EPTAttention Map of the Month mappers and fans!
Submissions
+ Show Spoiler +
LSPrime's Submission:
+ Show Spoiler [Catacombs] +
Inspired by the Catacombs from Diablo II!
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/sRyC6.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/F0Uyb.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/pFM2s.png)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/yOPvd.png)
Ragoo's Submission
+ Show Spoiler [Rainbow Caverns] +
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/7JkMU.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/IboiU.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/6gTDz.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/X2OuX.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/eEpmA.jpg)
Lephex's Submission
+ Show Spoiler [Lava World] +
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/xbP5V.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/nMOQh.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/UZyAE.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/FRrRn.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/QjFQz.jpg)
hobbidude's Submission
+ Show Spoiler [Mad Lab] +
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/uwr7B.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/jqHyi.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/W8bHQ.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/vOH8o.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Y5AwNl.jpg)
PollyParrot's Submission
+ Show Spoiler [Undertide] +
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/t49qNl.jpg)
More to come?
Poll: Which map looks the best?
LSPrime's "Catacombs" (91)
45%
hobbidude's "Mad Lab" (84)
42%
PollyParrot's "Undertide" (13)
6%
Ragoo's "Rainbow" (9)
4%
Lephex's "Lava World" (4)
2%
201 total votes
hobbidude's "Mad Lab" (84)
PollyParrot's "Undertide" (13)
Ragoo's "Rainbow" (9)
Lephex's "Lava World" (4)
201 total votes
Your vote: Which map looks the best?
(Vote): LSPrime's "Catacombs"
(Vote): Ragoo's "Rainbow"
(Vote): Lephex's "Lava World"
(Vote): hobbidude's "Mad Lab"
(Vote): PollyParrot's "Undertide"
As you may already know, Map of the Month #6 (June) will pit against each other the last five month’s winners---The Crucible, Marshlands, Sanctuarium, The Eighteenth and Hysteria---in a super Grand Tournament (details still to come).
But that doesn’t mean there isn't an opportunity for mappers to show their skills! For MotM #6, in addition to the Super Tournament, we also present:
Map of the Month #6 Aesthetics Challenge
A great map has balance and looks amazing.
A great map has balance and looks amazing.
The purpose of this challenge is to submit a map with a solid visual look or theme. In order to take the map layout out of the equation, every submission should be a redress of this ugly duckling of a map:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/FSbKu.jpg)
It is your job to turn this duckling into an amazing-looking man-eating ninja swan.
You also can remake Xel'Naga Cavern's - just make sure it looks totally different when you're done!
What constitutes an amazing looking map? Should there be 10,000 lights? Should you use every doodad in the catalog? Should the map be a beautiful menagerie of critters with some minerals in there somewhere?
No!
An amazing-looking Starcraft 2 melee map should:
- Always put the game first. Can you see the important pathways, cliffs and choke points at a glance? If not, players will constantly be spending valuable game time deciphering your map’s layout and they won’t play it next time. That means map death.
- Never go overboard--if it takes 1 hour to load your map just to play at 5 fps, welcome back to MAP DEATH.
- Finally, a good-looking map has a scheme, or unity or a theme. If your map looks like a pretty, well-crafted pile of misha-mush, well it’ll be forgotten quickly. Lots of simple schemes (like a two-tone scheme, just two dominant colors) or complex themes (The Eighteenth) will stick in the minds of players and the audience. They’ll meet the good looks of your map first, then fall in love with the layout second.
Instructions
Download the submission template.
(or the Blank Xel'Naga Caverns template).
- Don’t change the map layout in terms of big terrain changes or adding destructible rocks, etc. It’s ok to change cliff contours to achieve a specific look, or add doodads into the pathable areas, as long as the passageways still function essentially the same.
- Do change the cliff types, textures, background, maybe the lighting (this is REALLY HARD to find better settings than the Blizzard pre-sets, be careful). If you have never tried to do this stuff in the editor, now is a perfect chance to learn!
Resources
Custom Maps Forum: Simple Questions/Simple Answers
Search for a simple question first, can’t find it? Post in here!
Cliff and Texture charts
Want to see what all the textures and cliffs look like at once?
More map resources
A bunch of links to helpful mapping threads compiled by Barrin.
Putting out a call to the veterans
Here is a chance to help out your fellow veterans and newcomers alike! We invite everyone to collaborate in this thread on the challenge--help each other find resources, techniques, tutorials. Everyone can kick their mapping game up a notch.
iGrok will at some point this month be streaming a live Lighting tutorial, so make sure to tune in for that!
One final point: for the Aesthetics Challenge, the winning map will be chosen entirely by you, loyal, beautiful and handsome TeamLiquid community members! So fire up the editor and start your submission, or keep an eye on this thread and start making a list of your favorites as they roll in.
Please send your final map file to submit.motm@gmail.com by June 24th, 11:59pm EST and also post images of your submission in this thread!
This post written by dimfish
