EPTOn September 16 2017 15:32 ZigguratOfUr wrote:+ Show Spoiler +
Here's my preliminary review of the maps. I'll probably write something else once I've seen how they all play out:
Backwater: Three bases behind a single choke isn't something I generally like, but I think it's executed in an interesting and novel manner yet still remaining quite standard. Positioned where it is makes defending aggression on the first three bases different from previous maps with three bases behind a choke, and having the third be the pocket rather than the natural is pretty cool--it makes defending things like ling drops a bit different. I don't like the fact that players are forced to expand in a set order with really no other options, but otherwise the middle is pretty cool. 7.25/10
Blackpink: I don't have much to say about Blackpink. All the angles of attack make it so the vertical third is probably the more favoured one, and there are too many straightline paths between bases to my taste, which makes army movement a bit boring. The map is pretty choke heavy which may cause problems in TvZ, but considering the amount of different paths, I (unlike Sidian) don't think it's a death knell for the map. This map doesn't excite me, but I think it's perfectly serviceable. 7.25/10
Defender's Resort: This map looks really crude and unsophisticated with gaping holes in the map covered by forests and a number of very large paths. There's no interesting army movement to be had when you have a bunch of giant lanes. There were some many better maps in this category, and this was by far Youngrustler's weakest submission, so I'm shocked to see the judges select it. 5/10 Port Aleksander was way better.
Neo Tropicana: Neo Tropicana has a bunch of problems. The natural is completely exposed to siege tank fire, and trying to wall off two ramps plus rocks is sure to be an interesting experience. Furthermore horizontal spawns is sure to be two base all-in central with these rush distances, vulnerable naturals and precarious thirds. The middle of the map is quite interesting (though taking those central bases seems dubious) it's a pity the main/nat/third have such problems. 3.5/10
Sky Garden: Sky Garden is quite a fun map conceptually though I have a few doubts about the execution. Holding fourth bases in horizontal spawns (horizontal? the spawns that aren't cross at any rate) seems difficult especially against drops. If you try for the lowground gold or the bases in front of it defending both that base and the main seem difficult, and any other possible fourths have their awkwardness to them. The long way around the map probably has the Galactic Process problem of no one using them. Lots of the implementation details of this map puzzle me, and the map just feels too large, so I'll tentatively give it a 6.5/10 while looking forward to being proven wrong.
Acid Plant: This map is quite small and all the bases are quite close together which makes me question how takeable all four of the center bases are. Probably somewhat takeable since both players will be busy expanding laterally, but the distances between bases combined with the layeout makes me wonder if circle syndrome is stirring in its grave. I do find the middle quite thoughfully layed out, but I feel like the map would benefit from being bigger overall. When you're cutting geysers from center gold bases for no reason other than the fact that they're getting in the way it makes me feel that way. Additionally there isn't any true open areas on this map, and flanking takes a long time so timing pushes against zerg might be quite strong. 6.5/10
Eastwatch: A lot of bases on this map feel like huge pains to defend. Like what's the point of those bases in the central tetris piece? They're on your side of the map, but the opponent can get to them faster than you can? And the bases that can be closed off completely by collapsible rocks; forcing a zerg to break down two sets of rocks against siege tanks and rocks if they want to defend that base sounds fun. The gold bases likewise feel like a huge trap in that tucked away position with the collapsible rocks that can be destroyed from across the wall. If you stick to a normal expansion pattern (vertically) things aren't too wonky, but it feels even then like the whole game revolves around breaking rocks, and worrying about units shooting from across walls, and which can only be reached by breaking more rocks. 5/10 unless you're Dustin Browder.
Grime: A novel expansion layout that isn't gimmicky is really appreciated. Some of the distances between bases might prove troublesome on the defense and the excess airspace isn't great, but the map feels really solid overall. I find the 1 width ramp a bit troublesome, since it makes dislodging an attacker camped there difficult. It isn't the splashiest or sexiest of maps, so I don't think it'll do well at all in the TLMC, but I like it a lot personally. 7.5/10
Catalyst: This is a slight twist on a super standard layout, but I do think it's done well especially in how it makes the central bases defendable. Not sure the rocks near the entrance of the natural are needed especially the collapsible rock towers (since no one is going to expand to the bases vertically adjacent to the mains early anyways. 7.5/10
Octane: Those islands exists exclusively to fill space around the edges of the map don't they... Not too fond of the thirds either--one feels too out there in the open, and the other feels too easily split off from the natural. The one-wide ramps feel weird too, and make things worse. All the bases in the corners are really close together and the middle of the map is boring.Overall the open areas feel really open, and the closed areas feel very closed, and it doesn't mesh too well. 6/10
Abiogenesis: The TLMC judges must have made a mistake since this looks like a rush map that doesn't suck. The really short rush distance with the narrow ramp is really well executed. This map manages both to be compact and feel rushy while not making expansions impossible to take. It's a pretty sweet map overall--very standard. 7.75/10
Battle on the Boardwalk: The superlong path around to the golds isn't something I particularly believe in. I think it'll be used to fuel gold-based powered cheese or not be taken, since defending it later is a pain especially with the long lane that is so easily forcefielded off. The middle of the map has a bunch of narrow passages that won't be used and then a bunch of bases that are really close together. I can see the idea of this map, but it isn't one I buy into personally. I just don't think it'll live up in practice. 6/10
God's Garden: Everything about this map tilts me from the ramps that look askew, to the decor and the layout. The fact that the main mineral line can be sieged from behind is questionable, but I think that in practice it'll be irritating but not map breaking since the siegeing army has to be so far out of position. Yet again the rocks feel a bit excessive making navigating the middle of the map pretty awkward. The lanes feel disconnected enough that armies will often get stuck in one lane and unable to react to armies heading to their main and forced to basetrade, but I guess the very strong watchtowers can help remedy that. Reapers have a lot of surface area to jump into the main, but that hasn't been that much of a concern in the meta recently. While I hate everything about this map I guess it isn't that bad objectively. 6.5/10
Anomaly: Mixed feelings about this map. The super-long map concept hasn't worked in the past, and this map could prove to be a complete split-map turtlefest. There's just not enough room to maneuver around the opponent. I'll give it credit for being new and having the potential to surprise, but 5/10
Arch of Janus: Fuck. I don't know where to start, so I won't try. 0/10
Neon Violet Square: Using holes on a map is a concept near and dear to my heart, and I do think that RQM has executed this idea in most respects much better than I did. I'm not fond of the pocket base behind the natural since holes there hold very little meaning. The layout is otherwise pretty nice and makes good (though light) use of the holes. 7.5/10
Overall how I'd currently rank them:
Here's my preliminary review of the maps. I'll probably write something else once I've seen how they all play out:
Backwater: Three bases behind a single choke isn't something I generally like, but I think it's executed in an interesting and novel manner yet still remaining quite standard. Positioned where it is makes defending aggression on the first three bases different from previous maps with three bases behind a choke, and having the third be the pocket rather than the natural is pretty cool--it makes defending things like ling drops a bit different. I don't like the fact that players are forced to expand in a set order with really no other options, but otherwise the middle is pretty cool. 7.25/10
Blackpink: I don't have much to say about Blackpink. All the angles of attack make it so the vertical third is probably the more favoured one, and there are too many straightline paths between bases to my taste, which makes army movement a bit boring. The map is pretty choke heavy which may cause problems in TvZ, but considering the amount of different paths, I (unlike Sidian) don't think it's a death knell for the map. This map doesn't excite me, but I think it's perfectly serviceable. 7.25/10
Defender's Resort: This map looks really crude and unsophisticated with gaping holes in the map covered by forests and a number of very large paths. There's no interesting army movement to be had when you have a bunch of giant lanes. There were some many better maps in this category, and this was by far Youngrustler's weakest submission, so I'm shocked to see the judges select it. 5/10 Port Aleksander was way better.
Neo Tropicana: Neo Tropicana has a bunch of problems. The natural is completely exposed to siege tank fire, and trying to wall off two ramps plus rocks is sure to be an interesting experience. Furthermore horizontal spawns is sure to be two base all-in central with these rush distances, vulnerable naturals and precarious thirds. The middle of the map is quite interesting (though taking those central bases seems dubious) it's a pity the main/nat/third have such problems. 3.5/10
Sky Garden: Sky Garden is quite a fun map conceptually though I have a few doubts about the execution. Holding fourth bases in horizontal spawns (horizontal? the spawns that aren't cross at any rate) seems difficult especially against drops. If you try for the lowground gold or the bases in front of it defending both that base and the main seem difficult, and any other possible fourths have their awkwardness to them. The long way around the map probably has the Galactic Process problem of no one using them. Lots of the implementation details of this map puzzle me, and the map just feels too large, so I'll tentatively give it a 6.5/10 while looking forward to being proven wrong.
Acid Plant: This map is quite small and all the bases are quite close together which makes me question how takeable all four of the center bases are. Probably somewhat takeable since both players will be busy expanding laterally, but the distances between bases combined with the layeout makes me wonder if circle syndrome is stirring in its grave. I do find the middle quite thoughfully layed out, but I feel like the map would benefit from being bigger overall. When you're cutting geysers from center gold bases for no reason other than the fact that they're getting in the way it makes me feel that way. Additionally there isn't any true open areas on this map, and flanking takes a long time so timing pushes against zerg might be quite strong. 6.5/10
Eastwatch: A lot of bases on this map feel like huge pains to defend. Like what's the point of those bases in the central tetris piece? They're on your side of the map, but the opponent can get to them faster than you can? And the bases that can be closed off completely by collapsible rocks; forcing a zerg to break down two sets of rocks against siege tanks and rocks if they want to defend that base sounds fun. The gold bases likewise feel like a huge trap in that tucked away position with the collapsible rocks that can be destroyed from across the wall. If you stick to a normal expansion pattern (vertically) things aren't too wonky, but it feels even then like the whole game revolves around breaking rocks, and worrying about units shooting from across walls, and which can only be reached by breaking more rocks. 5/10 unless you're Dustin Browder.
Grime: A novel expansion layout that isn't gimmicky is really appreciated. Some of the distances between bases might prove troublesome on the defense and the excess airspace isn't great, but the map feels really solid overall. I find the 1 width ramp a bit troublesome, since it makes dislodging an attacker camped there difficult. It isn't the splashiest or sexiest of maps, so I don't think it'll do well at all in the TLMC, but I like it a lot personally. 7.5/10
Catalyst: This is a slight twist on a super standard layout, but I do think it's done well especially in how it makes the central bases defendable. Not sure the rocks near the entrance of the natural are needed especially the collapsible rock towers (since no one is going to expand to the bases vertically adjacent to the mains early anyways. 7.5/10
Octane: Those islands exists exclusively to fill space around the edges of the map don't they... Not too fond of the thirds either--one feels too out there in the open, and the other feels too easily split off from the natural. The one-wide ramps feel weird too, and make things worse. All the bases in the corners are really close together and the middle of the map is boring.Overall the open areas feel really open, and the closed areas feel very closed, and it doesn't mesh too well. 6/10
Abiogenesis: The TLMC judges must have made a mistake since this looks like a rush map that doesn't suck. The really short rush distance with the narrow ramp is really well executed. This map manages both to be compact and feel rushy while not making expansions impossible to take. It's a pretty sweet map overall--very standard. 7.75/10
Battle on the Boardwalk: The superlong path around to the golds isn't something I particularly believe in. I think it'll be used to fuel gold-based powered cheese or not be taken, since defending it later is a pain especially with the long lane that is so easily forcefielded off. The middle of the map has a bunch of narrow passages that won't be used and then a bunch of bases that are really close together. I can see the idea of this map, but it isn't one I buy into personally. I just don't think it'll live up in practice. 6/10
God's Garden: Everything about this map tilts me from the ramps that look askew, to the decor and the layout. The fact that the main mineral line can be sieged from behind is questionable, but I think that in practice it'll be irritating but not map breaking since the siegeing army has to be so far out of position. Yet again the rocks feel a bit excessive making navigating the middle of the map pretty awkward. The lanes feel disconnected enough that armies will often get stuck in one lane and unable to react to armies heading to their main and forced to basetrade, but I guess the very strong watchtowers can help remedy that. Reapers have a lot of surface area to jump into the main, but that hasn't been that much of a concern in the meta recently. While I hate everything about this map I guess it isn't that bad objectively. 6.5/10
Anomaly: Mixed feelings about this map. The super-long map concept hasn't worked in the past, and this map could prove to be a complete split-map turtlefest. There's just not enough room to maneuver around the opponent. I'll give it credit for being new and having the potential to surprise, but 5/10
Arch of Janus: Fuck. I don't know where to start, so I won't try. 0/10
Neon Violet Square: Using holes on a map is a concept near and dear to my heart, and I do think that RQM has executed this idea in most respects much better than I did. I'm not fond of the pocket base behind the natural since holes there hold very little meaning. The layout is otherwise pretty nice and makes good (though light) use of the holes. 7.5/10
Overall how I'd currently rank them:
- Abiogenesis
- Neon Violet Square
- Grime
- Catalyst
- Backwater
- Blackpink
- Acid Plant
- Sky Garden
- God's Garden
- Octane
- Battle on the Boardwalk
- Eastwatch
- Defender's Resort
- Anomaly
- Neo Tropicana
- Arch of Janus
Top 3 got 7.75, 7.5, and 7.5, damn tough crowd lol
Glad to be in your top 3 though
Anyways had low confidence in the map, but history repeats once again and some how it makes it in since it caught the eye of the judges. I really love Port and Norad both are recent work and Port especially I was pulling for it, but oh well maybe a few tweaks and it can make a comeback. ![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/l2Ffc6e.jpg)
