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FTM All Along The Watchtowersby Fatam 152x156Published to All RegionsVersion 0.1Overhead view: (~exact bounds) + Show Spoiler +(click all images for larger, better quality versions)Close-ups: + Show Spoiler +
TLMC8 New/Macro Submission
Defend your bases by being out on the map and bouncing between the various bridges, rather than sitting at home. That's the main concept here. Each half of the map is very open, so if you sit at home you lose the chance to get a giant concave advantage when they go through the small chokes.
Also securing the watchtower nearest your main helps you watch the closest rush path and the closest drop/air harass path. But it's far enough from your main, I think, that just 100% holding that XNT all the time is not a given.
Another way to look at the map is that it's sort of the inverse of Dusk Towers. Rather than having a map that gets more and more split map/turtley as the game goes on, this map fully embraces the split map initially, but as the game goes on and rocks are taken down (and various techs become available which make it easier to bypass the middle chasm) it becomes a bit less split-map.
You have the choice to stay on the back lines with your expansions or take the more forward ones.
Eventually though you are punished for playing it safe when you get to the far right of the map: you get the same resource count for the safe base, but it's split into two nearby locations so you have to invest in an extra town hall.
Nat wall-off is standard but the rocks on either end allow for offensive/defensive flexibility.
Thanks for looking! Feedback welcome. Specifically would like to hear if you think the middle should be more open (less rocks on the bridges) or if you think that would break the map due to Z being too good - due to the rest of the map being pretty open.
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Not a fan of the concept. I think that the middle really needs to be more open, but that it simultaneously can't be because the rest of the map is so open and lacking in defensive features.
Also I feel like the name of the map is too experimental. I don't think you can say: "Spawning down, in the bottom left corner of All Along the Watchtowers, the blue Terran player..." without sounding a bit ridiculous.
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I think you're trying to do too many things at once on this map, which hurts the overall concept. I like the choked bridges at the center of the map and the high risk vs reward that comes with moving an army through one of those areas. Forcing players to defend further outside of their base in order to get a better engagement is almost always a good idea to implement on a map in some way to keep players moving around.
When you go to the extreme with chokes, you also need to go to the extreme with open areas. This may be more of a personal opinion though, but I think a high contrast of open areas and tight areas will balance themselves out. This is some that you succeed at here, since other than the bridges most of the map is pretty open. Something I am a little confused about here is why you decided to put the smallest bridge in the location that you did. I'd expect the most narrow bridge to be at the shortest path. Is it because the areas outside of it are the most open areas? In that case it makes sense.
Something you have to pay attention to with this concept is how often the map simply splits and players turtle, which can happen with small narrow paths and watchtowers that watch them. This is certainly something that you are already aware of, but I still wanted to reiterate it. I would personally get rid of several of the watchtowers, definitely the one at the 3 o'clock though, so that players have more of a reward for going to the farthest route (i.e. more likely to go unspotted, least choked ramp, etc).
I feel like the rest of the layout is strange. The thirds are difficult to defend, the entire expansion layout for the right side of the map is unusual, to say the least. I get that you want to motivate players to utilize the bridges effectively, but I think you're punishing players too much if they stay near their third and defend. I strongly dislike the high ground area in front of the third and the half expansions in the corners.
Aesthetically looks good and unique. I'm not really a fan of the map name. My favorite feature here has got to be the double choke natural and both destructible rocks there. Would you happen to know the number of buildings or unit space needed to wall from rock to rock at the natural?
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Thanks for the responses
I may keep the overall vague layout and concept the same but try to redo a lot of it so it makes more sense to everyone. Sometimes things make 100% sense to me but then no one else ends up seeing things the way I do. Which is obviously a problem lol. Will have to think on how to make it more palatable.
Apparently people also dislike the name - it's the name of a famous song (well the song has no "s" at the end) and I thought it was pretty fitting for the layout, but I guess it's a bit long. If/when I re-release the map I'll change it.
The nat choke is three 3x3 buildings and a zealot/adept to wall. I did a fairly similar nat on bungalow 6 if you ever saw that map.
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The map is a bit turtly early on, but the concept works. However, as soon as the rocks in the middle paths are down, you can still defend the chokes but you miss the enemy army position because they are on the other side. I can see the armies moving past each other side by side and start a basetrade.
I agree with antares, you should be able to sneak around going the long route, i see what you did there in the mini bridge but its less rewarding if you know a unit will spot it from the tower (if it actualy reaches there).
I think the concept works even if you tone it down a bit. You can extend the high ground to the middle bridge (high ground path) and put the base up there. This makes the map slightly less open and creates an easier route to the other side of the map (no rocks too). The point is to make sure the armies can see each other and invade a bit more easily.
Then you can make the first bridge longer (even more of a death zone) so that the army movement pattern properly switches to the middle as the players expand and rocks are broken.
With this there is a short dangerous route, a sneaky long route at top and a central main route, including rock bridge and high ground area.
Loved the detail of mini bases, makes late game scrappy. If the game lasted that long then you might as well limit resourses.
Finally, with armies in the middle, harassment is important and can be made stronger if you put some more dead space to hide medivacs, prisms and overlords.
Just spitballing ideas
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I like it. It screams: "Let's macro and harass untill the very end!" And I love the design, too. The darkish look with the orange-red cavities are fantastic!
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I like how its actually different in a way anyone can understand, not just a tiny bit of unusual layout that only mapmakers get why it is not normal, yet it doesnt require deep study to play.
I also like the name as the song reminds me of the best moment in BSG.
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