Welcome to Team Liquid Map Contest #16!

TLMC is back for another edition, once again partnering with ESL, Shopify, and Blizzard to help create the next competitive map pool in StarCraft II. The continued participation of our partners has allowed us to maintain the enhanced prize pool of $5,000 from TLMC #15.

Unlike some of the recent map contests, there aren't any specific areas of emphasis in TLMC #16, and there are the least restrictions ever in a TLMC. We welcome map-makers to exercise their creativity across all four categories and try to create the most competitive, balanced, and entertaining maps possible.

Changes and updates

• All categories - five levels of terrain height allowed: Maps in all four categories (standard, macro, rush, freestyle) may include up to five levels of terrain height. Excessive use of this feature can constrict the openness of a map, so keep this in mind during the implementation process.
  
• "Judges' picks" reverted to previous format: TLMC #15 had a heavy focus on promoting maps with 3+ starting positions, leading us to reserve all four "Judges' picks" finalists for such maps. We are reverting judges' picks to the previous TLMC format, so that they are effectively wildcard selections for maps in any category. We still welcome map-makers to submit maps with 3+ starting positions, but there will no longer be a quota for such maps among the finalists.
  
• Unfortunately, TLMC staff will be suspending the pre-judging feedback phase for this edition of the contest due to time constraints. TLMC staff will still try to find ways to provide mapmakers with feedback, though it will likely be toward the end of the TLMC process. This makes it important for map-makers to conduct as much quality assurance on their maps as possible before submitting them to TLMC.
  
• For clarification, maps submitted to TL Community Mapping Competitions 1 & 2 may be submitted to TLMC #16 as well.
  
• Reminder: We are keeping the reduced "Average rush distance" and "Playable map dimensions" values from TLMC #14 and #15. Over the last few contests, we've noticed a trend toward larger maps. We still feel there is plenty of potential for high-quality maps to be created on the 'small' side of the spectrum, and have kept the reduced values from the previous TLMC. Ultimately, these are just suggested values, and it's up to each individual map-maker to decide what map size fits their vision best. Maybe their vision might have changed after watching the last three months of StarCraft 2.

Categories

Freestyle

• Guidelines: Maps in this category explore new ideas for how StarCraft II can be played. This category is intended for unorthodox, outside-the-box maps.
  
• Examples of features that might be included in this category:
  • Heavy or atypical usage of backdoor entrances with Mineral Walls/Reduced Mineral Patches.
    
  • Usage of Vespene Geysers as potential gates.
    
  • Inhibitor and Accelerator Zones.
    
  • Non-standard numbers of Mineral nodes or Vespene geysers at bases (Restriction: Values of each individual resource node cannot be adjusted)
    
  • Other strongly non-standard map designs.
• Playable map dimensions guidelines (not full map dimensions): Map playable area should be approximately between 14,000 and 18,000. (Note: Not a hard restriction)
  
• Examples:
  • Dasan Station
    
  • Golden Wall
    
  • Turbo Cruise ‘84
    
  • Korhal Carnage Knockout
    

Rush

• Guidelines: Map favors early aggression and offensive play.
  
• Average rush distance (main ramp to main ramp): 33 seconds or less. (Note: Not a hard restriction. Could be more or less)
  
• Playable map dimensions guidelines (not full map dimensions): Map playable area should be approximately between 14,000 and 16,000. (Note: Not a hard restriction. Could be more or less)
  
• Examples:
  • Kairos Junction (playable area: 120x140=16,800)
    
  • Paladino Terminal (playable area: 144x112=16128)
    
  • Interloper (playable area: 134x142=19028)
    
  • Defender’s Landing (playable area:150x130=19500)

Standard

• Guidelines: Medium sized map. Players tend to have more flexibility on these maps to open with a wider variety of strategies and/or builds.
  
• Average rush distance (main ramp to main ramp): 33-38 seconds. (Note: Not a hard restriction. Could be more or less)
  
• Playable map dimensions guidelines (not full map dimensions): Map playable area should be approximately between 15,000 and 17,000. (Note: Not a hard restriction. Could be more or less)
  
• Examples:
  • Blueshift (playable area: 136x136=18,496)
    
  • New Repugnancy (playable area: 152x120=18,240)
    
  • Cyber Forest (playable area: 128x148=18,944)
    
  • Catalyst (playable area: 136x144=19,584)
    
  • Overgrowth (playable area: 120x144=17,280)
    
  • Coda (playable area: 138x144=19,872)
    
  • Ephemeron (playable area is 132x148=19,536)
    
  • Triton (playable area: 144x144=20,736)
    
  • Simulacrum (playable area: 144x124=17,856)
    
  • Nightshade (playable area: 138x136=18,768)

Macro

• Guidelines: A map that favors defensive play and encourages players to reach end game unit compositions.
  
• Average rush distance (main ramp to main ramp): 38-43 seconds. (Note: Not a hard restriction. Could be more or less)
  
• Playable map dimensions (not full map dimensions): Map playable area should be approximately between 16,000 and 18,000. (Note: Not a hard restriction. Could be more or less)
  
• Examples:
  • Year Zero (playable area: 166x128=21,248)
    
  • Port Aleksander (playable area: 158x140=22,120)
    
  • King’s Cove LE (playable area: 153x148=22,644)
    
  • Odyssey (playable area: 152x156=23,712)
    
  • Blackpink (playable area: 148x140=20,720)
    
  • Ascension to Aiur (playable area: 160x132=21,120)
    
  • Acropolis (playable area: 140x136=19,040)
    
  • Disco Bloodbath (playable area: 148x132=19,536)
    
  • Eternal Empire (playable area: 140x140=19,600)

Features allowed per category - overview

Yes, we realize this table is kind of silly now.

	Rush	Standard	Macro	Freestyle
Mineral Wall
Rich Geyser
Inhibitor Zones
Acceleration Zones
3+ Starting Positions
5 Levels of Terrain Height

Restrictions

• No custom textures or Force Fields.
  
• No custom data on maps.
  
• Maps must meet an Melee mode requirements: Triggers and Data cannot be edited.
  
• The restriction on Renegade Missile Turrets remains, and this feature cannot be utilized for this contest.

Focus on Quality Assurance

The Team Liquid Map Contest has always welcomed a broad range of submissions within the tournament rules, regardless of the experience of the mapmaker. However, this leads to a large number of submissions that do not meet the standards for competitive StarCraft II, or are poorly optimized for in-game performance.

While we do not wish to tighten the standards for submitting a map, we request that map-makers conduct as much debugging and quality assurance as reasonably possible before submitting maps to TLMC. This will reduce strain on TLMC, ESL, and Blizzard staff, and assure that high quality, refined maps are added to the competitive map pool.

Factors to consider in QA include, but are not limited to:

• Unit pathing
  
• In-game performance (too many doodads is a frequent culprit)
  
• Correct line-of-sight blocker implementation
  
• Mineral placement
  
• Compatibility of natural expansion chokes with standard wall-offs
  
• No unintended drop locations
  
• Removal of misc. remnants from map creation/testing phase

Please use resources such as video documentation of TLMC map feedback, previous TLMC feedback threads, and community groups such as the “Mappers’ Circle” Discord server to learn more about the principles behind high-end map-making. In particular, community groups can be invaluable for map-making discussion and getting feedback on your maps.

Notes and Suggestions

• Since the size of maps have been increasing over time, we’ve tried to re-adjust the “average rush distance” and the “playable map dimensions” values for the different categories to encourage smaller map sizes during this submission period.
  
• The average rush distance and playable map dimensions are guidelines and not strict restrictions. For example, large maps that play out aggressively or small maps that promote long games will still be considered using the same criteria as the other maps in the category.
  
• In a previous contest, when we introduced the Renegade Missile Turret map feature, we received many maps that utilized the structure in large numbers. We want to let map-makers know that maps or submissions aren’t required to utilize a high number of map features. Maps will be judged based on how well map features are used and how much they add to the map rather than how many are used.
  
• We’d like to remind participants that edge map distance has been steadily decreasing over the last TLMC’s. This has been a strong point of contention, and it is recommended for maps to have a modicum of air space between playable ground areas and map’s edges.
  
• Overlord high ground scout positions over naturals have become more popular in recent maps. We want to remind everyone that while these spots are still acceptable, they are not required, and we’d like to see a greater variety in how they’re placed.
  
• When deciding to utilize a gold base, make sure there is some sort of risk associated with them. Otherwise, gold mineral bases with low risk tend to usually favor Zerg over the other races.
  
• Be careful when adjusting the number of mineral nodes, vespene geysers, or rich vespene geysers at bases, especially in the main and natural, as it could impact balance between races and/or matchups.
  
• When using air pathing blockers, avoid setting up zones that trap air units within them.
  
• During the iteration phase of the competition (more on this below), small changes are often more desirable than large radical changes that dramatically alter the map’s direction.

Post contest map iteration

We want to give the map-makers an opportunity to edit their maps after the contest period to make any adjustments if necessary. Hopefully this will give the map-makers more control and a chance to make improvements based on any feedback from ESL, Blizzard, pro players, or the community at large.

After the contest, map-makers will be contacted by ESL or TLMC staff in order to make improvements and get their maps into a ladder-ready state before the next ladder season. For instance, map-makers can make small adjustments to the maps such as changes to Reaper ramps. Results from our performance tests will also be made available to map-makers who can use those results to improve performance.

Contest Phases

Note: The default timezone for TLMC is Pacific Standard Time (PST). While countdowns and specific times will be converted to your local timezone PST will be used whenever we "just" use dates in posts. For example: the end date for submissions is January 24th. So the deadline is January 24th at 11:59 PM PST.

Submission Phase

December 22nd to January 24th

Once again, we will not be holding a pre-judging feedback phase for this edition of TLMC. To ensure that maps are ladder-appropriate and have minimal performance issues, please conduct as much quality assurance as possible on your maps before submitting them to TLMC.

TLnet Judging Phase

January 25th to February 1st

Once the maps have been submitted they will be checked for quality and the remaining maps will be passed to the TLMC staff and selected professional players/community figures for judging. If you are a professional player and would be interested in helping out, PM us. Together, the judges will trim down all submissions to a final 16 that will be used in the next stages of the contest.

Note: All submissions are anonymized before being sent on to the judges. Only the main admins of the contest have access to who the submitters are.

Tournament & Public Voting Phase

February 2nd to February 7th

Finally, the public will then vote on the final versions of these maps. Public voting determines the final rankings of the maps and how much prize money each map-maker wins. However, it does not directly determine which maps will be chosen to appear in the next season of ladder play. However, it is the community's chance to make its voice heard on which maps it wants to see on the ladder.

In addition, the public voting phase will now run parallel with the tournament phase, in order to accelerate the schedule for maps to receive ladder approval. The tournament phase is extremely important both for map-makers and for voters. It allows everyone to see the maps being played by some of the best players in the world. We will work together with Wardi again for the tournament. Details will be announced separately at a later date.

Iteration Phase

February 8th to February 14th

The iteration phase has become a vital part for map-makers in TLMC. It gives them a chance to fix smaller issues that they may have been caught during the tournament phase. Note that smaller fixes are often better than huge changes.

As with previous TLMC's, we will make a public post introducing the sixteen finalist maps. Map-makers who make the top 16 will be given the opportunity to submit extra screenshots and link to YouTube or Twitch VODs of their map being played. We will also be collecting information about what they've changed and will mention the changes in the voting post. All this information will be sent out in a PM to the 16 finalists after the tournament phase.

TLMC Winners Announced

Shortly after the conclusion of the voting phase, we will present the final standings. After this, all sixteen maps will be considered for inclusion in the upcoming ladder seasons. After a rigorous QA session, the new maps will be officially announced ahead of the new ladder season.

Prize Distribution

Provided by Shopify

Thanks to Shopify and ESL, the prize pool has been increased from TLMC #14.



In keeping with the most recent TLMC contests, map-makers will also receive $200 in bonus prize money for each map that finishes in the top sixteen.

How To Submit Maps

Submission Rules

• Each individual map MUST be assigned to one category. DO NOT submit the same map to multiple categories.
  
• Map-makers will be limited to five(5) map submissions each, with a limit of two maps per category. For example, you may submit two maps in two categories, one map in a third category, and none in the remaining category.
  
• For this contest, the judges will pick sixteen(16) finalist maps to move on to the next stage:
  • Three(3) Standard Maps
    
  • Three (3) Macro Maps
    
  • Three (3) Rush Maps
    
  • Three (3) Freestyle Maps
    
  • Four (4) "Judges' Picks"
• The four Judges' Pick maps will be selected through a combination of overall map scoring and discretion of the judges' panel. Judges' Picks will be made regardless of category, and consist of the maps deemed most deserving of finishing in the top 16. This helps alleviate situations where certain categories are overloaded with high-quality maps.

Please PM your map file(s) to TL Map Contest with the below format by January 24th. Please title your PMs with the name of the map and keep all submissions to one map per PM. We'll once again be asking map-makers to submit more detailed information about their maps to ensure neither the judges nor the community misses any key features. Once your map has been received you will receive a PM back confirming that we have received it. If you have not received a reply within 24 hours, please contact us directly. We may also PM you back requesting missing information. Your entry has not officially been confirmed until any issues with the submission have been resolved.

If you want to submit a revised map for the contest before the end of submissions, please send us a reply in the original PM chain on TLnet. This to ensure there are no mixups in the submission process.

The map file has to contain:

• A short gameplay description. There is a field for it with a limit of 300 chars. Suggestion for what to include in this field can be seen in TLMC #12's finalists announcement. This description will be used in the announcement of the top 16 maps!

The PM has to contain:

• Map Name
  
• A picture of your map. Please submit your maps with a standard 90° top down overview' do not use any angled or tilted images. Please mark start locations and describe any starting location constraints.
  
• The size (dimensions) of the map
  
• The map category you wish to enter with this map.
  
• A description of the map.
  
• List and describe any distinctive features of the map.
  
• Point out any alternate resource or rock usage on the map. Describe why you chose to use non-standard numbers.
  
• Main to Main distance: (in-game seconds using a worker from town hall to town hall)
  
• Top of main ramp to top of main ramp distance: (in-game seconds using a worker)
  
• Natural to Natural distance: (in-game seconds using a worker from town hall to town hall)
  
• Any relevant analyzer images (optional)
  
• A download link to your map

Entries not in this format may be excluded from consideration. Please do not send questions to the 'TL Map Contest' account; contact TLMC admin Waxangel instead.

Submit your map

FAQ

Q: Do I need to send my map file, or will an image or a link to my map on Battle.net be enough?
We want the map file for this contest, so a link to Battle.net is not sufficient. There will be a huge number of maps to choose from, so we will need to open many of them up in order to check for details that we can't find otherwise. To send your maps, upload them to a file hosting service such as Mediafire or Dropbox and include the link in your entry.

Q: How do I attach a map file or image to a PM?
The Team Liquid PM system does not support attachments. Instead, use an external image/file hoster such as Mediafire, Dropbox or Google drive for map files or Imgur for image files. Please sent those links along with your submission.

Q: Can I enter a team map/FFA map into the contest?
Sorry, we will not be accepting non-1v1 maps in this contest. In the past, the Team Liquid Map Contest has occasionally allowed team play maps to be entered and evaluated separately from 1v1 maps, and some of these submissions did eventually reach the ladder map pool. However, we are focusing on only 1v1 maps for this contest. While we hope to hold a team map contest in the future, we cannot guarantee one at this time.

Q: Will the first place map automatically be included in tournaments?
No. A list of top maps will be considered by ESL for use in tournaments and ladder.

Q: Will any of the maps outside of the top 16 be included in tournaments?
While there is a very small chance for this to happen, it’s not to be seen as commonplace.

Q: How crazy can my maps be?
Maps need to be ladder appropriate. This means that features requiring specialist knowledge (rising lava, geysers used to block ramps, etc.) will not be accepted. If your map passes that test and complies with the guidelines above then your map is acceptable! Of course, if you are concerned that your map may not be suitable for ladder then please PM us and we will tell you whether or not it is appropriate.

Q: I’m interested in the contest, but I’m horrible at map making. What can I do to support the map-makers?
Post in their map threads and give them support, encouragement, and replays on their maps! Giving your favorite map-maker support will be much appreciated by the map-maker. Replays are especially valuable as it helps the map-maker align their design goals with the map with the reality of how people play their map.


If you have any unanswered questions please do not hesitate to ask them below or PM us who will be happy to answer them. Best of luck in the competition.