Ruiner
Medium sized map with two distinctive expansion patterns and multiple paths.
- 12 regular bases on 132x132 playable area -
The map offers several options of possible expansions on cascading cliff levels. The bases are connected with multiple paths and surround a central area watched by two XWT situated on small fortifications.
http://www.theplanetaryworkshop.complease read!this is a 2p map based on the idea to have an complex yet simple layout. coming from my last map Cascade I wanted to have 10-12 bases that offers multiple paths to attack and counterattack, an interesting usage of two watchtowers and "at least" two expansion pattern.
Following the discussion about IronWall by Mereel, the critique on the bubble design and "problems" with the balance of expansion pattern I wanted to try to get really similar distances down for all bases.
Do not get me wrong, i do not argue against right or wrong or same or similar distances in IronWall, but here i tried to have very similar distances between bases so that the player can choose in correspondance to race, playstyle and field position/current game how to expand.
While on Cascade you basically decide left or right and hence define gamelength in a way (there are different number of expansions possible for both sides), i wanted to have the patterns more variable.I need input and your help on how the bases are balanced racially and positionally. we should not run in such discussions with monitor again, wheather or not some esv guys have to few space behind mineral lines and no feeling for flow
I am unsure to what extent I succeeded. Also i would love to get your perspective on the distance between bases and if you thing one or the other has some advantages, but first i want to walk, or rather talk you through the steps of this work in progress.
Now the images!
step 1Felix commented my first image shortly "I like a lot, but there is a lot of wasted space".
While there is less space wasted then on other maps and it actually is less than it looks on first sight, he was right. anyway, this is my starting point and you can easily see my basic concept from the beginning: two third bases left and right from the nat, they can kind of be controlled from the crossing point and one is further away from the centre and one is closer from the centre. also one is more choked. so it is an interesting start.
what really is interesting is the highground imo.
step 2as you can see the ccw direction (bottom player expanding to the right) is a bit closer to the fourth, so i moved th fourth a bit away from the ccw or the low third. Thinking about what bases i would take, i had the impression many players would take both thirds instead of the fourth, especially you would not take the fourth when expanding away/clockwise first.
Note that i moved down the watchtower. I think this makes the gameplay more dynamic and the highround a bit less dominant. guess i have to work with LoSBs there.
step 3while it was rather easy to control the two thirds, there was few need to put the army further into the central space. hence i decided that the low/ccw third had to be easier to attack, to motivate players to take the central space and then expand further ccw to the fourth, after or before taking the cw third behind the two bridges.
Note the better use of space by moving the fourth down and the main a bit up and making it wider. Could be bigger maybe.
interludehere i went to sleep and then work today, but not before throwing in the comment: i feel like i need another base in this map. on the one hand i liked how you had to take the centre and fight over the highround after both thirds or for a fourth after taking one third, but on the other hand i had the feeling that it would be too difficult to expand into only one direction, which should be possible in my opinion, possibly even up to the thirds in the ccw direction theoretically. most players would try to have both thirds and then push out from four bases when it got a bit macro...
step 4the solution is rather easy. move fourth closer to cw third and insert another base on a highround. flow is good imo and there are several paths no in addition. also a small reaper backdoor. problematic imo now is that the low/ccw third is too easy too hold, because it is too close, but i could open the ramp a bit more towards the centre.
Looking forward to your comments and ideas!
edit: here are some analyzer images
I plan to collect your comments as a changes-to-come:
- bigger main (samro)
- rotate cw fourth a bit ccw so that it looks towards centre not vertically (samro)
- maybe try to switch the ramp and bridge concept between the two thirds and the nat, sothat the cw third becomes easier for the defender to move to, while the ccw tird is harder to reach, due to the extra attack option against the cw third from the highround (samro)
