- Joined
- May 12, 2012
- Messages
- 104
I'm not too happy with the visual style.
The distribution of doodads is way too random for my taste. Look at this screenshot, for example. There are graves. So is it a graveyard on a cliff? A bit weird, but okay. But what's all that stuff with the crates and shields, who would store that on a graveyard? The bright yellow flowers don't fit the dark theme. Mushrooms and shrubs don't go well together, either. And why is there a torch?
To emphasize my point, I've removed some doodads from the above area. I think it looks much more consistent now. Naturally it all comes down to a question of personal taste, but perhaps you'll agree that less can be more in this case.
My main issue with the design – and this concerns your other maps as well – is the absolute flatness of the map. There are no hills at all. I've attempted to also realize this with screenshots but you can't see the difference too well.
Warcraft 3 looks really great with locally elevated terrain. Naturally it makes doesn't make sense in every single map out there, but it does in most.
Some tress are incorporated into archways:
You should put a cliff here so units can't reach the edge of the map (except for flying ones, of course):
That's not to say that everything is bad. The dark-greenish theme with the light-green works rather well I think, looks a little like "Underground" lightning.
The terrain is generally okay, however you could get rid of some of the "lost tiles":
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The Murloc Mutant creep is an absolute pain because cripple lasts 60 seconds. I guess you could argue that it's almost a red spot and supposed to be difficult and all, but players are still gonna complain heavily.
Similar problem with the Dark Troll High Priest. Sleep lasts 10 seconds and can be absolutely destructive when the enemy catches your creeping that.
I think the map center needs to be redesigned for several issues:
a) The creeps will attack scouts and other units that are only passing by. There need to be more trees on their flanks.
b) When you attack one creep camp, it might trigger the other.
c) Also, why does the Market camp only drop a rune of the watcher (plus a small powerup)? That's disappointing.
I would probably remove the ramps around the Goblin Labs. There seems to be no particular reason for them to exist in the first place.
The lvl 8 creep camps in the center (troll and wolves) drop a lvl 2 charged – that's pretty strong.
When you go for lvl 11 gold mine and kill the lvl 5 camp with Sludge Finger, the creeps at the mine and the spot at the Goblin Lab, you'll be around 20 exp short for lvl 3. Players will with that illogical. What you can do is slightly buff the Sludge Finger camp with an extra lvl 1 creep, re-composition the natural creeps to something like 5-3-2-1, or buff the Goblin Lab creep camp as it's pretty safe to farm. I would not buff the natural creeps because that gold mine is already pretty exposed.
The lvl 14 gold mine, is too close to the starting position. It would have to be better guarded or further away. I also don't see why you'd need 3 extra gold mines per player.
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I don't mean to sound too negative. Your maps are not terrible or anything, they just seem underdeveloped/unfinished.
The distribution of doodads is way too random for my taste. Look at this screenshot, for example. There are graves. So is it a graveyard on a cliff? A bit weird, but okay. But what's all that stuff with the crates and shields, who would store that on a graveyard? The bright yellow flowers don't fit the dark theme. Mushrooms and shrubs don't go well together, either. And why is there a torch?
To emphasize my point, I've removed some doodads from the above area. I think it looks much more consistent now. Naturally it all comes down to a question of personal taste, but perhaps you'll agree that less can be more in this case.
My main issue with the design – and this concerns your other maps as well – is the absolute flatness of the map. There are no hills at all. I've attempted to also realize this with screenshots but you can't see the difference too well.
Warcraft 3 looks really great with locally elevated terrain. Naturally it makes doesn't make sense in every single map out there, but it does in most.
Some tress are incorporated into archways:
You should put a cliff here so units can't reach the edge of the map (except for flying ones, of course):
That's not to say that everything is bad. The dark-greenish theme with the light-green works rather well I think, looks a little like "Underground" lightning.
The terrain is generally okay, however you could get rid of some of the "lost tiles":
===
The Murloc Mutant creep is an absolute pain because cripple lasts 60 seconds. I guess you could argue that it's almost a red spot and supposed to be difficult and all, but players are still gonna complain heavily.
Similar problem with the Dark Troll High Priest. Sleep lasts 10 seconds and can be absolutely destructive when the enemy catches your creeping that.
I think the map center needs to be redesigned for several issues:
a) The creeps will attack scouts and other units that are only passing by. There need to be more trees on their flanks.
b) When you attack one creep camp, it might trigger the other.
c) Also, why does the Market camp only drop a rune of the watcher (plus a small powerup)? That's disappointing.
I would probably remove the ramps around the Goblin Labs. There seems to be no particular reason for them to exist in the first place.
The lvl 8 creep camps in the center (troll and wolves) drop a lvl 2 charged – that's pretty strong.
When you go for lvl 11 gold mine and kill the lvl 5 camp with Sludge Finger, the creeps at the mine and the spot at the Goblin Lab, you'll be around 20 exp short for lvl 3. Players will with that illogical. What you can do is slightly buff the Sludge Finger camp with an extra lvl 1 creep, re-composition the natural creeps to something like 5-3-2-1, or buff the Goblin Lab creep camp as it's pretty safe to farm. I would not buff the natural creeps because that gold mine is already pretty exposed.
The lvl 14 gold mine, is too close to the starting position. It would have to be better guarded or further away. I also don't see why you'd need 3 extra gold mines per player.
===
I don't mean to sound too negative. Your maps are not terrible or anything, they just seem underdeveloped/unfinished.