Working Title Author: Caviar Players: 2 Size: 168x126 (Playable) Bases: 12
Textures;
The maps still young. I'm simply looking for suggestions, balance issues. You know feedback.
UPDATE: Published to NA servers -Narrowed amount of space reapers can get into main - Changed high ground around 3rd - Fixed pathing around overall map - Visual Improvements
Also from here on I will be streaming my progress on future maps @ twitch.tv/caviiar I will try to stream a new concept every wweek.
Very pretty map. The way you did the towers they'll be dead very quick, since it's only 300hp to kill the rocks. You might want to change the numbers on those, because this is basically a map with no towers (not that that's a bad thing).
The 4 bases are a little tightly clustered, pretty well defensible from the tower area. You might want to shrink/remove the hole next to the tower that creates a choke with the town hall a the base against the cliff. It looks like a 2ff chokepoint with a town hall there, which is pretty tight to try and defend.
Come to think of it, how do you feel about putting the towers in a pocket that can be closed off with the rocks instead of killing the tower? I think that'd be more interesting here and we haven't seen a good use of that except some crappy pre-beta blizzard maps that didn't really use it well.
Can we get a pic of that nat? It seems quite open, and while it is OK to have open naturals you need to have them close to the ramp, so you can wall off a side with a maximum of 2 3x3 buildings, preferably 1 2x2 and 1 3x3 buildings or less. Other than that the flow of the map seems good, there are no free expansions and there are enough open and choked areas to allow people to use their tactical skills properly. A very fine map for what I can see.
About the destructible towers, it is a nice idea, although it is not necessary to have them since they don't cover every path, I think removing the rocks would make it easier on players, which is nice, but of course having them gives extra strategy to be made. On that note I think that you should add rocks to some ramps in the middle, that would make early game battle tactics to be more effective while not touching lategame ability to travel through the areas without being forced into tiny chokes.
EDIT: EatThePath that sounds good, hopefully either the rock's health will be increased to 1500-2000 or it will be used in the way you described. By the way it was used on a different map other than the one from Blizzard, this map: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=384261
On April 04 2013 07:08 EatThePath wrote: Come to think of it, how do you feel about putting the towers in a pocket that can be closed off with the rocks instead of killing the tower? I think that'd be more interesting here and we haven't seen a good use of that except some crappy pre-beta blizzard maps that didn't really use it well.
The original version of this map I had it that way. I still might end up going back to that. It just seemed that if a team was able to destroy the original rocks then blocking off the tower wouldn't prove much use.
In its current state its really only there for the early game. By the time they are destroyed the third normal tower becomes more relevant in defending the 3rd and 6th.
Very polished map, and I really like how the top of the map is layed out. The natural seems kinda open; maybe put rocks to make the top of the large entrance smaller initially, like that the player can better defend the ramp, and the bottom of the opening. The map is quite big, which is fine, but the bottom middle base, doesn't seem to contribute in the slightest to the map's synergy. It will probably almost never be taken, and troup movements through it would probably not happen often, since its not in the way of anything of tactical value. The map would probably be fine with having the middle bottom base completely removed, and replaced with empty space, and the lanes around it made into narrow paths leading into the back of the fifth bases.
I know. When I saw that map posted I almost decided to abandon this project because of the similarity.
I can see some similarities but nahhh, I'm glad you decided to keep working on this. I like the flow of the bases here and I like that there isn't any dead space at all really towards the middle of the map.
I'm a little worried it could be a bit too much open and therefore be way too strong for zergs? Besides the harassable third there doesn't seem to be many tight choke points for a protoss or terran to move their way through the map. Might want to make a few points more choked off.
I think I'd like if the whole lower level was completely sand/dirt. Over by the low ground 3rds they are back to the manmade stuff. I think I'd like it better and it might flow better if the whole lower level was just dirt/rocks/etc.
Lastly, I hate the gases on the 12 and 6 o'clock expansions. I never really liked those types of super vulnerable opposite side of the minerals gases. But it's just preference really.
Great work, looks amazing & it should play out perfectly.
I think it would play pretty differently than Habitation Station b/c of a few key paths being different. + it's a bit wider of a map and more open.
As far as improving the map, I would try to narrow a few areas (esp. the ramps to the 12/6 o'clock bases, to make them more appealing). Right now once you get outside your nat pretty much all the chokes and hallways are big and there's not much variety in size. I think (especially since highground matters less in SC2) it's important to have a variety of sized areas so that where the battle happens actually matters. Just my 2 cents though.
aesthetics/layout is pretty solid overall. look forward to how sexy it can look w/ more aesthetics added.
p.s. - it's hard to tell for sure, but it looks like it might have the 3 pylon block problem that Planet S had (where you can 3 pylon block despite the unbuildable plate being there) on the right side. On the left side the plate is on the opp side of ramp which prevents Nexus wall FFE. Nitpicky stuff but just something i noticed.
i don't like the base between the watch tower and main. it's a huge area for reapers to come into the main, and you can put siege tanks there and easily siege the main. i would like an impassible area filling that space.
i don't like that "finger" behind the third's mineral line. again, i think this makes it too easy to harass that base (especially with siege tanks). i'd get rid of it and just expand that null zone that's already below it.
On April 04 2013 17:46 CycoDude wrote: i don't like the base between the watch tower and main. it's a huge area for reapers to come into the main, and you can put siege tanks there and easily siege the main. i would like an impassible area filling that space.
i don't like that "finger" behind the third's mineral line. again, i think this makes it too easy to harass that base (especially with siege tanks). i'd get rid of it and just expand that null zone that's already below it.
Ive had similar concerns. I have a few ideas in the works on tweaking the third outside the base aswell as the "finger' area without streamlineing the map to much.
Quite good overall IMO, although I also agree about the "finger" over the 3rd. very nice work using different textures sets and making it feel very natural. I feel that some of the configurations of the mineral lines could be improved.
Is the base between the main and the watchtowers 6m2g or am I seeing things?
EPT![[image loading]](http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m48/ambientphoto/MapImage_zpse1b43e51.png)
![[image loading]](http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m48/ambientphoto/Textures_zpsc4935047.png)
![[image loading]](http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m48/ambientphoto/Middle_zps0c9f28d1.png)
![[image loading]](http://i101.photobucket.com/albums/m48/ambientphoto/3rd_zpsf30e1ed7.png)
