• Log InLog In
  • Register
Liquid`
Team Liquid Liquipedia
EDT 22:09
CEST 04:09
KST 11:09
  • 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
Serral wins EWC 202538Tournament Spotlight: FEL Cracow 202510Power Rank - Esports World Cup 202580RSL Season 1 - Final Week9[ASL19] Finals Recap: Standing Tall15
Community News
LiuLi Cup - August 2025 Tournaments3[BSL 2025] H2 - Team Wars, Weeklies & SB Ladder10EWC 2025 - Replay Pack4Google Play ASL (Season 20) Announced55BSL Team Wars - Bonyth, Dewalt, Hawk & Sziky teams11
StarCraft 2
General
Serral wins EWC 2025 The GOAT ranking of GOAT rankings Interview with Chris "ChanmanV" Chan Tournament Spotlight: FEL Cracow 2025 Classic: "It's a thick wall to break through to become world champ"
Tourneys
Sparkling Tuna Cup - Weekly Open Tournament LiuLi Cup - August 2025 Tournaments Sea Duckling Open (Global, Bronze-Diamond) TaeJa vs Creator Bo7 SC Evo Showmatch FEL Cracov 2025 (July 27) - $10,000 live event
Strategy
Custom Maps
External Content
Mutation # 485 Death from Below Mutation # 484 Magnetic Pull Mutation #239 Bad Weather Mutation # 483 Kill Bot Wars
Brood War
General
Nobody gona talk about this year crazy qualifiers? [BSL 2025] H2 - Team Wars, Weeklies & SB Ladder How do the new Battle.net ranks translate? BSL Team Wars - Bonyth, Dewalt, Hawk & Sziky teams BW General Discussion
Tourneys
[ASL20] Online Qualifiers Day 2 Cosmonarchy Pro Showmatches [Megathread] Daily Proleagues [ASL20] Online Qualifiers Day 1
Strategy
[G] Mineral Boosting Muta micro map competition Does 1 second matter in StarCraft? Simple Questions, Simple Answers
Other Games
General Games
Stormgate/Frost Giant Megathread Total Annihilation Server - TAForever Nintendo Switch Thread Beyond All Reason [MMORPG] Tree of Savior (Successor of Ragnarok)
Dota 2
Official 'what is Dota anymore' discussion
League of Legends
Heroes of the Storm
Simple Questions, Simple Answers Heroes of the Storm 2.0
Hearthstone
Heroes of StarCraft mini-set
TL Mafia
TL Mafia Community Thread Vanilla Mini Mafia
Community
General
US Politics Mega-thread 9/11 Anniversary Possible Al Qaeda Attack on 9/11 Things Aren’t Peaceful in Palestine European Politico-economics QA Mega-thread
Fan Clubs
INnoVation Fan Club SKT1 Classic Fan Club!
Media & Entertainment
[Manga] One Piece Anime Discussion Thread [\m/] Heavy Metal Thread Movie Discussion! Korean Music Discussion
Sports
Formula 1 Discussion 2024 - 2025 Football Thread TeamLiquid Health and Fitness Initiative For 2023
World Cup 2022
Tech Support
Gtx660 graphics card replacement Installation of Windows 10 suck at "just a moment" Computer Build, Upgrade & Buying Resource Thread
TL Community
TeamLiquid Team Shirt On Sale The Automated Ban List
Blogs
ASL S20 English Commentary…
namkraft
The Link Between Fitness and…
TrAiDoS
momentary artworks from des…
tankgirl
from making sc maps to makin…
Husyelt
StarCraft improvement
iopq
Socialism Anyone?
GreenHorizons
Customize Sidebar...

Website Feedback

Closed Threads



Active: 612 users

[D] Island maps?

Forum Index > StarCraft 2 Strategy
Post a Reply
1 2 Next All
Leaky
Profile Joined December 2010
United States176 Posts
February 20 2011 20:38 GMT
#1
Hey everyone, me and my friend recently played a few custom games on "Debris Field." It's a map that is made up completely of islands, and the only way to get around is to invest in air or drop tech.

[image loading]tech i

Why have we not seen any island maps played at the competitive level yet? Island maps were played in Starcraft 1 tournaments, why not Starcraft 2? Are there any inherent racial imbalances that would be brought to light on island maps, such as Terran being able to fly their buildings around(namely scv-loaded command centers) or Zerg getting ridiculous map vision with overlords and creep?
http://sc2ranks.com/us/653835/Leaky
Gemini_19
Profile Joined June 2010
United States1238 Posts
February 20 2011 20:40 GMT
#2
Basically what you said is why we don't use them. They aren't fit for competitive play and favor different races heavily. The only reason they were in SC1 tournaments were because early SC1 didn't know any better, and they used the maps that they were given.
@GGemini19 GM Protoss | http://www.twitch.tv/geminisc2 | I <333 HerO & Trap | Check out my Build of the Week series on /r/allthingsprotoss, TL, or Spawning Tool
mvpAKAenvyME
Profile Joined November 2010
Canada179 Posts
February 20 2011 20:40 GMT
#3
true dis
nick00bot
Profile Joined November 2010
326 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-02-20 20:47:20
February 20 2011 20:43 GMT
#4
Here are some replays of leaky and I playing on this map, the geography of it makes for really diverse strategies.

http://www.sc2replayed.com/replays/142063-2v2-terran-protoss-debris-field

http://www.sc2replayed.com/replays/142062-1v1-terran-protoss-debris-field
SoO~Speed~Serral~$o$~Dark~Myungsik~TY~Byun~Classic
ALPINA
Profile Joined May 2010
3791 Posts
February 20 2011 20:44 GMT
#5
Well the games would be super boring. All early/mid game turle in base and then go air. For example you guaranteed that toss goes void/phoenix, zerg goes muta/corruptor, etc..
You should never underestimate the predictability of stupidity
laegoose
Profile Joined June 2010
Russian Federation325 Posts
February 20 2011 20:50 GMT
#6
Personally, I'd like to see progamers playing on island maps. Protoss have warp-in, zerg have mass muta, nydus and free dropships, terran have loadable cc's, superstrong turrets and vikings. At first glance, there is no serious favor for any race.
Smipims
Profile Joined December 2010
United States61 Posts
February 20 2011 20:51 GMT
#7
Zerg would be raped. They'd have to invest heavily in queens while protoss gains map control with early and quick phoenix/void rays. 1 base phoenix >>> 1 base muta.
Smipims
PhiliBiRD
Profile Joined November 2009
United States2643 Posts
February 20 2011 20:53 GMT
#8
im hoping within time and expansions they will balance the game for island maps too, however it seems unlikely.

Draconicfire
Profile Joined May 2010
Canada2562 Posts
February 20 2011 20:54 GMT
#9
Wouldn't island maps be especially protoss favored in SC2? I mean, with a warp prism you can warp in units on other islands, whereas other races cant reinforce that fast (Well, maybe nydus) during attacks.
@Drayxs | Drayxs.221 | Drayxs#1802
lyAsakura
Profile Blog Joined March 2010
United States1414 Posts
February 20 2011 20:55 GMT
#10
In BW, zerg was really just crazily underpowered on island maps because of how much gas they need for their air and anti air.
WeMade FOX would be a deadly SC2 team.
ecaesar
Profile Blog Joined October 2010
Canada106 Posts
February 20 2011 20:58 GMT
#11
island maps like the one you posted FORCES zerg to go one base tech until they get overlord drops...how else are they going to expand?
Raahka
Profile Joined September 2010
Finland30 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-02-20 21:10:02
February 20 2011 21:07 GMT
#12
Island map = ultimate rock paper scissors.

Turrets/drop defense > Air units/drops
Mass eco > Turrets/drop defense
Air units/drops > Mass eco


Add to that protoss really can not scout without already having made the desision, and terran has to guess which of the 3 other bases he scans.

I dont know about zergs because of overlords, but this is how I see TvT, PvP, and TvP going.
Falcon-sw
Profile Joined September 2010
United States324 Posts
February 20 2011 21:09 GMT
#13
On February 21 2011 05:51 Smipims wrote:
Zerg would be raped. They'd have to invest heavily in queens while protoss gains map control with early and quick phoenix/void rays. 1 base phoenix >>> 1 base muta.


Excellent point. Also 1-base zerg is at such a disadvantage early... and I can't think of a way to give Zerg players two bases and Terran/Protoss only one on such a map.
https://www.youtube.com/FalconPaladin https://twitch.tv/falconpaladin
Logros
Profile Joined September 2010
Netherlands9913 Posts
February 20 2011 21:20 GMT
#14
Vikings beat all protoss air, so Terran can just take air control and expand at will, killing any warp prism attempts to warp in or expand from the protoss.
Divine-Sneaker
Profile Joined August 2010
Denmark1225 Posts
February 20 2011 21:23 GMT
#15
Island maps or maps where terrain outside of your main was inaccessible without drop tech were played in sc1/bw, but they suffered from exactly what you described in the OP. Racial imbalances and were terribly balanced.
Dimagus
Profile Joined December 2010
United States1004 Posts
February 20 2011 21:30 GMT
#16
Maps would not be balanced even if they were geographically isolated by cliffs, so they obviously wouldn't be balanced with full segregated islands.

The only SC2 variation of geographical isolation is destructible rocks/debris.
Volka
Profile Joined December 2010
Argentina409 Posts
February 20 2011 23:01 GMT
#17
I don't know. I find islands map very interesting.
However, they add another layer of complexitiy on the already complex world of balance. Still, maybe in a couple of years...
http://www.starsite.com.ar
WniO
Profile Blog Joined April 2010
United States2706 Posts
February 20 2011 23:08 GMT
#18
That map is purely for fun, balancing a island map would not be impossible though. I was working on an island map a few months back that had 4 island spawns, but then the only expos were on the "big island." Zerg has nydus btw so its not impossible.
sofawall
Profile Joined January 2011
29 Posts
February 20 2011 23:13 GMT
#19
On February 21 2011 06:09 Falcon-sw wrote:
and I can't think of a way to give Zerg players two bases and Terran/Protoss only one on such a map.


Have one base on the starting island with a creep tumor? Perhaps more, so that a photon cannon/turret placed on the outside cannot see the one in the middle, forcing the Protoss/Terran to wait for creep to fade?

Alternatively, if you feel like permanently denying the expansion, just place some perma-creep down.
Kyadytim
Profile Joined March 2009
United States886 Posts
Last Edited: 2011-02-20 23:27:51
February 20 2011 23:20 GMT
#20
There's definitely racial imbalances. As Logros mentioned, if a Protoss and a Terran both spend all their gas on air units, Vikings will probably beat any Protoss composition of Phoenix/VR. Also, Zerg is basically screwed on 1-base islands, because they are basically forced to invest in a 1-base spire AND either a nydus network and nydus worms OR overlord drop and speed to expand. At the same time, Protoss can have a robo out far enough before the spire is finished to do some sort of drop/warp in attack, or can have a Stargate up fast enough to take air dominance. Terran can also have very fast medivacs, and would probably be able to win every game with stim marine drops. Alternatively, Vikings...

The problem Zerg faces is that they get to air units the slowest, and because Zerg can't apply pressure at all until Lair tech, the other races can just blitz for air units themselves, hunt overlords, and maintain a superior fleet, then start expanding with minimal gas investment. After producing air combat units, it costs Terran and Protoss 100 gas to either produce a medivac or build a Robotics Facility, at which point they can expand. Terran will also be able to just float CCs around the map until mapmakers start blocking that with low value (or 0 value) mineral patches. In contrast, Zerg need to spend either 200 gas on a nydus network and 100 on a nydus worm, or 100 on overlord speed and 200 on drop tech to be able to expand, putting them further behind in the air unit arms race. Essentially, if all 3 races want to expand, the Zerg player will drop 2 units behind the other races.


On February 21 2011 08:13 sofawall wrote:
Show nested quote +
On February 21 2011 06:09 Falcon-sw wrote:
and I can't think of a way to give Zerg players two bases and Terran/Protoss only one on such a map.


Have one base on the starting island with a creep tumor? Perhaps more, so that a photon cannon/turret placed on the outside cannot see the one in the middle, forcing the Protoss/Terran to wait for creep to fade?

Alternatively, if you feel like permanently denying the expansion, just place some perma-creep down.

The creep tumor idea would break TvP, as Terran can be rid of the Creep Tumor at any time with a single scan, while the Protoss has to get a Robo, which is off their tech path for producing a fleet. Perma creep would break ZvP and ZvT, unless that expansion had reduced resources, like 4 mineral patches and 1 geyser, and even then it would still be Zerg favored. What one map in BW did was put a natural expansion on the starting island, but the geyser was a bit distant from the minerals. Zerg, who would naturally build 3 hatches, could mine it properly, while the other races had to invest in extra workers to optimally mine that geyser. Unfortunately, this doesn't apply to Starcraft 2 in any way at all, but try to think outside the box
That map was a semi-island map and was taken out of the map pool years ago, so it would probably be imbalanced with modern playstyles, such as Corsair/Reaver in PvZ.
1 2 Next All
Please log in or register to reply.
Live Events Refresh
Next event in 8h 51m
[ Submit Event ]
Live Streams
Refresh
StarCraft 2
Nina 185
NeuroSwarm 165
RuFF_SC2 68
StarCraft: Brood War
Artosis 897
firebathero 166
ggaemo 91
NaDa 83
Bale 58
Sexy 56
Aegong 35
Icarus 6
Dota 2
monkeys_forever706
Counter-Strike
semphis_20
Heroes of the Storm
Khaldor175
Other Games
tarik_tv15612
summit1g11859
gofns7783
shahzam591
JimRising 539
ViBE145
Maynarde138
Livibee130
JuggernautJason31
Organizations
Other Games
gamesdonequick1410
StarCraft 2
Blizzard YouTube
StarCraft: Brood War
BSLTrovo
sctven
[ Show 17 non-featured ]
StarCraft 2
• davetesta80
• Hupsaiya 64
• Sammyuel 31
• Kozan
• Migwel
• AfreecaTV YouTube
• sooper7s
• intothetv
• IndyKCrew
• LaughNgamezSOOP
StarCraft: Brood War
• Azhi_Dahaki21
• STPLYoutube
• ZZZeroYoutube
• BSLYoutube
League of Legends
• Doublelift5867
• Rush968
Other Games
• Shiphtur329
Upcoming Events
Wardi Open
8h 51m
OSC
21h 51m
Stormgate Nexus
2 days
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
2 days
The PondCast
3 days
Replay Cast
3 days
LiuLi Cup
4 days
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
4 days
RSL Revival
4 days
RSL Revival
5 days
[ Show More ]
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
5 days
Sparkling Tuna Cup
6 days
uThermal 2v2 Circuit
6 days
Liquipedia Results

Completed

ASL Season 20: Qualifier #2
FEL Cracow 2025
CC Div. A S7

Ongoing

Copa Latinoamericana 4
Jiahua Invitational
BSL 20 Team Wars
KCM Race Survival 2025 Season 3
BSL 21 Qualifiers
HCC Europe
IEM Cologne 2025
FISSURE Playground #1
BLAST.tv Austin Major 2025
ESL Impact League Season 7
IEM Dallas 2025

Upcoming

ASL Season 20
CSLPRO Chat StarLAN 3
BSL Season 21
RSL Revival: Season 2
Maestros of the Game
SEL Season 2 Championship
WardiTV Summer 2025
uThermal 2v2 Main Event
Thunderpick World Champ.
MESA Nomadic Masters Fall
CS Asia Championships 2025
Roobet Cup 2025
ESL Pro League S22
StarSeries Fall 2025
FISSURE Playground #2
BLAST Open Fall 2025
BLAST Open Fall Qual
Esports World Cup 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall 2025
BLAST Bounty Fall Qual
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 © 2025 TLnet. All Rights Reserved.