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[M] (2) DF Illumination

Forum Index > SC2 Maps & Custom Games
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ScorpSCII
Profile Joined April 2012
Denmark499 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-04-12 19:17:48
February 21 2013 19:31 GMT
#1
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Uploaded to [NA] [EU]

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Angled View

Aesthetics
+ Show Spoiler +
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Details
Name DF Illumination
Version 1.1
Bounds 148x136
Bases 10 full, 2 half
Nat2Nat 117.6


Please leave a comment, all feedback is appreciated.
Mapmaker | Author of Atlas, Rao Mesa & Paralda
lorestarcraft
Profile Joined April 2011
United States1049 Posts
February 21 2013 19:43 GMT
#2
Asthetics are awesome, but I feel like the third base really difficult. Not much defenders advantage. I don't think that there is even a choice of thirds as the base in front of the main is just too far away. Even Zergs will have trouble connecting creep over there. The congestedness of the high ground third gives me pause as well... And those middle bases seems awful easy to take to have their own XWTs... I guess I'm just not feelin' this one.
SC2 Mapmaker
moskonia
Profile Joined January 2011
Israel1448 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-02-21 20:14:35
February 21 2013 20:10 GMT
#3
I too don't think there is a choice of 3rds, but I think there is a choice of 4ths, actually the choice is between 3 4ths, you can either choose the safe 3rd, the aggressive 3rd, or the full base which also defends the main.

Basically I see that the 3rd is supposed to be walled off by the 2 width back ramp and with that it shouldn't be too hard to hold, even though I would love if the backdoor had a collapsible rocks that collapses to it so walling off would be easier, or maybe there could be destructible rocks in the zone between the nat and the 3rd on the far side of the zone (behind the mid expo), in order to make the area more choked, and therefore easier to defend.

Anyways I would love to see just how much the towers cover, I really don't feel the need for them actually at all, since the mid seems easy to defend even without them, I would move them to the outer route, watching the side paths and expansions.

Overall a thing I would do, but might not be that good, is putting the base near the main to be like Cloud Kingdom, this will make easier to defend while making slightly closer to the main and allowing more room for the army to be in, since it seems pretty choked as it is now. Another thing is to make the safe 4th's ramp a single width ramp, since right now its still pretty open for a 3/4 base, and its not like its tucked besides other bases, you need to move quite a bit from where your army is in order to reach it. Making it either a full base with a ramp slightly bigger or keep it as it is but with a smaller ramp is the best way.
Uvantak
Profile Blog Joined June 2011
Uruguay1381 Posts
February 22 2013 00:46 GMT
#4
The theme is simple yet beautiful, i wish i had these texturing skills, but i have to agree with the guys that the forward third base (at 4 and 10) is just unholdable, meanwhile for what i see that half base even with the xel'naga it isn't really holdable either, since it isn't in a place where a player may want to camp his army, or in a place where the defender player could defend "easely"

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for what i can foresee that's the position the red army would take if the player takes his forth and fifth, but if it tries to take the center base there's not much the army could do besides split, but if it does still it would be pretty much imposible for a splited army to fight head to head with a bigger one.
@Kantuva | Mapmaker | KTVMaps.wordpress.com | Check my profile to see my TL map threads, and you can search for KTV in the Custom Games section to play them.
monitor
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
United States2408 Posts
February 22 2013 00:57 GMT
#5
This doesn't apply only to this map, but-

One thing I like to do is imagine the map is only on one level. I just replace the ramps with flat chokes in my mind. Then I look at the map and try to figure out what the problems are. If there are a lot of problems, then that is a good thing, because it means the highground is there for a reason. If it turns out that the map is a bit open space with some chokes interspersed, then I usually think that something should change. In Illumination, I feel like there is a plethora of pathways and not enough dynamic between paths, chokes, and open spaces. Lowground bases are cool but they seem like one of the only features to the map.

I'm not saying anything personal, just that this map isn't my favorite. I think it's a good learning map, but I'd rather not play it or see it played.

My suggestion is to remove atleast 2 bases. 12 bases is the max, imo, for 2p maps before they become too big and/or redundant in expansions. 10 expos can work too I believe, with perfect design. You could probably shave some space off the map and reduce the expo count and it'd be better.
https://liquipedia.net/starcraft2/Monitor
Fatam
Profile Joined June 2012
1986 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-02-22 01:33:46
February 22 2013 01:33 GMT
#6
The aesthetics are really nice - for some people. The thing I don't like about light + decal-heavy maps is that everyone who plays on Low (which is a TON of people) don't see those things and the map looks like crap to them. I do like the orange / blue color combination, I think its effect would be even greater if another map hadn't done it well so recently (phantasm).

I think the middle could be interesting with some tweaks. The opponent able to see you coming with the XNT, the fact that it's lowground, AND your army has to go through a tight choke.. it's too many negatives at once for someone to want to move an army through there. Maybe if the XNTs were where the middle orange pods are on each side?
Search "FTM" in SC2 | Latest Maps: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/sc2-maps/528528-2-ftm-siegfried-station http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/sc2-maps/525489-2-ftm-crimson-aftermath http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/sc2-maps/524737-2-ftm-grime
Antares777
Profile Joined June 2010
United States1971 Posts
February 22 2013 02:29 GMT
#7
I think it's very interesting for a map to have four low resource expansions. Usually maps that have them only have two, one for each player, and they are placed in a more aggressive location as an alternate third or fourth. DF Illumination does this, but also has two mono-entrance expansions in the corners of the maps. These locations are the opposite of the typical low resource base set-ups. They are not in aggressive locations, are easy to defend, and can often go unnoticed by your opponent. They are also not alternate choices for one of your normal expansions and their locations make them most likely to be the last expansions to be taken.

In my opinion, this is a bad idea. You are putting the least valued expansions in the most obsolete locations. Their locations do not benefit them and neither do their resources. The only time that these expansions would ever see gameplay is during the very late game when most/all other resources have been exhausted, or if one was taken as a hidden expansion. I just don't feel like they add much to gameplay. It looks like you went "oh there's some space here, let's add an expansion" and didn't really think too much about it.

I like the three small paths through the middle, those add a little more protection to the two low resource expansions there. I also like how the watchtowers are placed near those expansions. I tried something like that with my map Insurrection, but that was a long time ago and the map wasn't really that good anyway.

I'm going to reiterate monitor's suggestions and recommend that you remove the two low resource expansions in the corners.

ScorpSCII
Profile Joined April 2012
Denmark499 Posts
February 24 2013 12:32 GMT
#8
Update: 1.1
  • Removed corner expansions
  • Widened corner paths
Mapmaker | Author of Atlas, Rao Mesa & Paralda
Whiplash
Profile Blog Joined October 2008
United States2929 Posts
February 24 2013 15:13 GMT
#9
I would like to see the expansions below/above the main to be removed and the watch towers either removed as well or put closer to the side edges of the map. Aesthetics look great though!
Cinematographer / Steadicam Operator. Former Starcraft commentator/player
moskonia
Profile Joined January 2011
Israel1448 Posts
February 24 2013 21:40 GMT
#10
On February 25 2013 00:13 Whiplash wrote:
I would like to see the expansions below/above the main to be removed and the watch towers either removed as well or put closer to the side edges of the map. Aesthetics look great though!

Why? Removing the expansion will take away some of the choices of 4th's and its not like that base is super easy to defend or is forward, I see no reason in that statement. On the watch towers though I agree, they make the forward base much easier to defend, which should not be.
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