| Apom France. March 05 2012 07:34. Posts 553 | Profile # |
Sands of Xil - v0.1 available on EU
Defeat your opponents, lest you join the fossils of extinct species.
Made by : Apom
Introduction
Hello to all custom-maps-forum dwellers,
This is my go at a 3v3 map. It features a shared base with two single ramps, natural expansions for all players, and enough bases for everyone to take a third if the game goes on to later stages.
Overview
Texturing and doodading are underway, but I'm getting there. All remarks regarding layout are still welcome !
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/Sv8V7.jpg)
+ Show Spoiler [first draw] +
Aesthetics
As the name implies, the scenery is that of the desert planet Xil. Some Xel'Naga ruins lay across the place, but mostly it's a natural, desertic landscape. There are small aquatic areas. All textures, cliffs, lighting and doodads are unmodified from the Xil tileset.
+ Show Spoiler [blasted Xel'Naga tower] +
+ Show Spoiler [high yield expansion] +Last edit: 2012-05-21 07:03:14 |
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dezi  Germany. March 05 2012 07:55. Posts 1417 | Profile Blog # |
| So - if u expand u're dead eh? |
| | TPW Member | My Maps @ TL: http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topic_id=171486 | Search 'dezi' at EU |
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| Apom France. March 05 2012 08:03. Posts 553 | Profile # |
Unlike pretty much every 3v3 map in the ladder pool (except Bio Lab and the now-retired Monsoon), you can at least expand and fight as a team.
But if you are going to hatch first in 3v3, you will die, yes. |
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| EatThePath United States. March 05 2012 08:14. Posts 2448 | Profile Blog # |
On March 05 2012 07:55 dezi wrote:
So - if u expand u're dead eh?
Dezi you have such a way with words. 
I agree -- that is an absurd amount of open space. It needs some kind of obstruction closer than the center ramps which are themselves rather open as "chokepoints".
Though I do like the general look of it. =)Last edit: 2012-03-05 08:15:58 |
| | Comprehensive strategic intention: DNE |
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 Praetorial United States. March 05 2012 08:27. Posts 3631 | Profile Blog # |
*looks* just like 3-player Cloud Kingdom but with no safe expansions.
Looks good though. |
| | FOR GREAT JUSTICE! Bans for the ban gods! |
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| The_Templar United States. March 05 2012 09:19. Posts 4027 | Profile Blog # |
| I would personally make the naturals a little less open to make expansions easier. |
| | I am the 4% http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewpost.php?post_id=17208214 ||| Improvement of posts underway. |
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| FlaShFTW United States. March 05 2012 09:25. Posts 4959 | Profile Blog # |
| you need to create some sort of walls for the naturals. they are just too open. maybe some unpathable area between the nats and the middle. |
| | Never Surrender. Never GG. Always Fighting. BW4LYF. Woo Jung Ho Never Forget. |
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| WniO United States. March 05 2012 11:20. Posts 2704 | Profile Blog # |
| i like this, but yeah the nats need to have some form of a choke and i think that the mains on the outside need to be trimmed a tad. |
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 greggy United Kingdom. March 05 2012 11:28. Posts 889 | Profile # |
| One of the nats needs to be a pocket natural at least. Also what's the purpose of those highgrounds in the corners? |
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| TheFish7 United States. March 05 2012 11:58. Posts 1208 | Profile # |
I like the overall idea, but I agree that it would be too tough to expand.
I think the layout would become alot more viable into the mid-late game if the middle "S" part were low ground, and the gold bases were on highground. You could use the new high ground at the gold bases to make that choke into the naturals a bit smaller. also, I would redesign the two corner bases with the highground next to them, I'd probably make that high ground another base and close that choke into the naturals a little.
Cool concept and great to see other people working on team maps!  |
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| Apom France. March 07 2012 07:34. Posts 553 | Profile # |
Hello everyone. I got the message ^_^ So here is a new and improved version ! Texturing is only minimal for now, and I'll probably find something better than the rock spires as blocking doodads, but please let me know if you have any further feedback 
+ Show Spoiler [spoilered for space] +Last edit: 2012-03-13 08:00:16 |
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| Cracy Poland. March 07 2012 07:46. Posts 156 | Profile # |
| I like it a lot |
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| TheFish7 United States. March 07 2012 08:40. Posts 1208 | Profile # |
| Awesome! I like the change. the high ground in the corners still bugs me a bit, but I would love to play on this now. Can't wait to see the finished product. |
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| EatThePath United States. March 07 2012 10:48. Posts 2448 | Profile Blog # |
What if you added some rocks a la Cloud Kingdom on the middlemost ramps? This would help swing the action a little farther from the naturals, and provide a bit more buffer between the inner 2 and 8 o'clock bases.
Also maybe just a little more coverage on that doodad patch protecting the flank of those same bases. Or maybe some LosB sticking out around the geyser on that dangling side?
Also I think it'd be really cool if that new wide "bridge" was unbuildable like a BW bridge. (But still you should be able to get creep tumors across from one side to the other.)
Nice improvements. =) |
| | Comprehensive strategic intention: DNE |
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| Duvon Sweden. March 07 2012 22:31. Posts 124 | Profile # |
| I like. Possibly increase the width of one of the main ramps, air and drops are good enough as it is in team games due to resource dumps and joint bases. |
| | Nothing is impossible, only some things for some people. |
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| Apom France. March 08 2012 04:39. Posts 553 | Profile # |
Hey guys, I'm glad you like the changes - I do too ! And thanks for the feedback too, it's very useful. Here's to answer specific points :
On March 07 2012 08:40 TheFish7 wrote:
Awesome! I like the change. the high ground in the corners still bugs me a bit, but I would love to play on this now. Can't wait to see the finished product.
I don't like that high ground very much either, as it feels quite useless. However, removing it entirely would just add empty space, which is useless, while the current piece of land at least allow you to fire at the expansion below with tanks (I will probably add a mid-height ridge so people can walk colossi or reapers there, too). You can also patrol a marine to spot drops. For now, it's just a very peripheral map feature, that may rarely come into play, but it's not bad per se.
On March 07 2012 10:48 EatThePath wrote:
What if you added some rocks a la Cloud Kingdom on the middlemost ramps? This would help swing the action a little farther from the naturals, and provide a bit more buffer between the inner 2 and 8 o'clock bases.
Also maybe just a little more coverage on that doodad patch protecting the flank of those same bases. Or maybe some LosB sticking out around the geyser on that dangling side?
Also I think it'd be really cool if that new wide "bridge" was unbuildable like a BW bridge. (But still you should be able to get creep tumors across from one side to the other.)
Nice improvements. =)
Rocks on the ramps you mention sound like a reasonable idea (although people already said it looked like Cloud Kingdom just because there is a ridge in the middle, what will it be then ?). I'll think about it.
The doodad patch is very temporary, mostly to show the concept. A better-looking and better-laid-out version is being worked on.
The unbuildable bridge idea is quite interesting. I don't think it adds anything in terms of gameplay, but it doesn't detract either, it just sounds like a cool feature. I'll consider it if it still suitable with the better-looking textures, which aren't as sharply cut between sand and rock.
On March 07 2012 22:31 Duvon wrote:
I like. Possibly increase the width of one of the main ramps, air and drops are good enough as it is in team games due to resource dumps and joint bases.
While I agree with the idea that the ramps may be too small for mid-game engagements, making even one ramp wider would cause issues in early game. Namely, PPZ, or even TPZ if Terran is in the opposite spawn point, can't properly wall-off against 7pools (one is easily beaten without a wall, but more is complicated) without taking a significant economic risk.
You can note that the ramps are much closer for attackers than they are for defenders, which should promote defending at the bottom of the ramps anyways, once the game has progressed enough. |
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| PrivetNiCeGuY Sweden. March 08 2012 23:24. Posts 5 | Profile # |
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/qsuKv.jpg)
One base is safer |
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| EatThePath United States. March 09 2012 02:39. Posts 2448 | Profile Blog # |
On March 08 2012 04:39 Apom wrote:
The unbuildable bridge idea is quite interesting. I don't think it adds anything in terms of gameplay, but it doesn't detract either, it just sounds like a cool feature. I'll consider it if it still suitable with the better-looking textures, which aren't as sharply cut between sand and rock.
Actually I suggested it to mitigate the chokiness you introduced. Unbuildable would make a big difference by removing the option to clutter that route with buildings, as a bio terran might do on 3 bases with extra rax. It makes moving onto the bridge to attack the other side always not-that-risky instead of giving that spot the potential to become a wall.
In addition you could use scattered LosB on either side of the bridge to prevent another few squares of buildings on either side. (This wouldn't affect creep tumors much at all obv.) This way you can't make a part/full wall just outside the unbuildable zone, a la FFE wall at the big ramp on Antiga.
Just my idea for what I would do with it, do what you will.
Also, just because CK is successful doesn't mean you can't use rocks partially blocking a ramp because that would be copying or unoriginal. That is an old idea and it's a good one that should be used a lot because it's a great feature! People who bag on imitation are confused.Last edit: 2012-03-09 02:42:11 |
| | Comprehensive strategic intention: DNE |
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| Apom France. March 13 2012 08:12. Posts 553 | Profile # |
Hey guys ! I've been busy, but I won't let such constructive feedback go unanswered
On March 08 2012 23:24 PrivetNiCeGuY wrote:
[pro paint skillz]
One base is safer
While the idea is interesting in terms of expansion safety, I don't like that it makes the three main bases quite distant from each other, thus removing some of the "teamplay" feeling. Also this makes attack distances between the ramps really, really short compared to the defense distance.
On March 09 2012 02:39 EatThePath wrote:
Show nested quote +On March 08 2012 04:39 Apom wrote:
The unbuildable bridge idea is quite interesting. I don't think it adds anything in terms of gameplay, but it doesn't detract either, it just sounds like a cool feature. I'll consider it if it still suitable with the better-looking textures, which aren't as sharply cut between sand and rock.
Actually I suggested it to mitigate the chokiness you introduced. Unbuildable would make a big difference by removing the option to clutter that route with buildings, as a bio terran might do on 3 bases with extra rax. It makes moving onto the bridge to attack the other side always not-that-risky instead of giving that spot the potential to become a wall. In addition you could use scattered LosB on either side of the bridge to prevent another few squares of buildings on either side. (This wouldn't affect creep tumors much at all obv.) This way you can't make a part/full wall just outside the unbuildable zone, a la FFE wall at the big ramp on Antiga. Just my idea for what I would do with it, do what you will. Also, just because CK is successful doesn't mean you can't use rocks partially blocking a ramp because that would be copying or unoriginal. That is an old idea and it's a good one that should be used a lot because it's a great feature! People who bag on imitation are confused.
The Cloud Kingdom comment was tongue-in-cheek, taking a good idea is certainly not like doing a whole rip-off
Anyways, I gave the no-build idea a shot since I found it interesting, unfortunately it doesn't make much more sense now that I have softened the textures, so I had to take it out. Here is an updated overview, layout is mostly the same but aesthetics have been improved :
![[image loading]](http://i.imgur.com/NKIeZ.jpg)
The black mark in the middle is an ancient blasted Xel'Naga tower.
+ Show Spoiler [detail picture] +Last edit: 2012-03-14 03:43:08 |
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| Promethelax Canada. March 13 2012 09:44. Posts 5127 | Profile # |
| What use does the blasted XWT have? or is it just a doodad? |
| | I find Kennigit really attractive. If anyone has a picture of him please feel free to PM it to me. |
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