EPTWe strongly encourage everyone to look at the larger overviews of the maps before casting their vote, simply click on the map image to be taken to a high resolution version of the map. We've also made some comments on each of the maps, giving you some insight as to what we see in the maps selected. But before we give you the results, we would like to explain the judging process that the maps went through this season.
Judging Process
The judging of the maps this season was done in conjunction with Blizzard for the first time ever. As TLMC's ultimate goal is to get maps into the ladder and be played in professional competitions such as WCS, when we were looking over the maps we were looking for maps that would best complement the maps that would likely be in the map pool next season. Those maps will likely be standard maps, so for this TLMC season non-standard maps which challenged our conventional wisdom in clever ways were favoured in judging.
We think that the seven finalists chosen all achieve this aim.
As always, map were initially screened to see if they were appropriate for the contest. This reduced the number of maps from around 100 to a little over 30. These maps were analyzed by Blizzard and TL Strategy and those which we felt to best fit the aims of the contest were eventually chosen. Throughout this process many games were played to get a better feel for balance on the maps. The maps selected are maps we feel are interesting and, at times, strategically demanding but also maps which have acceptable balance.
Prizes
FIRST PLACE
$500.00
SECOND PLACE
$250.00
THIRD PLACE
Provided by Blizzard.
Finalists
Below are the finalists for TLMC6. You can view them all conveniently in this imgur album. We strongly recommend using this because it allows you to view the maps in high resolution very easily. You can also find these maps uploaded on Battle.net using the [TLMC] tag.
Bridgehead is a map that makes a statement. The map throws out the conventional main-nat setup in favor of a setup where the main and natural effectively become one continuous base. This setup is very clearly inspired by the BW map 'Katrina'. The BW inspiration doesn't stop there, as the aesthetics are the Jungle tileset from BW reconstructed in SC2. Measures have been taken to limit the vulnerability of the backdoor into the natural to certain cheese strategies. Beyond the main-nat players must make careful decisions about how they expand. There is no clearly preferred third base nor is there a clearly prefered fourth. These decisions will depend on the race and the strategies that the player is using.
Dash and Terminal is one of the most aesthetically striking maps submitted this season. While it's the aesthetics that draw you in, it's the Main-Nat-Third area that keeps you hooked. Dash and Terminal has one of the most dangerous naturals we've seen in TLMC. The natural has two smaller than average chokes on opposite sides to defend, that can make expanding somewhat tricky and players will need to carefully plan their sim cities as a result. Additionally there are rocks which can be destroyed opening up a third route into the natural. To compensate for the difficult natural, the third base is extremely close and easy to hold. The rest of the map provides an interesting battleground and offers players a difficult to defend gold base, if they are willing to take the risk.
This map is cross-spawn only, it is also the only four player map amongst the finalists. The two spawn configurations are quite similar, but there are important differences. The main feature of the map is the backdoor into the main base. This backdoor is more vulnerable than Expedition Lost and we anticipate players crafting strategies to exploit this. Once both players have progressed from early game they can collapse rocks in the middle of the map to manipulate the terrain to their advantage. One possible use for this is to make it easier to defend the gold bases at the top and bottom of the center of the map. The backdoor of the unused mains can be opened to improve map flow once the game gets to the 4+ base stage.
Moonlight Madness takes the concept of a backdoor natural to the next level. There are two rocks which can be taken down to open the backdoor natural up to the rest of the map. You can take down these rocks to open up a "backdoor" third base or your opponent may take these down to launch a surprise attack. We anticipate that players will favor expanding along this backdoor path as opposed to taking the 'conventional' bases. We think that these features introduce interesting tactics to the map. Since there is a large area to cover in the backdoor area we think that drops and nydus strategies will be particularly strong on this map.
Probably the most aggressive map out of all the finalists, Neo Mutiny features a third expansion that pushes players towards their opponents and five possible pathways for the opponent to send an attack. Furthermore, the main features a tiny choke covered by destructible rocks which opens up a secondary attack path into the main, without empowering all-in builds in a significant way. There are four gold bases in the center of the map to reward any player willing to expand to an exposed location. With so many attack paths and opportunities for players to take game deciding risks, we think this map will lead to very scrappy games.
The other finalists in this contest use unconventional map features to spice up the game, but all the basic understanding about the game stays the same. Noah's Ark is the only map in this contest to push players away from traditional compositions, throw out everything we understand about the game and force players to come up with something new. It does this by placing heavy restrictions oh how large armies move around the map. The center of the map can only be entered/left through extremely small chokes which gives the defender a huge advantage. To avoid this, players must send large armies around the sides of the map which has it's own drawbacks. Because conventional armies will struggle to do battle on this map, we anticipate that players will adopt more air and harass oriented strategies, and possibly even mech. Players willing to learn this map will have a huge advantage of those who don't, and we think that means this map can make for some very interesting games.
Affectionately known as 'The Spiral Map', Terraform merges eye pleasing geometry with sound map architecture to create a truly special map. Players have two options for third bases, with the 3/9 o'clock bases in a more defensive position, and the 4/10 o'clock "spiral" bases allowing for stronger pushes towards an opponent's third or fourth. The pathways around the map allow for both flanks and counter attacks and navigating the spiral effectively will be key to winning games. The presence of gold bases that are reasonably close to the main, but easily harassed adds to the map's strategic variety.
We're really excited to see how these maps will play out. You'll have the opportunity to play these maps in the upcoming TL Open happening this Sunday (see the link for details). The winner of the contest will be determined by public and progamer vote. The voting will open once the TL Open has concluded.
