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Scorched Steppes 1.1

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"When Centaur Tribes lack a proper Khan to rule them, authority is naturally given to the most powerful in the land: dragons. Traverse your forces around these dangerous peaks, or challenge the dragons' right to rule."

Scorched Steppes is a 4 player map designed for FFA, or 2v2. 1v1s are possible and competitive, but due to the large size of the map and abundant resources, 1v1s take a long time. The size of the map is 192x192, with a playable area of 180x180. The tileset of the map is the Barrens. Major geological features include the "Acropolis" style hills that players start in, 4 large mountains in the middle, mountains on the perimeter, and the canyons around these mountains. The main base has two large ramp to exit and enter. 3 green creep camps are located at the foot of the large center mountains, naturally leading towards the Tavern in the center. Players can traverse directly through the middle to attack enemy bases, or go around the mountains to attack enemy gold mines. The main base is surrounded by orange creep camps that can be taken early in the game or saved for later. The real treasure lies atop the mountains themselves. The lower level of the mountain contains a relatively low power orange camp guarding a Goblin Merchant. This Merchant is close enough to the main base that players can buy Dust of Appearance with relative convenience if they need it. The highest level of the mountain contains a red camp guarding a marketplace. The leader of this red camp is a Level 6 Bronze Drake who is bloodlusted by Centaur Sorcerers, so caution is advised before attacking. However, the Drake drops a Level 5 Permanent and the Centaur Sorcerers each drop a Power Up, and grants access to the Marketplace. Creeping the perimeter of the map is also an option.

All races will find their advantage on this map. Undead players will be able to use the corpses of critters to accelerate their creeping, or attempt to take a fast expansion. The first available expansion is close enough to the main base that human players can use militia to help clear it. Nearly all of the creep camps have buildable terrain near them and trees to assist with Ancient of War creeping.

Hopefully players are able to play dynamic FFAs or team games on this map, experimenting which paths will lead them to victory.

Version 1.3 Map Contents:

4 Level 5 Green camps. Composed of 1 Level 2 Centaur Drudge, and 1 Level 3 Quillboar Hunter. Drops 1 Level 1 Power Up.

4 Level 5 Green Camps. Composed of 1 Level 2 Murloc Huntsman, 1 Level 2 Centaur Archer, and 1 Level 1 Razormane Scout. Drops 1 Level 1 Permanent.

4 Level 6 Green Camps. Composed of 1 Level 2 Centaur Drudge, and 2 Level 2 Centaur Archers. Drops 1 Level 1 Power Up.

4 Level 7 Green Camps. Composed of 1 Level 3 Razormane Brute, 1 Level 2 Centaur Archer, and 1 Level 2 Murloc Huntsman. Drops 1 Level 1 Permanent.

4 Level 8 Green Camps. Composed of 1 Level 3 Murloc Nightcrawler, 2 Level 2 Murloc Huntsman, and 1 Level 1 Murloc Tiderunner. Drops 1 Level 2 Charged.

4 Level 10 Orange Camps. Composed of 1 Level 4 Wildkin, and 2 Level 3 Quillboar Hunters. Drops 1 Level 2 Permanent.

4 Level 11 Orange Camps. Composed of 1 Level 5 Kobold Taskmaster, 1 Level 3 Kobold Geomancer, and 1 Level 3 Kobold Tunneler. Drops 1 Level 2 Power Up, and 1 Level 1 Power Up.

4 Level 12 Orange Camps. Composed of 2 Level 3 Murloc Nightcrawlers, 2 Level 2 Murloc Huntsman, and 2 Level 1 Murloc Tiderunners. Drops 1 Level 2 Permanent, and 1 Level 1 Power Up.

4 Level 12 Orange Camps. Composed of 2 Level 2 Centaur Archers, 1 Level 4 Centaur Outrunner, and 1 Level 4 Centaur Impaler. Drops 1 Level 2 Charged, and 1 Level 1 Power Up. Guard Goblin Merchant.

4 Level 13 Orange Camps. Composed of 2 Level 2 Murloc Huntsman, 1 Level 4 Centaur Impaler, and 1 Level 5 Centaur Sorcerer. Drops 1 Level 3 Charged, and 1 Level 1 Power Up. Guards Gold Mine.

4 Level 15 Orange Camps. Composed of 1 Level 5 Kobold Taskmaster, 1 Level 4 Wildkin, and 2 Level 3 Kobold Geomancers. Drops 1 Level 3 Permanent, and 1 Level 1 Power Up. Guards Goblin Observatory.

4 Level 17 Orange Camps. Composed of 1 Level 5 Razormane Medicine Man, 2 Level 3 Quillboar Hunters, and 2 Level 3 Razormane Brutes. Drops 1 Level 4 Permanent, and 1 Level 1 Power Up. Guards Gold Mine.

4 Level 18 Orange Camps. Composed of 2 Level 2 Murloc Huntsman, 1 Level 2 Centaur Archer, 1 Level 4 Centaur Impaler, and 1 Level 8 Centaur Khan. Drops 1 Level 4 Permanent, and 1 Level 1 Power Up. Guards Mercenary Camp (Barrens).

4 Level 24 Red Camps. Composed of 2 Level 2 Centaur Drudges, 1 Level 4 Centaur Outrunner, 2 Level 5 Centaur Sorcerers, and 1 Level 6 Bronze Drake. Drops 1 Level 5 Permanent, and 1 Level 1 Power Up. The Dragon now drops a Rune of Speed. Guards Marketplace.

4 Level 24 Red Camps. Composed of 2 Level 2 Murloc Huntsman, 1 Level 2 Lightning Lizard, 2 Level 3 Quillboar Hunters, 1 Level 4 Wildkin, and 1 Level 8 Beserk Wildkin. Drops 1 Level 5 Permanent, and 2 Level 1 Power Ups. Guards Starting Locations.


Version 1.1 Map Contents:

4 Level 5 Green camps. Composed of 1 Level 2 Centaur Drudge, and 1 Level 3 Quillboar Hunter. Drops 1 Level 1 Power Up.

4 Level 5 Green Camps. Composed of 1 Level 2 Murloc Huntsman, 1 Level 2 Centaur Archer, and 1 Level 1 Razormane Scout. Drops 1 Level 1 Permanent.

4 Level 7 Green Camps. Composed of 1 Level 3 Razormane Brute, 1 Level 2 Centaur Archer, and 1 Level 2 Murloc Huntsman. Drops 1 Level 1 Permanent.

4 Level 11 Orange Camps. Composed of 1 Level 5 Kobold Taskmaster, 1 Level 3 Kobold Geomancer, and 1 Level 3 Kobold Tunneler. Drops 1 Level 2 Power Up, and 1 Level 1 Power Up.

4 Level 12 Orange Camps. Composed of 2 Level 3 Murloc Nightcrawlers, 2 Level 2 Murloc Huntsman, and 2 Level 1 Murloc Tiderunners. Drops 1 Level 2 Permanent, and 1 Level 1 Power Up.

4 Level 12 Orange Camps. Composed of 2 Level 2 Centaur Archers, 1 Level 4 Centaur Outrunner, and 1 Level 4 Centaur Impaler. Drops 1 Level 2 Charged, and 1 Level 1 Power Up. Guard Goblin Merchant.

4 Level 13 Orange Camps. Composed of 2 Level 2 Murloc Huntsman, 1 Level 4 Centaur Impaler, and 1 Level 5 Centaur Sorcerer. Drops 1 Level 3 Charged, and 1 Level 1 Power Up. Guards Gold Mine.

4 Level 15 Orange Camps. Composed of 1 Level 5 Kobold Taskmaster, 1 Level 4 Wildkin, and 2 Level 3 Kobold Geomancers. Drops 1 Level 3 Permanent, and 1 Level 1 Power Up. Guards Goblin Observatory.

4 Level 17 Orange Camps. Composed of 1 Level 5 Razormane Medicine Man, 2 Level 3 Quillboar Hunters, and 2 Level 3 Razormane Brutes. Drops 1 Level 4 Permanent, and 1 Level 1 Power Up. Guards Gold Mine.

4 Level 18 Orange Camps. Composed of 2 Level 2 Murloc Huntsman, 1 Level 2 Centaur Archer, 1 Level 4 Centaur Impaler, and 1 Level 8 Centaur Khan. Drops 1 Level 4 Permanent, and 1 Level 1 Power Up. Guards Mercenary Camp (Barrens).

4 Level 24 Red Camps. Composed of 2 Level 2 Centaur Drudges, 1 Level 4 Centaur Outrunner, 2 Level 5 Centaur Sorcerers, and 1 Level 6 Bronze Drake. Drops 1 Level 5 Permanent, and 2 Level 1 Power Ups. Guards Marketplace.

4 Level 24 Red Camps. Composed of 2 Level 2 Murloc Huntsman, 1 Level 2 Lightning Lizard, 2 Level 3 Quillboar Hunters, 1 Level 4 Wildkin, and 1 Level 8 Beserk Wildkin. Drops 1 Level 5 Permanent, and 2 Level 1 Power Ups. Guards Starting Locations. This camp will not be in the game if a player starts on the location.
Contents

Scorched Steppes 1.1 (Map)

Scorched Steppes 1.3 (Map)

Reviews
mafe
Alright, took me a while, but here's my review: 1. From the layout, the map looks interesting. Could make for a good FFA map 2. Several creeps (at the shops/markets in particular) could be positioned closer towards the neutral building, because right...
mafe
Ok so: Some of the things I mentioned before are now clearly improved. I mostly agree with your comments. But just to explain why I still dont think AoW-creeping is attractive on your map: Speed and having the AoW still server a purpose for defense...

mafe

Map Reviewer
Level 24
Joined
Nov 2, 2013
Messages
869
Alright, took me a while, but here's my review:
1. From the layout, the map looks interesting. Could make for a good FFA map
2. Several creeps (at the shops/markets in particular) could be positioned closer towards the neutral building, because right now heros can sneak behidn the creeps and access the neutral building without killing the creeps. Similarly, some other creeps could also be moved more out of the way so that they dont aggro by accident.
3. Creeps and itemdrops are balanced.
4. Visually, the outer parts of the map would definitely benefit from more attention to detail. The center parts are good ont he other hand.
5. The "Acropolis" style mountains are very much in style with the mountains in the vanilla wow barrens. I like that.
6. Good job on the forests with no gaps etc.
7. It would be convenient to have some creeps closer to the main bases for militia-/AoW-creeping. At least, taking 2 out of the 3 green spots in front of the base should give lvl 2.

So overall, imho the map would benefit from some minor improvement with respect to 2 and 7 (ideally 4 too). Therefore map set to Awaiting update.
 
Level 6
Joined
Sep 26, 2019
Messages
21
Alright, took me a while, but here's my review:
1. From the layout, the map looks interesting. Could make for a good FFA map
2. Several creeps (at the shops/markets in particular) could be positioned closer towards the neutral building, because right now heros can sneak behidn the creeps and access the neutral building without killing the creeps. Similarly, some other creeps could also be moved more out of the way so that they dont aggro by accident.
3. Creeps and itemdrops are balanced.
4. Visually, the outer parts of the map would definitely benefit from more attention to detail. The center parts are good ont he other hand.
5. The "Acropolis" style mountains are very much in style with the mountains in the vanilla wow barrens. I like that.
6. Good job on the forests with no gaps etc.
7. It would be convenient to have some creeps closer to the main bases for militia-/AoW-creeping. At least, taking 2 out of the 3 green spots in front of the base should give lvl 2.

So overall, imho the map would benefit from some minor improvement with respect to 2 and 7 (ideally 4 too). Therefore map set to Awaiting update.

Dear Mafe,

Thank you for the review. I have made some changes based on your advice, as well as tried to input some opinions of friends I have played the map with.

To begin with your advice, I started out by placing creeps near the shops much closer to the shops they are guarding. The Goblin Merchant and Marketplaces should require the creeps to be defeated before purchasing the items now. Some of the biggest changes I made were in regards to your 7th point about creeps closer to the main base for militia and AoW creeping. I have decided to add 3 additional camps for each player, for a total of 12 camps total. Near the ramps to the main, players can now find a Level 6 Green Camp that drops a Level 1 Power Up. These creeps were added near an area that already had trees, so AoW creeping will be easy here. However, the real AoW buff is to a new Level 10 Orange Camp near the ramps to the mountains. Night Elf players can eat many trees while defeating these creeps, securing a level 2 Permanent and the experience from a Level 10 Camp. The third and final camp added was between the Goblin Observatory and the Corner Gold Mine. This camp is a Level 8 Green Camp that drops a Level 2 Charged. The location of this camp is on the perimeter, which gave me a natural way to add some more decoration to the edge. Between this camp and updating some texture of the paths near the corners, this is a change to add more visual appeal to the outer parts of the map.

To follow with some feedback from friends, their feedback was that the map was huge. And after playing it a couple of times, I agreed. It's much larger than most 4 player maps, which works for FFA, but can sometimes draw the game out unnaturally long. An experimental item drop I've added in is a Rune of Speed dropping from the Drakes at the Red Marketplaces. This is a very powerful drop, which makes the Red camp even more of a precious camp. I've removed one of the Level 1 Power Ups from the Red Camps to account for this change, but overall this is a massive buff of treasure for the red camp. The Rune of Speed may be too powerful in the current map, but it's one solution I could think of to help accelerate armies. (I considered adding Way Gates, but adjusting the map to Way Gate behavior would require significant changes. Therefore I want to avoid Way Gates).

To end, a numbered list of changes relevant to your comments:
2. Creeps at Goblin Merchant and Marketplace are now much closer to the neutral buildings.
4. New creep camps added to the edges, which accompany new terrain textures and doodads. Still a work in progress.
7. New creep camps added to locations near the main bases, and locations that were already had buildable terrain and trees. Night Elf players will have an easier time AoW creeping, and Humans will have more options to militia creep.

Sincerely,
SlushyJones
 

mafe

Map Reviewer
Level 24
Joined
Nov 2, 2013
Messages
869
Ok so: Some of the things I mentioned before are now clearly improved. I mostly agree with your comments. But just to explain why I still dont think AoW-creeping is attractive on your map: Speed and having the AoW still server a purpose for defense are also important. Typically, you dont want to build the AoW too far from your base, so you can still use it to defend rushes. Or if you build it further away, it should be for a very rewarding camp, and tht new lvl 8 gren camp does not meet this qualification. Still overall the creeping situation is improved.

I'm still not happy that several creep camps can attack player units who walk too close by accident. Visually, some of the other parts still look relatively bland, but most people wont even notice.

But since you fixed or at least significantly improved the real issues: Map approved.
 
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