[I] Mapper's Index

iamcaustic

Canada1509 Posts

October 23 2014 00:18 GMT

UPDATE Oct 22, 2014: With SigmaFiE no longer active in the mapping community, I'm going to work on updating this thread to be relevant for today's mappers. Thanks for all the hard work getting this started, Sigma!

Introduction

This index is an ongoing compilation of mapping references, documentation, and tools to help anyone who wants to be creative in the SC2 Editor. If anyone has good content/references that should be in this post, please PM me.

+ Show Spoiler [SigmaFiE's original foreward] +

This index is not yet complete, and is still a work in progress. However, I felt it had reached a point where all people could use it. You may view the original word document HERE.

This index could not have been completed without the amazing work put forth by the many members of this community. As such, each person deserves praise. Without you, this compendium of knowledge would not exist. I would especially like to thank Barrin for his previous work in this same vein with his Mapmaking Links Compilation thread.

Omissions exist that have not been corrected as of yet. I am awaiting a time where-in it would be appropriate to include these.

To any new mappers, I would emphasize the Patch 1.5 Changes, Guides, Tools, and Assets sections.

If there is a thread you feel that should be added or that I have overlooked, please send me a PM with a link to the thread. I am working on actively updating this index but I do miss things on occasion -- so please help keep this index updated by staying actively involved. Together, we can do this.

Furthermore, please keep the following in mind.

Knowing how to make maps is great, but knowing how to make the best maps takes knowing how to play the game. - Barrin

Enjoy.

Mapmaking Essentials

Foundational Information

Blizzard Legal
+ Show Spoiler +

Battle Net Terms of Use
Blizzard Entertainment Online Privacy Policy
Blizzard FAQ Copyright Notices
Blizzard Copyright Infringement Notice
Legal FAQ
Starcraft II Eula
Intellectual Ownerships of Your Maps vs Blizzard

Blizzard Arcade

Official TeamLiquid Links
+ Show Spoiler +

Simple Questions Simple Answers
Custom Maps Forum Guidelines
Strategy (Liquipedia)
Definitions (Liquipedia)
SC2 Recommended Threads

Where to find maps

Liquipedia
(Wiki)

SC2 Maps Portal - (Wiki)

Ladder -

Tournaments - (Wiki)

Full List

BW Maps Portal - (Wiki)

Full List

Other Websites
+ Show Spoiler +

SC2 Mapster
Nibbits
Broodwar Maps

Guides

101 – Official SC2 Elements
+ Show Spoiler +

Blizzard Map Making Tutorials
Map Elements
Choke Points
Resources
Wall-In
TeamLiquid List of Map and Play Elements

101 – Layouts
+ Show Spoiler +

Mapmaking For Beginners Part 1
Tutorials for New Melee Mapmakers
Proportions
Using Map Space Well
Examples of Expansion Layouts
Map Design Considerations

101 – Texture/Aesthetic Design
+ Show Spoiler +

Basic Texturing Principals
Basic Texturing Blending Video Tutorial

101 – Miscellaneous
+ Show Spoiler +

Process of Making an Official Map (Written by KeSPA map makers)
Proper Mineral Placement
Melee Map Release Checklist
How To Post Map Thread
How To Set Spawn Positions
Mapmaking Tips and Tricks
Beginner’s Video Tutorials

102 – Advanced Layouts
+ Show Spoiler +

Creating a 3 Player Map
Symmetry In 3 Player Maps

102 - Advanced Texture/Aesthetic Design
+ Show Spoiler +

Foliage Overview
Adding Textures
Campaign Dependence in Melee Maps
Tutorial: Use Any In Game Model as a Doodad

201 - Expert Mapping Guides
+ Show Spoiler +

Full Vision
How To: Green Tea AI
Range Indicator In Editor
Custom Texture Thread
Changing The Xel’Naga Watch Tower
Water, Illustrated
Using Invisible Cliffs
How Geysers and Refineries Block Pathing
Creep Webbing (Patch 1.5 Changed This)
~8% More/Less Gas Mining (Gas Placement)
Glitchable Mineral Walls
Collapsible Rock Towers

202 - Liquipedia Race Strategy
+ Show Spoiler +

Protoss
Terran
Zerg

Miscellaneous

Judging Maps (Tournament Organizers & Mappers)
+ Show Spoiler +

Judging a Melee Map
Map Pool Creation Guide

Tools
+ Show Spoiler +

Galaxy Editor Wiki
Useful Editor Hotkeys
Chart of Map Textures
Texture Catalog
Official Examples of Tilesets
Compendium of Editor Doodads

Assets
+ Show Spoiler +

Warcraft Model Library (MOD)
ELO Rating (MOD)
Save and Load in multiplayer (SALT) (MOD)
iGrok’s Lighting Packs
Add SC1 Units/Tech Tree

Mapping Supplemental Information

Active Map Teams
+ Show Spoiler +

Crux
Team YeouL
AVEX

Retired/Inactive Map Teams
+ Show Spoiler +

Alloy-E Mapworks (AEM)
(Wiki)

Dream Forge (DF)
+ Show Spoiler +

Release Thread

Esports Vision (ESV)
+ Show Spoiler +

Major Thread

Galaxy eSports
iCCup
LoS
Map Crafting Lab
(Wiki)

The Planetary Workshop (TPW)
+ Show Spoiler +

Major Thread

Team Six

Known Editor & Map Bugs
+ Show Spoiler +

Header File Dependencies Not Available
Metropolis Bug
iCCup Heartbreak Ridge Bug

Aesthetic Threads & Contests
+ Show Spoiler +

Map Art Thread
Weekly Aesthetics Challenge Alien Jungle
Weekly Aesthetics Challenge Molten

Ongoing Map Contests
+ Show Spoiler +

Map Jam & Challenge
(Wiki)

Map of the Month
(Wiki)

TeamLiquid Map Contest

Historical Map Contests
+ Show Spoiler +

Starcraft 2 Custom Map Contest
DYESL
Mapper’s Monthly
IPL Map Contest
CSL NYU FallCraft Map Jam 2013
CSL NYU FallCraft Map Jam 2012
MorroW’s Custom Maps

High Publicity Arcade Maps/Mods
+ Show Spoiler +

Aradia
Ling Ling Rocket
MorroW's Marine Control
Peepmode
Pure CTF
Raynor’s Party
Snipers Pro Mod
Star Battle
The Summoners

High Publicity Competitive Mods
+ Show Spoiler +

Starbow
Starcraft 2 Brood War
WCS Gameheart

Noteworthy Inactive/Unfinished Arcade Maps/Mods
+ Show Spoiler +

Fewer Resources Base
High Ground Advantage
OneGoal
Trollobattles
YABOT

Community Melee Mapping Spotlights
+ Show Spoiler +

2011
Community Interview: prodiG
Maps and Mods Page Now Live
Poll: Melee Map Madness (May 6, 2011)

2012
A New Mapping Type of Show
Apollo Analyzes the New Season 6 Maps
Custom Map Spotlight (Monobattles)
ESV’s Anniversary Map Pack
Foreign Map in GSL
In The Spotlight with IronManSC
New Maps In. Old Maps Out
Season 7 GSL Map Poll

2013
Galaxy eSports Team Announcement
2013 Ritmix RSL gNations uses community maps
Climbing The Ladder #54: State of the Mapmaking Community

2014
StarCraft 2 Community Team League (SC2CTL) uses community maps made by Galaxy eSports
Community Map Spotlight: AEM Mutiny
Community Map Spotlight: Moonlight Madness

Community Mapping Discussions

Caution: Not All Threads Up To Date and/or Relevant to Modern Mapping Practices
+ Show Spoiler +

Community Organization
+ Show Spoiler +

Melee Mapmaking Union
Raising Awareness to 1.5 Melee
Forum Purpose
Mapping and Reddit
Community Mapping?
MeleeMapTesting Channel (EU
Unifying the SC2 Map Community

HOTS Discussion
+ Show Spoiler +

HOTS Beta Maps
HotS Non-Ladder Melee Maps

Mapping Competition Discussions
+ Show Spoiler +

Monthly Aesthetics Contest?
Map Jam Contest #1

Base Design
+ Show Spoiler +

Alternative to Neutral Supply Depot
Third Base Design
Different Natural Design
Neutral Supply Depot No Longer A Necessity
The Obvious Third Base
Circle Syndrome
Resource Saturation
Base Vulnerabilities and You
5/6 player 1v1 maps
Diversified Expansions

General Map Features Design
+ Show Spoiler +
Team Maps (2v2, 3v3, etc…)
+ Show Spoiler +

Competitive 2v2 Maps
Fixing the Concept of 3v3 and 4v4
Ladder Team Maps

Map Design Series
+ Show Spoiler +

Map Design Understanding Choke Points
Map Design Understanding Map Feedback
Map Design Understanding Circle Syndrome
Map Design Understanding Main/Nat/Third
Map Design Understanding Air Space
Map Design Understanding Concepts

Computational Design Limits
+ Show Spoiler +

Can Maps Lag

Balance Issues
+ Show Spoiler +
Brood War
+ Show Spoiler +

Brood War Damage Model
Map Size Compared to Brood War
Understanding Starcraft: Map Control
Making Starcraft Maps (BW)
Map Making (BW)

Blizzard Issues
+ Show Spoiler +

Obtaining Rightfully Owned Locked Maps
Breaking Up Units
Ads/Logos in Melee Maps
I Can’t Put My Finger On It…
Map Pool Suggestion To Blizzard
How To Identify and Open a Blizzard Map in Editor
Low Popularity Maps?
Blizzard Standards
Map Pool Rotations
Dynamic Unit Movement

Self Improvement
+ Show Spoiler +

Mapping Skill Level
Map Making Strengths and Weaknesses
Mapmaking Skill
Mapmaking Progression Philosophy

Miscellaneous
+ Show Spoiler +

Stronger Team Color Mod Works On 1.5.3
Melee Maps Your Favorite Tileset
The Spectator Factor
High Level Design Decisions
Perfect Team Liquid Map
Your Ideal Map
Desired Map Characteristics
Positioning, Formation, and Tactics

Ratings and Rankings Systems
+ Show Spoiler +

F.L.A.S.H. Rating
Matchmaking for Custom Melee Is What We Need

Fatam

1986 Posts

November 14 2012 04:26 GMT

Looks like an awesome start

, good work.

+ Show Spoiler +

noticed a typo, TWP should be TPW under the map teams

HypertonicHydroponic

437 Posts

November 14 2012 04:40 GMT

@ SigmaFiE -- You were missing the closing tag to the first url in the following section (which breaks the parser for the rest). See below.

Ladder Map Pool Updates

Season 8
Season 7
Season 6
Season 5
Season 4
Season 3
Patch 1.3 Map Changes

This is a great initiative, btw. I'll add some suggestions if I think of any.

Namrufus

United States396 Posts

November 22 2012 03:14 GMT

thanks for this, it looks like it took a lot of effort.

I think that the LOS map team should get a mention under the map teams section: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=274185 I can't find their announcement thread though (I don't remember, maybe there isn't one)

edit:

I'm in favor of stickying this or at least incorporating it into the existing mapping link thread, seeing that Barrin has been inactive lately.

SigmaFiE

United States333 Posts

November 24 2012 14:59 GMT

On November 22 2012 12:14 Namrufus wrote:
thanks for this, it looks like it took a lot of effort.

That is a very good suggestion. I missed that one. If anyone else has other suggestions please feel free to post them in here.

IronManSC

United States2119 Posts

November 25 2012 22:28 GMT

WOW... great thread! much kudos

OxyGenesis

United Kingdom281 Posts

November 27 2012 19:57 GMT

Yeah, this is awesome! Thanks Sigma.

Perhaps this should be stickied?

Randomaccount#77123

United States5003 Posts

November 27 2012 23:15 GMT

--- Nuked ---

iamcaustic

Canada1509 Posts

November 27 2012 23:23 GMT

Heck yes sticky this thread. :D

IronManSC

United States2119 Posts

November 27 2012 23:59 GMT

#10

Why would you not sticky this?

SigmaFiE

United States333 Posts

November 29 2012 23:18 GMT

#11

I most definitely would not mind this being stickied

SigmaFiE

United States333 Posts

December 02 2012 21:32 GMT

#12

Updated to include the following:

Added Map Team: Galaxy eSports to "Map Team" section
Added thread: "2 Different Map Pools" to Community Discussion Subsection "Imbalance"
Added Category: "Hots Beta Editor"
Added webpage "Comprehensive Editor Updates" under the category Hots Beta Editor

Fatam

1986 Posts

December 05 2012 08:55 GMT

#13

I found a somewhat complete set of map analyzer images of major SC2 maps, posted by a176. Thought it was pretty interesting http://a176.imgur.com http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=272855.

I knew the mains on Entombed were small, but I didn't realize before how small the Antiga mains are (big nats help w/ that, of course). And how incredibly varied the sizes of the mains are on Metalopolis lol, idk why Blizz is so lazy w/ symmetry on their maps.

SigmaFiE

United States333 Posts

December 06 2012 02:21 GMT

#14

On December 05 2012 17:55 Fatam wrote:
I found a somewhat complete set of map analyzer images of major SC2 maps, posted by a176. Thought it was pretty interesting http://a176.imgur.com http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=272855.

I knew the mains on Entombed were small, but I didn't realize before how small the Antiga mains are (big nats help w/ that, of course). And how incredibly varied the sizes of the mains are on Metalopolis lol, idk why Blizz is so lazy w/ symmetry on their maps.

This is already on the list under "Assets". And yes, those are small mains

More Updates:
Topics Added
- "Matchmaking For Custom Melee Is What We Need" -- added to section "Community Discussion" subsection "Ratings and Rankings Systems"
- "Obtaining Rightfully Owned Locked Maps" -- added to section "Community Discussion" subsection "Blizzard Issues"
- "Stronger Team Color Mod Works On 1.5.3" -- added to section "Community Discussion" subsection "Miscellaneous"
- "Drachen's Color Mod for Patch 1.5.3" -- added to section "Assets" -- refer to "Stronger Team Color Mod Works On 1.5.3" for more information

Fatam

1986 Posts

December 06 2012 13:31 GMT

#15

Oh ok thanks. I looked for it before I posted but obviously missed it :O

SigmaFiE

United States333 Posts

December 12 2012 17:13 GMT

#16

Updated To Include Following:

- Flat Maps added under section "Community Discussion" subsection "General Map Features Design"
- Heart of the Swarm Licenses and Dependencies added under section HotS Beta Editor
- Forum Changes Incoming added under section HotS Beta Editor
- Proper Mineral Placement added under section "Guides" subsection "101 - Miscellaneous"
- Category "Thread Updates" Added -- Will be most recent changes at top of list -- this has content coming but not yet delivered

Furthermore I will be trying to work on refining some of the organization of the thread -- such as alphabetizing certain section headers (specifically the Community Discussion section) to make them more easily found/understood. Specific threads will remain in their current position as they are ordered most recent down. This will take me some time though before this particular updates becomes real due to other time constraints.

SigmaFiE

United States333 Posts

February 20 2013 14:50 GMT

#17

This is mostly for me so ignore

Update:
- Foliage Overview by ragoo added to Advanced Aesthetics

Needs Update:
- Map Jam #3 moved to historical and Map Jam #4 moved to current.
- High Publicity Mods needs updating for past ~2 months of front page publicity by blizzard (i.e. NOTD)
- Star Tools Beta threads need posting
- Ladder map pools need updating
- Add MM Success Stories MM Success Stories

MarlieChurphy

United States2063 Posts

May 08 2013 07:49 GMT

#18

2 things:
Does the stronger color mod still work (is there an updated version, or some other mod that does a similar mod)?

Also, I created this 'map gimmick' guide that would be nice for mappers to utilize:

http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=410052

Ahli

Germany355 Posts

June 07 2014 19:47 GMT

#19

Scbroodsc2 aka Fenix made pictures of all doodad models. I think that this is amazingly helpful and should be appear somewhere in here.

iamcaustic

Canada1509 Posts

October 23 2014 03:15 GMT

#20

Bumping this thread to let people know that I'll be working on updating this thread to bring it into 2014. Please PM me with content that you feel should be included in the index.

Meavis

Netherlands1300 Posts

October 23 2014 07:13 GMT

#21

hm, the wiki for sc2 maps is pretty much a joke compared to BW's archive of maps, would be nice if someone would start clearing that up a bit, and add every map after sc2 beta because that seems to be how far it is updated.

alternative to neutral supply depot under base design under community mapping discussion can be cut, as it is outdated with unbuildable rocks/bricks/plates

also iCCup heartbreak ridge bug under known editor and map bugs under mapping suplemental information, this part is basicly basic knowledge of sc2 mechanics which people just didn't understand that early in the game.

iamcaustic

Canada1509 Posts

October 23 2014 07:39 GMT

#22

On October 23 2014 16:13 Meavis wrote:
hm, the wiki for sc2 maps is pretty much a joke compared to BW's archive of maps, would be nice if someone would start clearing that up a bit, and add every map after sc2 beta because that seems to be how far it is updated.

alternative to neutral supply depot under base design under community mapping discussion can be cut, as it is outdated with unbuildable rocks/bricks/plates

also iCCup heartbreak ridge bug under known editor and map bugs under mapping suplemental information, this part is basicly basic knowledge of sc2 mechanics which people just didn't understand that early in the game.

Yeah, I'm hoping to extend things into filling out Liquipedia articles, etc. For example, Map of the Month is back, but the wiki only covers the old organization, ending with its partnership with ESL.

I'm contemplating about how to go about handling outdated community discussions, because they might still provide some insight or inspiration to new mappers even if the discussed application is no longer relevant.

Plexa

Aotearoa39261 Posts

October 23 2014 10:58 GMT

#23

Good stuff Caustic

The_Templar

your Country52797 Posts

October 23 2014 15:14 GMT

#24

I wanted to do this a few months ago, but I didn't know where I'd begin. Good to see that someone took the initiative.

iamcaustic

Canada1509 Posts

October 23 2014 17:20 GMT

#25

On October 24 2014 00:14 The_Templar wrote:
I wanted to do this a few months ago, but I didn't know where I'd begin. Good to see that someone took the initiative.

Would you wanna work on a Liquipedia article for Map Jam & Challenge, since you've been spearheading it for the past while?

We're up to 14 of them now; the old MotM wiki only went up to 9! I think it's worth a wiki if we're gonna keep it going. For now, the link in the OP just points to a forum search for "Map Jam & Challenge".

The_Templar

your Country52797 Posts

October 23 2014 17:36 GMT

#26

On October 24 2014 02:20 iamcaustic wrote:

Show nested quote +

Would you wanna work on a Liquipedia article for Map Jam & Challenge, since you've been spearheading it for the past while?

Yeah, I can work on it. I'm not particularly experienced with liquipedia though, so it may take a while (also, working on blizzcon stuff here and there)

The_Templar

your Country52797 Posts

October 23 2014 20:31 GMT

#27

Basic liquipedia page is up for the Map Jam & Challenge

http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Map_Jam_&_Challenge

If someone wants to pretty it up, feel free

iamcaustic

Canada1509 Posts

October 23 2014 21:36 GMT

#28

On October 24 2014 05:31 The_Templar wrote:
Basic liquipedia page is up for the Map Jam & Challenge

http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/Map_Jam_&_Challenge

If someone wants to pretty it up, feel free

Awesome, I've added it to the thread.

Meavis

Netherlands1300 Posts

October 24 2014 07:32 GMT

#29

I'm gonna try and find time to rework the map section of liquipedia as soon as i figure out how to edit it without blowing something up, would be nice if people could help me with finding maps so I can put them in.

also, for the list of all maps, in which category's should they be sorted, the BW liquipedia is a mess in that with their alphabetical washlist of maps, so I'm currently thinking of splitting them per release year.

-NegativeZero-

United States2141 Posts

October 24 2014 08:09 GMT

#30

On October 24 2014 16:32 Meavis wrote:
I'm gonna try and find time to rework the map section of liquipedia as soon as i figure out how to edit it without blowing something up, would be nice if people could help me with finding maps so I can put them in.

also, for the list of all maps, in which category's should they be sorted, the BW liquipedia is a mess in that with their alphabetical washlist of maps, so I'm currently thinking of splitting them per release year.

Sorting by year is a really good idea, I approve. Also what kind of maps are you looking for - how in-depth are you thinking? Only maps used professionally, or are you including TL contest winners and other stuff?

Meavis

Netherlands1300 Posts

October 24 2014 08:13 GMT

#31

basicly every community map above the templar treshhold

maps like whatever is on the pages of the map teams and what they have released.
now I'm just looking for every community map that isn't on those lists, like individual mappers, so a list of a mappers and their map threads may be usefull, could also be included in the index here.

The_Templar

your Country52797 Posts

October 24 2014 12:27 GMT

#32

On October 24 2014 17:13 Meavis wrote:
basicly every community map above the templar treshhold

You just wait -.-

Riski

France15 Posts

October 28 2014 17:18 GMT

#33

This index is awesome to learn more about the editor. Didn't browse everything yet but can tell you that these vids dosen't work anymore : Melee Mapmaking Video tutorials in the 101 - Layouts Section. Thanks for gathering this up !

iamcaustic

Canada1509 Posts

October 28 2014 19:25 GMT

#34

On October 29 2014 02:18 Riski wrote:
This index is awesome to learn more about the editor. Didn't browse everything yet but can tell you that these vids dosen't work anymore : Melee Mapmaking Video tutorials in the 101 - Layouts Section. Thanks for gathering this up !

Thanks for the heads up!

OtherWorld

France17333 Posts

October 28 2014 19:56 GMT

#35

It's much awesome of you to do that iamcaustic, GJ (:
Also I wanted to point out that Templar's LP page for the Map&Jam challenge has been removed it seems?

The_Templar

your Country52797 Posts

October 28 2014 19:57 GMT

#36

On October 29 2014 04:56 OtherWorld wrote:
It's much awesome of you to do that iamcaustic, GJ (:
Also I wanted to point out that Templar's LP page for the Map&Jam challenge has been removed it seems?

It's on my user page
http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/User:The_Templar/Map_Jam_&_Challenge

OtherWorld

France17333 Posts

October 28 2014 20:08 GMT

#37

On October 29 2014 04:57 The_Templar wrote:

Show nested quote +

It's on my user page
http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft2/User:The_Templar/Map_Jam_&_Challenge

Oops indeed, I followed the link that was earlier on this page instead of the one in the OP

iamcaustic

Canada1509 Posts

October 28 2014 22:24 GMT

#38

On October 29 2014 05:08 OtherWorld wrote:

Show nested quote +

Oops indeed, I followed the link that was earlier on this page instead of the one in the OP

An honest mistake.

Thanks for the appreciation!

SigmaFiE

United States333 Posts

November 11 2014 18:11 GMT

#39

Glad to see someone else took this over as I had not kept it up to date. Good job.

SetGuitarsToKill

Canada28396 Posts

November 20 2014 18:23 GMT

#40

So, I kind of want to put my creativity to the test and make a map. Once I get the damn editor figured out (things a mess and the scroll doesn't even work right), I'm gonna give it a shot. I have no ideas, and very little in terms of creativity so it'll probably be super generic...

The_Templar

your Country52797 Posts

November 20 2014 18:35 GMT

#41

On November 21 2014 03:23 SetGuitarsToKill wrote:
So, I kind of want to put my creativity to the test and make a map. Once I get the damn editor figured out (things a mess and the scroll doesn't even work right), I'm gonna give it a shot. I have no ideas, and very little in terms of creativity so it'll probably be super generic...

Making an exact copy of deadwing might be better than I have done

SetGuitarsToKill

Canada28396 Posts

November 20 2014 18:38 GMT

#42

On November 21 2014 03:35 The_Templar wrote:

Show nested quote +

Making an exact copy of deadwing might be better than I have done

Deadwing was good enough to make ladder (even if everyone hates it now), I doubt I'll be able to do that. At least it's sort of unique

Maybe you could give me a few lessons in mapmaking?

iamcaustic

Canada1509 Posts

November 20 2014 20:50 GMT

#43

I'm wondering if I should link economy details and discussion regarding LotV, or wait for at least beta to hit before bothering with any of it.

SetGuitarsToKill

Canada28396 Posts

November 20 2014 20:52 GMT

#44

Nothing is set in stone so I'd wait.

iamcaustic

Canada1509 Posts

November 25 2014 18:18 GMT

#45

Added the Process of Making an Official Map by Jacky. For those who don't know, he's part of KeSPA's official map team, Mapdori. I highly recommend all map makers check it out; it's a very well-structured reference.