Note: This the most recent version: Faoi IV
Faoi IV
Modified middle only. Small change, but significant enough imo to deserve a new version name, and Faoi IV looks cooler than Faoi III.2 or Faoi III b or Faoi 3.1 or Faoi 3b etc Also, any other changes I make in the near future will go into IV ._.
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FAOI III (Final (hopefully -.-))
Map was 100% remake from scratch, so it's now editable (thanks to protection + unprotection only tile editing was possible, and it's certainly not practical).
The middle was changed, and red/teal's min only areas were altered, and the distances and sizes are almost equal everywhere.
Islands now have 8 mineral blocks.
Outside of visuals, I don't think anything else was changed.
Biggest worry on the map was tvp, but with the min only areas and middle being wider, p shouldn't have a problem. As for the expo layout, the island is a more viable choice as it has 8 mineral blocks rather than 6 now. So essentially, everything in the map protoss favouring has been accentuated. Is the map wtfzomgprotoss map? I doubt it, all of the things that would limit protoss are still there. The min only's role has not changed.
Map should be better zvt now too. More flanking room helps z during the period of the game where t is stronger than z, and then helps terran once hive tech is up and z is stronger than t.
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Faoi II Updates:
Islands moved, they are now approximately two tiles off of being exactly between both starting locations
Tiles everywhere edited, including to force top right's main's ramp to require depot/depot/rax walling, removing bad tile at bottom right's nat, correction of copy/paste error in middle, simple decoration changes and additions
Top right and bottom left's main minerals modified
Gap behind red/blue's min onlys removed
Obs Triggers slightly modified
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Here is the map. It's slightly outdated (some tank spots were fixed), but it's pretty close
http://www.panschk.de/mappage/comments.php?mapid=2803
This is the map's thread on broodwarmaps.net, on the right side is a list of replays that have been uploaded on the map, and at the bottom is a link to click to add your own replays (for Faoi).
http://www.panschk.de/mappage/(4)Faoi IV(n).scx
http://www.panschk.de/mappage/(4)Faoi IV(o).scx
Map and its obs version, most current version.
Now I'm going to copy/paste something I wrote talking about the map for players who haven't played it yet. I gave it to yello-ant (iccup admin), and I believe it'll appear somewhere on iccup's site after the next season starts (march 1st!).
Faoi dheireadh
Map made by Nightmarjoo and Testbug - broodwarmaps.net
Thanks to Team aYa. op aya. at europe for testing - special thanks to Ryan Cheung
Thanks to iCCup's Yello-Ant for entertaining the idea of adding a user-made map to iCCup's evolving map pack, as well as for help in finding "bugs" to fix for the iCCup Modification. Also, for having incredible patience with me and my stubborn self, and my inability to copy/paste, among other mundane things.
The map's name was originally Faoi dheireadh, which is gaelic for "Finally" or "At last", but I felt that was much too difficult to type, or even pronounce, and found myself calling the map Faoi for short, and I while editing the map in its beta stages renamed it Faoi, which alone means "under" or "below" in gaelic.
Most players learn the basics of how a map is played by watching and mimicking pro-gamers from vods, and semi-progamers from replays. Since this map is brand new to the starcraft scene, and since no progamers will be creating exciting vods to watch, I thought it would be pertinent to try to the best of my ability, explain how the map plays, from my experience on the map.
I don't boast of being even a decent player, but I think I know the basics of starcraft, and have a fair amount of experience on a large variety of maps. I don't know exactly how the map will play out for any match up, let alone for all match ups, but I will do a little bit of theory crafting, add a little bit of test-game experience, and try to give ambitious players who will give this new map a try and risk their hard-earned ladder points on a map which could be horribly imbalanced, some insight into the map's mechanics, how it is similar to other maps, and how it is different.
Now, please bare with me as I fight the urge to make one giant paragraph, and try to make an easily readable and intelligible, and hopefully short, essay.
The map to me, feels kind of like a mixture of Nazca, Python, Zodiac, and Luna. Except for, perhaps, the first of those maps, the rest of those I am quite sure you all are very familiar with. Now let me explain why I feel Faoi shares some aspects and structures of those maps.
Firstly, the map has two islands, similar to the position of zodiac's islands, but with a python style to them, with a mineral block (with 8 minerals) to prevent the landing of a terran command center, and to make you forget to make your island expo as you drop your drone, probe or scv, mine the mineral, and find your attention on something else in the game. The islands are closer to one player than the other, like in zodiac. I would say, this is a positional imbalance. I try to fight this imbalance by placing a mineral block on the island, so that one terran cannot float over a shorter distance a command center to the island than another. I don't think this makes up one hundred percent for the imbalance, but (I think) the islands work alright on zodiac, so I will hope they will work well on Faoi.
The map's natural expansions feel to me somewhat tight, perhaps like Zodiac's or Tau Cross' nats. A cliff and some water are on the opposite side of the nat from your main. An overlord can be placed here, and can safely monitor both the status of your opponent's expansion, as well as enemy troop movement. The overlord however, cannot see the entire expansion, nor all of the nat's exit's path, so in some matchups on some positions (for example, zerg vs terran with zerg at top right, and terran bottom left; zerg's overlord cannot see the bottom part of terran's nat, and then units taking the closer bridge on the right side would then further escape the overlord's vision. A zergling or two can solve this.
Near the second ramp, past the mineral only expansion, there is a place of water and cliff where another overlord can be placed, to monitor that path. I would also however, not rely solely on an overlord here for scouting purposes.
The map's obvious third expansion could either be the mineral only, past the first larger ramp, and before the second, smaller ramp, or it could be the island. Taking the island of course pursues a very different gameplay than taking the mineral only does, as the mineral only is very vulnerable from harass or attack from the middle highground, where much of the combat will take place. The mineral only allows for a creeping expansion style, one you can "push" through and take, while heading towards your opponent (this is especially the case in terran vs protoss). The island lacks this inherent vulnerability, but cannot be readily reinforced or defended (except by nydus). The ring of rocks around the islands creates some permament space for enemy drops, making it impossible to have the expansion completely "turtled", or heavily defended to the point of being impenetrable.
The main bases are fairly large, without being vacuous: you don't have to have a major in architecture to build a stable and convenient base layout (as opposed to python's relatively small main bases). There is quite a bit of room behind your minerals, both for enemy harass, your own buildings, and your defense. Off to the side, near the corner of the map itself is a large portion of area where anything that doesn't fit elsewhere, can go, and the place doubles as a place to hide your technology as well, or make a a hatchery in your opponent's base.
There are two ramps leading from the lowground basin of the map to the central highground. As is the case in longinus, the player going up has a possible disadvantage if the opponent is on top of this ramp (vision, chance of hit, possibility of being outflanked from the wider highground area), but there is another ramp which can be used, though it is somewhat smaller. These ramps are far enough apart that it should be fairly difficult for your opponent to defend perfectly both chokes, giving you a place to run through, or use to form a flank.
The middle itself is fairly wide and open. The ramps will play a very important part in flanking, and running past or behind your opponent.
The ramps at the top middle and bottom middle of the highground are closer to eachother than the ramps at the left and right. This means that not every matchup positionally is equal, but does not inherently entail an imbalance. Specifically, in terran vs protoss, on horizontal positions (bottom left vs bottom right, etc), terran has less far on the highground to travel, and that highground part is tighter, making it more difficult for protoss to flank him there; but there is less room to build turrets, as well as less room on the highground for terran's army, possibly creating a weaker push. In vertical positions (top left vs bottom left, etc), terran can create a strong push on the highground, as well as easily being able to create missile turrets, but protoss can much more easily flank terran.
The mineral only expansion will often be fairly useless, because it is easily hit from the central highground, but if you are confident in your control of the highground, or are slowly pushing through the area, the mineral only is a crucial strategic expansion, economically being strong for having the same amount of minerals as your natural expansion, and strategically being a good place to set your rally points for your new units to gather.
I am sorry, I wrote a lot more than I expected I would, but I hope that it helps you understand how the map is structured, and how to play on it. I am open to both compliments and criticisms, of any form. If you have a question, complaint, or any comment about the map and wish to express it, feel free to email me at iuliuspwnsall@yahoo.com, or message me on msn Nightmarjoo@hotmail.com.
- Nightmarjoo
Feel free to talk about the map here. I believe it is possible to update the map before the new season starts should any "problems" be discovered.