- Joined
- Feb 9, 2017
- Messages
- 7
Looks nice 
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Lava Flow
- Author(s)
- tomek83
- Size
- 120.46 KB
- Rating
- Downloads
- 407
- Created
- Dec 15, 2017
- Updated
- Jan 19, 2018
- Resources
- 1
- State
Approved
This bundle is marked as recommended. It works and satisfies the submission rules.
Lava Flow
This is a melee-like map where both players fights with each other and escape from the lava. Higher lands are more important to control, as they will longer remain safe from lava, which burns everything on it's way.
Lava mechanics details:
- There is a volcano in the middle of the map, not far from players starting positions
- At the beginning of the game, a 15-minutes timer counts down to volcano explosion
- Lava expands horizontally, with some randomness, in all directions
- Lava can get through trees, ground units and buildings, damaging and destroying them quickly. It doesn't affect air units.
- Lava can't get through walls, can expand only up to the level of it's height
- Lava height slowly increases, allowing it enter higher lands over time
- A board in upper-right corner of the screen displays lava surface and "heat" of each player
- Lava can cover whole map in about 1h
- Such a cold race as Undead must be affected by lava in slightly different way
- Undead buildings takes some additional heat damage when lava is close to them
- Blight can slow down lava expansion
Map is protected. Please let me know if you need unprotected version.
Tips and hints:
- Avoid selecting "full lava speed" or prepare for getting really out of time even for fighting creeps
- Spare a few zeppelins before lava destroy goblin labs
- Don't develop too much your primary base, it'll be consumed by lava first
- There are two main paths: shorter to the inner hill and longer around the outer hill
- Inner hill is for aggressive players - don't just wait there for opponents - lava will get there first
- Outer hill is higher, but also harder to defend
- Creeps on inner hill can be easily defeated by flying units
latest changes:
- improved triggers performance
- changed lava size text display from absolute to percentage value
- fixed visual glitch near the volcano
- added / changed some creeps between players
- fixed full_terrain screenshot
- fixed player setup - removed fixed start locations
- added more trees and green creeps between start locations to slow down early rush tactics
- added trees to block access to close northwest shop from the wrong side
- moved fountain of power and tavern a little, now first of them is protected by orange creeps
- replaced Glyphs of Omniscience with other items
- reduced heat range and damage for undead players
- fireworks on blight on contact with lava
- replaced "lava speed" command with "menu" command, which shows menu
- selectable volcano explosion delay (from menu command)
- fixed creeps position, camping range and number
- blocked path between bases in the middle of the map
- blocked nearest shop by trees
- fixed spacing between mines and trees
- fixed player setup - one force instead of two
- map file rename and map image updated
- Terrain - added a path around the map + few minor improvements
- Doodads - added more trees and some decorations
- Units - Added / moved some creeps and moved fountains to bottom of the map, fixed creeps range
- Object editor - removed strongest dragons from roost
- Triggers - fixed a bug in selecting lava speed
- Fixed force names and this description
- Replaced farms / flying machine near volcano with visibility modifier
- Players can change lava speed at the beginning of the game
- Terrain improvements, fixed creeps, neutral buildings positions and item drops
No credits - only Warcraft resources has been used
Previews
Contents
Reviews
Map Reviewer
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2009
- Messages
- 18,836
Strona instead of team/force?
This is not fitting for the Escape/Maze/Slide genre.
I suggest these:
Competitive Melee Map
How to create Melee Maps
A Beginner's Guide to Map Making
General - Melee Maps like the Professionals
A Guideline to Terraining and the Hive's Terraining Section
Awaiting Update.
=================================================
Always check/recheck the Map Submission Rules! (Map Submission Rules)
Screenshots could attract more players to download your work. Make the best of them.
A detailed changelog in the first post would be helpful to reviewers and notify fans about the newest implementations to your map.
To make your work run smoother, fix the so called leaks: Triggers - Memory Leaks and Custom Scripts
If you want more reviews, come here:
The Grand Review Exchange!
This is not fitting for the Escape/Maze/Slide genre.
1. Why does each player have a High Elven Farm near the volcano? You could simply put a message on screen to announce the lava progression. If you really want vision there, just add a visibility modified via triggers although that can be a spoiler for air units passing by.
2. Terrain is pretty much flat and lacking.
3. Shops are unguarded.
4. Fountain of Mana right near a mine!? Same with Foutains of Health.
5. Trees are lacking.
6. Somewhat chaotic creep placement.
7. Unguarded Dragon Roost. Also, you could remove the strongest dragon in there.
8. Some mines are undefended.
9. Not sure if Sacrificial Skulls should drop from creeps. Or Artifact items from the campaign... Tiny Castle... Shadow Orb +10 and so on. Generally items are too strong.
10. The Tavern doesn't have all the heroes in. Save the map with the Latest Melee Patch (Map Options). Also, I doubt anyone would have any heroes from the Tavern until late game.
11. Why are Flying Machines appearing when the eruption starts? Use a temporary visibility modifier. Trigger Editor->Action->Visibility.
12. Lava seems to be spreading not really fast.
13. Ground units aren't quite viable since there are many narrow paths and ramps which can be blocked by towers.
2. Terrain is pretty much flat and lacking.
3. Shops are unguarded.
4. Fountain of Mana right near a mine!? Same with Foutains of Health.
5. Trees are lacking.
6. Somewhat chaotic creep placement.
7. Unguarded Dragon Roost. Also, you could remove the strongest dragon in there.
8. Some mines are undefended.
9. Not sure if Sacrificial Skulls should drop from creeps. Or Artifact items from the campaign... Tiny Castle... Shadow Orb +10 and so on. Generally items are too strong.
10. The Tavern doesn't have all the heroes in. Save the map with the Latest Melee Patch (Map Options). Also, I doubt anyone would have any heroes from the Tavern until late game.
11. Why are Flying Machines appearing when the eruption starts? Use a temporary visibility modifier. Trigger Editor->Action->Visibility.
12. Lava seems to be spreading not really fast.
13. Ground units aren't quite viable since there are many narrow paths and ramps which can be blocked by towers.
I suggest these:
Competitive Melee Map
How to create Melee Maps
A Beginner's Guide to Map Making
General - Melee Maps like the Professionals
A Guideline to Terraining and the Hive's Terraining Section
Awaiting Update.
=================================================
Always check/recheck the Map Submission Rules! (Map Submission Rules)
Screenshots could attract more players to download your work. Make the best of them.
A detailed changelog in the first post would be helpful to reviewers and notify fans about the newest implementations to your map.
To make your work run smoother, fix the so called leaks: Triggers - Memory Leaks and Custom Scripts
If you want more reviews, come here:
The Grand Review Exchange!
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2011
- Messages
- 33
Thanks for the feedback, deepstrasz. I've just uploaded updated version of this map.
I had added Escape/Maze/Slide tag before as players escape from lava, but most likely it's not what people are expecting from Escape maps, so now I've removed this tag.
I had added Escape/Maze/Slide tag before as players escape from lava, but most likely it's not what people are expecting from Escape maps, so now I've removed this tag.
1. In previous version I've put farms near volcano to show players what lava does with buildings on it's way. It seems to be too obvious so now I've replaced them with visibility modifier, as you suggested.
2. Changed terrain a little and added a few details
3. Added some creeps near shops.
4. Moved fountains somewhat away from mines, especially for bottom bases. Camping anywhere else is unwise because of lava.
5. Added some extra trees, now there should be enough lumber, even for Undead.
6. Now most of the creeps are nearby neutral buildings or important passes.
7. Dragon Roost is now guarded, I've replaced strongest dragon nearby with level 6 one.
8. Added some creeps near mines
9. Changed items dropping from creeps.
10. Swapped Tavern with one closer buildings. I've changed data set in map options to "melee" or I don't have the right option in WE (Default, TFT 1.07 or melee).
11. Removed flying machine on eruption start.
12. Fixed in description. Players can now change lava speed at the beginning of the game
13. True, there's little I can now do with this. It might be useful to spare a few Zeppelins from Goblin Laboratory.
2. Changed terrain a little and added a few details
3. Added some creeps near shops.
4. Moved fountains somewhat away from mines, especially for bottom bases. Camping anywhere else is unwise because of lava.
5. Added some extra trees, now there should be enough lumber, even for Undead.
6. Now most of the creeps are nearby neutral buildings or important passes.
7. Dragon Roost is now guarded, I've replaced strongest dragon nearby with level 6 one.
8. Added some creeps near mines
9. Changed items dropping from creeps.
10. Swapped Tavern with one closer buildings. I've changed data set in map options to "melee" or I don't have the right option in WE (Default, TFT 1.07 or melee).
11. Removed flying machine on eruption start.
12. Fixed in description. Players can now change lava speed at the beginning of the game
13. True, there's little I can now do with this. It might be useful to spare a few Zeppelins from Goblin Laboratory.
Map Reviewer
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2009
- Messages
- 18,836
For wood you could also just change the HP of trees to something huge although keeping in mind that only one Wisp can harvest from one tree. However, the Keeper of the Grove should be able to cast Force of Nature and that would be devastating to the enemy due to lack of trees.
No. I was referring to the strongest you can buy from the Roost. They are too powerful to be under player control.
1. You still need to set the camping range of units to 200 because they attack your buildings when you construct them in the starting base...
2. Try not to use only one tile (grass) on terrain. Also, make it less flat.
3. I suggest you remove the fountains or leave them somewhere near the volcano.
4. There's only one 25k gold mine in the south near the Marketplace. You can't mine it without your workers being blocked on the mine's side. The terrain/pathing there is simply too thin.
5. The "lava speed" command has bugs. 4 doesn't do anything, 3 doesn't exist but choosing it got me lava speed=0.
I don't think you've looked through the melee mapping tutorials I've linked. Creep positioning and number is important. So are things related to neutral buildings. Those links will also help you understand what good terrain should be like.
Awaiting Update.
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2011
- Messages
- 33
Thanks again deepstrasz, I've updated my map.
I've moved fountains further from best mines - to encourage players to use inner hill as well.
I've improved terrain a little (added a path around the map), but it's still somewhat flat - lava don't understand raise / lower terrain, just cliffs and ramps.
"lava speed" command has been fixed, invalid command will no longer reset lava speed to 0.
Please let me know if terrain variation (tiles, hills, decorations) is sufficient and if anything else needs improvements.
I've moved fountains further from best mines - to encourage players to use inner hill as well.
I've improved terrain a little (added a path around the map), but it's still somewhat flat - lava don't understand raise / lower terrain, just cliffs and ramps.
"lava speed" command has been fixed, invalid command will no longer reset lava speed to 0.
Please let me know if terrain variation (tiles, hills, decorations) is sufficient and if anything else needs improvements.
Map Reviewer
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2009
- Messages
- 18,836
You should give your map a proper filename, eg: (2) Lava Flow.w3x.
Don't have two forces because this way the red player will always start on the left/west side.
Since the map is protected, I can't draw you some of the problems so I'll mention them:
-mines are not protected enough
-the shops are too near the starting points
-you should block the middle path from a player to another to avoid tower rush as this is not the idea of the map
-there are mines where main buildings do not fit near them because of trees
-creeps protecting mines should be near them to avoid flying with Zeppelin and potentially haunting mines with Undead without needing to dispose of the creeps first
-neutral buildings should have stronger guards. Look at a melee map and see what I mean. Do the same with camping range (double click on a unit for its properties) to understand how it should work
The terrain is somewhat better.
Awaiting Update.
Don't have two forces because this way the red player will always start on the left/west side.
Since the map is protected, I can't draw you some of the problems so I'll mention them:
-mines are not protected enough
-the shops are too near the starting points
-you should block the middle path from a player to another to avoid tower rush as this is not the idea of the map
-there are mines where main buildings do not fit near them because of trees
-creeps protecting mines should be near them to avoid flying with Zeppelin and potentially haunting mines with Undead without needing to dispose of the creeps first
-neutral buildings should have stronger guards. Look at a melee map and see what I mean. Do the same with camping range (double click on a unit for its properties) to understand how it should work
The terrain is somewhat better.
Awaiting Update.
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2011
- Messages
- 33
I've updated this map as you suggested:
I've updated full terrain image, you can use it for drawing future problems or suggestions.
- mines are protected by at least orange creeps
- nearest shops are now blocked by trees
- middle paths are now blocked by trees and green creeps, upper path creeps upgraded to orange
- fixed trees position of middle and upper-middle mines
- moved nearby creeps next to mines
- added a few creeps to neutral buildings
- camping range reduced where I expect creeps to engage units outside their area of interest
- also some undead-related lava mechanics changes - see changelog
I've updated full terrain image, you can use it for drawing future problems or suggestions.
Map Reviewer
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2009
- Messages
- 18,836
1. Players are still on fixed start locations. It would be nicer to not always start on the same side even if the map is mirrored.
2. I suggest not connecting the two shops because item buy exploits can be made. You can either use the wind walking Blademaster to easily buy from both or just any hero whatsoever by doing a run through.
3. Also, because the players are so near each other with a lot of blank space between them, the Warden could use Blink for harass tactics early on. Not only that, but there's a thin line of trees blocking the way to the enemy's base right a bit to the southcenter between the two bases. You could use a ghoul or workers to attack the trees early on.
4. You can buy items from other shops without having to get to their guardians. There are too many shops near the starting point. The case of the closest one in the northwest. The one mirroring it can't be reached like this (see picture).
5. Why isn't the fountain of power defended?
6. Building a main base for some factions like humans and orcs up where the mines are right near north of the fountain of power, leads to a long distance between the buildable spot and the mines (see picture). It wouldn't be bad if not for the undead and night elves being able to build close to the mines. Just be careful not to have them blocked between the main building and mine.
7. Would be nice to have the minimap colour change where the lava is if possible.
8. Not sure if there should be Glyphs of Omniscience (they uncover the whole map temporarily). Kind of kills the fun of having to search for a possible enemy base somewhere.
9. Maybe, the creatures which do not protect anything should have their camping range set to the lowest? They are stronger as you go upwards and if you play on the fastest lava speed, you might not have the time to train the proper army for them.
Awaiting Update.
2. I suggest not connecting the two shops because item buy exploits can be made. You can either use the wind walking Blademaster to easily buy from both or just any hero whatsoever by doing a run through.
3. Also, because the players are so near each other with a lot of blank space between them, the Warden could use Blink for harass tactics early on. Not only that, but there's a thin line of trees blocking the way to the enemy's base right a bit to the southcenter between the two bases. You could use a ghoul or workers to attack the trees early on.
4. You can buy items from other shops without having to get to their guardians. There are too many shops near the starting point. The case of the closest one in the northwest. The one mirroring it can't be reached like this (see picture).
5. Why isn't the fountain of power defended?
6. Building a main base for some factions like humans and orcs up where the mines are right near north of the fountain of power, leads to a long distance between the buildable spot and the mines (see picture). It wouldn't be bad if not for the undead and night elves being able to build close to the mines. Just be careful not to have them blocked between the main building and mine.
7. Would be nice to have the minimap colour change where the lava is if possible.
8. Not sure if there should be Glyphs of Omniscience (they uncover the whole map temporarily). Kind of kills the fun of having to search for a possible enemy base somewhere.
9. Maybe, the creatures which do not protect anything should have their camping range set to the lowest? They are stronger as you go upwards and if you play on the fastest lava speed, you might not have the time to train the proper army for them.
Awaiting Update.
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2011
- Messages
- 33
I've updated this map, please let me know deepstrasz if it fixes the problems or what else needs to be changed:
2, 3: I've added some trees and creeps near shops between initial bases, to slow down rush tactics. If that's still not enough, next time I'll consider removing that 2 shops and blocking entire area.
5: I've added a few creeps near fountain of power, it's still possible to use it without dealing with creeps first, but it's very inconvenient: you can use little space for free use of it (more space after dealing with creeps), also location of this fountain is far from everything but central base. Fountain of power is placed there to help player who'll choose this dead
end for it's base, getting there with small army, without any other business on the way, will cost too much time.
7: Unfortunately, I couldn't find any way to update terrain on the minimap.
9: Going upwards should not be too easy, securing position on the bottom of the map is very important goal of the game. If you can make if before your enemy, time will be on your side. Also, you don't have to use all buildings and gold mines on the way - players should choose between building easier bases on lower levels or moving fast forward to the south.
Highest creeps are highly optional to deal with - unless both players can secure a base on south corners of the map.
Just in case, I've added a warning about avoiding fastest lava speed in "Tips and hints" section of map description.
5: I've added a few creeps near fountain of power, it's still possible to use it without dealing with creeps first, but it's very inconvenient: you can use little space for free use of it (more space after dealing with creeps), also location of this fountain is far from everything but central base. Fountain of power is placed there to help player who'll choose this dead
end for it's base, getting there with small army, without any other business on the way, will cost too much time.
7: Unfortunately, I couldn't find any way to update terrain on the minimap.
9: Going upwards should not be too easy, securing position on the bottom of the map is very important goal of the game. If you can make if before your enemy, time will be on your side. Also, you don't have to use all buildings and gold mines on the way - players should choose between building easier bases on lower levels or moving fast forward to the south.
Highest creeps are highly optional to deal with - unless both players can secure a base on south corners of the map.
Just in case, I've added a warning about avoiding fastest lava speed in "Tips and hints" section of map description.
Map Reviewer
- Joined
- Jun 4, 2009
- Messages
- 18,836
Good point. Maybe, you'd want to think about aerial units. Should they be available or not? Maybe only leave the Zeppelin (and hero summons) for flying?
1. Between the players, a bit to the north, there are two mud golems, four trolls and one wolf. Is it intentional or was it supposed to be two wolves and three trolls?
2. I suggest adding the commands in the Quest Log as information.
3. I think you should toughen the creeps between players. Particularly referring to the trolls. It's not impossible to do a fast Militia rush. Of course, the Blademaster can use Wind Walk through units anyway.
4. Found a weird visual glitch:
Approved.
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2017
- Messages
- 227
The Terrain and the whole idea of the map is amazing although quite laggy when the lava has consumed at least 40% of the map and also it would be amazing if there would be a safe haven where the lava won't reach the player that's just my opinion about the map and also Great work on the map.
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2011
- Messages
- 33
Thank you, deepstrasz for your reviews, and nightelfbuilder for comment. I've updated this map with fixed creeps between players, removed visual glitch mentioned above and fixed triggers performance, however there's not much room for improving performance any further. I couldn't spare any place for a safe haven, however if one can secure bottom part of the map, it should be enough to win. The only command players should use is menu command, in first 20 seconds of the game (works only for first player who enters it).
