolutely have to find some people to try these out with.
On August 03 2011 18:50 AmericanUmlaut wrote: You guys should really mark your starting locations. I initially read Castaway's spawn positions as the two desert islands in the middle and thought it was the stupidest map I'd ever seen . And on Lucentum it's not clear whether the mains are very small with a large natural, or if the small islands are backdoor expansions.
Other than that, great work guys! I love seeing what everyone comes up with for the MotM. Absolutely have to find some people to try these out with.
It's a two players map with a Shakuras style natural, a straight-forward path to the opponent and expands on the sides. Two islands in the corners, two gold expands next to the mains. Note the large amount of level 0 space, this makes drops and air harass very powerful.
Uhm - i don't think you can compete with this one. It's even older than my map that got exluded from the last MotM or does a texture (and slight layout) change really turn it into a new map?
On August 04 2011 06:26 dezi wrote: Uhm - i don't think you can compete with this one. It's even older than my map that got exluded from the last MotM or does a texture change really turn it into a new map?
Mmmm... its brand new. He changed a lot of stuff (altered most of the terrain) and also completely redid the aesthetics. I'd say its fine, and I'm not just being bias towards iCCup.
[edit] For proof, I also argued that your map be in top 5 last month because I could care less how old a map is. You can ask any of the other judges last month.
Well its my first map ever and definetly not quite done... might as well
Map: Auir's Craters By: Glitch
Overview:
Description: My first map, intended to be a larger macro map. - Playable size: 136x123 - 2 Spawn locations - Easy to take natural, 3 buildings to wall off (ie. gateway/rax) - Third base is similar to the low ground third on XNC, without the rocks. - Fourth base, player has an option. The very risky gold, the safe but low mineral count corner, or the normal high ground expansion on the sides. - Crater in the center holds the two xel'naga towers that watch over the gold expansions.
I've been toying with the center star feature for a long time (see thread link below). I believe this kind of layout best suits it. Cosmetically, it has a darker lighting set - the entire map in entrenched in rain and lightning. GL!
Can you clarify if it's Mist or Mists? Old version was Mists, the map thread title says Mist but the OP of the map thread says Mists :D
:
good: - it will be judged by some excellent people, especially LSPrime, so afterwards we know more about how good it is and how it will work - it will likely make top5 and be played in the tournament which imo is very nice - it will get more exposure as an excellent map - old maps should be allowed cause right now this rule restricts quality kinda, also sometimes a map might not have worked 7 months ago, but is really good atm
bad: - it's questionable that with the rule that is in place the aesthetic overhaul of the map is enough to make it a "new" map - it'll be played in iccup nationvoice weekly regardless - less chance for me to make top 5 >:=((( (reason why it 100% shouldn't be allowed. I need to be top5 :D)
On August 04 2011 21:02 Ragoo wrote: Hmm, about the Sanshorn Mist(s) issue [spoiler]Can you clarify if it's Mist or Mists? Old version was Mists, the map thread title says Mist but the OP of the map thread says Mists :D[/spoiler] :
good: - it will be judged by some excellent people, especially LSPrime, so afterwards we know more about how good it is and how it will work - it will likely make top5 and be played in the tournament which imo is very nice - it will get more exposure as an excellent map - old maps should be allowed cause right now this rule restricts quality kinda, also sometimes a map might not have worked 7 months ago, but is really good atm
bad: - it's questionable that with the rule that is in place the aesthetic overhaul of the map is enough to make it a "new" map - it'll be played in iccup nationvoice weekly regardless - less chance for me to make top 5 >:=((( (reason why it 100% shouldn't be allowed. I need to be top5 :D)
This goes for me aswell .
I updated my map again, here's the updated overview picture: + Show Spoiler +
I made the high ground going from the third to the fourth a bit wider so it won't feel as chokey as before. I also increased the size of the natural, this way it's harder to wall off from the ramp to the CC, Nexus and encourages to wall off at the choke going into the natural. Also I redesigned the middle of the map, instead of 4 small HY's there's now 1 big HY that's being blocked by a destructible wrecked battlecruiser.
- Large two-spawn with many attack routes and options for harass - Slightly exposed natural, but possible to wall off for FE - Valuable center with two vulnerable high yield expansions
Arid Mesa by Diamond (spinnaker @ TL Forums, Nick was already taken :O))
features .: 4 player map with all spawn combinations enabled .: option to always take a 3rd away from your opponent .: recolored Xel'Naga Towers .: Shakuras/Mar Sara custom Tileset .: main plateaus shaped like a sickle, allowing for hidden tech, drops and cheese .: several nice spots to place overlords which give vision to important areas .: NO jungle map! :D
Large-ish map with a focus on volatile expansion management, but also balance, and just looking cool. Rotational symmetry can have serious balance issues, but I composed this specifically so it wouldn't have any 3rd/natural expansion issues.
Okay, if I don't submit it now then I'm just going to continue fiddling with it until I break it. I think it's in the best state right this instant so here it is:
Cliffs of Acadia is a two player map designed with multiple play styles in mind. With 6 bases each (3 of which are normal blue expansions) along a fairly open and straight forward layout, both macro and aggressive styles have been accommodated for.
This overview picture doesn't really show off the lighting. It's a simple dawn/dusk dark reddish tint. I didn't want to go overboard but I also wanted to try something unique.
edit: Also, I'm just going to throw out my predictions:
On August 05 2011 23:48 Ferisii wrote: Skov by Ferisii Description: Skov is a 4 player map with various distances to the enemy place depending where each player spawn. Map thread will come up at some point during this day.
Wow, Scrapstation with 2 bases added next to gold. Interesting twist. Just not sure about PvP here with such a wide choke in main and no ramp.
On August 05 2011 23:48 Ferisii wrote: Skov by Ferisii Description: Skov is a 4 player map with various distances to the enemy place depending where each player spawn. Map thread will come up at some point during this day.
Wow, Scrapstation with 2 bases added next to gold. Interesting twist. Just not sure about PvP here with such a wide choke in main and no ramp.
Um. Its a 4 player map with no rocks, no island, no gold, a closer natural...
With the exception of the lack of a high ground in the main/nat I'd say its a fairly solid layout.
LoS_Artemis is a 4 player map. The theme of this map is a Greek style and was inspired by my visit of this country. It was an easy and third, but the third is placed where it can be siege. The map contains 2 xel'naga tower and has in total 18 base. Players: 4 Expansions: 118 Playable Map size: 148x148 Watch Towers: 2 Texture: 3 texture of Tarsonis : Tarsonis Cracks, Tarsonis Dirt, Tarsonis Grass 2 texture of Aiur: Aiur Small Bricks, Aiur Large Bricks and Aiur man-made cliff Other textures: Haven Grass Rokcy, Meinhoff Sand Dunes, Valhalla Rock and Valhalla natural cliff.
Close spawns are disabled, so its effectively a 1v1 3p map. And the ring of buildings surrounding the map marks the no-fly-zone boundary.
Each base consists of a large main, a backdoor natural, and a semi-open third. The third also has a "side-door", a passage blocked by destructible rocks that is LOS blocked from the third. The cliffs in front of each third are droppable, but the middle watchtowers are not. Each main base also has a defensive highground position overlooking the center area - this is also a good place to stage a drop from, as your beachhead will have highground advantage.
There are 5 flaming towers obstructing the middle, as well as a center flame that is unpathable.
On August 06 2011 03:26 iGrok wrote: City of the Damned by iGrok
Close spawns are disabled, so its effectively a 1v1 3p map. And the ring of buildings surrounding the map marks the no-fly-zone boundary.
Each base consists of a large main, a backdoor natural, and a semi-open third. The third also has a "side-door", a passage blocked by destructible rocks that is LOS blocked from the third. The cliffs in front of each third are droppable, but the middle watchtowers are not. Each main base also has a defensive highground position overlooking the center area - this is also a good place to stage a drop from, as your beachhead will have highground advantage.
There are 5 flaming towers obstructing the middle, as well as a center flame that is unpathable.
Rush distance averages 138.
*Clap Clap* *Applause* *Standing Ovation* This map has excellent design and lighting.
Description Dylarian Shipyard is my first finished map since One Must Fall (beside small changes this map was nearly done during february). It's my first attempt on the Castanaar tileset and i don't think i'll ever do one again (such a big time sink with pencil size 0.5 ...). The map offers a good amount of expansions and flanking possibilities but yet again no XWTs for lazy players.
Description: A medium sized map with average rush distances. It doesn't dissuade early pressure or timing attacks while still allows longer macro games with the plethora of expansions. Map Thread (coming soon)
Small map with various expansion patterns and paths.
142x116 12 bases 2 XWT two valid directions to expand multiple paths different map splits depending on expansion patterns and positiong n2n rush distance 131.1AU
The map offers several options of possible expansions on cascading cliff levels. The circular positioned bases connected with multiple paths surround a central area watched by two XWT situated on small fortifications.
Wow, I thought maybe through some luck/bribery I had some chance at the final 5 but now as I'm watching the latest maps roll in I don't think I have a chance at top 10.
The texturing isn't best but I can only use low for everything so the image doesn't do the texturing on the map justice.
The map is centered around the middle which is has a xel naga watch tower that covers the main attack path and protects the gold base very well. The middle is also very wide open making surrounds easier on an army sitting in the middle. There are also other attack routes that can be used for counter attacks. The expansion layout gives you the choice to expand clockwise or counter-clockwise both being viable.
Things to note about this map: •1v1 map with only 2 spawns. •There are LoS curtains inside of each main, providing opportunities for players to be sneaky with Nydus Worms or proxy structures. •The option of expanding away from or towards your enemy is available. •Destructible debris can be cleared to open up a shorter path to the more easily protected third. •Two possible gold expansions are available; an exposed on low-ground with no obstruction, and a more protected one on high-ground that is initially obstructed. •The natural expansion can be walled off with a Pylon, Forge, and Gateway or 4 Spine Crawlers.
I really hope not making the top 5 doesn't dissuade people from continuing to make maps. Practice makes perfect, keep trying and you'll get far!
With that said, on with the show;
TPW Artifice by funcmode
A 4P rotational symmetry map where players can choose to expand in either direction. The nearest third has only one gas and 7 mineral patches. There are 4 watchtowers, located on the lowground between the ramps leading to the lowground expansions. This map also features "forcefield walls", which are purely decorative and units can freely pass through them.
Oh and, the outside of the map might look a bit obnoxious, trust me it's a bit more subtle in-game.
A pretty straight forward 2 player map: -10 bases -2 xel'naga watchtowers -destructible rocks block an alternate nat2third path -bridges and area around destructible rocks are unbuildable (to prevent warp-in shenanigans).
Thread pending I guess
Hope I'm not to late for this one, comp dying on me If excuses are needed :D
On August 06 2011 09:48 Mereel wrote: too. many. maps.
>.<
i'm still pretty sure your map will get a top5 spot ;-).
Kind of sad though, because i see at least 10-15 maps which would really, really, really deserve to be played in the MotM tournament. I guess we need lot more of tournaments like these in order to fix that. I am also astonished at the amount of quality maps we see each month. Each of them has seen at least a dozen hours put into it. And all that even though pretty much all major tournaments and Blizzard ignore custom maps altogether. It's quite a pity . Or as plexa put it:
On July 21 2011 11:17 Plexa wrote: Looking at these maps makes me sad.
They make me sad because in comparison to the maps we're looking at for season 3, these are absolutely amazing yet they will never get the same level of play time.
about 2 more days to go! I am looking forward to seeing how this month will turn out - it will be difficult to choose because there are so many good maps!
This is my first time submitting, are there normaly so many entry's? i figured there would be far fewer but its cool to see so many people making maps that are might i say, better than the ladder maps.
I'm only commenting to get this thread up in my "Posts" so I don't have to search for it anytime I want to check if the finalists have been chosen... that's how awesome MotM is
Sanshorn Mist (beautifull map, solid layout) TPW Lost City (doesnt strike me as something that stands out but really solid) TPW Dylarian Shipyard(blurry screenshot doesnt do it justice, really an awesome looking map) TPW Cascade (my favorite map this month!) TPW Crimsonite(can there ever be a top-5 without a Johanaz map? )
Omg Superouman, your stupidity makes me rage, I wanted this map to be a finalist :D
Im gonna go with
Limbo TPW Cascade SE TPW Lost City TPW Crimsonite TPW Artifice
but TPW Dylarian Shipyards, Stella, LoS Artemis and TPW Scars of Aiur are all damn close to my top 5. Fucking hard to decide. TPW has so much talent ^^
I would really like for Sauerkraut Heights to get up there since I love the idea of another Desert Oasis type of map. DO was my favorite map to observe games on since they were always so wacky and different and resulted in awesome strategies, multitasking and general mayhem. But that's just me ^^
That being said, there are so many great maps in this MotM, I really doubt the jury can chose wrong
Technical eight player map. Opponent can only spawn cross spot or next to cross spot (3 possibilities depending on your spawn.) Natural is quite easy to hold with assistance of watchtowers. More bases can be secured by destroying rocks to gain easy access between naturals, but beware of enemies doing the same to back stab you! Pillars help to defend the gold bases.
On August 10 2011 23:42 Sea_Food wrote: Ground of runes by Sea_Food
Technical eight player map. Opponent can only spawn cross spot or next to cross spot (3 possibilities depending on your spawn.) Natural is quite easy to hold with assistance of watchtowers. More bases can be secured by destroying rocks to gain easy access between naturals, but beware of enemies doing the same to back stab you! Pillars help to defend the gold bases.
Sry to say this guys but we'll have to postpone the announcement for a few days to include this submission in the process. You should have the result sometime next week.
On August 10 2011 23:42 Sea_Food wrote: Ground of runes by Sea_Food
Technical eight player map. Opponent can only spawn cross spot or next to cross spot (3 possibilities depending on your spawn.) Natural is quite easy to hold with assistance of watchtowers. More bases can be secured by destroying rocks to gain easy access between naturals, but beware of enemies doing the same to back stab you! Pillars help to defend the gold bases.
This map is so pretty I think it might take all 5 spots.
This hand-drawn map doesn't even make me half-chuckle. I don't understand the humor behind it and what the author was intending to do (cause disruption? think he's funny?). I mean it appears he's extremely biased as well.
Thats quite a complicated intestinal tract you have shown us there, how on earth did you manage to perform enough surgary's to get 8 stomach's and liver's to connect to one large bowel?
On August 11 2011 04:20 IronManSC wrote: This hand-drawn map doesn't even make me half-chuckle. I don't understand the humor behind it and what the author was intending to do (cause disruption? think he's funny?). I mean it appears he's extremely biased as well.
it's the 10th. come on, where is the announcement? Monitor, why'd you throw out the teaser earlier that the announcement was coming soon? That was like 6 hours ago at least!
On August 11 2011 04:23 Gl!tch wrote: Thats quite a complicated intestinal tract you have shown us there, how on earth did you manage to perform enough surgary's to get 8 stomach's and liver's to connect to one large bowel?
On August 11 2011 06:17 Janders wrote: 17 - [Agria Sky by WniO] - is that guy trolling us? rofl
No, read the map thread. It's actually a very interesting idea it's just very imba for terran. The reason being that unupgraded marines w/ bunkers own unupgraded slowlings and zealots, and mules ignore saturation, so they get more income than the other races can.
just sayin that u should make the announcement for everyone at a exactible time. a ton off europeans participate and u say it will be announced at 10.8.
its 1:30 am in europe and still nothing.... 8pm would be ok....thats 2pm in america. i think that is not too much to ask for
On August 11 2011 08:31 Mereel wrote: just sayin that u should make the announcement for everyone at a exactible time. a ton off europeans participate and u say it will be announced at 10.8.
its 1:30 am in europe and still nothing.... 8pm would be ok....thats 2pm in america. i think that is not too much to ask for
This month we tried something new. Instead of rating the maps with points in several categories, every judge picked his favourite 7 and in the end we worked out the top5 from those. It was a new experience and we'll see how we're gonna handle it in the future.
The judges this month were monitor, LSPrime, Barrin, lefix and yours truly. It went pretty chaotic at some times, probably because we didn't have the soothing aura of our spiritual leader iGrok who decided to participate this month himself for the first time.
But not to tease you any longer, you probably will be reading this after the winning maps anyway. Here are the Top 5 of this month:
Congratulations to the winners. It promises to be a very exciting tournament once again. Don't miss any of the action. Tournament dates will be announced later this week/month/year.
EDIT: Instead of asking for your scores you can this month ask for a short writeup about your work. Again we didn't regard every single map with this. The mappers who won't get one should instead open a thread about the map to receive feedback from the community.
Since we are no longer scoring maps directly, we've decided to release all of our feedback publicly. These are all of the judges comments combined into one- hopefully we can all learn from them!
This map is a vast improvement to the frustration of Desert Oasis. And while it does seem balanced, the gameplay it produces is somewhat predictable (close off your nat backdoor, claim air-control, expand clockwise (which often leads into something like a base race or T/P starting to expand counter-clockwise towards Z). It sounds interesting (it is unique), but there is very little thought that must be put into army positioning and pathing, which is one of the most important skills that separates top players from the rest. You can’t really fix it on this style of map, but I would consider making the mains smaller and the center stretch wider (with maybe pathable high ground in the center if it’s wide enough).
This is about how Desert Oasis should've looked like. To be honest I'm not a big fan of that style of maps because the distance of the 2 paths is pretty big so if you miss each other it's most certainly a base race situation. There's not much more to say about it. Maybe the textures could be a bit more exciting. Well at least there are some TREES! TREES EVERYWHERE!
Nice job working on the Desert Oasis-style map layout. Right now the map is very solid, and well balanced. The problem here is that the map is too linear- meaning pathing and expansion lines are very 1-dimensional. Now that you've got the balance aspect of map making, focus on developing a concept for each map involving how you want game play to be on your map, and make changes according to that. Additionally, emphasize on open space vs. choke space to make more dynamic situations and to encourage micro and army positioning.
Castaway
At first, this map was among my favorites submitted this month. Draw your attention to the high ground fourth and notice how once you take it you completely close off an entrance to the third. This is the most extreme form of bases covering bases, but it isn’t something I would recommend in this extreme form because it makes army positioning gameplay less interesting (and reduces vulnerability:base ratio a little too much which is compounded by the otherwise well-placed watch tower – a watch tower that will be interestingly contested I might add). Once it gets to the very late game, those gold bases will probably make the game end pretty fast (maybe a little too fast o.O).
This is a very nice island map. It's a very unique concept and very well executed. However the middle could use a bit more finesse. There's just some open space between the low ground expansions and the center.
This map was very disputed among the judges. Ultimately, the lack of pathing options and linear expansion layout knocked the map out of top 5- however, it was in our top 7. The issue is that there are so few pathways throughout the map- scouting and map control will be very easy. To compare, look at a map like Tal'Darim Altar with very many pathways leading everywhere- map control is very tedious and difficult. Try to focus on allowing more pathing options (multiple ways to get somewhere and more locations to reach) in the future.
TPW Scars of Aiur
This map’s concept is actually quite good. Draw an imaginary line from as far as the map goes from 2-o’clock to as far as it goes to 8 o’clock; this line is too long (on top of the attackable entrances most of bases being too big). What I mean is that although there is plenty of bases to take, actually holding most of them is a huge challenge (a little too huge). No matter how you slice it this map should be smaller in some way: probably by making it wider from left to right and shorter from top to bottom (possibly taking out the thirds against the main if you make it small enough which will make the very late game come sooner and possibly be more interesting).
I'm not sure if this was intended but the map reminds me of XNC. Yes obviously, every map with such a hallway does. The expanding pattern seems pretty similar too. Overall I like the map, at least better than XNC. Super usage of Protoss Decals too!
Nice aesthetics, and really well done proportions- hardly any wasted space too! The primary issue holding this map back is the expansion layout- getting on 3 base is easy once you break down rocks, but anything past 4 bases gets uncomfortably close to the opponent's half of the map. Additionally, there is a lot of open space in the center of the map, and almost all chokes around the edges.
Valley of Legends
It seems as if a lot of thought was put into this map. Draw an imaginary line from as far as the map goes from [4-o’clock to 10-o’clock] and [5-o’clock to 11-o’clock]; these lines are far too long. There is no place to put your army to reasonably defend all of the outer bases in time. Add that to the fact that you have to make even more bases (because each base has less resources), and it makes those outside bases very unimportant (even though they are a unique and interesting part of the map).
I like the creativity in this map. At the moment, all of the single gas expansions require a lot of expanding- something the game hasn't been balanced around. Because of the few resources after 3 bases, the map is really going to favor 2-3 base all-ins, especially with all of the chokes. Instead of over-saturating the map with expansions, try to make each one count; make each expansion completely viable in most situations.
Heimdall’s Sanctuary
If you made this map in the beta, you would be a hero. To be blunt, it is zerg favored due to a high level of openness (particularly at all the wrong base entrances). The fairly short rush distances are not short enough to make up for it. That very tight nook next to the natural almost makes up for it (for several timing attack reasons), but it can also act like a lure for a surround. I would prefer to see more interesting pathing options in the center of the map, too. The LoS blockers are very unique and interesting, but they do look rather unprofessional.
It's a very interesting idea to use LoSB in the way it was used on this map. Not saying it is necessarily only positive. There are no cliffs anywhere around those 4 bases in the middle which means it's pretty much a Zerg fest. The overall layout of the maps seems not very exciting to me. The ambience on the other hand was done very well and thoughtfull.
Very creative aesthetic theme, I like it a lot. The main problem with the map is the location of the natural choke- it requires units to path through the middle to reach a 3rd. Since it is so small, aggression will be very easy and reacting will be almost impossible. I suggest moving the natural choke back, and reworking the center so expansions are slightly farther away.
Crash Landing
The layout of the first several bases leads into a nice macro game. Unfortunately the effect of the terrain (long narrow corridor) doesn’t seem to shift no matter where you go (interestingly) more so than other 4p rotational maps. Having more ramps leading into the center could probably help this.
The concept of the map seems to be to put as many bases as possible on the edges of the map. It looks like a map for long macro games. I'd have liked to see maybe a couple additional ramps from the middle to the sideways to make the bases a bit more vulnurable. The center expansion is something we never see in SC2 so it's hard to say how that'd play out. I guess Terrans would like that quite a bit. The aesthetics are a bit boring. Trees are not the ultimate weapon against boredom.
Nice work on the layout. Unfortunately, the aesthetics need some work- try copying Blistering Sands or another (popular) desert map. Right now it is pretty solid, although the single gas expansion will favor the player who spawns counter-clockwise from the opponent, because he can take a 2-gas defensive third. Right now, the center won't be used very much since the sides are open enough, and you don't need to control the center to expand. I suggest shrinking the entire map, and making the chokes more defined around the edges.
Lecentum
I guess it's no coincidence that I see a lot of Crevasse when I look at this map. The idea of making the 4th expansions around the outside of the map is good, although it wastes a lot of space in the middle. I'd like to see a few more expansions there, now you only have a lot of room to move your armies through but no reason to do it unless it's cross position.
Moon of Ulnar
The map has quite the artistic touch. The layout is pretty good too. The thing that bothers me the most is the High Yield bases which are in a very strong position for Terrans. You could compare it with Xel'Naga Caverns where Zergs have a very hard time dealing with Planetary Fortresses at the Gold Base. On this map every Terran would most certainly take the High Yield base as 3rd because it's a very strong defensive point.
Encryption
Very well balanced for a 4p rotational symmetry map as far as the first 4 ½ bases on adjacent positions are concerned. The problem on adjacent positions is that the person spawning counter-clockwise will have a slightly easier 5th 6th and 7th, so the imbalance is only delayed (although interestingly encouraging one side to be more aggressive in the early late game). Because things are more important in the early game, this isn’t really the biggest of problems (but still a problem). The watch towers are too close to each other.
This map looks like it's so much effort. There are a lot of different metal textures worked into each other, although this could have been done a bit more thoughtful instead of just changing the squares. Apart from this it just looks like a good generic 4 player rotational map, nothing too special but still solid. It is also noticable that you tried not to make the chokes in the middle too wide.
Excellent work on the layout. The issue I see is lack of pathing options- right now there is the center, and a path around the outside. I would like to see an extra ramp or pathway added from the low-ground expansion into the middle. Additionally, the aesthetics could be improved- try copying Terminus or another popular space map.
Sanshorn Mist
This was a favorite amongst the judges and would have easily been a finalist if it wasn’t disqualified due to the map not being sent by email. Maybe the map is 5-10% too big (how big is it anyway?).
This map the top map for most of the judges, but unfortunately got disqualified. The only thing I don't like are the islands- I'm not sure they're necessary, and they give a really easy expansion for Terran to lift to.
Auir's Crater
Great work for your first map! The aesthetics need some work, but that will come with time. The corner expansion should really be reworked to make it a more viable 4th for Zerg, and to be slightly more open. I suggest putting its minerals against the edge of the map, and making the high-ground pod and ramps slightly larger.
Note: You have to send the map file in to have the map qualify for Top 5.
Shurik’n
The concept in this map is one of the best of the 4p rotational symmetry maps submitted this month. The proportions are a little off; the whole map should be about 10% smaller. Maybe the low ground 3rd is a little too close to clockwise main, but maybe not. This map is actually similar in quality to the other good 4p rotational maps submitted this month as far as gameplay goes, but it is lacking significantly in aesthetics (it’s too plain).
I followed the developement of this map from pretty much the beginning and I'm very impressed how it turned out. The cross position only settings also erase the biggest flaws. Still it's a big problems that the 12/3/6/9 o'clock bases can be harassed so easily without anything to do, since the ground route is just so long. It would probably the best to just move those bases a bit towards the naturals, just out of siege reach of the main bases. With some more aesthetic work this map could be fantastic.
Beautiful concept, I love the "Shuriken" in the center of the map. My only concern with the layout is that it is too small- the middle expansions are very close, and the natural - natural distance is slightly short in close positions. However, I feel that this map is very unfinished- the aesthetics are severely lacking and the map borders are relatively undecorated (you'll still see black without a high-ground border).
TPW Lost City
Woot woot Diablo II act-2-like ^_^. Assuming it was easy to get to a roughly standard later game scenario, the middle is actually pretty well designed (maybe a tad too open). The biggest problem is how the natural cannot be adequately defended by static defenses. This means that you are pretty much forced into an army-first opener (with an emphasis on constantly scouting your opponent to know when you can skimp on defenses) which is not condusive to a macro playstyle (which is not necessarily a bad thing, but is extremely untested territory (which implies possible imbalance) as far as this map is concerned with it’s fairly longer rush distances and lead into macro the macro game).
This map looks just fantastic. The concept is very good too. Some major flaws though are the first couple expansions. The natural is very vulnurable since pretty much any ranged unit can shoot it from the highground. Coupled with something like forcefields this is just a pain. On the other hand as soon as a player has taken more than 2 bases in counter clockwise direction it seems very easy to hold any additional expansions, especially for Terrans. I really like the expanding patter, it's very clear and I'm pretty sure this map would make for some nice long macro games.
Really great aesthetics, I love that you based them off of Diablo 3 and made your own textures. The layout concept really needs to be reworked- right now, the natural is very difficult to hold (impossible to forge FE even with the tower), the backdoor third is almost free and doesn't require any more map control, and the side expansions seem just "placed wherever they can go" instead of fitting into a map concept.
Arid Mesa
This looks like a fairly balanced, standart 4 player reflective symmetry map. Close spawn is erased so the High Yield expansion isn't an issue, which is very good. There are enough different paths to make it interesting and plenty of expansions too. To be honest I don't have a lot of criticism for this map, you considered all the major issues on other maps. I'm only a bit unsure about the connection of the 2 top and bottom bases divided by rocks. It looks like it might be easy for Terrans to siege push from the high ground. Aside from that you did a great job.
Cliffs of Acadia
I tried to fight to get this map in the top 5, but I’m the only judge who did . I guess the base vulnerabilities could be a little more interesting. The aesthetics are a little on the plain side; I would argue for more variety of doodads.
Nice layout; army positioning looks like game play would be fun. I think the natural choke is slightly too wide, considering the short nat-nat distance. Overall, I think the middle is too small too- you'll probably have to redesign it to increase the distances between expansions.
Antagony
The base layout itself is very elegant. Unfortunately, the army positioning gameplay is very bland; I see very little reason to position your army anywhere but right outside the natural on the high ground no matter what stage of the game.
Good job with the aesthetics. Overall they're pretty nice, but you could throw in some more doodads, especially in the unused areas. The primary problem is that the map is very small- all of the distances between expansions are really short. Responding to aggression will be very difficult since your reinforce distance is almost the same as the opponent's aggression distance.
Skov
This map is very solid in terms of layout. One major problem is how much wasted space there is- the sides of the map are completely wasted, and in close positions air has a really easy time attacking without risking a counter-attack. I would really like to see the map remade to not have so much of it. The middle is also slightly too small (in terms of pathing options) in cross positions, because once you're on 4 base you'll be fighting the opponent right next to you.
LoS_Artemis
IMO, this is the best 4p rotational map submitted this month (not only because it is the most unique). The gold base might be a little too easy for terran to claim when they spawn in top left or bottom right. The pathing options and army positioning gameplay are superb, and all positions in all matchups seem well balanced.
Very nice layout, finally something different than the usual 4 player, 16 base rotational map. The aesthetics are cool too, I like the Greek style. The only problem I see is that the center expansions (gold) can be really easy for Terran to take when he spawns in the top left or bottom right- I suggest removing the center expos and reworking the area to not include any expos.
Stella
This map has had a lot of thought put into it and is extremely intricate. Pretty much every problem with it (there’s several) seems like you tried to compensate for in some way (but didn’t really succeed); it is actually very impressive that you almost made a 2p map with so many bases work. I don’t want to go over all the problems because I don’t know how to fix them (without making it smaller and taking away bases). I will say that the army positioning gameplay of the first several bases is extremely good and leads into interesting late game scenarios.
I can see a lot of good thought went into this map. The main issue is something called 'space allocation'. This means that the space is distributed appropriately in areas where it is necessary, but nothing more. On Stella, there is a lot of excess space in certain areas- and there are chokes in oddly placed spots.
Yellow Circle- Expansions are too close Red Circle- Too open Black Circle- Expansion is impossible to take, too close to opponent & vulnerable Green Circle- Expansions are too close White Circle- Expansion is impossible to take because its too close to opponent Purple Circles- Distance across the map is too long
City of the Damned
This map is fucking terrible and whoever made it should diaf. The map’s central width is a tiny bit too small, and the center is a little too open (I recommend putting pathable high ground in the center of the map). The map is very unique and balanced. This map was not chosen because iGrok made it; it was chosen because it is a really good map (and if I may be honest this surprised me a little).
This was one of the harder maps to do judgement about since it's probably the first map with this concept. Well, besides the 8 player map 'Abyss', but let's not go there. I'm eally excited to see this map in the tournament because it's really hard to tell how it will play out. My biggest problem with it though is that the center is rather boring. There's nothing interesting to it, like different cliff hights or other obstacles to make it interesting, except a couple pillars. I think the map could've been made a little bigger, although the bounds are rather large the rush distances are almost tiny. Overall I don't want to say too much before seeing some high level players on it. Also it needs more rocks.
Nice first 3 bases, and good aesthetics. The major problem to me is that taking a 4th requires central map control, but the middle is too small. I would like to see the map enlarged so the center is bigger.
Prospectors
This is a very cool and nice looking map. It would've been one of my favourites in the competition if it had been shrinked a bit horizontally. That's pretty much the only thing I can critizice about it. It's just too wide. Be sure to check the rush distances next time, if they're over ~170 it get's really hard for immobile forces and also encourages base trade situations. Aside from this the map looks great.
TPW Dylarian Shipyards
This map is well-rounded (gameplay, balance, aesthetics). It does try to be different from the typical 16 base 4player rotational symmetry map, but is still just another spin on it. If you look at the openness image on the analyzer you see smattering of narrow pathways, but this is kind-of an illusion; there is actually plenty of harass paths and surround potential and interesting centralized defensible positions. But these 16 base 4p rotational maps are really getting old , I hope this is the last one :D.
This is just a wonderful 4 player rotational symmetry map with a lot of details. To be honest, the concept is not reallysomething new or innovative but rather standart, however the execution is fantastic. There are no wide open spaces besides the middle that is kinda open and the 3rd bases tucked to the mains that might be a bit more open than they'd have to be. All in all a great piece of map.
Overall, solid layout and nice aesthetics. Although this layout has been beaten to death, the map is still worthy of top 5 because of its professional work. The only problem to me is the proportions- they're slightly too big. Right now, the main is really too large, and so is the center. I think the map size should be decreased and in general things should be smaller- but make sure the chokes are still big enough.
LoS Resolution
This map is very interesting. If there was one thing changed about it, I would have fought pretty hard for it to be a finalist: the strips of high ground should be significantly wider. Yeah, sorry… it is a very simple thing but also very important IMO. Otherwise this map is great.
Cool aesthetics, never seen anything that looks as "lush" as this- nice job working in the man-made areas too. The layout is cool, but I think the corner expansions are too tightly clumped combined with being too far away from the opponent. I think you should rework these areas to reduce turtling and increase map control required to hold them. The backdoor (frontdoor?) into the natural also seems unnecessary to me, because unless you are going to make the 3rd next to it gold, the defender will never want to break down the rocks.
To be honest this was one of my absolute favourite maps. It's so innovative and fresh. This could be a BroodWar map, which for me is a good thing. The only problem, or inbalance you could call it, is that the bases in the back are very far away from the opponent, which gives Zerg a fairly big advantage. Also I feel that the 2nd entrance to the natural is rather unnecessary, but that's a matter of taste. The aesthetics are also very well done except for the lazy mapboarders decoration. Also maybe cut the random Protoss decals next time, doesn't really make any sense in my opinion.
TPW Cascade SE
I’m a fan of 2 player maps, and this is the best one submitted this month. Maybe the bases at 12:30 and 6:30 should be a little closer to the center (so taking them closes off the base next to the main). That’s all I got; this is my personal favorite submission this month.
Nice map! I don't know what to suggest, other than that the map seems slightly oversaturated for its small size. I would try to rework the sides so you can remove two of the expos, and maybe make it slightly more open around the edges. (10 expansions is plenty for a 1v1 map)
This appears to be a very nice and solid map. The expanding pattern is very clear until the last base which should produce some nice engagements in the late game. The two things I'd like to critizice a bit are first of all the small space around the ramps to the natural and the 3rd. Maybe it would've been a better idea not to add those terrain decorations in that spot to leave it a bit wider open. Openness is the second point. The area between the 3rd bases next to the main is very open and should favour Zerg quite a bit. It might be a close call here, at least it's not bad enough to make the map totally unplayable. The aesthetics are great aswell.
Ghost Colony
What jumps into the eye when looking at this map first is probably all the High Yield bases. 4 is just too much for a 2 player map, in my opinion even for a 4 player map. Besides that the map looks pretty nice. The thing I don't particularlylike about is that every single path from main to main, except the middle, has a gold expansion on it's way, which in my opinion limits the option of untroubled movement. The aesthetics are going in a good direction, however I'm not a big fan of those streets in SC2.
The concept of this map is actually very good. The biggest problem is that it is oversaturated with resources; I would really prefer to see middle-of-the-map army positioning gameplay sooner than the very late game. You have a great concept here, but it really is oversaturated with resources and it doesn’t push you to the center fast enough. I would actually just straight up remove the gold bases on the far top left and far bottom right, then it would be pretty sweet. BTW I hate to say it like this because it’s not entirely true, but it would have been taken more seriously if there wasn’t so many gold bases, oversaturation aside.
Very nice proportions on this map, I like the distances a lot. The aesthetics are okay, but seem to get a little bit bland. I would like slightly more variety in the textures. Please fix the mineral lines so the gas geysers are on the edges, not the middle- its really annoying because probes run back and forth when its oversaturated, and makes minerals really vulnerable. Also, you should really only have 2 golds (1 per player) on a map, unless the concept is very unusual- its too easy to turtle and take them before your 3rd. To me, the middle is slightly too small and easy to scout- map movement will be very restricted. In the future, try to located your mains so that they don't cut into the middle so much.
TPW Artifice
This map is very well proportioned. In fact, that’s about all it is. It doesn’t even try to be different from the typical 16 base 4p rotational map; it tries to perfect its proportions. And it succeeded, which means we don’t need to see these anymore. Right guys?
Very professional looking map, good attention to detail in the aesthetics. The proportions are also very nice. I think the map will play out well, but these standard layouts (almost the same as Sanctuarium and Dylarian Shipyards) are becoming too common- the main and natural have 1 entrance each, and then there's an expo against the main and natural. In the future, I would like some more unusual and innovative concepts.
Let's take a look at this one. The layout of the map is pretty much as standart as it can get on a 4 player rotational symmetry map these days. It's definitly not gonna win an award for creativity. At least not for the concept. Does standart mean balanced too? In this case yes. The execution of this map is fantastic. There is absolutely nothing to critizice about this in my opinion. Yes, the spaces around the middle are rather open. This will give Zerg a good chance against the other races. I don't think I have to say much about the aesthetics. It's just brilliant. The idea with the middle part is something never seen before and also the work with tiles is great. Bluntly, it's a generic but solid and beautiful map.
TPW Crimsonite
This map looks absolutely amazing from far. It actually does from near too. The maplayout is great and the proportions seem good too. The biggest concern in my opinion is that apart from the middle, every single route passes an expansion which limits the option of untroubled movement quite a bit. By only removing the High Yield bases it would've made the map so much better in my book. Overall it's a good example for a great reflection symmetry map.
This map seems incredibly silly at first, but don’t let that deceive you; it is actually well balanced. My biggest problem with it is that it is too big by about 10-15%. This map came pretty close to being a finalist, and it wasn’t easy to cut it. On close air positions, the rocks between the two bases that are between the two mains seem very unnecessary. Perhaps the two high ground platform in the center of the map should be merged.
Great aesthetic work, but I think they distract from the game play a little bit too much. I can hardly tell where some of the cliffs and chokes are. Overall, the map seems too large- a lot of the distances are too long (and there is a tremendous amount of wasted space on the edges). I suggest thinking about the concept of the map in the future (how do you want the game to play out, what strategies should be enforced, etc.) and make changes to fit that concept.
Limbo
This map was very close to becoming a finalist. The biggest problem is that the expansion pattern is incredibly simplistic. Each base is connected to the last but opens up another wider path, and they all wrap around a central area (very predictable gameplay). Also, said central area is a little too open. This map would be better with no watch towers, IMO. The bridges were a nice touch, btw :D
I must say this is probably the map I was most disappointed about. It looks so effortless and bland. The middle favours Zergs heavily while the bridges favour everything but Zerg, especially Protoss obviously. I feel that it's impossible to go over 3 bases on this map because everything is so wide open. The aesthetics are pretty boring too. I'd guess that this map was produced in less than a day. I know that you can do better, way way better than this.
Cool aesthetics, although they seem a little bit bland. I suppose they fit the theme of the being in "limbo" (inception anybody?) and also the religious term. As far as the layout, it seems solid but a little bit too standard. Additionally, I doubt games will get past 5 bases because of how close they are to the opponent. I think the only solution would be reworking the map and/or increasing its size.
On August 11 2011 09:25 monitor wrote: The aesthetics are a little on the plain side
Yeah... I'm a little bit shit at aesthetics. I tried to spruce it up a little bit with some unique lighting but it was kind of last minute and experimental.
On August 11 2011 09:25 monitor wrote: I think the natural choke is slightly too wide
That's funny, I was really worried that it was going to be too narrow. I actually widened it towards the last days before submission.
On August 11 2011 09:25 monitor wrote: Cliffs of Acadia
I tried to fight to get this map in the top 5, but I’m the only judge who did.
Well damn, that's honestly better than I could have hoped for. Thanks for everything. Now let's see if I can improve upon my moderate success next month.
many of your comments reflect those of others and those found during some playtesting ... the map has changed even more since you looked at it. check my thread for the changes that address many of the criticisms.
many of your comments reflect those of others and those found during some playtesting ... the map has changed even more since you looked at it. check my thread for the changes that address many of the criticisms.
Please don't forget to publish your winning map with the MotM#8 tag. If you need someone to publish it on another server (EU/NA) please contact us about it.
Really nice top 5 once again! Looking forward to the tournament.
City of the Damned is kinda surprising to me. It's strange how you have 3 bases initially and then when you get your fourth you basically get another 3 bases... have never played it tho and I am not the one to criticize this amazing lineup of judges.
Hopefully LoS_Artemis's middle gets a little update as it was mentioned in the judge comments, otherwise it's a really cool monitor 4 player rotational map
I understand that my map is really heavy on the counters/base trades and doesn't offer much expanding variety, guess there's not much that can be done with Desert Oasis layout to prevent that, other than inventing some really crazy stuff. I'm glad that you think it's balanced tho (:
Also surprising how you picked both Dylarian Shipyard and Artifice since I considered them to be pretty similar, very basic, solid 4 player rotational maps. Hopefully next month there are no more maps like this in top5.. I mean..don't get me wrong, they are balanced and well done but it gets boring if there are just solid and not with some crazy stuff in it (like Ithaca or Katrina craziness).
Looking at the map pool for this month gives a bit of repitition in my eyes for some reason, I guess Dylarian Shipyard, Artifice, and Artermis just look so similar in expantion patterns and general layout. At least we have a 5 player map thrown in there, iGrok Fighting!
On August 11 2011 11:24 Icetoad wrote: Congratz to the other map maker. ^^My first top 5!. Also I'm sad that LoS_Resolution wasn't taken, cause all LoS maps are awesome .
Grats man, totally earned that top5 spot, we can only go up from here
I'm sooooo sad that Lost City didn't make it into the top 5. Such a pretty map, with a unique layout. Ahead of its time.
Anyway, it's hard with so many amazing maps not to disappoint anybody when you cut to five. Apart from my personal bias, I think you guys made some nice selections. I see things went slightly in the direction of unknown territory, which I think you should push more and more. (Lost City!!!! Oh, sry.) The only other thing I have to say there is that I think you should be very intentional from now on about your selection of 4player maps. If it were me, I would mandate that they have to be absolutely mind-blowing, or innovative, in order to bump out other maps. They tend to share a lot of features, which you can see even in this month's finalists. 2player maps tend to offer more opportunities for interesting features, and other number of spawn locations are obviously the rare fruit.
All that said, no complaints, looking forward to the games! Congrats finalists and anyone else, don't feel bad 'cause you all made a good showing.
Lastly, huge thanks and thumbs up for taking the time to compile judge notes! That is obviously a smart move for transparency but on a simple level I really appreciate it and I'm sure everyone else does as well.
On August 11 2011 15:45 EatThePath wrote: I'm sooooo sad that Lost City didn't make it into the top 5. Such a pretty map, with a unique layout. Ahead of its time.
Anyway, it's hard with so many amazing maps not to disappoint anybody when you cut to five. Apart from my personal bias, I think you guys made some nice selections. I see things went slightly in the direction of unknown territory, which I think you should push more and more. (Lost City!!!! Oh, sry.) The only other thing I have to say there is that I think you should be very intentional from now on about your selection of 4player maps. If it were me, I would mandate that they have to be absolutely mind-blowing, or innovative, in order to bump out other maps. They tend to share a lot of features, which you can see even in this month's finalists. 2player maps tend to offer more opportunities for interesting features, and other number of spawn locations are obviously the rare fruit.
All that said, no complaints, looking forward to the games! Congrats finalists and anyone else, don't feel bad 'cause you all made a good showing.
Lastly, huge thanks and thumbs up for taking the time to compile judge notes! That is obviously a smart move for transparency but on a simple level I really appreciate it and I'm sure everyone else does as well.
Rock on, motm.
I am not going to say anything about Lost City (: except that it is a quite good two player map and it would have been nice to see more high quality 2player maps in this month's motm - mainly to actually be able to compare and value different map features.
I will keep it my secret if i like the layout and visuals and i will not judge the judges
While I understand your point that it would be nice to have more 2p just for more diversity, I do not really agree with you: Making a 2p map interesting and balanced is easier than making a 4p map balanced > and still the 4p would feel less interesting.
Yet we do not see that many good 2p maps in this motm. I think there already were month with more unique idea (NullCurrent's Monsoon Valley, although not perfect, has a very nice and experimental expansion layout). Quite some 2p look fun, they have some strange features that kind of overshadow the overall map or lack a destinctive design. last motm was a bit stronger in unique and solid 2p i think.
So I would say it is good that 3 4p maps are in top5, because we now can see how their seemingly small differences affect gameplay. this is a great opportunity really!
4p is so hard in a way to make interesting yet balanced. you need 4 mains+nat and 2 options for each spawn as thirds. just your basic layout will take quite some space away.
I have tons of ideas for 2p. I could only build 2p and still find some stuff that is interesting in a way. Having a great 4p is a different thing. in 4p mapping we will see more small differences i guess, similar proportions and layout. still i look forward to it.
I would love to see more people doing more experimental stuff, so i hope to start something in the next few days like a mapping challenge. It won't be so much about winning or building a great competitive map, but more about speemaps, throwing together crazy ideas, asymmetries, 7-playerstart-maps and such stuff. No judges, no money, just for the sake of mapping. I see this as an addition to motm and motw - like a jazz jamming session possibly. also i want to have a lot more activity in the community showing and discussing wip projects. I want to collect some ideas for these challenge and anybody with such a crazy idea should be invited to later "judge" the maps by awarding special prices.
Rigt now many people do maps on a great level and there are so many talented guys around and also a bunch of new people stepping up their mapping and i kind of whish having less competition and more fun trying some crazy stuff. still we donot see so much wip stuff anymore. and because of the 4 player problem of making a map that is interesting and balanced we have the impression 2 player is the only way... probably we need three player again or more shift symmytry stuff. who knows.
that is why i think we need an open work in progress thread where anybody can post stuff. like a terran-strategy-help thread. to ask questions, but also showcase stuff that is wip before doing one special map thread. this map will be on the first page most of the time or could even be sticky and i think it will help to get some pressure away to make stuff in an extra map thread and will help people do better maps.
edit: top 5 8) first time since january! so happy to finally find away into the selection agagin! also i am very impressed by you publishing your notes and criticism!
Really appreciate the feedback monitor! For future maps I really need to enlist the help of more people, I didn't even get a real chance to playtest Castaway, and the only comments on TL were positive without being very constructive.
Slightly reduced the size of the mains on Dylarian and also fixed a pathing issue. Mapfile has been sent to submitblablablabla. Will go on vacation next week so if there are any further questions/... let me know asap.
Zero attention? I recall people allways loving that, even last month. Also I won the dustin browder for the 2nd time, gotta know who to hand the trophy to
On August 13 2011 02:25 ihasaKAROT wrote: Zero attention? I recall people allways loving that, even last month. Also I won the dustin browder for the 2nd time, gotta know who to hand the trophy to
Or you could get your third one, and be a Browder Bonjwa.
I wrote a response which was lost to the battery gods, which I'll remake at some point. It wasn't very divisive, but I still want to share my thoughts. Anyway, Barrin basically delineated in examples and details what I said in a metaphor about mapping being like writing a piece of music and how 4player maps are like different performances of the same song.
I don't think mediocre 2player maps should replace them but we should only hold up the most finely crafted and progressive maps. As to the idea of map challenges to get creativity flowing, I like it. However, against metaphor: that's like writing a catchy musical phrase. You still have to do a lot of work to put it in a song that turns out masterful, and you can't just evaluate it without context. Maps are exactly the same and you can only evaluate something by seeing the obvious and subtle interplay of the map elements and how they are used by players.
So, great for generating ideas but they still have to go into maps which are crafted over long hours in order to see "is this really something worthwhile I've hit upon?". That is why I want to see the innovations in the more breathable 2player maps to see how these paper planes fly, not just bend the wings differently on the same old style. Not that I don't like seeing a sweet fucking paper airplane regardless.
Ugh I'm a broken gumball machine of metaphors.
[edit] By the way, I specifically mean 4player rotational that gives left and right thirds. I think there is room for innovating with mirror symmetry, and there is a TON of space to do shifted symmetry style.
On August 13 2011 09:18 EatThePath wrote: I wrote a response which was lost to the battery gods, which I'll remake at some point. It wasn't very divisive, but I still want to share my thoughts. Anyway, Barrin basically delineated in examples and details what I said in a metaphor about mapping being like writing a piece of music and how 4player maps are like different performances of the same song.
I don't think mediocre 2player maps should replace them but we should only hold up the most finely crafted and progressive maps. As to the idea of map challenges to get creativity flowing, I like it. However, against metaphor: that's like writing a catchy musical phrase. You still have to do a lot of work to put it in a song that turns out masterful, and you can't just evaluate it without context. Maps are exactly the same and you can only evaluate something by seeing the obvious and subtle interplay of the map elements and how they are used by players.
So, great for generating ideas but they still have to go into maps which are crafted over long hours in order to see "is this really something worthwhile I've hit upon?". That is why I want to see the innovations in the more breathable 2player maps to see how these paper planes fly, not just bend the wings differently on the same old style. Not that I don't like seeing a sweet fucking paper airplane regardless.
Ugh I'm a broken gumball machine of metaphors.
[edit] By the way, I specifically mean 4player rotational that gives left and right thirds. I think there is room for innovating with mirror symmetry, and there is a TON of space to do shifted symmetry style.
On August 13 2011 01:11 FlopTurnReaver wrote: Special Awards haven't been planned really since they got 0 attention last month and for this the effort is a bit too high.
What? 0 attention? I always read and enjoy them very much
When will we have more information about when the tournament start? Also I always waiting for the special award cause they are sometimes so funny and fun to read.
Hey all, I love the work you're doing, and the maps are incredible. I have one question though- I tried to find and download some of these maps, and bc I'm NA I couldn't (or so I figured) unless Blizz took them down? So how can I get the map files for the winners of MotM? Thanks, you all are awesome, and your maps are really well done, I applaud you for spending your time, effort, and ability this way. <3
On August 15 2011 04:59 Hossinaut wrote: Hey all, I love the work you're doing, and the maps are incredible. I have one question though- I tried to find and download some of these maps, and bc I'm NA I couldn't (or so I figured) unless Blizz took them down? So how can I get the map files for the winners of MotM? Thanks, you all are awesome, and your maps are really well done, I applaud you for spending your time, effort, and ability this way. <3
Mapmakers generally dont' hand their work out unless asked~
Well you can play on the map, but you won't probably be able to access to the maps file cause normally we locked them. I think the map on b.net on the NA should be up by now with the tag MoTM#8 or you can try to find the map with the real name, so my map LoS_Artemis is on NA and you can play on it. Usually we will only give access to the map to who we want, example if we want to upload our map on another server we need to make it publish by someone else and give them the map file.
Hi I have examined the map city of the dammed, and it seems like I have found some major positional imbalnce.
Since there is no way for me to test this I cant be certain, but it looks to me that some thirds can be shot with siege tanks from some mains, but some thirds cannot.
Is there gonna be soon any new info concerning when will the games are gonna be casted and when when there will be a special award thing? Also LoS_Artemis should be soon on EU along with the other LoS map getting publish on NA and EU.
On August 24 2011 12:24 Icetoad wrote: Is there gonna be soon any new info concerning when will the games are gonna be casted and when when there will be a special award thing? Also LoS_Artemis should be soon on EU along with the other LoS map getting publish on NA and EU.
Soon. Won't have an exact date for a few days, but the games have all been played and rest assured it will be cast