EPTA fundamental rule of competitive Starcraft is that you should not be disadvantaged when the game is created because of your chosen race. If this rule is broken, random chance may determine the outcome of the game, especially in highly competitive circuits. This can drastically reduce the entertainment provided to both spectators and to gamers. For instance, in the current 2v2 format, many people argue that the TZ race combination is stronger then the others because of blue flame hellions and speedlings. Additionally, many people think of 2v2s as a "cheese fest" because the games are often won by abusing strange unit combinations or massing unusual units.
I believe that 2v2 has the potential to be as competitive as 1v1. Part of the problem with 2v2s is that there is twice as much going on, and therefore the game is just more chaotic then a 1v1. It becomes harder to pin your opponents on a build. Although it is difficult, practice and good communication between team members can reduce the impact of this chaos. However, part of Starcraft is surprising your opponent so controlled amounts of chaos are healthy for the game. Even with good communication and polished teamwork, 2v2s seem to be missing something of the epic struggle for supremacy that exists in 1v1s. 2v2s are their own game format, separate from 1v1s, and must be recognized, designed for, and studied as such.
The purpose of this thread is to examine new genres of maps, and the significant effect they could have on 2v2s. In order to provide a competitive format for team games, I want to work with you, the community, to determine what the guiding principles for 2v2 map designers should be. I have come with a few general guidelines, a few notes about existing ladder maps, and two new potential genres:
General Guidelines
Attacking should be harder then defending
Allies should be rewarded for supporting their allies.
Teams should have access to many different viable long term and short term strategies.
Existing Genres
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Split
The split genre is the de facto standard in 2v2 ladder play. These maps consist of four separate bases where the two allies are close to one another without sharing a base. These maps often have a shared choke point that are beyond the ramp of either ally's base.
These maps favor builds and units that are able to take map control early and keep their opponents bases separated, such as the infamous speedling/hellion combo. They generally punish static defenses, because opponents can simply choose to ignore them. This means that for static defenses to be as effective, players need twice as many as in a regular 1v1. This coupled with the ability of armies to split allies up makes it very hard for games to progress into the mid or late games. One of the four players is often eliminated very early on this style of map.
Fortress
The fortress genre is the more macro oriented map type in ladder play. These maps consist of a single shared base that is easily defended.
Expanding is often an issue in fortress style maps. Expansions are usually very easy or very difficult to defend. This removes the cost/benefit decision making that is a very important and interesting element of 1v1s. These maps encourage their players to turtle in the easy bases then power to a large army. Then when the armies clash, one team wins, but a lot of the early back and forth exchange between players is lost because it is difficult to harass a fortress.
The split genre is the de facto standard in 2v2 ladder play. These maps consist of four separate bases where the two allies are close to one another without sharing a base. These maps often have a shared choke point that are beyond the ramp of either ally's base.
These maps favor builds and units that are able to take map control early and keep their opponents bases separated, such as the infamous speedling/hellion combo. They generally punish static defenses, because opponents can simply choose to ignore them. This means that for static defenses to be as effective, players need twice as many as in a regular 1v1. This coupled with the ability of armies to split allies up makes it very hard for games to progress into the mid or late games. One of the four players is often eliminated very early on this style of map.
Fortress
The fortress genre is the more macro oriented map type in ladder play. These maps consist of a single shared base that is easily defended.
Expanding is often an issue in fortress style maps. Expansions are usually very easy or very difficult to defend. This removes the cost/benefit decision making that is a very important and interesting element of 1v1s. These maps encourage their players to turtle in the easy bases then power to a large army. Then when the armies clash, one team wins, but a lot of the early back and forth exchange between players is lost because it is difficult to harass a fortress.
New Genres
+ Show Spoiler +
Castle
The castle genre is a modification of the fortress style. The purpose of this genre is to encourage gradual base expansion during the course of the game and to provide different roles amoung team members. These maps are similar in design to some of the larger 1v1 maps, where each starting location has a main and an easily defendable natural expansion (Think Tal'darim Altar). The difference from 1v1s to 2v2s is that one player's main is in the protected main, and the second player's main starts in the natural expansion. The team's third base should be fairly easy to defend just as a natural expansion is often easy to defend in 1v1s. Each additional base should be more vulnerable then the last.
Due to the initial setup of this style of map one player is more protected then the other. The player that controls the natural expansion has an incentive to be more defensive, because their investment in defense will protect both players and they are more exposed then their ally. This could potentially lead to early pools, forge first, or bunker reenforced wall-ins depending on the amount of aggression that they are able to scout. Meanwhile, this sort of setup can provide the protected ally with greater safety and secrecy, giving them more options like fast teching or economy powering in the early game.
This setup also allows the protected ally to provide support to their ally without exposing themselves. Additionally, if things go badly for the player in the natural expansion, he can retreat with his workers and any remaining units into his ally's base until they have enough power push their opponents back. This gives the exposed player a way to cut his losses without completely throwing the game.
Finally, expansions are available to the team one at a time with each expansion being less defendable. This makes strategic decisions like choosing choke points and expanding a team decision. The team needs to choose the when, where, and who of expanding with each expansion.
Outpost
The outpost genre encourages very balanced 1v1 style early games that transition into 2v2 style mid and late games. These maps are very large maps where each player is separated from their ally and one of their enemies by a very large distance. However each player is separated by a standard amount from their other enemy. These maps should contain 4-5 expansions per player, and each expansion beyond the natural should provide greater exposure to an allied attack from both enemies.
The setup of this map should prevent early cooperative rushes because rushing with both armies will leave one of the attacking team members very vulnerable to a counterattack from the remaining opponent. Additionally, the very long walking distance should make early rush timings more difficult, by giving the defending player at least one extra round of units before the 2nd opponent arrives.
Since each expansion after the natural is closer to the middle of the map, each time a player expands they increase their vulnerability to joint attacks from their opponents, and they increase their ability to join with their ally's army. This should encourage a 2v2 mid and late game as the armies and bases start to collide in the middle of the map.
Example distance to close opponent:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/3VmnD.png)
Example distance to far opponent:
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/SeLgb.jpg)
The castle genre is a modification of the fortress style. The purpose of this genre is to encourage gradual base expansion during the course of the game and to provide different roles amoung team members. These maps are similar in design to some of the larger 1v1 maps, where each starting location has a main and an easily defendable natural expansion (Think Tal'darim Altar). The difference from 1v1s to 2v2s is that one player's main is in the protected main, and the second player's main starts in the natural expansion. The team's third base should be fairly easy to defend just as a natural expansion is often easy to defend in 1v1s. Each additional base should be more vulnerable then the last.
Due to the initial setup of this style of map one player is more protected then the other. The player that controls the natural expansion has an incentive to be more defensive, because their investment in defense will protect both players and they are more exposed then their ally. This could potentially lead to early pools, forge first, or bunker reenforced wall-ins depending on the amount of aggression that they are able to scout. Meanwhile, this sort of setup can provide the protected ally with greater safety and secrecy, giving them more options like fast teching or economy powering in the early game.
This setup also allows the protected ally to provide support to their ally without exposing themselves. Additionally, if things go badly for the player in the natural expansion, he can retreat with his workers and any remaining units into his ally's base until they have enough power push their opponents back. This gives the exposed player a way to cut his losses without completely throwing the game.
Finally, expansions are available to the team one at a time with each expansion being less defendable. This makes strategic decisions like choosing choke points and expanding a team decision. The team needs to choose the when, where, and who of expanding with each expansion.
Outpost
The outpost genre encourages very balanced 1v1 style early games that transition into 2v2 style mid and late games. These maps are very large maps where each player is separated from their ally and one of their enemies by a very large distance. However each player is separated by a standard amount from their other enemy. These maps should contain 4-5 expansions per player, and each expansion beyond the natural should provide greater exposure to an allied attack from both enemies.
The setup of this map should prevent early cooperative rushes because rushing with both armies will leave one of the attacking team members very vulnerable to a counterattack from the remaining opponent. Additionally, the very long walking distance should make early rush timings more difficult, by giving the defending player at least one extra round of units before the 2nd opponent arrives.
Since each expansion after the natural is closer to the middle of the map, each time a player expands they increase their vulnerability to joint attacks from their opponents, and they increase their ability to join with their ally's army. This should encourage a 2v2 mid and late game as the armies and bases start to collide in the middle of the map.
Example distance to close opponent:
![[image loading]](http://nimbletech.net/starcraft2/Xel'NagaValley-shortestPaths-10-8.png)
Example distance to far opponent:
![[image loading]](http://nimbletech.net/starcraft2/Xel'NagaValley-shortestPaths-10-4.png)
What Now?
I am currently working on a couple of maps that will fit into the genres that I have defined here. If any of you are interested in working together to build, balance, or play on new 2v2 genres and maps, please PM me or post here letting me know of your interest. If there is enough interest in this initiative, I will organize 2v2 playing sessions and tournaments to refine this branch of Starcraft 2. Also, please give your feedback and thoughts on how you believe that 2v2 maps could be engineered to promote higher level play.
