After months of design, playtesting, and iteration the results are in. You have decided our TLMC10 winners!
All sixteen finalists will receive at least $100 by default for placing in the top 16. All finalists will also receive a custom community commander portrait if they do not yet have one. In addition, the authors of the top five maps will receive the following prizes, all provided by Blizzard.
First - $500 Second - $250 Third - $125 Fourth - $75 Fifth - $50
Winners
FIFTH PLACE
FRACTURE | Avex
"Fracture takes place in a cold and biting environment, not only aesthetically but ingame as well. The thirds are relatively normally spaced but might feel a little far due to the straight line that is the attack path between the two bases. The map has a low amount of bases, and is more narrow than macro maps as more of a nod to the medium maps of Heart of the Swarm. Main distance remains the standard to most maps to keep the earlygame of Legacy relatively untouched."
Avex is one of TLMC's most prolific mapmakers, having made ladder maps such as Blood Boil, Odyssey, and most recently Backwater and Blackpink. Avex will receive $50 for his fifth place finish, as well as an additional $300 for his three finalist placements.
FOURTH PLACE
DREAMCATCHER | Timmay
"Dreamcatcher has a relatively short rush distance, but players may use the collapsible rocks to divert the main attack path. With a rare type of symmetry and a reasonable size, Dreamcatcher would be an interesting addition to ladder in the age of giant macro maps."
Timmay is best known for his extremely popular map Catellena, although he has been entering high-quality maps to TLMC for years. Timmay will earn $75 for his fourth place finish in addition to taking home $100 for reaching the finalists list.
THIRD PLACE
LOST AND FOUND | Zweck
"The only issue this map had was the lighting. It made the map look cool and unique, but also changed colors that probably should stay the same, such as the colors of health bars. There lighting was therefore changed back to normal, and the texturing was made unique in return in order to still have a fresh looking map.
The rest of the map layout was kinda flawless in the first place; therefore, no changes were necessary."
Lost and Found caps Zweck's impressive list of maps for a first-time finalist, standing alongside Para Site and System Shock. He'll take home $425 in total for his third place finish.
SECOND PLACE
BLUESHIFT | NegativeZero
"This map merges the overall geometry of Catalyst with the aggressive central valley of Frozen Temple, with the addition of 4 large rocks that can significantly open up the main attack lanes later in the game."
NegativeZero is most known for creating TLMC6 winner Terraform, TLMC7 2nd place finisher Apotheosis, TLMC8 5th place finisher Sequencer, and TLMC9 2nd place finisher Catalyst. All four have been prominent ladder maps and we look forward to Blueshift possibly being one as well. NegativeZero will take home $250 for this second place finish in addition to $300 for making three finalist maps, the other two being Backpfeifengsicht and Digital Frontier.
FIRST PLACE
16-BIT | themusic246
"16-Bit is a retro red vs. blue digital landscape that has a few unique components differing from traditional macro maps. A pocket natural and destructible rocks at your forward natural allow for both aggressive and conservative play styles and ways to counter both. There are multiple attack paths and different expansion patterns. Give this a vote if you like macro maps that can play out differently every time."
On his first finalist appearance, themusic246 has achieved a TLMC victory with his lone finalist map 16-bit. This shocking debut, however, will not come as a surprise to followers of the Arcade community. themusic246 actually already won the Blizzard Arcade RTC contest. Furthermore, he is the developer of Zealot Hockey, Star Party, Monobattle Map Rotation and more.
See you next season!
And thus concludes our first decade of TLMCs. We want sincerely thank everyone who's taken part thus far in this contest and all the ones before it. After all, working on getting these maps into the ladder rotation is a full community effort!
Congrats to all finalist! I cant wait to see some of these maps find their way onto the ladder someday. A interesting turn of events, but nontheless congrats and have a nice year!
Usually I can mostly expect the ordering of the top 16, but not this time. In particular Dreamcatcher's fourth place is a huge surprise to me. And backfeifengesicht actually got 6th...
Not going to lie, the final results seem a bit absurd to me :D Some really good maps in bottom 5-6 and maps like Backpfeifen getting 6th & Dreamcatfcher 4th is imo very surprising
Grats to the winner, i really thought blueshift was a level above the others so a surprise to see it topped! Until next time
On March 17 2018 09:35 ZigguratOfUr wrote: Usually I can mostly expect the ordering of the top 16, but not this time. In particular Dreamcatcher's fourth place is a huge surprise to me. And backfeifengesicht actually got 6th...
Congratz to all the finalists.
Other than the top few spots, this one was really close. The difference in points between 3rd and 4th was greater than the difference between 4th and 13th, for example.
Can't believe Dreamcatcher and Backpfeifengesicht are so high. Some people just like to vote for absurd maps to screw over the people that actually play the game. Bit surprised Treachery and Artana got the last two spots as they are really solid maps.
Wasn't really big on the Top 16, my maps especially, but really just felt like most of the maps here were 'ok.' Not alot of new, interesting things going on.
Seems like most of these were voted for aesthetic, rather than the strength of the layout, but I'll be quiet now. I hope the next contest is a bit better, but I have my concerns.
16-Bit winning, I think I've lost faith in humanity. And Catalyst flipped 90 degrees in 2nd place...
On March 17 2018 13:36 Charoisaur wrote: Can't believe Dreamcatcher and Backpfeifengesicht are so high. Some people just like to vote for absurd maps to screw over the people that actually play the game. Bit surprised Treachery and Artana got the last two spots as they are really solid maps.
Or maybe people are tired of having free macro games on every map.
I really like most of avex maps in general, last time i voted for blackpink and backwater. Hes a good mapmaker obviously. The aesthetics are always clutch, also on fracture. But the layout of fracture, i have to admit to full honesty, is maybe one of the most boring ones in a while. it really tops the "move from anywhere to anywhere in a straight path" thing. No path requires any kind of dedication, the longest blocked pathing is super short, what makes the map strategically super uninteresting. To show things, here is an overpaint of all the blocked pathing on fracture and abyssal reef in comparison: + Show Spoiler +
(remember its even a relatively small map) Abyssall Reef:
Abysall Reef for examples requires a lot more thought in army movement and positioning. But Fracture is just an open area with some dots in the mid, kind of evenly distributed, it doesnt really matter where you move. In Avex defense, that goes for a lot of maps these days sadly and maybe its the meta right now, but again this map just absolutely tops it. And i think the other tlmc submissions from avex and most of the finalists also were far more interesting.
On March 17 2018 10:16 The_Templar wrote: Other than the top few spots, this one was really close. The difference in points between 3rd and 4th was greater than the difference between 4th and 13th, for example.
Congrats to 16Bit, seems like someone (that obviously made several accounts to vote for the map) still got what he wanted in the end (maybe he just got the trick and didnt put ALL the votes in the vote sheet into 16bit, just the first...):
They were pointing out kinda correct directions with Lost and Found & Blueshift ... not so accurate about 16Bit tough.
Also i need to mention that publicly announced votes are basically free from fakeaccounts: Only two Accounts that posted their votes public were even created in 2018.
If theres only like 130 legit votes, we need a different system, its not enough votes to not have results skewed in whatever direction.
On March 17 2018 13:42 Avexyli wrote: ...Seems like most of these were voted for aesthetic, rather than the strength of the layout, but I'll be quiet now. I hope the next contest is a bit better, but I have my concerns.
[/spoiler]
I've got some things cooking for the next TLMC that will hopefully rectify some concerns
On March 18 2018 00:23 Zweck wrote: Congrats to 16Bit, seems like someone (that obviously made several accounts to vote for the map) still got what he wanted in the end (maybe he just got the trick and didnt put ALL the votes in the vote sheet into 16bit, just the first...):
They were pointing out kinda correct directions with Lost and Found & Blueshift ... not so accurate about 16Bit tough.
Also i need to mention that publicly announced votes are basically free from fakeaccounts: Only two Accounts that posted their votes public were even created in 2018.
If theres only like 130 legit votes, we need a different system, its not enough votes to not have results skewed in whatever direction.
just bad timing for this tlmc, not as many votes because everyone was focused on the achievement hunt streams, the reddit thread kinda got buried quickly
On March 18 2018 00:23 Zweck wrote: Congrats to 16Bit, seems like someone (that obviously made several accounts to vote for the map) still got what he wanted in the end (maybe he just got the trick and didnt put ALL the votes in the vote sheet into 16bit, just the first...):
They were pointing out kinda correct directions with Lost and Found & Blueshift ... not so accurate about 16Bit tough.
Also i need to mention that publicly announced votes are basically free from fakeaccounts: Only two Accounts that posted their votes public were even created in 2018.
If theres only like 130 legit votes, we need a different system, its not enough votes to not have results skewed in whatever direction.
It makes sense that publicly announced votes which would mostly be from more enfranchised players (and mostly not be arcade players who really like themusic's work for example) wouldn't necessarily match the general trend though.
On March 18 2018 01:47 Musicus wrote: Wait, did a map with a pocket expansion just win???
I didn't vote since I didn't play any of the maps and didn't want to vote based on looks, but this result is really weird to me.
lmao nobody actually plays the maps, if you're smart enough to realize that you should play the maps, then you'll probably be a better judge than 90% of voters based on analyzing the layout images alone.
On March 18 2018 01:47 Musicus wrote: Wait, did a map with a pocket expansion just win???
I didn't vote since I didn't play any of the maps and didn't want to vote based on looks, but this result is really weird to me.
lmao nobody actually plays the maps, if you're smart enough to realize that you should play the maps, then you'll probably be a better judge than 90% of voters based on analyzing the layout images alone.
I'd be pretty happy if voters voted based on 'layout' even if it was just layout images tbh. Though trying to get more people who watched the tournament to vote might be a worthwhile cause.
you know what would be REALLY cool? If there were 2 parts of the contest: 1. Layout: you can only submit maps with a previously determined tileset and no doodads (or so). 2. Aesthetics: You can submit any kind of layout, but only the look counts here. After the Contest the winners of the aesthetic contest decorate the winners of the layout contest, and boom... best maps ever
Shows to me again Blizzard should better think about to integrate more of the community then just this 170 guys voted for. Thats just a joke and thats ur result.
LIke u have imagined with the difference between 3th and 4th compared to 4th up to 13th it shows it was close and it shows to me we need more poeple to vote to figure out what really the best maps are in their sense.
Cause.... Dreamcatcher is for me kinda imbalanced and a stupid map. Someone said asthetic :D i can just lough about this there are only 2 maps or 3 which are more uggly then Dreamcatcher. Its very empty and less design is used to individualize this map. Its a pretty boring one. Fracture is kind of interessting but serioulsy i dont think a winter card matches good into the spring start or even summer seasons but thats a thing the community dont think about to adept maps to seasons, i know kinda a wish thinking but i think Fracture dont match here. Anways there was plenty of better more interessting maps then this 2 to inspire the ladder. Dreamcatcher can do so cause of its weeird defence strat and the much space it offers. Anyways there was much of better choices u can go for then this 2 maps. Thas my oppinion. As the community shows aswell many are suprised which isnt that much of a wonder if u have many experimental maps in the mappool but there was an agreement that all maps are really nice designed the 2 which are in the categorie of the most boring looking ones did it into the finals. What a suprise, i agree, especially with so much better maps. Anyways i just want to say im done with the community and the game. I dont vote here any longer cause makes no sense to vote vs random guys coming in and vote cause thats how it feels to me to get results like this. Another thing i realized is that with this 2 maps the players seems to show overall they want more defensive options here which both maps deliver. Maybe heres the thing to watch for and this tells me the players want more maps they can play safe on their macro game withouth beeing interupted that hard while getting up the 3th or 4th and thats overall a starcraft 2 legacy of the void problem. I told this already in the tlmc9 before we need 4 player maps again. Some players missing them 2. But it seems the pro player base dont want that cause of this and that what so ever. I had an talk with avex here on his stream about this and it seems its not an option for mapmakers anymore which is really boring. The citics about 2 much standart maps and 2 much 2 player based layouts should be heard here sooner or later. U cant stay on 2 base maps all the time, so please bring them back. But as i told i dont care anymore. Thats my final comment to all of this i wont deal with starcraft 2 any longer anymore. So gl hf on the maps and enjoy ur games and maybe someone hears me to bring things foward into a better future.
On March 18 2018 01:47 Musicus wrote: Wait, did a map with a pocket expansion just win???
I didn't vote since I didn't play any of the maps and didn't want to vote based on looks, but this result is really weird to me.
lmao nobody actually plays the maps, if you're smart enough to realize that you should play the maps, then you'll probably be a better judge than 90% of voters based on analyzing the layout images alone.
If people really vote just by looking at the layout pictures this vote is kinda pointless since that hardky tells you anything about a map unless maybe if you're an experienced mapper. Playing on the maps isn't absolutely necessary but people should at least open the map in-game and rally a few workers across the map to get a feeling for the map.
I hope Blizzard does not only judge based on this voting's result and actually reviews the gameplay on these maps before deciding which to include into ladder. Personally I hope L&F, Blueshift and Parasite make it into ladder. Congrats to the winners!
On March 17 2018 18:42 Zweck wrote: Congrats guys. Only one comment about the maps:
I really like most of avex maps in general, last time i voted for blackpink and backwater. Hes a good mapmaker obviously. The aesthetics are always clutch, also on fracture. But the layout of fracture, i have to admit to full honesty, is maybe one of the most boring ones in a while. it really tops the "move from anywhere to anywhere in a straight path" thing. No path requires any kind of dedication, the longest blocked pathing is super short, what makes the map strategically super uninteresting. To show things, here is an overpaint of all the blocked pathing on fracture and abyssal reef in comparison: + Show Spoiler +
(remember its even a relatively small map) Abyssall Reef:
Abysall Reef for examples requires a lot more thought in army movement and positioning. But Fracture is just an open area with some dots in the mid, kind of evenly distributed, it doesnt really matter where you move. In Avex defense, that goes for a lot of maps these days sadly and maybe its the meta right now, but again this map just absolutely tops it. And i think the other tlmc submissions from avex and most of the finalists also were far more interesting.
im pretty shocked 16bit won, just because i thought it looked like a super boring, solid, mediocre map. i guess a lot of people just voted for the normal map with a bunch of bright contrasting colors? the aesthetics are nice, but i didn't think they were that impressive
On March 18 2018 07:06 brickrd wrote: im pretty shocked 16bit won, just because i thought it looked like a super boring, solid, mediocre map. i guess a lot of people just voted for the normal map with a bunch of bright contrasting colors? the aesthetics are nice, but i didn't think they were that impressive
i think the aesthetics are very unique, we've never had a map with that minimalist style on the ladder before, where it's a straight up digital arena that makes no attempt at all to be realistic.
and people always vote for standard maps, this is nothing new
Fracture and Blueshift looks really good, others are just insta veto for me if they put it into the ladder. They should add a good rush map (like a fixed Abiogenesis) and remove Eastwatch and Catalyst.
Can someone explain how Second place and Third place are different maps? Like seriously the middle is slightly different and that's the only difference.
On April 03 2018 02:40 Ticklebandit wrote: Can someone explain how Second place and Third place are different maps? Like seriously the middle is slightly different and that's the only difference.
It's the similarities between Blueshift and Lost and Found that bother you, and not the fact that Blueshift is almost Catalyst?
EPT
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/vRSvtTk.jpg)
(remember its even a relatively small map)![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/iz5N9Wv.jpg)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/kLmbUTf.png)
![[image loading]](https://i.imgur.com/5hTvCsi.png)
