The HOTS Custom 2 maps have been taken down from all servers as of Monday, September 3rd at 3:00am PST due to notice from Blizzard about potential conflicts with the upcoming HOTS Beta. Thank you to everyone who supported the map.
On August 31 2012 17:46 XenoX101 wrote: Hey everyone, got a bit of sad news about the mod. Blizzard emailed me today about some concerns they have of the mod becoming too similar to the Closed Beta, the potential for confusion and conflict between the custom and beta versions of Heart of the Swarm, and how in being so similar my map technically will allow people to bypass the Closed aspect of the Beta. As such, the maps will be taken down from all servers as of Monday, 3rd of September 2012. I say this now so that people can make the most of the limited time left on the maps before it goes down.
So I guess this will be it for the mod, I will say though that it's been a good run, and much of where the mod is today is thanks to all the feedback you guys were able to provide. I hope that everyone made the most of the opportunity they had, and looks forward to doing the same thing in the real Heart of the Swarm some time in the near future. I am glad that I was able to work on such a project and provide people this great opportunity to experience Heart of the Swarm.
HOTS Custom 2 is the second version of the popular Heart of the Swarm conversion mod HOTS Custom*. The HOTS Custom 2 mod replicates all the new units and changes in the upcoming Heart of the Swarm expansion. This new version of the HOTS Custom mod adds all the new changes recently announced at MLG Anaheim. There is also a HOTS Custom 2 Unit Tester which is a modded version of XGDragon's Unit Tester map, allowing you to test all the units on a variety of predetermined arenas.
Some of the new units in the most recent version of Heart of the Swarm include the long-range firing Protoss Tempest, the mech-piercing walker unit the Warhound, and the deadly burrowing Swarm Host and its locust minions. For an overview of all the new units feel free to view the HOTS Custom 2 infographic below.
For all the specific stats I used in this map for every new unit, change and ability, please see the updated HOTS Custom 2 Unit Stat Spreadsheet below.
Although I have almost all the information about the changes in HOTS, there are some discrepencies that I haven't been able to figure out from the information I researched and was given. See below for these discrepencies.
Discrepencies - Specific armor values of Warhound, Widow Mine, Oracle, Swarm Host and Viper (I have a good idea but not certain) - Impact of weapon/armor upgrades on new units (have a reasonable idea but not precise values) - Unit radiuses (how tightly units bunch up, have estimated pretty well from battle reports but still don't know exact values) - Increased Locust Lifetime upgrade may have either 100 build time, or 120 build time (currently set to 120) - Reaper build time may be either 40 or 45 (currently 40) - Mothership Stasis AoE not known (currently same as mass recall at 6.5), energy not known (currently same as vortex at 100), and cooldown not known (currently same as duration at 20) - Widow Mine AoE may be 3 or 4, range may be 5 or 6 - Oracle Cloaking field range is 'around' 7
HOTS Custom 2 will be primarily running on a 'map rotation' system similar to peepmode's map of the day, where there will be a Map Rotation map on the server that changes map every few days.
Current 1v1 map:
1v1 Individual map pool:
Antiga Shipyard Cloud Kingdom Daybreak Entombed Valley Metropolis Ohana Howling Peaks (Unofficial Remake)
Current 2v2 map:
Current 3v3 map:
Current 4v4 map:
Current FFA map:
FFA Individual Maps: Toxic Slums
The most notable feature of this map is the new Constructible Rocks, rocks that *create* barriers at choke points instead of removing them like Destructible Rocks. This remake was made using the HOTS Battle Reports and is extremely accurate to the original. There may however be some balance issues I'm unaware of due to my inexperience in melee mapmaking, though I will do my best to fix these.
Recently there was a donation run to purchase EU and KR accounts for uploading the map on these servers, thanks to the donations from the community I will be purchasing these accounts and uploading the map on them soon.
The map is currently published on NA and SEA. Most people, myself included, would like to release it on the other regions too. Unfortunately, I have found in the past that when relying on others generosity, it is difficult to maintain the map properly (correct versions on each region), and with the new map rotation system the upkeep of the maps will make this, in my opinion, virtually impossible.
So, instead of this, I was thinking if people are interested enough in getting the map on the EU and KR servers (which I know you are!), perhaps we could collectively donate enough to purchase the two accounts for publishing the map. I think it is fair that if people enjoy the map enough, that they can help others have the chance to play it as they do, keeping in mind too that the map is otherwise 100% free.
With that said I have set up a donation page on ChipIn to get the funds for a new account on both the EU and KR servers. Now as for trusting me with the money, apart from my continuous presence on this subreddit, if I do manage to get the funding for these accounts, I will be sure to post the receipts of the purchases; if not enough money is donated, it will be setup to refund the amounts to the doners. At the end of the day though this is for you guys, not for me, as I exclusively play on the SEA & NA servers, so I am only asking for your help on behalf of others.
So if you would like to support this cause, the breakdown of costs for the extra accounts is as follows.
Europe Version: 48.80 AU (39.99 EU) Taiwan (KR) Version: 59.90 AU 48.80 + 59.90 = 108.70
Special Thanks Howling Peaks Niflheim Tileset: gurluas TheAlmaity: for helping me fix the Unit Tester triggers SC2Mapster.com for being an invaluable resource on map-making
------------------------- *Original HOTS Custom Thread (includes original HOTS Custom map pool, balance stats & video)[/center] + Show Spoiler +
The new patch should fix almost all of the prior bugs, let me know if you see any new ones or any of these return.
Since HotS was announced at BlizzCon the first thought on my and - looking at this subforum - many others' mind was the ability to recreate the units with the SC2 Editor. So only a few days after the reveal after finding out a number of stats for the units I realised that this was very much a possibility, even though it might not be the most exact of arts. I went to making this HotS Custom map for Battle.net and some 50-60 work hours later I came up with this, a 99% complete version of all the units and abilities save for one ability which half-way works but will eventually work fully, the pre-ordain tech-viewing ability (it still works at a basic level against terran and protoss, but not against zerg, if bothersome for now I can remove it altogether at player's request).
I did my best to make this as polished a version as possible, adding actors where I can and hoping to mimic what we saw at Blizzcon the best you can with the editor. There are still definitely a few things I would like to improve on (apart from the natural progression of bug fixing) such as the Tempest's attack and balancing the statistics in an alternate non-vanilla version, but for now I think it's close enough to completion that it is worth releasing, especially for the feedback I can get.
Currently I have the mod running on the following 4 maps.
Shakuras Plateau by Blizzard ..... Tal'Darim Altar by LSPrime
Antiga Shipyard by Blizzard ..... Metalopolis by Blizzard
Daybreak by WinparkPrime ..... Bel'Shir Beach (Winter) by LSPrime
Sanshorn Mist by Superouman ..... Twilight Peaks by Ragoo
The current version is 1.27, most bugs have been rectified so if you notice any issues please let me know as if it isn't fixed it's entirely likely I'm unaware of it.
And I have currently uploaded it to the following servers.
Name: HotS Custom - <Map>
AM SEA EU KR
New Chat channel: HotS on every server
Please note this map also includes the recent PTR changes of EMP having a 1.5 radius and protoss upgrades costing less, and of course these are subject to change based on Blizzard.
As for how accurate this is to HotS, please see the image and video below to see roughly how the values pan out, with green being definitive values we know, yellow values we can assume from the videos, and orange only values we can guess.
If you'd like it on your server, don't hesitate to PM me.
Please let me know what you think of my map, if you find any bugs, any issues at all that you may come across in the game and I will do my best to fix them.
Also note: This map isn't accurate enough to make any claims about the balance of HotS, nor does it try to aim for balance by changing the values we were given, it is simply an exact replica of what we know so far about the HotS units and their stats.
Thanks and enjoy!
- XenoX
Last edit: 2012-09-04 03:51:42
extropy United States. October 30 2011 13:09. Posts 36
Interesting. Since the information on the new units went public I was curious when something like this would show up.
Question, what is the best search term to find your map in customs? I tried "HotS" and came up with four results none of which were authored by you (assuming your b.net ID is the same as you TL.net ID).
EDIT: Ah, now it is showing up. It is indeed published under XenoX.
Last edit: 2011-10-30 13:35:01
Twelve12 Australia. October 30 2011 13:19. Posts 267
It seems your strengths are high with the editor. I am impressed with the zerg so far. Vipers and swarms are missing skins. Tooltips are missing all over, looks like almost everything works. Parasite requires 5000% of something, and cannot be cast.
"Experimentation is the key to success, though often requisite is failure." -ZG [Zjat's Project Vault] http://zjat.webs.com
extropy United States. October 30 2011 14:04. Posts 36
Okay so I did play against the Very Easy AI just to test out the units. I played only as Zerg. A few things I noted that seem off:
-When picking which unit you'd like to spawn, the Swarm Host clearly uses the Lurker Icon. However when the unit actually hatches it doesn't appear to have the lurker model, it's just a circular orb with a checkerboard pattern. Is this intentional? If it is, I think the Lurker model would look better as a placeholder. (The Viper also has this weird placeholder model as well)
-Burrow icon for swarm host doesn't appear, instead there is a blank icon in its place.
-Viper has the same hot key for Blinding Cloud and Abduct. (B)
-Swarm Host rally point doesn't get reset when unburrowing and reburrowing.
A few other things I noticed, and simply thought were interesting, but not sure if they are good or bad:
- Ultralisk charge can be, and by default is, autocast. I wasn't at Blizzcon so I don't know if this is how it is working in the current pre-beta phase (or if it is worthwhile to even speculate at this point), but I didn't expect that.
- A building can be siphoned by only one corrupter at a time. Also didn't expect it, but it's interesting and makes the ability even less useful than I thought.
This was just me screwing around for 10 minutes (so I'm sure there are a lot things I missed), but it was definitely a neat mod. I especially liked the animation for the Ultralisk charge and Viper abduct, looked very similar to what was found in the preview videos I have seen.
EDIT: If it makes any difference, I was playing on the Metalopolis version.
Last edit: 2011-10-30 14:15:04
Twelve12 Australia. October 30 2011 14:07. Posts 267
We have 2-3 other mod makers in this thread: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=278603 Maybe we can combine maps? Up to you. Your modding abilities are beyond mine, but I have very detailed list of data (attack ranges/speeds and such) On this subject, your hydras/locust do 11-12 dmg, instead of 15 or so. (Also the OP says something untrue, my map does not have all units in it, as well my most recent is not published, but my guess is you already have anything I've made)
Last edit: 2011-10-30 14:17:00
"Experimentation is the key to success, though often requisite is failure." -ZG [Zjat's Project Vault] http://zjat.webs.com
Bargil United States. October 30 2011 14:20. Posts 141
Besides the placeholder models, I tried both Protoss AND Terran.
Seems to be buggy but when I tried the new units, they work very well.
Protoss -Arc shield is WAY too OP, it 2 shots probes and has a significantly high rate of fire. 20 damage per shot is too powerful tbh, maybe 5? -Tempest is a bit too powerful, correct me if I'm wrong but is the air attack supposed to be weaker than its ground? if it is, then ignore this one. -Phase Shift is ineffective against assimilator, extractors, and refineries. -I don't know if this is right, but are Replicants air units? Also, this may not be a bug, but when I replicated a Stalker I could blink and I never even researched it.
Terran -Can't build Warhound -Shredders are WAY too big, and a little underpowered if you ask me. Also, it's blowing up animation is enourmous. -Battle Hellion works, but you can't see attack.
I'll post more as I find them. Though I must say, I'm very impressed with this. Keep it up!
youtube.com/BargilStarcraft
ClysmiC United States. October 30 2011 14:23. Posts 1951
On October 30 2011 14:20 Bargil wrote: Besides the placeholder models, I tried both Protoss AND Terran.
Seems to be buggy but when I tried the new units, they work very well.
Protoss -Arc shield is WAY too OP, it 2 shots probes and has a significantly high rate of fire. 20 damage per shot is too powerful tbh, maybe 5? -Tempest is a bit too powerful, correct me if I'm wrong but is the air attack supposed to be weaker than its ground? if it is, then ignore this one. -Phase Shift is ineffective against assimilator, extractors, and refineries. -I don't know if this is right, but are Replicants air units? Also, this may not be a bug, but when I replicated a Stalker I could blink and I never even researched it.
Terran -Can't build Warhound -Shredders are WAY too big, and a little underpowered if you ask me. Also, it's blowing up animation is enourmous. -Battle Hellion works, but you can't see attack.
I'll post more as I find them. Though I must say, I'm very impressed with this. Keep it up!
20 damage against light is true to the current (as of blizzcon) build of HotS for Arc shield. I think this mod is trying to replicate HotS as much as possible, not trying to balance it.
I don't know the damage of the air attack of the tempest, but anti-air is its primary utility. Its anti-ground does decent single target damage, but it's very slow.
Replicants are not air units, but they do look like they float.
XenoX101 Australia. October 30 2011 14:46. Posts 697
On October 30 2011 14:04 extropy wrote: Okay so I did play against the Very Easy AI just to test out the units. I played only as Zerg. A few things I noted that seem off:
-When picking which unit you'd like to spawn, the Swarm Host clearly uses the Lurker Icon. However when the unit actually hatches it doesn't appear to have the lurker model, it's just a circular orb with a checkerboard pattern. Is this intentional? If it is, I think the Lurker model would look better as a placeholder. (The Viper also has this weird placeholder model as well)
-Burrow icon for swarm host doesn't appear, instead there is a blank icon in its place.
-Viper has the same hot key for Blinding Cloud and Abduct. (B)
-Swarm Host rally point doesn't get reset when unburrowing and reburrowing.
A few other things I noticed, and simply thought were interesting, but not sure if they are good or bad:
- Ultralisk charge can be, and by default is, autocast. I wasn't at Blizzcon so I don't know if this is how it is working in the current pre-beta phase (or if it is worthwhile to even speculate at this point), but I didn't expect that.
- A building can be siphoned by only one corrupter at a time. Also didn't expect it, but it's interesting and makes the ability even less useful than I thought.
This was just me screwing around for 10 minutes (so I'm sure there are a lot things I missed), but it was definitely a neat mod. I especially liked the animation for the Ultralisk charge and Viper abduct, looked very similar to what was found in the preview videos I have seen.
EDIT: If it makes any difference, I was playing on the Metalopolis version.
This should now all be fixed, the campaign dependency went missing for some strange reason.
Last edit: 2011-10-30 14:47:06
Fearlezz Croatia. October 30 2011 14:50. Posts 172
Just tried Zerg quickly, and while most of the errors I encountered were mentioned before, these weren't:
Ultralisks can end up inside a building after charging Viper can abduct units into space (played on Antiga) and then they just move back Multiple Corrupters can syphon a building but you need to order each Corrupter individually Can't toggle building attack while banelings are burrowed Can't build Mutas nor Corrupters after upgrading to a Greater Spire, you need to build an additional Spire "Broodlings" from Swarm Hosts should be on attack-move command by default rather than move
That's what I can think of now, I'll probably post more after I get some sleep
Last edit: 2011-10-30 14:55:51
ZJAT United States. October 30 2011 14:51. Posts 83
I don't have time to check all your stats but I believe this thread has BlizzCon stats: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=280746 (there are some from blizzcon and some released around the same time, and I think the public releases had older stats)
"Experimentation is the key to success, though often requisite is failure." -ZG [Zjat's Project Vault] http://zjat.webs.com
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