What is a good way to make sure a A-symeterical map to be fairly banced right off the start?
The best possible way to get as perfect as possible balancing is actual testing. Either by testing the range of tanks or the mobility of protoss or simply playing the map to see how it fairs against regular blizzard maps.
Obviously, if it's boring compared to those maps, you have some work to do.
It was more of a question about how to test the melee map. should i just play it out with some friends or should i test differnt senarios with friends?
If you refer back to my explanation, you'll see that I addressed both points and said that doing both is the best way to test out a melee map.
Another way would be to try to copy some stuff in other maps but not so much that it's exactly like it. (Example would be to copy Lost Temple's expo style)
Another thing that would really help you understand balance is why we do certain things to balance maps.
You can do this simply by watching replays of good players on pro-map, and by playing such maps yourself. What, terrain-wise, presents you problems? What do you or the good players you're watching have trouble with or use to their advantage?
Playing pro-maps a lot can raise your understanding of balance a little more, as it directly affects the gameplay itself.
Another thing that would really help you understand balance is why we do certain things to balance maps.
You can do this simply by watching replays of good players on pro-map, and by playing such maps yourself. What, terrain-wise, presents you problems? What do you or the good players you're watching have trouble with or use to their advantage?
Playing pro-maps a lot can raise your understanding of balance a little more, as it directly affects the gameplay itself.
____________________________________________________________________
Not always pro maps
QUOTE(Hofodomo @ Oct 18 2005, 10:53 PM)
Another thing that would really help you understand balance is why we do certain things to balance maps.
You can do this simply by watching replays of good players on pro-map, and by playing such maps yourself. What, terrain-wise, presents you problems? What do you or the good players you're watching have trouble with or use to their advantage?
Playing pro-maps a lot can raise your understanding of balance a little more, as it directly affects the gameplay itself.
[right][snapback]336852[/snapback][/right]
Actually I disagree. "Simply" watching a replay of pro's will just help you be able to mimic what they do. You won't understand SC at all until you put effort into playing better people and learn basic strategies for each matchup. Then, I also think its not great to just look at other maps cause you won't really go for your own style. I think if newbish people just try to create a standard map then no one will play it cause there are standard maps 100 times more balanced and better than yours. Think logically, there are map makers that have been doing it for years and understand every aspect of SC. You are not going to make a map as nearly good if you try and make a map in thier style, it will look like garbage. So try new things that will make people want to play your map.. But of course, you can still use ideas from standard maps, like chokes, expansions, etc. Just try and encorporate new ideas into maps..
You can also do something like put a bunch of computers on the map and make them fight :-D. If a certain one wins look at which spot they were in to try to figure out why they won. I think a map would be perfectly balanced if you had two computer players playing eachother and the game never ended...
lol NerdyTerdy thats fun lol hahahah
I did it earlier today, but somehow even when I made the comps unallied they allied eachother f*cking ass holes.... So I was sitting there for like 20 minutes watching them saying WTF WHY AREN'T THEY ATTACKING and then I saw them just sorta walk by eachother and I'm wtf those ass holes allied.... lol Thinking back it was pretty funny. I don't think computers are very useful to test maps... They are way too stupid. i just ask a friend to play it with me.
Use the Insane AI Script and they play better than most players, also they are good for showing strong/weak areas of a map for each race. Probably more useful for testing one on ones. If a map is unbalanced I would think the computers would find it because the AI's are all the same power I think (for different races I mean like Insane is equal for all races)...
Is insane a campaign AI script? I've never used it, but can it work like a hard normal melee comp, or does it only work well with a starting base like all other campaign
And relating to a post earlier...
Eh, Yenku's right. I think a pro-player's replay will help you get the "theory" down. I'd probably try and do something with it later in a game, though it usually fails cuz of my lack of practice
You can give a computer an insane AI Script with just a normal starter base like people, and it will build, most of the time it'll school the human as well .