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Well w/e. I thought it might be nice to see how that would go. I started a map recently and I'd want some people to look at the earlier terrain and tell me if it looks fine (both aesthetic and balance). Of course, I'm open to suggestions as long as the map will still go on. It'll be finished by the map night, where I will conduct official testing with some members (hopefully?) and see how the real-game balance goes.

Basically, the point of the thread is that I'm going to post regular screenshots in new posts, as well as in this first one (to keep track). And you people do your job as a first-impression views/ideas.

Let's hope the concept will work.


Right now, it's started to be a 4-players map, since I doupt I can successfully convert that 128x128 map into a 6-players map xD. Probably lotsa ressources. I tried a new "concept" with the tiny bits of land giving some kind of protection to each initial starting areas.

i like the "land bits" but just a warning, making a map with the base on lower terrain like that is tough to make balanced. The only one i can think of that does the same thing is Requiem by Rose.of.Dream. I would also reccomend making the ice that semi surrounds the bases on the bottom water, otherwise tanks could destroy anything coming out of the choke.

Be sure and test if the workers go in out of the geyser ok, cause it looks like they would come out behind it on the right side base.

I do like how your not trying to get your map done in an hour, takes mucho work keep it up.

I like the expansions...

in refrence to what pope was talking about right above this post, the lowerd terran doese make a problem, maybe you could make another lowerd terran section right below the base so that the middle terran acts more as a wall, this would help balance the lowerd terran a little.

Yea i like the map.

To tell truth why people so worried about if a base is on a high ground or one is on lower ground? Its pretty simple a good/Pro melee player can play what/with and they got, Weather its on high/low ground or if they have lots of space or little space. I heard this in another topic somewhere. Just image it it was a real war... Both sides are not going to ahve all the same terrian to work with....

So yea, Chris i like what you got so far..

yeh not bad but, i see what Rhiom and the.pope mean, even a noob could just sit som tanx on the ledge and let loose, im thinking maybe make the entrance not so direct? either that or put maybe 2 entrances, one leading around to the other 1?

i dunno, if you can use any of that ive done my job.

Yea I know all of that. It's a pain in the ass the try and balance the map just cuz of these stupid sieged tanks

My idea right now is to (perhaps) put the rest of the map to lower ground, so Tanks cannot easily kill anything comming out of the choke point, and perhaps try and make the space between the 2 top/bottom bases bigger so, once again, Tanks cannot piss the @*&! out of everyone. I'll see how it goes.

Already took that in mind. I messed up alot with the geysers to be sure workers wouldn't get stuck or have to do a huge detour around the land.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.


EDIT -- Here's the modified version. I'm having a hard time trying to block direct access for top and bottom chokes... I don't know if leaving it like this will create an imbalance or not.

Modifications:
- Added 2 bottom bases.
- Made the ice area (near chokes) larger.
- Added un-usable land for bottom chokes (so Tanks don't have a too big advantages with these stupid ramp differences... Any other ideas?).
- Modified Vaspene locations to be sure no peon would get stuck.
- (Pathetic) attempt at trying to separate top/bottom's meeting point.
- Lowered the ground in all the middle area (I'll see what I'll do later).

I think that's it. As usual, suggestions are welcome!
EDIT 2 -- Don't mind green's start location =P. Testing purposes.

The thiing is, the professional shouldnt let the newb get there, thats his duty, plus he can do it right back to the other player, its fine how it is chris

Looking good chris.. Keep up the good work.. When you need a tester, if im around. I will help ya test

two things the bases at the bottom, the chok point leading to the highland is a bit bigger. and what are you going to put in the middle? i would put mineral expansions by the ice patches outside the bases.
also why is there a green start location in the bottom middle?
so far i like what i see. good job

I already explained the green location in my last post. And I know you're right about the bottom and top chokes . Kinda hard to make something fair for both sides with the way ramps are made. I made both both top chokes a bit longer to try and balance it a little more.

Alright, I just finished the beta version of the map. It's still nameless and doodad-less, but it's very playable. It also need some easthetic terrain finition.

Earlier testings will be done until tomorrow night (map night), where I will officially complete the map. I'm pretty happy on how the middle area turned out. Did my best on balance.

If you see something you don't like, it's the time or never

i dont like the expansion in the middle, if you take it out it gives a more acceptable amount of room to move around. also i dont think reb vs blue, or teal vs purple games would play out to well.

Any suggestions?

The map isn't made for 1v1s anyway. I'm aiming for 2v2 or FFA.


Perhaps you're right about the middle expantion. It could give more space for a FFA arena.

That's good. But the right side of the map, seems to have bit more space than the left

i dont reccomend making a 2v2 map, i made a fantastic one and nobody liked it because it was 2v2. ill remake one like it as an ffa map.
back to your map, this is really good, the bottom choke point is still a tad bigger but its not a problem. i like this map alot. i like how you use thin high land alot. this map not only plays pretty well, it looks cool too. i think your done, and if i graded your effort on this map, 10/10.

This looks amazing and seems to be very new and well done. The expansion in the middle may prove to be a problem for diagonal games, simply because they would have to detour around it and armies may "pass in the night" so to speak. One thing that I liked was that between the two horizontal opponents you allow a second route so that a player can't simply load the ramp with tanks/cannons/reavers/lurkers or whatever. However, look at the area between the two easy expansions for both the top and bottom. At the top, a player could drop units in between and vision themselves over into the expansion. This isn't possible at the bottom because of the water in the way.

That is honestly the only flaw that I noticed however. Very nice job.

Chris, this map would be unbalanced FFA, and can only be done 2v2.

Well... I modified the map a while ago actually. I just played it and didn't think it'd deserved a place in the DLDB... But you guys's comments made me happy . Thanks.

Here's the final design. Only doodads remains. How's this version?

I widened both vertical ice ways, deleted the expantion in the middle (open for big combats), and deleted the water on top and bottom (which I think isn't a problem, since Tanks, Dragoons, Templars, Hydralisks and Lurkers can also have very easy access to the workers anyway [and not only the Tanks]).


Added map file to first post.

I think this would be an unbelievable free for all if a land boundary was put horizontally across the middle of the map so that the top two players would almost be forced to focus on each other and then the opposition. Perhaps an edited version with those qualities?

I don't quite understand what you mean, sorry :/

Make it so that players can't move ground units from a base on the upper half to a base on the lower half without transporting them. If they tried to rush transports a player would like get taken out by an early rush by an enemy on their half. Thus, they would have to fight first their enemy on their side.

no, those are the things that are done in ffa maps to unbalance them, necer do that, i like it how it is as a 2v2 map.

That was a great game , great map Chris, very balenced for every Race, the expos are a little hard on the toss in a couple areas, but otherwise great map :Thumbsup:

you played it? how did it go? i played it with 3 comps cause i couldnt find anybody to play with.

I might sound stupid but... I see 0 download(s).

Either my computer's ed up or you guys are just bullshitting me or something x_X.


PS -- Playing VS comps is the worst thing you can possibly do to test a map.

I agree, you can't test a map playing comps, and it's not much fun playing comps either.