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Azshara's Mounds

Azshara's Mounds

So this is the 2nd version of my first melee map that did not got approved I hope I made enough changes for it to be approved,I got nothing else to say and I hope you enjoy the map.


Buildings:
-2 Goblin Merchant
-2 Goblin Laboratory
-2 Mercenary Camp
-1 Tavern
-2 Expansion Goldmine

Creeps:
-6 Green Camps
-8 Orange Camps


full


full


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Credits for the models:
HerrDave
Buster
-Kobas-

Update log:

Azshara's Mounds 1.0 (23/2/18)
-Uploaded

Azshara's Mounds 1.1 (24/2/18)
-Changed the creep settings and the terrain
-Changed the position of the creeps

Azshara's Mounds 1.2 (24/2/18)
-Filled the gaps in the tree wall
-Changed the positioning of the green camps
-Added more tile and doodad variation
-Added Shadows
-Fixed the update log


Check out my other resources: Templates
Previews
Contents

Azshara's Mounds (Map)

Reviews
WolfFarkas
Hello there, for a first melee is a good one, my first melee maps didn´t have this quality I am going to be sharp, so you can learn fast things, for your nexts maps, and if you decide improve or remade this one (I remade 3 melee maps from 0 to...
WolfFarkas
Second Review This map is 100 times better than the old one. But there things that can be improved, I will image review Before start this is a common rule in melee, between beauty and balance, chosee balance blindly. I see you like corals but we...
WolfFarkas
exactly, you are a wise one some last sugestion -try to put the goblin market of the south a bit more down and inner U area, again to avoid agro -the charged level 5 in goldmines, I sugest to change it for a charged level 4 -change the green creeps...
deepstrasz
The trees look weirdly placed, unnatural, artificial. You should add the Locust ability to custom critters as they won't interfere with the gameplay->create confusion. Some doodads obstruct vision. Try not using too many of those in battle zones or...
Level 29
Joined
May 21, 2013
Messages
1,635
Hello there, for a first melee is a good one, my first melee maps didn´t have this quality

I am going to be sharp, so you can learn fast things, for your nexts maps, and if you decide improve or remade this one (I remade 3 melee maps from 0 to improve the quality)

Review.
1-The 1vs1 melee maps usually are 96x96, there are some 128x64 but the comonn thing is 96x96
160x96 is unnecesary too big, also you have a lot of empty space, the problem in this is you have to walk a lot (they game become slow and boring, also is hard to defend diferent points without teleport scroll).
Sugestion re-desing this map in 96x96 it will worth the time to make it again with high quality.
2-you have monotone tiles, you have to learn how to mix the tiles, download sunken ruins melee maps and study how to mix the tiles,
3-gigant doodads, if you increase the size of the doodads and you don´t put land/air blockers your units will go inside the doodads, and thats a bug in melee, altered melee, rpg and any other category.
4-small doodads are needed so a map would feel more alive, flowers, shells, rocks,
5-tile use, to have a good map diferent areas are needed, like a grass part a water part and a sunken temple construction part.
Cliff and ramps can be tricky but they give a lot of quality to the map.
6-Creeps position, creeps should be in an U or V form area so they won´t be hit by the laterals. That also is important for goldmines. Goldmines should have some tree wall area so the enemy won´t flank you and kill your peons. Markets and mercenary camps should be in an U area so you have to kill the guards first to access the building. Also U areas help to avoid agro (when you target with 1 click to an area but the units go right to a creep and that was not your intention). Creeps in open areas tend to have agro. Some of your creeps are good in U area the crabs, the murlocks and the gargantuan tortoise.
7- Mercenary camp and markets creeps should be in camp mode to avoid agro.
8-For competitive melee play, humans need an easy expanding (near and orange creep level 12-15 defended) against undead, if not undead win the match (have it in mind when you design).
9- You have gaps between trees, when map , always check with P, you have to put the trees mindfully. In trees with gaps, small units like footmas can walk between trees and big ones (heroes, abomination) not, also wisp can go deep inside the forest to harvest wood or for spy. You have to learn how to put the trees with no living gaps, because this is the worst bug to fix (I fixed it in 7 maps of mine, deleting all the wood and put it again, I don´t wish it to anybody, so never forget don´t leave gaps between trees, it cost points in the last melee contest. And reviewers always spot this as bad thing.
10- A power up level 2 is too much for a murlock creep level 8 (near the two green big columns), also power up level two, you can loot the experience book, 2 experience book by luck you can level up and have great advantage against the enemy, thats why power up level 2 are set manually 33% inteligence level 2, 33% agility level 2, 34% strengh level 2. The random level up 2 should be used in small amounts for the red creeps.
11- the are no green creeps looting permanent level 1, the formula is , 1 green creep power up level 1, another green creep permanent level 1. There are no loot of permanent level 2, item diversity
12- The red creeps, your red creeps are looting the orb of darkness (permanent level 6) and random charged level 4). I don´t recommend to loot permanent and charged in the same creep, because you can get your item bag full, usually is 1 permanent or charged and the power up books.
13-Markets should be better defended, you defended with a orange level 10, I think 14-19 is ok, and the level 10 should defend nothing just for exp and item.
14- Health of fountains must be defended with red creeps or powerfull orange ( Level 19), many competitive melee users think that health / mana fountains should not be used, so thats why they should be well defended for the very later game.
15- For competitive melee, the charged item level 2, should be set manually without the electric wand, since is too powefull for a level 2 charged.

16-Goldmine creeps usually are not in camp mode, or they are in camp mode but with large distribution, I think did it well in the south, but in the north, they are too near the goldmine so they should be in normal mode, remember that they usually they don´t go in camp mode if they are very near the goldmine. Thats to avoid tower exploit
edit 17- the file should be named like this (2)Azhara Mounds, you need to put the number of players inside brackets thats to know how many players is for with no need to open it.

Overall sugestion: download melee maps, study them, study blizzard maps, read reviews of maps, read terraining tutorials, download sunken ruins maps to learn how to mix the tiles and how to improve the enviroment, gain knoledge and experience and then use your knoledge when you map

If I were you, I would aim for high quality maps, I think a melee mapper should be judged for the quality of the maps and not for the amount of them.
, so If this map would be mine I would redesign it again in 96x96, but well you can also improve it but the 160x96 size the only way to fix it, is to start over.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Level 29
Joined
May 21, 2013
Messages
1,635
Second Review

This map is 100 times better than the old one.
But there things that can be improved, I will image review

upload_2018-2-24_0-3-59.png


Before start this is a common rule in melee, between beauty and balance, chosee balance blindly. I see you like corals but we can sacrifice some of them to have better balance. Still there are lots of corals, you can also make them small (0.20 0.30) and decor the ground.

1 and 3-Remember the U areas: goblin markets mercenary camps and goblin labs can be reached by the lateral, thats not the idea, so I sugest sacrifice corals and wood to put the buildings more in a U area like the green creeps. Also the goblin markets gives dangerous agro.
2- Since those green creeps are too near the goldmine, I think they can be removed. You can still have 3 green creeps per player wich is good. (I think the min is 2 per player: 1 loot power up level 1, the other permanent level 1) you can have 2 looting power up and 1 looting a permanent level 1. Five permanent level 1 is redundant.
4- To avoid agro thos orange could be moved more deep so , you can walk there safe.
5- Since the map has only 1 expanding, make it defended with orange creep, level 12-16, to balance human race.
6- I like the position of those, still I would sugest to move them a bit inner to avoid agro.
7- about the loot, exept the five permanent level 1 wich is redundant , you did a good job.
8-I sugest low level orange (10-14) defending nothing, and level 15-16-17 defending buildings,
9- gaps between trees, i won´t ask you to delete the wood and put it again (as I did in 7 maps), after all you deserve a rest (maybe you can do that improve 3 weeks later when you have the will to do it, map can be boring too, rest is important too), but for the next maps memorice that the wood has to be put mindfully cheking P with no leaving gaps, I insist in this to be done right from the begining (because I don´t wish anybody to fix the gaps between the trees in their maps because is boring as hell)

Overall I think this map with some touches here and there (the ones I listed) is very good for a second one, my second map didn´t have this level. So I really sugest you to improve it because it worth it. I am glad to see that knoledge is the key for melee mapping, here I see good results.

PD: go map properties, options, below Game Data Set: put Melee last patch: thats a must to have the alchemist, tinker and firelord heroes.

see ya
 

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When laziness kicks in, just try to fill the gaps with other smaller doodads. I did that more for visuals in an Ice Crown based map with ice blocks.
Done! Filled almost every visible gaps, added more tile and doodad variation, modified some creep placements and added shadow.


Edit: It's actually quite easy and not time consuming to fill the tree walls, the shift technique is all you need to get the work done.
 
Last edited:
Level 29
Joined
May 21, 2013
Messages
1,635
Done! Filled almost every visible gaps, added more tile and doodad variation, modified some creep placements and added shadow.


Edit: It's actually quite easy and not time consuming to fill the tree walls, the shift technique is all you need to get the work done.
yeah I know the shift technique and Remixer (a melee mapper of olds advised me to not do that) because the overlaping trees, when you log one another is there (overlaping) and you have some kind of weird effect in visuals, try to learn how to put them using the P botton from the begining, and you can mirrow one side so is less time work.
Also with the shift techniche you literally loose the idea of how much wood are you putting, you can risk to put much more in one side than the other, (of course you can count trees), but to be pro I sugest this:


upload_2018-2-24_9-23-4.png

 
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yeah I know the shift technique and Remixer (a melee mapper of olds advised me to not do that) because the overlaping trees, when you log one another is there (overlaping) and you have some kind of weird effect in visuals, try to learn how to put them using the P botton from the begining, and you can mirrow one side so is less time work.
With the new editor actually they do not overlap, the trees are just placed to the empty spots and the spots that has trees already are skipped.


Edit: I also used the P technique.
 

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Level 29
Joined
May 21, 2013
Messages
1,635
With the new editor actually they do not overlap, the trees are just placed to the empty spots and the spots that has trees already are skipped.
Azshara's Mounds

maybe thin trees don´t overlap but big trees and mushrooms does overlap visually, also is not that hard the technique I recommend, is the standard thing to do, the shift techniche is more to place rocks
 
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Level 29
Joined
May 21, 2013
Messages
1,635
yes because of their pathing.

exactly, you are a wise one

some last sugestion
-try to put the goblin market of the south a bit more down and inner U area, again to avoid agro
-the charged level 5 in goldmines, I sugest to change it for a charged level 4
-change the green creeps loot, set 1 or two with power up level 1, (3 permanent level 1 is redundant it will full your item bag)
- the murlocks green creep area near base, the path is narrow if necesary remove some wood in front and leave the cliff naked to have space (thats to avoid tower exploits and hero traps)
6100 doodads, very good

Ratting 4/5 you deserve it, is near perfect (you can reach the 5/5 from me)


edit maybe I didn´t explain well the murloks narrow path, so here image

upload_2018-2-24_20-13-10.png


the path is dangerous narrow for heroes to be trapped and killed when armies collide, so I sugest you to try to re-design that area to have wide space and no agro, in the screen I put a sugestion of what to do, fix this and you will earn the 5/5 from me fair and square.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
exactly, you are a wise one

some last sugestion
-try to put the goblin market of the south a bit more down and inner U area, again to avoid agro
-the charged level 5 in goldmines, I sugest to change it for a charged level 4
-change the green creeps loot, set 1 or two with power up level 1, (3 permanent level 1 is redundant it will full your item bag)
- the murlocks green creep area near base, the path is narrow if necesary remove some wood in front and leave the cliff naked to have space (thats to avoid tower exploits and hero traps)
6100 doodads, very good

Ratting 4/5 you deserve it, is near perfect (you can reach the 5/5 from me)


edit maybe I didn´t explain well the murloks narrow path, so here image

View attachment 292661

the path is dangerous narrow for heroes to be trapped and killed when armies collide, so I sugest you to try to re-design that area to have wide space and no agro, in the screen I put a sugestion of what to do, fix this and you will earn the 5/5 from me fair and square.
Changes Made.
 

deepstrasz

Map Reviewer
Level 68
Joined
Jun 4, 2009
Messages
18,706
The trees look weirdly placed, unnatural, artificial.
You should add the Locust ability to custom critters as they won't interfere with the gameplay->create confusion.
Some doodads obstruct vision. Try not using too many of those in battle zones or points of interest on the map.
A tad too many murlocs. Maybe diversify them more? What about Sea Giants and so on?

Approved.
 
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