Obsidian Inferno is a 2 player map named after the song "The Obsidian Conspiracy" by Nevermore. It's design is original, however when I finished the sketch I looked at it and realized immediately how much it looked like Scrap Station. I wanted to attempt to create a map designed on 45 degrees and I have not made many two player maps in the past. The design has some very experimental features and has gone through many iterations during in-house testing with the iCCup mapmaking team before today's 1.0 release. I started this project at the beginning of October and am happy to say it is finally ready for the public.
Search "iCCup" to play!
Features -Only small units may pass through the center bridge. This feature is extremely experimental and may change pending further testing. -Close air positions -Xel'Naga towers provide vision of the key high ground -Center high ground can be harassed by the cliff above -The giant rocks on the corners are flyer blockers
List of units that fit through the small bridge Terran SCV, Marine, Marauder removed in latest version, Reaper, Ghost, Hellion, Viking (landed)
Protoss Probe, Zealot, Sentry, High Templar, Dark Templar
As I said above, the map has gone through several different iterations. Here are some images from the Obsidian Inferno beta test. + Show Spoiler [Beta Test] +
Map Sketch
Beta design version 0.1
Beta design version 0.2
Beta design version 0.3
Beta design version 0.4
Beta design version 0.5
Beta design version 0.6 (and what would be the final design)
On October 27 2010 06:35 Superouman wrote: Even if it looks like crap station, the natural setup isn't retarded. I'd play your map a lot more than crap station
<3 And you can wall the ramp properly... Oh how I hate Crap Station -_-
The most interesting thing I think about this map is choosing which path to take and how you want to control the high ground center. Getting caught on the small bridge will mean that your army gets funneled out practically single-file, so being in control of the high ground center is very important~
The bridge is dangerous even for the attacker since the defender can get an uberleet concave in front of it. How big is the difference between the path through the bridge and the one via the highground? It has to be significant so the player would have to think "with my actual army, is it better to go quickly through the dangerous bridge or should i do a slower, more powerful push."
I would like to see a screenshot of the nat with the grid activated so i can see how you can do a sim-city.
On October 27 2010 06:46 Superouman wrote: The bridge is dangerous even for the attacker since the defender can get an uberleet concave in front of it. How big is the difference between the path through the bridge and the one via the highground? It has to be significant so the player would have to think "with my actual army, is it better to go quickly through the dangerous bridge or should i do a slower, more powerful push.
I would like to see a screenshot of the nat with the grid activated so i can see how you can do a sim-city.
Grid layout
With example simcity (could be improved on)
The high ground path takes a Probe almost twice as long to go around vs the short bridge. (like 1.7x - the bridge is ~25sec and the high ground path is ~38 sec, I'm about to double check this again).
EDIT: Bridge is 25sec ramp to ramp with a probe, high ground path is 37sec. Not quite double but it's still reasonable, and large units such as roaches, tanks and immortals cannot fit through the close path.
I'd guess that the bridge is only viable for early game pressure like early pool/early mnm push/fast zealot. If you like rushes it's a good feature. I don't like rushes btw.
Other than that I can't really find something to complain about right now
I was thinking of 2 things while playing...although I'm not sure how good this advice is though.
A xel'naga on the southeastern side of that bridge could be pretty cool, makes the bridge more important and could give a lot of vision in the middle of the map.
The Middle Expo...the one just northwest of the gold right in the middle of the map. I was thinking maybe I'd like it better if that expansion was a level lower rather then up a level.
/shrug.
Again not really sure if I know what I'm talking about since I haven't really played it much but hey opinions are opinions :D
I'm not home, so I can't try this: what does the pathing AI do with a fat unit and the small bridge?
Let's say you rallied your main hatchery to the other guy's base. Would "little" units take the tiny bridge and "fat" units realize they should walk the long way, or do they also try but bunch up at the tiny bridge?
The above scenario is silly, but a unit at your third base might start walking toward the short bridge when the larger path is only incrementally longer, and it might be confusing.
Okay, that aside, this map is cool (I mean, hot!) and I think the area around the third base is the right formula for exciting engagements.
On October 27 2010 07:17 dimfish wrote: I'm not home, so I can't try this: what does the pathing AI do with a fat unit and the small bridge?
Let's say you rallied your main hatchery to the other guy's base. Would "little" units take the tiny bridge and "fat" units realize they should walk the long way, or do they also try but bunch up at the tiny bridge?
The above scenario is silly, but a unit at your third base might start walking toward the short bridge when the larger path is only incrementally longer, and it might be confusing.
Okay, that aside, this map is cool (I mean, hot!) and I think the area around the third base is the right formula for exciting engagements.
If I drag a box around an army that consists of Zealots, Immortals and Sentries for example and then attack click my opponents main from my natural the Zealots and Sentries will take the shorter path while the Immortal will immediately start walking towards the longer one. This is something that players can easily compensate for by paying attention to their units, or waypointing their rally points from the base.
This problem is on the list of "things to be weary of" with the very experimental bridge. Like Superouman said, using the bridge will allow your opponent to gain the opportunity to set up a perfect concave as your units run out of the bridge single file
Also, OP has been updated with a coherent list of units that fit through the bridge. All units not on that list do not fit.
And if the bridge does turn out to encourage cheese to much, then I'd sooner put destructible debri on it then remove it entirerly. 'cause besides cheese, it's a nice path for mid/late game commando units, ghosts or some sneaky infestors or something.
On October 27 2010 07:30 burningDog wrote: I like the narrow bridge. Atleast I think I do.
Do you know when/if it's gonna be up on EU?
And if the bridge does turn out to encourage cheese to much, then I'd sooner put destructible debri on it then remove it entirerly. 'cause besides cheese, it's a nice path for mid/late game commando units, ghosts or some sneaky infestors or something.
One of the versions of the beta actually had the middle blocked by destructible debris, but in testing it was found to kind of make the bridge unusable so it was removed. Again, this is a consideration to keep in mind with the bridge. I personally do not feel as though cheese is super strong as the distance is still very reasonable and cheese being cheese, if you don't see it coming and you lose to it it's not really the map's fault, now is it?
As for an EU upload I have every intention on getting it up on EU but I may wait for further testing before I give any kind of time frame :p
On October 27 2010 07:39 prodiG wrote: As for an EU upload I have every intention on getting it up on EU but I may wait for further testing before I give any kind of time frame :p
Son of a...
In that case could you put up some detail pictures? I want to see the eye candy (the bridge in the banner looks sooo good).
On October 27 2010 07:39 prodiG wrote: As for an EU upload I have every intention on getting it up on EU but I may wait for further testing before I give any kind of time frame :p
Son of a...
In that case could you put up some detail pictures? I want to see the eye candy (the bridge in the banner looks sooo good).
Here are a bunch of completely unedited images that I just took in the map. See if you can spot where they on the map ;D
On October 27 2010 06:30 prodiG wrote: List of units that fit through the small bridge Terran SCV, Marine, Marauder, Reaper, Ghost, Hellion, Viking (landed)
On October 27 2010 06:30 prodiG wrote: List of units that fit through the small bridge Terran SCV, Marine, Marauder, Reaper, Ghost, Hellion, Viking (landed)
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