• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 07:56
CEST 13:56
KST 20:56
  • Home
  • Forum
  • Calendar
  • Streams
  • Liquipedia
  • Features
  • Store
  • EPT
  • TL+
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Smash
  • Heroes
  • Counter-Strike
  • Overwatch
  • Liquibet
  • Fantasy StarCraft
  • TLPD
  • StarCraft 2
  • Brood War
  • Blogs
Forum Sidebar
Events/Features
News
Featured News
[ASL22] Finals Preview: Sweet Victory!9[ASL22] Ro4 Preview: Mirror Mirror6[ASL22] Ro8 Preview: Within Reach5[ASL22] Ro8 Preview: In A Tizzy11[ASL22] Ro16 Preview: Holy Diver5
Community News
[$1250] International ShieldBattery League18Weekly Cups (October 5-11): Farewell to 5.0.162Rollback Netcode in Brood War1195.0.17 Patch Notes - October 7, 202624Weekly Cups Results (Sep 28-Oct 4)0
StarCraft 2
General
Server Blocker Terran AddOns placement SCII needs to put more weight on strategy and tact How do you feel about the mass reverts in the 5.0.17 PTR? Team Liquid Map Contest #22: Results and Winners
Tourneys
Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament Master Swan Open (Global Bronze-Master 2) $3,500 WardiTV Not-Summer Championship Stellar Fest TWO the Moon (Dec 16-20) ISSL (IntoTheTV x SOOP SC2 League): Premier
Strategy
[H] ZvP Mid-Late Game: Stalkers Collossi HT
Custom Maps
[G] How to playtest arcade maps [A] Nemrods 1/4 players [M] (2) Sweltering Sands [M] (2) Frigid Storage
External Content
The PondCast: SC2 News & Results Mutation # 547 Temple Of Terror Mutation # 546 Catch the Train Mutation # 545 And Drops and Rifts
Brood War
General
Rollback Netcode in Brood War [Megathread] Daily Funny Videos [Recap] Hive ZvZ in MonstarZ vs Dreams [ASL22] Finals Preview: Sweet Victory! Bot on ladder
Tourneys
[ASL22] Grand Finals [$1250] International ShieldBattery League 2v2v2v2 Tournament Small VOD Thread 2.0
Strategy
Cliff Jump Revisited (1 in a 1000 strategy) Simple Questions, Simple Answers Replay Review Process - What do you do?
Other Games
General Games
Dawn of War IV Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Nintendo Switch Thread General RTS Discussion Thread
Dota 2
Dota 2 Champions League Season 3 Begins April 25!
League of Legends
[TL LoL EUW IHs] Teemo shall perish
Heroes of the Storm
Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Deck construction bug
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread Russo-Ukrainian War Thread Artificial Intelligence Thread The Chess Thread Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine
Fan Clubs
Serral Fan Club
Media & Entertainment
Movie Discussion! [Manga] One Piece
Sports
MLB/Baseball 2023 Football (Soccer) Thread TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
Recent Gifted Posts
Blogs
The Link Between Gaming and …
TrAiDoS
[ASL22] Ro4 Day1 Ticket Giv…
bITt.mAN
38 yo Retired SWE loo…
PurE)Rabbit-SF
Can Bots Beat Pros?? Starcr…
namkraft
[meme] I finally understa…
LUCKY_NOOB
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 8768 users

TPW Maps by monitor - Page 2

Forum Index > SC2 Maps & Custom Games
Post a Reply
Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next All
SiskosGoatee
Profile Blog Joined May 2012
Albania1482 Posts
March 12 2013 02:14 GMT
#21
On March 12 2013 11:10 monitor wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 12 2013 08:45 SiskosGoatee wrote:
But you already have a back base? Surely supporting 3 bases behind a single FFE is overkill?


The back base is only an option for the counterclockwise player.


Surely that is a considerable positional imbalance then?

But anyway, take TvZ cross map for instance, T can easily get 3 bases up behind a very small choke, any harass Z attempts at the backyard before infestors is easily shut down by a single tank, in reverse the bac base from Z if they take them an easily be harassed by T and Z has to walk a loooong way around to deal with it. Coupled with the easy 3 base for T. Seems like it will lead to a rather awkward situation for said Z.
WCS Apartheid cometh, all hail the casual audience, death to merit and hard work.
Unsane
Profile Joined September 2010
Canada170 Posts
March 12 2013 02:16 GMT
#22
On March 12 2013 11:10 monitor wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 12 2013 08:45 SiskosGoatee wrote:
But you already have a back base? Surely supporting 3 bases behind a single FFE is overkill?


The back base is only an option for the counterclockwise player.


Suggestion: Consider making your 4p map cross spawn only. I feel all 4p maps become more balanced (and better) with forced cross.
"What is the plural of y'all? All y'all." -Day9
Unsane
Profile Joined September 2010
Canada170 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-03-12 02:56:12
March 12 2013 02:55 GMT
#23
posted in this thread: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=402434#15

On March 12 2013 11:15 monitor wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 12 2013 10:48 Unsane wrote:
I do not see mention in the OP that this map is not forced cross spawn. Do i have to be the one to start the damn movement to force cross spawns on all 4p maps? Im lost how this just isn't standard yet. They are all pretty much instantly better and more balanced once this change is applied to them (take antiga for instance, still terrible but much better).

Although nothing terribly new, this still appears to be a map where good games undoubtedly will take place on terrain well 'groomed'.


Do you think balance is the only thing that a map needs? Why not just put two starting points back to back then?

Balance is just the foundation to a good map. Any map can be balanced through a series of adjustments, Blizzard just sucks at it. The community doesn't. A good map also includes a concept, innovation, uniqueness in my opinion. Forcing cross spawns makes a 4p map play like a badly designed 2 player map. If anything, 4p maps should be forced close and designed to play that way.


For starters, any predictability means less enjoyment. Sure i love watching IMMvP smash someone with mech (predictable) but predictability subtracts from any degree of suspense which is a large contributor to the enjoyment of watching pro sports. The number of times i had a player ask me why i did not drop him due to favourable antiga positions was annoying. I want to beat him ONLY because i am a better player, and honestly that phrase does the idea no justice. I want the better player to almost always win.*** I do not want one side handicapped cause of a coinflip. In a lot of matches you can note that a player can make maybe 2 mistakes before he is 'out' (the 3rd being the final 'strike'), so lets have maps where that first 'mistake' is actually a coin flip he cannot control? That is a terrible idea. Particularly considering that most average player's experience with this game is an endless stream of best-of-one's, starting off a best-of-one series with a handicap is also a terrible idea.

Secondly, yes maps can be balanced with a series of adjustments. The first adjustment every 4p map needs to be more balanced is forced cross spawns.

And you're right. They are badly designed 2 player maps, considering 2 players are playing on them and they have 4 spawn locations that all look the same.

Lastly, though. Your reply essentially admits that 4p non-force-cross maps are unbalanced. I could further extrapolate what you could mean but i'll refrain and remain with the tangible. This is an E-sport. An E-sport. As bad as blizzard is at balancing their sport, you are hindering their progress. Any inbalance is bad for any sport and you are not helping. What you're saying is you want players coinflipped into Code S, coinflipped into huge cash prizes because of the silliest of standards put in place by blizzard who you yourself bashed.
I dare say you are either not aiding the map making community or posting in the wrong place. I would like to see this E-sport prosper...
"What is the plural of y'all? All y'all." -Day9
iamcaustic
Profile Blog Joined May 2011
Canada1509 Posts
March 12 2013 02:56 GMT
#24
On March 12 2013 11:16 Unsane wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 12 2013 11:10 monitor wrote:
On March 12 2013 08:45 SiskosGoatee wrote:
But you already have a back base? Surely supporting 3 bases behind a single FFE is overkill?


The back base is only an option for the counterclockwise player.


Suggestion: Consider making your 4p map cross spawn only. I feel all 4p maps become more balanced (and better) with forced cross.

No, not really. Antiga Shipyard was the only real case for this simply because adjacent positions were outright imbalanced thanks to the map design. The general rule of thumb is: if it's a Blizzard 4p map, chances are there's at least one completely imbalanced spawn and removing it makes the map better (e.g. Entombed horizontal spawns, Antiga adjacent spawns, Metalopolis close spawns, Shattered Temple close spawns, etc.).

Whether Monitor's map would be better cross-only, I don't really care to debate. Just wanted to say that "all 4p maps become better when cross-only" isn't true. They just become bad 2p maps.
Twitter: @iamcaustic
Unsane
Profile Joined September 2010
Canada170 Posts
March 12 2013 03:03 GMT
#25
On March 12 2013 11:56 iamcaustic wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 12 2013 11:16 Unsane wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:10 monitor wrote:
On March 12 2013 08:45 SiskosGoatee wrote:
But you already have a back base? Surely supporting 3 bases behind a single FFE is overkill?


The back base is only an option for the counterclockwise player.


Suggestion: Consider making your 4p map cross spawn only. I feel all 4p maps become more balanced (and better) with forced cross.

No, not really. Antiga Shipyard was the only real case for this simply because adjacent positions were outright imbalanced thanks to the map design. The general rule of thumb is: if it's a Blizzard 4p map, chances are there's at least one completely imbalanced spawn and removing it makes the map better (e.g. Entombed horizontal spawns, Antiga adjacent spawns, Metalopolis close spawns, Shattered Temple close spawns, etc.).

Whether Monitor's map would be better cross-only, I don't really care to debate. Just wanted to say that "all 4p maps become better when cross-only" isn't true. They just become bad 2p maps.


Yes they are just bad 2 player maps, there was supposed to be this essence of RPing going into these matches. Blizzard probably intends for someone out there to turn off all the lights in the room while they play and pretend they're actually landing a small team of resource gatherers on a potentially uninhabited world ripe for pillaging. Little do they know that another race (could be rebels of the same race or ANOTHER RACE (OMG THEY EXIST?!)ssshhh government secret) is setting up to do the same thing. Small resource gathering parties only need small assault teams to take them on, lets hope they didnt see us and wont be prepared...

But this is an E-sport, remember? no RPing here...

this is just some silly standard that blizzard accidentally set and for some reason the community is scared to touch...
"What is the plural of y'all? All y'all." -Day9
iamcaustic
Profile Blog Joined May 2011
Canada1509 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-03-12 03:26:34
March 12 2013 03:25 GMT
#26
On March 12 2013 12:03 Unsane wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 12 2013 11:56 iamcaustic wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:16 Unsane wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:10 monitor wrote:
On March 12 2013 08:45 SiskosGoatee wrote:
But you already have a back base? Surely supporting 3 bases behind a single FFE is overkill?


The back base is only an option for the counterclockwise player.


Suggestion: Consider making your 4p map cross spawn only. I feel all 4p maps become more balanced (and better) with forced cross.

No, not really. Antiga Shipyard was the only real case for this simply because adjacent positions were outright imbalanced thanks to the map design. The general rule of thumb is: if it's a Blizzard 4p map, chances are there's at least one completely imbalanced spawn and removing it makes the map better (e.g. Entombed horizontal spawns, Antiga adjacent spawns, Metalopolis close spawns, Shattered Temple close spawns, etc.).

Whether Monitor's map would be better cross-only, I don't really care to debate. Just wanted to say that "all 4p maps become better when cross-only" isn't true. They just become bad 2p maps.


Yes they are just bad 2 player maps, there was supposed to be this essence of RPing going into these matches. Blizzard probably intends for someone out there to turn off all the lights in the room while they play and pretend they're actually landing a small team of resource gatherers on a potentially uninhabited world ripe for pillaging. Little do they know that another race (could be rebels of the same race or ANOTHER RACE (OMG THEY EXIST?!)ssshhh government secret) is setting up to do the same thing. Small resource gathering parties only need small assault teams to take them on, lets hope they didnt see us and wont be prepared...

But this is an E-sport, remember? no RPing here...

this is just some silly standard that blizzard accidentally set and for some reason the community is scared to touch...

I have no idea what you were trying to say. You ok?

EDIT: Happy Birthday yo
Twitter: @iamcaustic
Unsane
Profile Joined September 2010
Canada170 Posts
March 12 2013 03:31 GMT
#27
On March 12 2013 12:25 iamcaustic wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 12 2013 12:03 Unsane wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:56 iamcaustic wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:16 Unsane wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:10 monitor wrote:
On March 12 2013 08:45 SiskosGoatee wrote:
But you already have a back base? Surely supporting 3 bases behind a single FFE is overkill?


The back base is only an option for the counterclockwise player.


Suggestion: Consider making your 4p map cross spawn only. I feel all 4p maps become more balanced (and better) with forced cross.

No, not really. Antiga Shipyard was the only real case for this simply because adjacent positions were outright imbalanced thanks to the map design. The general rule of thumb is: if it's a Blizzard 4p map, chances are there's at least one completely imbalanced spawn and removing it makes the map better (e.g. Entombed horizontal spawns, Antiga adjacent spawns, Metalopolis close spawns, Shattered Temple close spawns, etc.).

Whether Monitor's map would be better cross-only, I don't really care to debate. Just wanted to say that "all 4p maps become better when cross-only" isn't true. They just become bad 2p maps.


Yes they are just bad 2 player maps, there was supposed to be this essence of RPing going into these matches. Blizzard probably intends for someone out there to turn off all the lights in the room while they play and pretend they're actually landing a small team of resource gatherers on a potentially uninhabited world ripe for pillaging. Little do they know that another race (could be rebels of the same race or ANOTHER RACE (OMG THEY EXIST?!)ssshhh government secret) is setting up to do the same thing. Small resource gathering parties only need small assault teams to take them on, lets hope they didnt see us and wont be prepared...

But this is an E-sport, remember? no RPing here...

this is just some silly standard that blizzard accidentally set and for some reason the community is scared to touch...

I have no idea what you were trying to say. You ok?

EDIT: Happy Birthday yo


What i was trying to say is the positional imbalance imposed by 4p maps is not something that aids E-sports and could only be a hold over from a time when blizzard's RTSs weren't E-sports minded. (what i meant by RPing was 'role-playing', if anyone missed that)

PS thanks yo, i get HOTS for my b-day :D
"What is the plural of y'all? All y'all." -Day9
Fatam
Profile Joined June 2012
1986 Posts
March 12 2013 03:33 GMT
#28
I think what they're trying to say in response to that is that every 4p map doesn't have to be cross spawn, only the ones that weren't designed well enough in the first place.
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
iamcaustic
Profile Blog Joined May 2011
Canada1509 Posts
March 12 2013 03:49 GMT
#29
On March 12 2013 12:31 Unsane wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 12 2013 12:25 iamcaustic wrote:
On March 12 2013 12:03 Unsane wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:56 iamcaustic wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:16 Unsane wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:10 monitor wrote:
On March 12 2013 08:45 SiskosGoatee wrote:
But you already have a back base? Surely supporting 3 bases behind a single FFE is overkill?


The back base is only an option for the counterclockwise player.


Suggestion: Consider making your 4p map cross spawn only. I feel all 4p maps become more balanced (and better) with forced cross.

No, not really. Antiga Shipyard was the only real case for this simply because adjacent positions were outright imbalanced thanks to the map design. The general rule of thumb is: if it's a Blizzard 4p map, chances are there's at least one completely imbalanced spawn and removing it makes the map better (e.g. Entombed horizontal spawns, Antiga adjacent spawns, Metalopolis close spawns, Shattered Temple close spawns, etc.).

Whether Monitor's map would be better cross-only, I don't really care to debate. Just wanted to say that "all 4p maps become better when cross-only" isn't true. They just become bad 2p maps.


Yes they are just bad 2 player maps, there was supposed to be this essence of RPing going into these matches. Blizzard probably intends for someone out there to turn off all the lights in the room while they play and pretend they're actually landing a small team of resource gatherers on a potentially uninhabited world ripe for pillaging. Little do they know that another race (could be rebels of the same race or ANOTHER RACE (OMG THEY EXIST?!)ssshhh government secret) is setting up to do the same thing. Small resource gathering parties only need small assault teams to take them on, lets hope they didnt see us and wont be prepared...

But this is an E-sport, remember? no RPing here...

this is just some silly standard that blizzard accidentally set and for some reason the community is scared to touch...

I have no idea what you were trying to say. You ok?

EDIT: Happy Birthday yo


What i was trying to say is the positional imbalance imposed by 4p maps is not something that aids E-sports and could only be a hold over from a time when blizzard's RTSs weren't E-sports minded. (what i meant by RPing was 'role-playing', if anyone missed that)

PS thanks yo, i get HOTS for my b-day :D

4p maps don't impose positional imbalance. Poorly designed maps do. Fatam hit the nail on the head:
On March 12 2013 12:33 Fatam wrote:
I think what they're trying to say in response to that is that every 4p map doesn't have to be cross spawn, only the ones that weren't designed well enough in the first place.

Also, StarCraft II was always eSports-minded. The competitive portion was designed for it (hence all the observer features that came with launch).
Twitter: @iamcaustic
monitor
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
United States2409 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-03-12 04:04:24
March 12 2013 04:01 GMT
#30
On March 12 2013 11:55 Unsane wrote:
posted in this thread: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=402434#15

Show nested quote +
On March 12 2013 11:15 monitor wrote:
On March 12 2013 10:48 Unsane wrote:
I do not see mention in the OP that this map is not forced cross spawn. Do i have to be the one to start the damn movement to force cross spawns on all 4p maps? Im lost how this just isn't standard yet. They are all pretty much instantly better and more balanced once this change is applied to them (take antiga for instance, still terrible but much better).

Although nothing terribly new, this still appears to be a map where good games undoubtedly will take place on terrain well 'groomed'.


Do you think balance is the only thing that a map needs? Why not just put two starting points back to back then?

Balance is just the foundation to a good map. Any map can be balanced through a series of adjustments, Blizzard just sucks at it. The community doesn't. A good map also includes a concept, innovation, uniqueness in my opinion. Forcing cross spawns makes a 4p map play like a badly designed 2 player map. If anything, 4p maps should be forced close and designed to play that way.


For starters, any predictability means less enjoyment. Sure i love watching IMMvP smash someone with mech (predictable) but predictability subtracts from any degree of suspense which is a large contributor to the enjoyment of watching pro sports. The number of times i had a player ask me why i did not drop him due to favourable antiga positions was annoying. I want to beat him ONLY because i am a better player, and honestly that phrase does the idea no justice. I want the better player to almost always win.*** I do not want one side handicapped cause of a coinflip. In a lot of matches you can note that a player can make maybe 2 mistakes before he is 'out' (the 3rd being the final 'strike'), so lets have maps where that first 'mistake' is actually a coin flip he cannot control? That is a terrible idea. Particularly considering that most average player's experience with this game is an endless stream of best-of-one's, starting off a best-of-one series with a handicap is also a terrible idea.

Secondly, yes maps can be balanced with a series of adjustments. The first adjustment every 4p map needs to be more balanced is forced cross spawns.

And you're right. They are badly designed 2 player maps, considering 2 players are playing on them and they have 4 spawn locations that all look the same.

Lastly, though. Your reply essentially admits that 4p non-force-cross maps are unbalanced. I could further extrapolate what you could mean but i'll refrain and remain with the tangible. This is an E-sport. An E-sport. As bad as blizzard is at balancing their sport, you are hindering their progress. Any inbalance is bad for any sport and you are not helping. What you're saying is you want players coinflipped into Code S, coinflipped into huge cash prizes because of the silliest of standards put in place by blizzard who you yourself bashed.
I dare say you are either not aiding the map making community or posting in the wrong place. I would like to see this E-sport prosper...


I understand your reasoning (and I agree with it) but you couldn't be more wrong about cross spawns. Close spawns can work in 4p maps, it's just that Blizzard hasn't shown us any good examples. The logic you're using eventually leads to "sc2 should only have 2p maps" (or reflection symmetry 4p). But that isn't the case. Rotational symmetry can be perfectly balanced like Fighting Spirit. Or it can be like my map Koprulu, where spawns have advantages and disadvantages that balance out.

If you don't understand, take a look at Brood war. You may not know, but it was infact an E-sport too. I'm sure you don't know this, but Brood War also used many four player rotational maps. There were a grand total of ZERO maps with forced cross spawns. Take a look through bw liquidpedia maps, SCBW international database, and bwmaps.net if you want to educate yourself. Otherwise, you're the one posting in the wrong place.

[edit] Grammar is hard!
https://liquipedia.net/starcraft2/Monitor
EatThePath
Profile Blog Joined September 2009
United States3943 Posts
March 12 2013 05:35 GMT
#31
Unsane, I think you need to do some critical reflecting on what is meant by balance.
Comprehensive strategic intention: DNE
SiskosGoatee
Profile Blog Joined May 2012
Albania1482 Posts
March 12 2013 07:03 GMT
#32
On March 12 2013 11:56 iamcaustic wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 12 2013 11:16 Unsane wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:10 monitor wrote:
On March 12 2013 08:45 SiskosGoatee wrote:
But you already have a back base? Surely supporting 3 bases behind a single FFE is overkill?


The back base is only an option for the counterclockwise player.


Suggestion: Consider making your 4p map cross spawn only. I feel all 4p maps become more balanced (and better) with forced cross.

No, not really. Antiga Shipyard was the only real case for this simply because adjacent positions were outright imbalanced thanks to the map design
No it wasn't, unless you can prove it.
WCS Apartheid cometh, all hail the casual audience, death to merit and hard work.
Unsane
Profile Joined September 2010
Canada170 Posts
March 12 2013 08:02 GMT
#33
On March 12 2013 14:35 EatThePath wrote:
Unsane, I think you need to do some critical reflecting on what is meant by balance.

Regardless of how little I have to go off, I'll do some 'critical reflecting' of what I think balance means. Perfect balance would allow every build and strat to always work to equal potential, in every match up on every map. However without any variation in the quality of each strat you would simply have the highest APM player winning every match, regardless of what map. In that case you might as well only use one map which might as well be a featureless map. However, I'm pretty sure here in this forum we are trying to better the game through creative use of terrain and other features modifiable through the map editor to create an interesting palette for the players to create masterpieces on. I'm always happy to see a new strat used, whether its because of a new map or not. A good build and good play is better with better mechanics, a less educated opponent, poor scouting and a poor ability to think under pressure. That is good balance. As a build becomes well known it should become less effective but shouldn't phase out. That is also good balance. Even as drastically as a map can change, a good build should still work well enough on each map to be potentially used, although unlikely. As your opponent becomes more gosu, perhaps through great scouting and great prediction, the build should get worse. That's also good balance.
Perhaps someone else could chip in and also critically reflect on what is meant by balance?

On a 4p map, with regards to the balance, the angle of attack favours one player with close spawns, there are less counterattack paths (usually less than about half) and drops become easier which favours one race quite a bit more than the two others. 4p maps also effect scouting in the early game and some timings are crucial to scout for, sometimes you lose cause the 6pool was in the other clock-direction that you scouted.
Whether it is a professional filled tournament or myself sitting in my home queuing the ol' best of one ladder i do not look forward to realizing i am either in unfavourable or EVEN favourable positions on a 4p map, however these imbalances wind up effecting the game. A fairly simple way i like to consider things as is each player has 3 strikes per match, a major blunder can be worth 2 and sometimes even all 3 strikes, costing you the match. The game is not balanced enough if a dice roll in the load screen removes perhaps 1 strike from myself or my opponent.

I also think 4p maps simply recreates the same sort of play in twice the areas that is has to and there are additional limitations on the layout. For example, even though you only have 2 players on a the map it still has to be designed to accept the flow of a large army leading from 4 naturals to the middle of the map. A 4th or 5th is also just as defensable as a main because in some cases it is a main. While a map could be balanced to play without forced cross
If you were to try and make either CK or daybreak a 4p map it'd kill how great the center layouts are, which are very interesting, yet extremely different. Koprulu's center is very interesting and i love it but it could be twice as interesting if the restrictions of being a 4p map weren't there.

Slight imbalances in play is ok, it leads to more unpredictability than it does predictability. Also it is the right kind of predictability, though. The kind that leads you to not know how games will play out until you play them, not the kind that leads to world class players losing to randoms. I think everyone is much happier to lose to a person, not a die.

I'll admit very little knowledge to much of BW's pro scene, particularly in the early days so you'll have to specify which 4p maps were considered good regardless of known rotational imbalances and how they wouldn't be better (more balanced without creating stale play) if they were forced cross. You are again, though, using an old standard while im am trying to get you to think critically about that standard. I don't care how good BW was (i do, actually) because it could have been better, it was not perfect. I do not care to go look up the exact logical fallacy i am trying to get you over, but this is a hindrance we don't need. "Cause that's how we've always done it..." is a terrible excuse for anything.

PS: EatThePath

On March 12 2013 12:03 Unsane wrote:
+ Show Spoiler +
On March 12 2013 11:56 iamcaustic wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 12 2013 11:16 Unsane wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:10 monitor wrote:
On March 12 2013 08:45 SiskosGoatee wrote:
But you already have a back base? Surely supporting 3 bases behind a single FFE is overkill?


The back base is only an option for the counterclockwise player.


Suggestion: Consider making your 4p map cross spawn only. I feel all 4p maps become more balanced (and better) with forced cross.

No, not really. Antiga Shipyard was the only real case for this simply because adjacent positions were outright imbalanced thanks to the map design. The general rule of thumb is: if it's a Blizzard 4p map, chances are there's at least one completely imbalanced spawn and removing it makes the map better (e.g. Entombed horizontal spawns, Antiga adjacent spawns, Metalopolis close spawns, Shattered Temple close spawns, etc.).

Whether Monitor's map would be better cross-only, I don't really care to debate. Just wanted to say that "all 4p maps become better when cross-only" isn't true. They just become bad 2p maps.


Yes they are just bad 2 player maps, there was supposed to be this essence of RPing going into these matches. Blizzard probably intends for someone out there to turn off all the lights in the room while they play and pretend they're actually landing a small team of resource gatherers on a potentially uninhabited world ripe for pillaging. Little do they know that another race (could be rebels of the same race or ANOTHER RACE (OMG THEY EXIST?!)ssshhh government secret) is setting up to do the same thing. Small resource gathering parties only need small assault teams to take them on, lets hope they didnt see us and wont be prepared...

But this is an E-sport, remember? no RPing here...

this is just some silly standard that blizzard accidentally set and for some reason the community is scared to touch...
^ This, btw, is the definition of critical thinking. I could write the fucking definition on it.
"What is the plural of y'all? All y'all." -Day9
algue
Profile Joined July 2011
France1436 Posts
March 12 2013 10:13 GMT
#34
+ Show Spoiler +
On March 12 2013 17:02 Unsane wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 12 2013 14:35 EatThePath wrote:
Unsane, I think you need to do some critical reflecting on what is meant by balance.

Regardless of how little I have to go off, I'll do some 'critical reflecting' of what I think balance means. Perfect balance would allow every build and strat to always work to equal potential, in every match up on every map. However without any variation in the quality of each strat you would simply have the highest APM player winning every match, regardless of what map. In that case you might as well only use one map which might as well be a featureless map. However, I'm pretty sure here in this forum we are trying to better the game through creative use of terrain and other features modifiable through the map editor to create an interesting palette for the players to create masterpieces on. I'm always happy to see a new strat used, whether its because of a new map or not. A good build and good play is better with better mechanics, a less educated opponent, poor scouting and a poor ability to think under pressure. That is good balance. As a build becomes well known it should become less effective but shouldn't phase out. That is also good balance. Even as drastically as a map can change, a good build should still work well enough on each map to be potentially used, although unlikely. As your opponent becomes more gosu, perhaps through great scouting and great prediction, the build should get worse. That's also good balance.
Perhaps someone else could chip in and also critically reflect on what is meant by balance?

On a 4p map, with regards to the balance, the angle of attack favours one player with close spawns, there are less counterattack paths (usually less than about half) and drops become easier which favours one race quite a bit more than the two others. 4p maps also effect scouting in the early game and some timings are crucial to scout for, sometimes you lose cause the 6pool was in the other clock-direction that you scouted.
Whether it is a professional filled tournament or myself sitting in my home queuing the ol' best of one ladder i do not look forward to realizing i am either in unfavourable or EVEN favourable positions on a 4p map, however these imbalances wind up effecting the game. A fairly simple way i like to consider things as is each player has 3 strikes per match, a major blunder can be worth 2 and sometimes even all 3 strikes, costing you the match. The game is not balanced enough if a dice roll in the load screen removes perhaps 1 strike from myself or my opponent.

I also think 4p maps simply recreates the same sort of play in twice the areas that is has to and there are additional limitations on the layout. For example, even though you only have 2 players on a the map it still has to be designed to accept the flow of a large army leading from 4 naturals to the middle of the map. A 4th or 5th is also just as defensable as a main because in some cases it is a main. While a map could be balanced to play without forced cross
If you were to try and make either CK or daybreak a 4p map it'd kill how great the center layouts are, which are very interesting, yet extremely different. Koprulu's center is very interesting and i love it but it could be twice as interesting if the restrictions of being a 4p map weren't there.

Slight imbalances in play is ok, it leads to more unpredictability than it does predictability. Also it is the right kind of predictability, though. The kind that leads you to not know how games will play out until you play them, not the kind that leads to world class players losing to randoms. I think everyone is much happier to lose to a person, not a die.

I'll admit very little knowledge to much of BW's pro scene, particularly in the early days so you'll have to specify which 4p maps were considered good regardless of known rotational imbalances and how they wouldn't be better (more balanced without creating stale play) if they were forced cross. You are again, though, using an old standard while im am trying to get you to think critically about that standard. I don't care how good BW was (i do, actually) because it could have been better, it was not perfect. I do not care to go look up the exact logical fallacy i am trying to get you over, but this is a hindrance we don't need. "Cause that's how we've always done it..." is a terrible excuse for anything.

PS: EatThePath

Show nested quote +
On March 12 2013 12:03 Unsane wrote:
+ Show Spoiler +
On March 12 2013 11:56 iamcaustic wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 12 2013 11:16 Unsane wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:10 monitor wrote:
On March 12 2013 08:45 SiskosGoatee wrote:
But you already have a back base? Surely supporting 3 bases behind a single FFE is overkill?


The back base is only an option for the counterclockwise player.


Suggestion: Consider making your 4p map cross spawn only. I feel all 4p maps become more balanced (and better) with forced cross.

No, not really. Antiga Shipyard was the only real case for this simply because adjacent positions were outright imbalanced thanks to the map design. The general rule of thumb is: if it's a Blizzard 4p map, chances are there's at least one completely imbalanced spawn and removing it makes the map better (e.g. Entombed horizontal spawns, Antiga adjacent spawns, Metalopolis close spawns, Shattered Temple close spawns, etc.).

Whether Monitor's map would be better cross-only, I don't really care to debate. Just wanted to say that "all 4p maps become better when cross-only" isn't true. They just become bad 2p maps.


Yes they are just bad 2 player maps, there was supposed to be this essence of RPing going into these matches. Blizzard probably intends for someone out there to turn off all the lights in the room while they play and pretend they're actually landing a small team of resource gatherers on a potentially uninhabited world ripe for pillaging. Little do they know that another race (could be rebels of the same race or ANOTHER RACE (OMG THEY EXIST?!)ssshhh government secret) is setting up to do the same thing. Small resource gathering parties only need small assault teams to take them on, lets hope they didnt see us and wont be prepared...

But this is an E-sport, remember? no RPing here...

this is just some silly standard that blizzard accidentally set and for some reason the community is scared to touch...
^ This, btw, is the definition of critical thinking. I could write the fucking definition on it.



Ave Caesar Morituri te Salutant
rly ?
EatThePath
Profile Blog Joined September 2009
United States3943 Posts
March 12 2013 11:39 GMT
#35
That was good start, actually. Unfortunately I don't understand that last part, the P.S.

I guess I'll just point out that Starcraft is a captivating game because of asymmetry and partial information. I'd even go so far as to say these are pillars of good games. Or at least, themes that show up over and over and over.

To address, as an example, your contentions about scouting on 4 spawn maps: the ramifications of this at the pro level are far deeper than you might first imagine. It can affect the very beginning actions as well as build choices that lead down long paths to misinformation trickery or option denial. The path of a scouting worker can reveal everything, just based on position and timing. It's not a bad thing that you can 6pool unscouted. That's part of the map, and players should play accordingly.

At almost every point in a game of starcraft, the players are in different situations. Rarely are they really mirrored. If a map puts players in different situations by default, this doesn't really change the nature of the game.
Comprehensive strategic intention: DNE
AssyrianKing
Profile Blog Joined August 2011
Australia2126 Posts
March 12 2013 12:02 GMT
#36
Haha, I see a bit of blue storm in blunderbuss
John 15:13
monitor
Profile Blog Joined June 2010
United States2409 Posts
March 13 2013 04:39 GMT
#37
On March 12 2013 17:02 Unsane wrote:

I'll admit very little knowledge to much of BW's pro scene, particularly in the early days so you'll have to specify which 4p maps were considered good regardless of known rotational imbalances and how they wouldn't be better (more balanced without creating stale play) if they were forced cross. You are again, though, using an old standard while im am trying to get you to think critically about that standard. I don't care how good BW was (i do, actually) because it could have been better, it was not perfect. I do not care to go look up the exact logical fallacy i am trying to get you over, but this is a hindrance we don't need. "Cause that's how we've always done it..." is a terrible excuse for anything.


I appreciate the well-detailed response! This is the part that I think I can respond to-

I agree that the logic of doing what has worked in the past is not a good one. BW is just an example of 4p rotational maps working. SC2 and BW share all of the gameplay mechanics that you argue are what make the rotational designs not work, so I think it works in this scenario. Blizzard's SC2 maps are terrible though, so I can understand why you have no faith in 4p maps!

Once there are many good 4p maps in SC2, I think you'll believe me. Here are some of my personal favorite BW rotational 4p maps that were considering balanced, innovative, and fun to play/observe:

Classics
Othello: http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/korean/maps/178_Othello
Adrenaline Rush: http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/Adrenaline_Rush
Colosseum: http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/Colosseum
God's Garden: http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/God's_Garden
Harmony: http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/Harmony
Katrina: http://wiki.teamliquid.net/starcraft/Katrina

Newer
Electric Circuit: http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/images/maps/536_Neo Electric Circuit.jpg
Sniper Ridge: http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/korean/maps/508_Sniper_Ridge
https://liquipedia.net/starcraft2/Monitor
iamcaustic
Profile Blog Joined May 2011
Canada1509 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-03-13 19:14:20
March 13 2013 19:13 GMT
#38
On March 12 2013 16:03 SiskosGoatee wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 12 2013 11:56 iamcaustic wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:16 Unsane wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:10 monitor wrote:
On March 12 2013 08:45 SiskosGoatee wrote:
But you already have a back base? Surely supporting 3 bases behind a single FFE is overkill?


The back base is only an option for the counterclockwise player.


Suggestion: Consider making your 4p map cross spawn only. I feel all 4p maps become more balanced (and better) with forced cross.

No, not really. Antiga Shipyard was the only real case for this simply because adjacent positions were outright imbalanced thanks to the map design
No it wasn't, unless you can prove it.

What am I supposed to be proving, here? You're quite ambiguous. If talking about Unsane's claim that all 4p maps become more balanced (and better) with forced cross spawns, that's actually on him to prove if we want to play the logic game (burden of proof is on the one making the claim). If talking about how Antiga Shipyard was absolutely broken in adjacent spawns, you're basically disagreeing with Blizzard's decision to force it cross-spawn after countless games played on it and tournaments having already forced cross due to adjacent-spawn balance issues. Either way, your post is a waste of space.
Twitter: @iamcaustic
Qikz
Profile Blog Joined November 2009
United Kingdom12065 Posts
Last Edited: 2013-03-13 22:24:27
March 13 2013 20:05 GMT
#39
I'm unsure why you bring up Antiga Shipyard being forced cross, that isn't rotationally symmetrical (or have I got the terms mixed up?)

Rotational symmetry works in this instance and even on close as every distance is the same. The entire map is symmetrical so it's impossible for one position to be a better spawn than another. Antiga was only broken in some instances where you could siege/blink from the mains into the other guys third.

If you spawn in close (horizontally) for instance, neither of you are going to have an easy time to take that in base third, however if you spawn vertically or even cross then you both can take it with the threat of an attack from behind the minerals (which is great btw, I love this design <3)

There's little to no point having 4 player maps if you force them all cross, it removes what makes 4 player maps good, the fact it's not cut and dry where they start and differing positions change how the game plays out (expansion layouts etc)
FanTaSy's #1 Fan | STPL Caster/Organiser | SKT BEST KT | https://twitch.tv/stpl
SiskosGoatee
Profile Blog Joined May 2012
Albania1482 Posts
March 13 2013 21:12 GMT
#40
On March 14 2013 04:13 iamcaustic wrote:
Show nested quote +
On March 12 2013 16:03 SiskosGoatee wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:56 iamcaustic wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:16 Unsane wrote:
On March 12 2013 11:10 monitor wrote:
On March 12 2013 08:45 SiskosGoatee wrote:
But you already have a back base? Surely supporting 3 bases behind a single FFE is overkill?


The back base is only an option for the counterclockwise player.


Suggestion: Consider making your 4p map cross spawn only. I feel all 4p maps become more balanced (and better) with forced cross.

No, not really. Antiga Shipyard was the only real case for this simply because adjacent positions were outright imbalanced thanks to the map design
No it wasn't, unless you can prove it.

What am I supposed to be proving,
That Antiga is broken in non cross spawns, give me some numbers.
WCS Apartheid cometh, all hail the casual audience, death to merit and hard work.
Prev 1 2 3 4 5 6 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
WardiTV Invitational
20:00
WardiTV Not-Summer Championshi
ByuN vs Percival
Percival vs SHIN
Percival vs herO
ByuN vs SHIN
ByuN vs herO
SHIN vs herO
IntoTheiNu 606
WardiTV605
TaKeTV 224
Liquipedia
CranKy Ducklings
19:00
Master Swan Open #108 (SHIN Mod Edition)
CranKy Ducklings75
LiquipediaDiscussion
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
Lowko274
ByuN 258
EmSc Tv 29
StarCraft: Brood War
Britney 26850
Soulkey 4928
Shuttle 1543
Horang2 705
FanTaSy 620
Larva 615
Mini 334
BeSt 276
firebathero 250
actioN 236
[ Show more ]
Hyun 196
Zeus 173
ggaemo 151
Last 120
Shinee 76
Mind 68
Aegong 58
Bishop 55
Barracks 55
910 54
Sharp 40
ToSsGirL 36
HiyA 22
Free 20
soO 15
yabsab 15
ajuk12(nOOB) 11
Noble 11
scan(afreeca) 11
Sacsri 7
Dota 2
Gorgc6042
Dendi891
League of Legends
Reynor99
Other Games
singsing2189
B2W.Neo882
Pyrionflax254
DeMusliM189
crisheroes183
Khaldor139
Chillindude15
MindelVK12
Organizations
StarCraft 2
EmSc Tv 29
EmSc2Tv 29
[ Show 10 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• CranKy Ducklings SOOP9
• Response 6
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• intothetv
• Kozan
• IndyKCrew
• Migwel
StarCraft: Brood War
• BSLYoutube
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
Upcoming Events
AI Arena Tournament
4h 4m
BSL Open Qualifier
7h 4m
Sparkling Tuna Cup
22h 4m
OSC
1d 1h
IPSL
1d 4h
BSL Open Qualifier
1d 7h
WardiTV Weekly
1d 23h
IntoTheTV X SOOP
2 days
PiGosaur Cup
3 days
The PondCast
3 days
[ Show More ]
Kung Fu Cup
3 days
IntoTheTV X SOOP
4 days
FEL
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

Super Anchor Qualifying S3
Blizzard Classic Cup 2026
Copium Cup

Ongoing

Acropolis #5
KCM Race Survival 2026 Season 4
Acropolis #5 - GSC
HCC Season 3
Thunderpick World Champ. '26
ESL Pro League Season 24
Stake Ranked Episode 4
1win Private Club #1
Logitech G Play Connect 2026
SL StarSeries Fall 2026
FISSURE Playground #3
BLAST Open Fall 2026
Esports World Cup 2026

Upcoming

BSL Season 23
SC4ALL II: Brood War
BSL 23: Non-Korean Championship
HSC XXX
Stellar Fest 2: Lunar Cup
SC4ALL II: StarCraft II
Kung Fu Cup 2026 Grand Finals
RSL Offline Finals
eXTREMESLAND 2026
PGL Major Singapore 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 6
BLAST Rivals Fall 2026
IEM Beijing 2026
Stake Ranked Episode 5
PGL Masters Bucharest 2026
1win Private Club #2
TLPD

1. ByuN
2. TY
3. Dark
4. Solar
5. Stats
6. Nerchio
7. sOs
8. soO
9. INnoVation
10. Elazer
1. Rain
2. Flash
3. EffOrt
4. Last
5. Bisu
6. Soulkey
7. Mini
8. Sharp
Sidebar Settings...

Advertising | Privacy Policy | Terms Of Use | Contact Us

Original banner artwork: Jim Warren
The contents of this webpage are copyright © 2026 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.