[M] (2) Obelisk

IeZaeL

Italy960 Posts

June 25 2017 11:13 GMT

(2) OBELISK - Created by IeZ after an Uvantak idea.

Map Features & Info:
*153x153
No Watchtower!
Half bases

[image loading]

ZigguratOfUr

Iraq12849 Posts

June 26 2017 04:52 GMT

I like the concept, and I like the map, but I'm not sold on the diagonal symmetry. I think it would be a better map if it was rotationally mirrored.

The reason why most mapmakers (i.e basically everyone except for you and Kantuva) avoid diagonal symmetry is because of what happens naturally to expansion patterns on diagonally symmetric maps. The symmetry forces you to expand towards the opponent at the same time as the opponent expands towards you. Additionally it often causes straight hallways between both players' expansions which leads to rather unfortunate gameplay. The poster child for these problems is probably your own Shiva (the version that appeared in the map test tournament). There was only a single viable third, and a straightaway between the thirds which meant that timing attacks against the third were by far the most common strategy, and that if you held off a timing attack, 90% of the time the best thing to do was to shove back at their third. Most of the map never got used because of this and games essentially became a matter of push-counterpush. It's essentially circle syndrome's diagonally symmetrical ugly cousin hallway syndrome.

There are ways to defeat the ugly cousin of course, and a map I thought did a good job at it is Keres Passage. The middle of the map on Keres Passage does a great job at breaking apart the linear army movement that diagonally mirrored map usually suffer from.

Coming back to Obelisk, I do think that it handles its diagonal symmetry a lot better than Epiphany and Shiva do mostly due to how the distances are, and how the rocks are handled, and it wouldn't suffer from push-counterpush to nearly the same extent, but motion on this map would still be very heavily along the top-right to bottom-left axis. Having the map be rotationally symmetrical would increase the amount of vertical and lateral motion which I think would lead to more positional army motion in the central of the map. The collapsible rock towers especially would gain a greater importance on the map, as the way things currently are I don't see them coming into play much if at all.

Fatam

1986 Posts

June 26 2017 05:29 GMT

I commented on discord, but just to reiterate here in case you missed it, I think the layout is pretty cool but you probably need to figure out a way to make it work without the half bases. Blizzard absolutely despises half bases.

A nitpick but I think the main ramp should be shoved back a space or two. It wouldn't change the choke for walling off but it would give a little more room for defending armies to maneuver.

I actually think you could make both half bases into full bases and the map would still work. Sure, some tweaks to make things fit correctly and such, but it wouldn't be far off. A quick third at the lowground base could be easily punished by enemy units on the highground above (which you'd have to clear the rocks to deal with) and the purple 3rd is still fairly exposed.. so I don't think it would be terribly turtley.

ATTx

Korea (South)131 Posts

June 27 2017 07:52 GMT

It looks interesting

Zweck

Germany181 Posts

November 10 2017 22:47 GMT

have to say, i really like the layout a lot. The natural not so much, but the mid

SidianTheBard

United States2191 Posts

November 11 2017 03:38 GMT

It appears you forgot Zerg exist in this game. I feel it's so choked off and there really isn't a good 3rd base for zerg. The aesthetics look sweet, you always do a great job with that. Just not the biggest fan of the base layout.

Gavinrivera

United States15 Posts

November 13 2017 19:51 GMT

This color scheme makes me want to throw up lmao
The protoss yellow with stairs going into this kind of zerg-like dirt is nasty
It doesn't help that the yellow tiles are kind of round and bumpy looking. Very gross, please save my eyes :p

Antares777

United States1941 Posts

November 14 2017 15:40 GMT

I love the middle layout with all the rocks, even though it can be choked up at some areas. I'm most concerned about the two half base thirds and how they will affect balance. The thirds are vulnerable to everything, and the main and nat are vulnerable to drops. Both players will end up expanding toward one another fairly quickly. I am having a difficult time visualizing longer games on this map. I think full bases would function better for balance reasons where the half bases are.

The color scheme is a little jarring in the overview. You could change your palette or maybe make it more dull by turning the brightness or contrast down?

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