There are going to be some fundamental changes coming to MotM. In the past, the success of MotM has often depended on things out of our control. And unfortunately, sometimes that did not work out too well. For more than a year MotM has been the source of motivation and inspiration for many mapmakers, both newcomers and veterans. It has been a great opportunity for mapmakers to get some attention. Without MotM, the mapmaking community wouldn't be where it is today. It is our highest priority to make sure a Map of the Month competition is taking place every month once again.
To achieve this MotM will be focusing on its core elements again: rating the submissions and picking a winning map every month! As usual, there is a high profile lineup of judges. Also, the judging process itself is being further optimized and you are finally going to see scores again (at least for the top maps).
What does this all mean?
This means that MotM from now on is going to be a mapmaking competition only and no longer acompanied by a monthly tournament. However, we may still do tournaments, showmatches, replay casts and other events in the future, but those will happen independently. We already have a few ideas for those, which will be revealed at a later time. In addition to that, we will continue promoting MotM maps to other organizations.
Judging has always been very time consuming. It required alot of patience from both the judges and the participants. Needless to say, it is in everyones interest to speed things a little. Over the course of time, our judging process has undergone several changes. To provide some transparency what is going on behind the scenes, here is a little explanation of our new juding process.
New judging process explained: First round: Each judge looks through the list of submissions and picks their 10 favorite maps based on the overview, data, and map file. Every judge then ranks his 10 picks by appointing 10 points to his favorite map, 9 points to his second favorite, etc. After summing up the points from all judges, the 5 maps with the highest scores enter the second round of judging.
Second round: The judges are then able to playtest each map and discuss them in depth until the end of the month. Eventually, in the final vote each judge rates individual maps from 1 to 10 - the map with the highest average score will be entitled map of the month.
Judge lineup for April: Barrin - Author of ‘Breadth of Gameplay in SC2’ Superouman - ESV Mapmaker, creator of Cloud kingdom and Sanshorn Mist lefix - Founder of The Planetary Workshop, creator of Odyssey Nightmarjoo - TLMC Judge, Starcraft BW/SC2 mapmaking scene veteran Ragoo - TPW Mapmaker, creator of Twilight Peaks and Loki II
The judges are encouraged give some feedback on the maps after they are done judging. But please keep in mind that this is very time consuming, and judges are usually not able to respond to every participant.
Please send your map files to submit.motm[at]gmail.com (include map name in subject) and post your overviews with any additional information in this thread. Follow this format while posting in this thread to ensure your entry is accepted:
Map Name Map Author Map Overview Playable Map Bounds
The closing time for submissions will be April, 20th.
I would love to see some sort of theme for future MotM's, be it a type of symmetry, a certain type of aesthetic, or certain style of layout, or whatever. Constraints can really focus a person's creative energy, heightening the level of intrinsic awesomeness apparent in the entries.
On April 08 2012 12:51 DoDonPachi wrote: Does FRB maps are allowed in this map competition ?
i wouldnt think so. 8m2g gameplay is different than 6m1hyg gameplay. Maps would be judged way differently, and because FRB has only been around for about a month there's no way to really know what makes a balanced FRB map apart from a standard 8m2g map. So no, i do not think FRB is included.
On April 08 2012 12:51 DoDonPachi wrote: Does FRB maps are allowed in this map competition ?
No. It's for standard maps; 8m2g is the only competitive map right now. Until 6m can become standard or is just as "figured out" as 8m2, there won't be any normal MotM competitions for it (there may be some specific 6m-only competition in the future, idk).
On April 08 2012 13:14 fenX wrote: Can we submit a map we already submitted in a previous MotM ?
Yes. [edit] But it is discouraged because obviously if it didn't win then, it isn't that likely that it will win this time.
On April 08 2012 11:11 NewSunshine wrote: I would love to see some sort of theme for future MotM's, be it a type of symmetry, a certain type of aesthetic, or certain style of layout, or whatever. Constraints can really focus a person's creative energy, heightening the level of intrinsic awesomeness apparent in the entries.
I think that's a bad idea. If you want these to focus your creativity, apply them to yourself ; but the contest should be about picking the best map, not the best "X element" map.
Unsure I'll be able to pump out something new this month. Haven't touched map making for awhile now haha. Maybe I'll just fix one of my older maps and submit it for fun. :D
On April 08 2012 18:43 ArcticRaven wrote: I think that's a bad idea. If you want these to focus your creativity, apply them to yourself ; but the contest should be about picking the best map, not the best "X element" map.
I already do, it's how I get half my aesthetics, among other things. The thing is, I would love to see the various ways in which the whole community tackles a specific challenge - doing so by oneself isn't as much fun. And as Barrin points out, I don't mean I want it to affect the judging - I just want it to affect what we see ourselves coming up with. Think of it like Day[9]'s Funday Monday - it's still on the ladder, so a loss is a loss, but it's almost always more fun trying to constrain yourself - and sometimes you learn something.
On April 09 2012 20:43 MorroW wrote: i have submitted my map to the mail adress
That's not enough. The OP says you must also post overview information about your map in this thread (and that information must follow the format given in the opening post).
I will submit something next weekend, probably (with 99% certainty) it will be a further polished version of Emerald Steel.
Wonderful, I've been waiting for the latest incarnation of the MoTM competition - I plan on submitting Ilio Volta to see how it stacks up against the best out there, if at all. Hopefully I'll be able to glean some tips for my next map, which will blow Ilio Volta out of the water.
On April 09 2012 20:43 MorroW wrote: i have submitted my map to the mail adress
That's not enough. The OP says you must also post overview information about your map in this thread (and that information must follow the format given in the opening post).
I will submit something next weekend, probably (with 99% certainty) it will be a further polished version of Emerald Steel.
On April 09 2012 20:43 MorroW wrote: i have submitted my map to the mail adress
That's not enough. The OP says you must also post overview information about your map in this thread (and that information must follow the format given in the opening post).
I will submit something next weekend, probably (with 99% certainty) it will be a further polished version of Emerald Steel.
On April 10 2012 13:13 NewSunshine wrote: Map Name - White Night (thanks to the faulty overview the name makes no sense to you I bet) By - NewSunshine(formerly MisfortuneS Ghost) + Show Spoiler +
Playable 136*
And you all thought I'd vanished... but you see, I wasn't really a ghost :p
Make a map thread so I can leave comments! Very cool. ;D
On April 09 2012 20:43 MorroW wrote: i have submitted my map to the mail adress
That's not enough. The OP says you must also post overview information about your map in this thread (and that information must follow the format given in the opening post).
I will submit something next weekend, probably (with 99% certainty) it will be a further polished version of Emerald Steel.
The first thing that came into mind was "Blistering Sands!!!" because of the rocks to the main and the tileset.
I would actually like to see a few games on this map and see how the "mineral wall" and all these things work out. Just imagining a OC on the inner side and a PF on the outer side of it. Any replays MorroW?
On April 14 2012 07:33 FoxyMayhem wrote: Guys, remember, Visual Asymmetry is superior in every way.
The thing is, imo, it doesn't really matter because it isn't very noticable in-game. The overview shows the difference, but it isn't really a legitimate thing to base a map off of. Tons of work for not a gigantic payoff imo. It is nice to see though^^
The place I noticed it made a difference was while watching a match on Metropolis, a map you don't really notice the asymmetry in the overview. By having light texture in one base and dark in another, I knew instantly where the observer had clicked to. It made spectating way easier.
Being more specific on all the reasons why it's good, here's a quote from the SC2 Spectator Sport to the Next Level thread: + Show Spoiler +
There's a ton of work being done from the mapping community to make viewing better, and I'm not informed enough to go into all that. But there are two major things that I know we can do that most aren't yet.
1) Use visual asymmetry. Despite the maps flaws, Dual Sight really gave you a sense of location: you knew instantly on the map where you were looking. I know we've mostly taken a play out of Blizzard's map making playbook and made our bases look very similar, but I think it's time to develop beyond that. Metropolis has distinct patterns and light vs dark textures in its main bases to make it easier for the viewer to recognize where we're looking when the camera changes. And no one can think of a reason this shouldn't be standard.
In Dual Sight it was obvious, in Metropolis it was subtle, but map makers, make areas of your map distinct so we can tell in an instant where we're looking.
Visual asymtry is the next level of map making for SC2 as a spectator sport.
2) Have a story shown in your map. You'll also notice that Dual Sight has given a story to many a cast. It's theme is a story piece for casters, and this enhances the broadcast. How often can you do good-vs-evil themes? Not often before it gets old, but there are plenty of other ways you can help tournaments tell a story.
a) In a city theme, have one side bombed out and run down, maybe even some fire in the main base there, while the other is pristine with shrubbery. Casters will love to play with that.
b) In a jungle theme, have sparse brown grass on one side, even some cracked brown dirt, with a transition to lush jungle near the water.
c) In another jungle theme, have one side an overrun research facility in the process of being reclaimed by the jungle, with the other side the "deeps" of the jungle.
d) In a desert theme, have the terrain defined on one side with abandoned mining operations equipment, and the other dried out bones and pits of tar (still symetrical, but visually different).
e) In space, have one side of the place a planetarium, while the other looks like the platform was in mid construction and lacking greenery.
f) In a cave, have one side the caved in "exit" of the cave with beams of light, and the far size a transion to lava soaked ancient artifacts.
Any way you can make a contrast is going to bring the viewing experience for your map to the next level.
I know the deadline is the 20th (Friday) but I'm wondering if I was to submit a map on that Saturday or Sunday (21st or 22nd) if that would be okay as well?
Usually Mon-Fri I have little time to work on maps, so if I work on them it's during the weekends. If that's not okay, no worries as I might not even have a new map completely finished to submit and in that case i might just submit one of my older maps.
On April 18 2012 04:59 SidianTheBard wrote: I know the deadline is the 20th (Friday) but I'm wondering if I was to submit a map on that Saturday or Sunday (21st or 22nd) if that would be okay as well?
would depend on the timezone right? saturday in EU might still be friday in US west coast...
On April 09 2012 20:43 MorroW wrote: i have submitted my map to the mail adress
That's not enough. The OP says you must also post overview information about your map in this thread (and that information must follow the format given in the opening post).
I will submit something next weekend, probably (with 99% certainty) it will be a further polished version of Emerald Steel.
This texturing creeps me out it looks like skincancer. At least how I imagine it looking. Nice map. Oh and this is not ironic. It really looks great, don´t take that "cancer" word for word.
On April 08 2012 12:51 DoDonPachi wrote: Does FRB maps are allowed in this map competition ?
No. It's for standard maps; 8m2g is the only competitive map right now. Until 6m can become standard or is just as "figured out" as 8m2, there won't be any normal MotM competitions for it (there may be some specific 6m-only competition in the future, idk).
Yeah, I totally won't have time to finish anything new for this month unfortunately. Expect something new from me soon though!
I'll have to dig around some files and either submit something Older or just say screw it since all my old maps are just that...old.
GL to all those that enter! I can't wait to post all my thoughts and feedback when these maps get judged. Hell, maybe I'll look through all the submitted maps and list out my own top 5.
Map name: Basin of Aiur Map Author: MoskoPwR.840 (Mosko) + Show Spoiler +
Playable map bounds: 108:140
This map is a remake of Jungle Basin, fixing a few things in the map, such as hard to take 3rd, warp in to the in-base expo, and the middle being to easy to take with a PF at each expo.
Being my 1st map there aren't many details, I am only learning to use the editor now, but I hope it is still playable
On April 08 2012 12:51 DoDonPachi wrote: Does FRB maps are allowed in this map competition ?
No. It's for standard maps; 8m2g is the only competitive map right now. Until 6m can become standard or is just as "figured out" as 8m2, there won't be any normal MotM competitions for it (there may be some specific 6m-only competition in the future, idk).
I'm actually not judging this month btw :p But I am an organizer of MotM with lefix (who is taking over my role as we get things figured out), so I do have the right to say that. And from my opinion, I haven't seen any evidence in FRB maps that they play better than 8m maps. They might, but not until some of the core mechanics of the game are fixed and maps become better. So I don't think we should promote them right now, especially since MotM is the biggest community motivators. We want to get people making maps that could influence tournament play imo. Maybe a exasperated FRB tournament if anything.
Additional Notes: There will be a map thread soon, but it will most likely go up after I get the aesthetics improved. There is no texturing to speak of yet but it will come. The destructible rocks are actually more than one set. Each "one" is really ten. They are stacked like in BW so that either a really big army or splash units are needed to break them down. They are not all in one spot, but there are four that are staggered by one tile N/S/E/W on top of a central one, and then another set of five like that directly on top of those at each position. So even though it looks like 8, there are really 80. A bit of trivia: -- Splash units that *can* hit ALL of the rocks at once: Banelings, Archons, Colossus, Hellions, Planetary Fortress, Nukes -- Splash units that *can" hit multiple rocks at once: Mutalisks -- Splash units that need to target fire each rock individually: Tanks, Ultralisks Don't ask me why, it's just the facts. Also, the main (on the high high ground) and natural (base all the way in the corner) are each 8m2g (1500/2500). The thirds/fourths are 6m1hyg (1500/3750). All of the golds are 4m1hyg (1500/3750). I hope that is acceptable for an 8m contest.
Tanks have a separate damage effect with no splash to use against large targets, so that when they attack a building or something where it will hit a random point of the building, random nearby units won't get damaged. I think the Ultra is the same to fix the bug where you could attack a planetary and kill the repairing SCVs.
It's cool that you're trying out stacked rocks. That's a good idea.
Additional Notes: There will be a map thread soon, but it will most likely go up after I get the aesthetics improved. There is no texturing to speak of yet but it will come. The destructible rocks are actually more than one set. Each "one" is really ten. They are stacked like in BW so that either a really big army or splash units are needed to break them down. They are not all in one spot, but there are four that are staggered by one tile N/S/E/W on top of a central one, and then another set of five like that directly on top of those at each position. So even though it looks like 8, there are really 80. A bit of trivia: -- Splash units that *can* hit ALL of the rocks at once: Banelings, Archons, Colossus, Hellions, Planetary Fortress, Nukes -- Splash units that *can" hit multiple rocks at once: Mutalisks -- Splash units that need to target fire each rock individually: Tanks, Ultralisks Don't ask me why, it's just the facts. Also, the main (on the high high ground) and natural (base all the way in the corner) are each 8m2g (1500/2500). The thirds/fourths are 6m1hyg (1500/3750). All of the golds are 4m1hyg (1500/3750). I hope that is acceptable for an 8m contest.
Additional Notes: There will be a map thread soon, but it will most likely go up after I get the aesthetics improved. There is no texturing to speak of yet but it will come. The destructible rocks are actually more than one set. Each "one" is really ten. They are stacked like in BW so that either a really big army or splash units are needed to break them down. They are not all in one spot, but there are four that are staggered by one tile N/S/E/W on top of a central one, and then another set of five like that directly on top of those at each position. So even though it looks like 8, there are really 80. A bit of trivia: -- Splash units that *can* hit ALL of the rocks at once: Banelings, Archons, Colossus, Hellions, Planetary Fortress, Nukes -- Splash units that *can" hit multiple rocks at once: Mutalisks -- Splash units that need to target fire each rock individually: Tanks, Ultralisks Don't ask me why, it's just the facts. Also, the main (on the high high ground) and natural (base all the way in the corner) are each 8m2g (1500/2500). The thirds/fourths are 6m1hyg (1500/3750). All of the golds are 4m1hyg (1500/3750). I hope that is acceptable for an 8m contest.
This map is insanely green >.<
If this is your way of asking to texture it for me before the competition -- yes, yes you can. =D
I know every base has gold minerals, but they only look gold. They're regular mineral fields when you mine them. I modified them because the gold ones fit the color scheme of my map better.
The map is still a work in progress, but it's close to being finished and I don't want to miss the deadline.
I know every base has gold minerals, but they only look gold. They're regular mineral fields when you mine them. I modified them because the gold ones fit the color scheme of my map better.
The map is still a work in progress, but it's close to being finished and I don't want to miss the deadline.
lol mikey you always have a trick up your sleeve. maybe the minerals should be another matching color (green? teal? orange? silver?) that doesn't already represent something to players.
On April 21 2012 08:41 EatThePath wrote: lol mikey you always have a trick up your sleeve. maybe the minerals should be another matching color (green? teal? orange? silver?) that doesn't already represent something to players.
I tried to but I couldn't figure it out! I'm still trying to, but for now they'll have to be gold. I wanted them to be orange.
I know every base has gold minerals, but they only look gold. They're regular mineral fields when you mine them. I modified them because the gold ones fit the color scheme of my map better.
The map is still a work in progress, but it's close to being finished and I don't want to miss the deadline.
i think u forgot a ramp in the middle. better recheck that
Stella Nox hwajae and Icetoad (hwajea made the layout and I just did the aesthetic and refined a bit the layout) Bounds: 150x150 Overview:+ Show Spoiler +
No map thread maybe one day there will be. Side note the map was made for the 6mhyg or 6m2g, but we submit it with 8m2g.
I'm sorry I haven't posted earlier, I thought (erroneously, obviously D that I had already submitted my map. I know the deadline's closed, and I know I have made an error, but I'd like to be able to compete.
On May 01 2012 21:06 Preums wrote: Hello, I sent an email to participate oups I thought we were still in April. Too bad I would participate in the next. Epic Fail xD
On May 02 2012 04:56 Irratonalys wrote: ESV spring looks exactly like bel`shir beach.
You've GOT to be kidding...
Are you referring to the linear 4 base set up with a reversed center base? This does not constitute ESV Spring as "exactly" like bel'shir beach. The terrain features are different in every area as well, which means play styles will be different. Please do not call a map identical to another map unless you have in-depth analysis as to why that might be.
On May 02 2012 16:55 lefix wrote: Please stop posting in this thread. The results are in. Otherwise this thread will have be locked
This makes no sense -- the results page doesn't include all of the submissions in it. This thread is to discuss the submissions. How are people supposed to discuss the way ESV Spring looks like Bel'Shir Beach (rightly or wrongly) in the results other thread when ESV Spring didn't make the leap to the other thread? (zing! -- j/k...) The OP hasn't even been marked with "OLD POST" yet...
Additionally, past submissions pages have been posted to after the results pages were up, I do not see the cause for such an admonition.
If you wanted to avoid this kind of thing you should at least link to the submissions page (if not copy and past all of the entries into a spoiler) in your results page OP and leave a note to put all further comments in the results page. This is a message board -- if you insist on breaking the results and submissions into two threads you need to realize that people are going to post where they feel it is relevant.
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