EDIT: The reason I'm displaying my opinions publicly is because people are afraid to criticize or start a discussion over it, and I saw none of mapmakers and previous judges daring to comment something about this map - so I'm starting it, regardless of contest results.
I encourage others to join the discussion as well. I'd love to hear multiple opinions to conclude if I'm terribly wrong with my statement.
EDIT: Statement: Northwatch Hold in its current form isn't a map ready for competitive play but was allowed on a tourney, unlike many other overlooked maps in the contest that execute given guidelines (balance+art+innovation) better.
, You could explain your points more and avoid silly words as: boring, mediocre, .
Note: I was holding myself all this time, but Jale has casted an overall summon. Twice. I am a
UWBYA an
Ugly
Wolf that will
Bite
You
All.
@JaleVeliki fault for summon me.
Northwatch Hold:
-walking distances
seems long, that may affect: early pvp, Tier 1-Tier2 rush, creep hacking, overall manuver.
-Favours TIER 3 hold and later push, And Air Forces will have more manuver in a big map than land forces.Favours PVE (
Probably what Jale wanted to say when he only said it was boring).
- Corners are not a good place for mines. Corners are places where you dont want be (much time).
Ideal for fountains or marketplaces to visit with the hero alone, or creep fast.
(edit:saw the play orc vs ne, ne expanded silently to corner, orc figure out scouting. NE teleport, try to defend, very far away from base to be able to send reinforcements, NE retreated(walking) and mine lost. I wouldnt expand there first, hard to defence). In fact NE was having advantage first and that turned the tide.)
-Bases shape seems not-orthodox for 1v1.
-Corner mines have different shape. (cliff south, arch way north).
edit:forget all what I said before,I saw a play NE vs Orc. NE cleared center edge mine, went to build. and the tortoise level 7 from other camp agro the building. So while NE lost the building and was figthing the creep, orcs went to attack the base,
that bug is very important..
Imagine players are having an equally match until one of the players loose the townhall in that way. Is not fair to loose the gold of your tree of life or necropolis.
By fortune ORC player had clear advantage before that, so the game can be validated.
y
ou cant have such creep near a mine.
Uther Slumber:
- Those expandings are hard. And the play I saw prove them, you wont expand to the near tavern mines, near edge mines are more safe. In NE vs UD, NE harrased UD. NE can have the wisp protected, the other races not. If I am UD, HU or ORC against NE (I would try to veto that map first). (seems a nice map for NE VS NE).
-Map follows twistead meadow mines open recipe (more open actually) wich in NE vs HU, HU has 42% winning rate (the other plays have more fair statistics). So perhaps wouldnt try a recipe (very open expandings) that is already used to be veto-and hated by HU players.
- Chance of creep aggro, agresive creeps, bad for scouting.
Brigthwater Oasis:
-You can buy in the shops from behind, and put a serpent ward from above, and who knows what other crayzy stuff. And you have to figure it out, I dont remember that trick in orthodox plays.
-Those red creep expandings in cliff are un-confortable to play.
-The random-spawn buildings may be a dislike to those who like to perfectly memorice/practice the map for a top match (consider that you have to practice/memorice many maps). So is a so-so thing. Ideal to have fun.
Gold Port:
-No trees near tavern, needed for KOG, and NE scouts.
-To much unbuildable tiles in the center path.
- AOW in goblin shop. and then what, leave there?, I cant fortify the area with 2 towers?, Also have the AOW there hard to defend, no near place to move it. . Seems to have 1 path aligned with the 2 shops with the tavern, so that path is the main for both players, is not that good idea for NE play (I could imagine a NE veto).
- Deep water seems nice, but IMO, it just cut manuver, more paths game-play. Like shops could have a different path.
- Goblin lab, chance of aggresive creeps.
-Green creeps near corner mines, should be orange, after creeping the 2 near base, a 3rd far green doesnt worth the time in a competitive play.
-for a map that it seems was rushed to reach deadline, is a good one.
Rivulet:
-Already said the pond in the middle (may affect land manuver).
-I think LS merc. camps are more needed than gob. labs. Troll priest for Tier1 healing. An orc strategy is to leave damaged grunts in base, so the troll priest is very handfull.
-You cant farm/tower scout the goblin merchants, but NE can owl scout.
Ruins of Azhara:
- I wouldnt use the rune of the watcher. Mana fountains alone is already a rare thing in a map.
-Merc. camps should be in buildable areas. IMO, I like fortify a merc. camp, with 1 AOW and 1-2 towes, and play guerrilla- scatered warfare. (I remembered Orange played that way, with hidden bases. And he survived a HU harras thanks to his scattered play until HU exhausted his gold.) Thats why I dislike shallow water and unbuildable tiles in neutral buildings areas as a first view.
-I do really hate this map because I dont know other balance issues, and I have a lot of envy to this map, with more balance issues, I would not feel envy.
@JaleVeliki , while I do agree with many questions/things you mentioned, I think it would have been fair and less ugly to talk about all the maps flaws and not just focus in Northwatch Hold isolated case (many times).