Map Data:

-All spawns enabled
-152x152 Playable
-12 Expansions
-4 Xel'Naga towers

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This map was finished the day before I finally got my beta key, so this is also a regular Wings of Liberty map. For the map, the goal is to have 3 very different spawn positions possible, with each being balanced in its own way, it took me a good number of tries before I considered myself successful. The force field walls in the center are LoS blockers, just fancy lookin'

Close-Ups(HotS):
+ Show Spoiler +

Close-Ups(WoL):
+ Show Spoiler +

Feel free to comment and let me know what you think, be it complement or suggestion. Hatred not accepted(Ragoo)!

Turbogangsta

Australia319 Posts

November 17 2012 01:30 GMT

This really is a fantastic looking map. Also looks very well balanced are rewarding for positional play. I like maps that encourage detouring portions of you army around different pathways to set up flanks. The xelnaga towers look very powerful but I'm not sure what could be done about that.

Sumadin

Denmark588 Posts

November 17 2012 01:38 GMT

I am going to assume this map is inspired by Star station even if you don't mention it. I feel through that this will be a mayor hinderince even if this map works for WOL.

It also sports the same weakness which is close thirds on Horizontal spawns, which is really the only noteable positional imbalance on Star station(Through on SS it is vertical spawns) and on yours it is even worse.

To me the 2 maps seems too similar and Star station is a Blizzard map which brings a natural advantage. Being avaliable for WOL is not going to help much, because we will be in march before any greater Map pool mixups is going to happen for tournements.

Fatam

1986 Posts

November 17 2012 01:45 GMT

I feel like you should probably credit Star Station + Show Spoiler +

since you obviously tweaked that map to create this. edit: sumadin beat me to it

That said, I think the changes are really interesting so GJ. I would love to see this on the ladder w/ HOTS instead of the terribleness that is Newkirk City or that 2v2 map lol

NewSunshine

United States5938 Posts

November 17 2012 01:55 GMT

On November 17 2012 10:45 Fatam wrote:
I feel like you should probably credit Star Station + Show Spoiler +

I know it looks like Star Station to some extent, but it's more coincidence than anything, 4p maps are more difficult to compose obviously, so it ended up somewhat similar. One of its earlier iterations looked like this:

+ Show Spoiler +

That said, I do like Star Station, so any resemblance is fine with me.

On November 17 2012 10:38 Sumadin wrote:
It also sports the same weakness which is close thirds on Horizontal spawns, which is really the only noteable positional imbalance on Star station(Through on SS it is vertical spawns) and on yours it is even worse.

To me the 2 maps seems too similar and Star station is a Blizzard map which brings a natural advantage. Being avaliable for WOL is not going to help much, because we will be in march before any greater Map pool mixups is going to happen for tournements.

For horizontal the bases in the middle will probably be better thirds, but they're set up like on Entombed so destroying the rocks at one point will be necessary. The power of the Xel'Naga towers should make them more immediately viable than the forward 3rd choice.

As for the decline of WoL, when it happens I'll have an update of this map ready, shouldn't be that difficult to put into HotS.

SiskosGoatee

Albania1482 Posts

November 17 2012 15:53 GMT

I feel the similarities to Star Station are mostly the tileset, I don't think anyone would've remarked that if it was the Zakhul-Das tilset or anything.

IeZaeL

Italy991 Posts

November 17 2012 18:32 GMT

Hello NewSunshine !

First : WOW ! This map is AMAZING ! Really like it !

Second : I have not a NA Account .. i live in Italy . So , can you upload this map on HotS Beta/EU WoL ? You only have to change the Dependancies from Liberty to Swarm ....

Hope to see this map in ladder in future !

SiskosGoatee

Albania1482 Posts

November 21 2012 10:07 GMT

I think the problem with this map is that while it doesn't have any flaws, it doesn't have anything special or memorable either. THere's not really a reason for me, and I guess for some other people, to play on it because it's so standard, there are so many maps that offer the same gameplay features that you're not really like on say Atlantis Spaceship 'I want to play on this map to test the rich gas base. There's just not really a reason to want to play on this map opposed to the many other maps, it doesn't have anything unique that wants to make you play on it.

NewSunshine

United States5938 Posts

November 21 2012 17:15 GMT

On November 21 2012 19:07 SiskosGoatee wrote:
I think the problem with this map is that while it doesn't have any flaws, it doesn't have anything special or memorable either. THere's not really a reason for me, and I guess for some other people, to play on it because it's so standard, there are so many maps that offer the same gameplay features that you're not really like on say Atlantis Spaceship 'I want to play on this map to test the rich gas base. There's just not really a reason to want to play on this map opposed to the many other maps, it doesn't have anything unique that wants to make you play on it.

I would disagree, this map doesn't do anything outlandish, but my goal was to create interesting spawn dynamics that differ with each position. The debris plays a key role in each spawn setup, but that role differs from spawn to spawn, in vertical for instance it works like on Scrap Station, of which there is no like in a current map pool, but in horizontal it adds to the difficulty of taking a 3rd, also something lacking in our current map pools. Also, it's existence as a 4p map with 3 very different, but balanced, spawns makes it unique as far as I can see. As for design, I'm happy with the map, but if there's anything I can do to make it more solidly balanced I'm open.

In addition to other beta projects of mine, I've started converting this map into HotS, just for kicks. Will update again once I'm finished.

Fatam

1986 Posts

November 22 2012 00:54 GMT

#10

Yeah, the map is super solid w/ no imbalanced spawns (yay mirrored symmetry) so I think it's got a good bit of merit just for that alone. (even if I think it looks a tiny bit too much like Star Station)

The spawns are fairly dynamic: horizontal = aggressive games are more likely, vertical = macro games, cross = somewhere inbetween