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Post your map here for an In-Depth Review

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Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Level 13
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
477
Original In-Depth Reviews (Post your map here)

Old:
Since it's the summer and I'm bored, I'm offering map reviews to people who post their maps in this thread. These reviews aren't just the usual + - map's section scores; they are quite in-depth and aim at making your maps better. Of course, I have a numerical scoring system tossed in, but take those scores with a grain of salt - it's the real words and insight I give you that really matter.

I've been playing and making maps for WarCraft III since 2008 and have a keen eye for quality and can spot memory leaks without even looking at the code (my crappy computer is highly sensitive...). Just remember that I will be playing multiplayer maps in battle.net public sessions, so if you don't want the map released to anyone, don't post it. Also, be aware that I will be running on a Mac for the next five or so weeks, so if your map disconnects or crashes users running Macintosh OS 10.5.3, it will NOT be reviewed.
Click to expand...
----------

I am going to do more reviews, but I am changing the method for selecting a map.

If you want a map reviewed (DOES NOT HAVE TO BE YOUR MAP), post that you want it reviewed. I'll add the map to a list... Whenever I decide to make a review, I will randomly select a map from the list, check it off (and all duplicates of it), then play it a couple times so I can make the review. If multiple people want the same map, it is added to the list once for each person, doubling/tripling its chances.

For fairness' sake, if a map stays in the list for a while, I'll increase its chances every 7 days until it gets picked.

I have a windows machine now, by the way...

P.S. Keep in mind that Mine was the original review thread. Check the posting dates if you have to...

Code: 
[B][U]The List[/U][/B]
2x Zeta Risk (http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource.php?t=111966) - 1/6/09
2x Battleships Tournament (http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource.php?t=81981) - 1/6/09
2x NextGen Sheeptag (http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource.php?t=113358) - 1/10/09
2x Darkness Chasers (http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource.php?t=94495) - 1/11/09
2x Red Rose Demo (http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource.php?t=97369) - 1/11/09
2x Forged Warfare - Tchar Island (http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource.php?t=110486) - 1/11/09
3x Epidemic (http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource.php?t=111260) - 1/11/09
[Exempt] 2x Vehicle Arena (http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource.php?t=113664) - 1/12/09
1x Chaos (http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource.php?t=99507) - 1/18/09
0x Virus Infection (http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource.php?t=85269) - 1/19/09

-----

[U][B]Reviewed[/B][/U]
3.70 / Good / Unmercy Balls (http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource.php?t=111699) - 1/11/09
2.55 / Average / Defense of Armengar (http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource.php?t=93576) - 1/9/09
0.00 / Crashed / Virus Infection (http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/resource.php?t=85269) - 1/19/09

-----

[B]Map Name[/B]
[B][I]Map Author[/I][/B]

Summary


[B][U]Base Rating[/U][/B]
[B]Fun[/B][B][COLOR=#960000]                 Ѻ [/COLOR][COLOR=#969600]Ѻ[/COLOR][COLOR=#009600] Ѻ [/COLOR][COLOR=#000096]Ѻ Ѻ Ѻ[/COLOR][/B]    0.00, [COLOR=#960000]0.50[/COLOR],[COLOR=#969600] 1.00[/COLOR], [COLOR=#009600]1.50[/COLOR], [COLOR=#0000c8]1.75[/COLOR], [COLOR=#0000c8]2.00[/COLOR], [COLOR=#0000c8]2.25[/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=#960000]- [/COLOR][/B][I]Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#960000]-[/COLOR][/B][I] Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#960000]-[/COLOR][/B][I] Description
[/I][B]/[/B][I] Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#000096]+[/COLOR][/B][I] Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#000096]+[/COLOR][/B][I] Description[/I][B][COLOR=#000096]
+[/COLOR][/B][I] Description
[/I][B]
Balanced[/B][B][COLOR=#960000]            Ѻ [/COLOR][COLOR=#969600]Ѻ [/COLOR][COLOR=#009600]Ѻ [/COLOR][COLOR=#000096]Ѻ[/COLOR][/B]        0.00, [COLOR=#960000]0.25[/COLOR],[COLOR=#969600] 0.50[/COLOR], [COLOR=#009600]0.75[/COLOR], [COLOR=#0000c8]1.00[/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=#960000]- [/COLOR][/B][I]Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#960000]-[/COLOR][/B][I] Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#960000]-[/COLOR][/B][I] Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#000096]+[/COLOR][/B][I] Description
[/I][B]
Original[/B][B][COLOR=#960000]            Ѻ [/COLOR][COLOR=#969600]Ѻ[/COLOR][COLOR=#009600] Ѻ[/COLOR][COLOR=#000096] Ѻ[/COLOR][/B]        0.00, [COLOR=#960000]0.40[/COLOR],[COLOR=#969600] 0.70[/COLOR], [COLOR=#009600]1.00[/COLOR], [COLOR=#0000c8]1.30[/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=#960000]- [/COLOR][/B][I]Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#960000]-[/COLOR][/B][I] Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#960000]-[/COLOR][/B][I] Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#000096]+[/COLOR][/B][I] Description
[/I][B]
Polished[/B][B][COLOR=#960000]            Ѻ [/COLOR][COLOR=#969600]Ѻ[/COLOR][COLOR=#009600] Ѻ[/COLOR][COLOR=#000096] Ѻ[/COLOR][/B]        0.00, [COLOR=#960000]0.20[/COLOR],[COLOR=#969600] 0.35[/COLOR], [COLOR=#009600]0.50[/COLOR], [COLOR=#0000c8]0.65[/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=#960000]- [/COLOR][/B][I]Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#960000]-[/COLOR][/B][I] Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#960000]-[/COLOR][/B][I] Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#000096]+[/COLOR][/B][I] Description
[/I][B]
Immersive           [/B][B][COLOR=#960000]Ѻ [/COLOR][COLOR=#969600]Ѻ [/COLOR][COLOR=#009600]Ѻ [/COLOR][COLOR=#000096]Ѻ        [/COLOR][/B]0.00, [COLOR=#960000]0.25[/COLOR],[COLOR=#969600] 0.50[/COLOR], [COLOR=#009600]0.75[/COLOR], [COLOR=#0000c8]1.00[/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=#960000]- [/COLOR][/B][I]Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#960000]-[/COLOR][/B][I] Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#960000]-[/COLOR][/B][I] Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#000096]+[/COLOR][/B][I] Description
[/I][B]
Optimized           [/B][B][COLOR=#960000]Ѻ [/COLOR][COLOR=#969600]Ѻ [/COLOR][COLOR=#009600]Ѻ[/COLOR][COLOR=#000096] Ѻ[/COLOR][/B]        0.00, [COLOR=#960000]0.20[/COLOR],[COLOR=#969600] 0.35[/COLOR], [COLOR=#009600]0.50[/COLOR], [COLOR=#0000c8]0.65[/COLOR]
[B][COLOR=#960000]- [/COLOR][/B][I]Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#960000]-[/COLOR][/B][I] Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#960000]-[/COLOR][/B][I] Description[/I]
[B][COLOR=#000096]+[/COLOR][/B][I] Description
[/I][B][U]

Merits[/U][/B] Each is [COLOR=#0000c8]+0.10[/COLOR] 
[B]Graphics            [/B][B][COLOR=#0000c8]Ѳ[/COLOR][COLOR=#0000c8] Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]Sound[/B][B][COLOR=#0000c8]               Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]Quantity[/B][B][COLOR=#0000c8]            Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]Small File Size[/B][B][COLOR=#0000c8]     Ѳ[/COLOR][COLOR=#0000c8] Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]Theme               [/B][B][COLOR=#0000c8]Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]Un-WarCraft[/B][B][COLOR=#0000c8]         Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]Fancy Coding[/B][B][COLOR=#0000c8]        Ѳ[/COLOR][COLOR=#0000c8] Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]Humor[/B][B][COLOR=#0000c8]               Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]Good Cutscenes[/B][B][COLOR=#0000c8]      Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]Computer AI[/B][B][COLOR=#0000c8]         Ѳ[/COLOR][COLOR=#0000c8] Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]

[B][U]Demerits[/U][/B] Each is [COLOR=#c80000]-0.15[/COLOR]
[B]No Documentation[/B][B][COLOR=#c80000]    Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]No Credits          [/B][B][COLOR=#c80000]Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]Large File Size     [/B][B][COLOR=#c80000]Ѳ [/COLOR][COLOR=#c80000]Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]Very Long[/B][B][COLOR=#c80000]           Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]Very Short[/B][B][COLOR=#c80000]          Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]Bad English[/B][B][COLOR=#c80000]         Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]Bad Humor[/B][B][COLOR=#c80000]           Ѳ[/COLOR][COLOR=#c80000] Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]Bad Cutscenes[/B][B][COLOR=#c80000]       Ѳ [/COLOR][COLOR=#c80000]Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]
[B]Bad Imports[/B][B][COLOR=#c80000]         Ѳ[/COLOR][COLOR=#c80000] Ѳ[/COLOR][/B]


Review Body


[U]Rating[/U]: [B][I]#.##[/I][/B]
[B]Description[/B]
  
[B]-----[/B]

-1.95 is lowest possible
8.25 is highest possible

Score is, in theory, out of 5

Above 6.00: [B]Legendary[/B]   [I][COLOR=#fa3232](Darkstar Map)[/COLOR][/I][B][COLOR=#fa3232] Ӿ[/COLOR][/B]
5.51-6.00: [B]Elite[/B]   [I][COLOR=#e1e1fa](Platinum Map)[/COLOR][/I][B][COLOR=#e1e1fa] Ӿ[/COLOR][/B]
5.01-5.50: [B]Superior[/B]   [I][COLOR=#fae119](Gold Map)[/COLOR][/I][B][COLOR=#fae119] Ӿ[/COLOR][/B]
4.51-5.00: [B]Excellent[/B]   [I][COLOR=#c8c8c8](Silver Map) [/COLOR][/I][B][COLOR=#c8c8c8]Ӿ[/COLOR][/B]
4.01-4.50: [B]Quality[/B]   [I][COLOR=#fac896](Copper Map)[/COLOR][/I][B][COLOR=#fac896] Ӿ[/COLOR][/B]
3.51-4.00: [B]Good[/B]
3.01-3.50: [B]Decent[/B]
2.51-3.00: [B]Average[/B]
2.01-2.50: [B]Lacking[/B]
1.51-2.00: [B]Poor[/B]
1.01-1.50: [B]Bad[/B]
0.51-1.00: [B]Terrible[/B]
0.01-0.50: [B]Shit[/B]
0.00 or below: [B]Embarrassing[/B]
 
Last edited:

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Level 13
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
477
Police Catch Thief AI review

Here we go...

zach_kirov
Police Catch Thief AI v1.04

Police Catch Thief is a very... Interesting AOS. The name is weird, the heroes are weird, the story is weird, the premise is weird, the heroes are weird, and most of the game design choices are weird. I did a thorough play through of Police Catch Thief with three humans and one AI on each side. Fairly quickly, all but one human on each side left, leaving the game to be a 2v2 most of the way. This is what I observed and my suggestions for future updates:



Base Rating
The Base Rating forms the bulk of the score. The Fun category usually doesn't affect the score but simply puts a minimum score cap on the Base Rating if it gets lowered. In this case, the score didn't reach the reduced 4.00, so it had no effect.

Fun X X -
The map was fairly enjoyable to play, given its flaws and all that. I suppose the reason I didn't give it a 3 was that the flaws took away from the experience. The Fun score encompasses everything, so it sometimes doesn't affect the total score at all.

Balanced X - -
The Balance... Oh, man, do you have some work to do here. The 1 point you did make was due to the cool map layout and path design. It worked fairly well, but it led to a really dragged out game with few pushes and tide changes. The rest of the points are out the window due to a variety of problems in balance. For starters, get rid of those damn luck-based abilities. My friend was using the Hacker's ultimate ability, and failed 5 times in a row before he finally started stealing my gold constantly (and the gold stolen is annoying as hell - he had 22k gold and I had 2k at the end of it). Also, while I'm on the subject of resources, I must say that lumber is superfluous. Why don't you give it a more fun use rather than yet another arbitrary required resource for items? Back to hero abilities... Some are totally useless, but others are depressingly powerful. Both enemy heroes had abilities that knocked my HP from 2550 to 50, which seems rigged in the highest order. Now, to the items, the worst part of all. The items are completely ridiculous! The level 2 stat boost items are extremely broken, as it offers extremely high attack speed with extremely high damage and extremely high defense if you have an inventory full of them. Seriously, some items aren't meant to have a stronger form. There are a host of other very powerful items that need fixing, but there is also an even larger quantity of useless or underpowered items. Seriously, get the items, the heroes, and the tide flow fixed.

Original X X -
Well, the theme is original, the heroes are sort of original, etc. However, the map doesn't deviate much from the standard AOS formula, so Police Catch Thief doesn't earn all 3 points in originality.

Polished X - -
Obvious effort was put into the map, hence the one point here. The rest, not so much. The map is riddled with spelling and grammar errors, glitchy graphics ("What the hell? My inferno towers have fucking water under them!"), and a host of other problems including but not limited to the following observations. The possible heroes are still left in the base after everyone has picked them, which is a minor annoyance and tells me the map needs better polish, but is insignificant compared to the fact that when I click them I still get the hero info message. Also, it's possible to create summoned units around the hero on one side of the gate and have one of them spawn on the other side to hit the circle of power and attack the base. Not like it matters, though, since the base is completely impossible to attack. I'll get to that later. There's also a lot of really annoying UI changes that really don't serve a purpose. Seriously, the Attack / Stop /Patrol / Hold Position / Move / Attack Ground command icons don't match at all, random things about the UI are changed to spit out annoying error messages and borderline insulting "miss" texts, and the map just feels unpolished. Work on this, please - preferably even before you work on the balance.

Immersive X - -
The lack of polish, messed up English in places, a weird theme that doesn't even make much sense, especially when the heroes seem extremely random (Why the hell does an archer that shoots missiles fit into an ancient sentinel/police theme?), and such all ruin the immersion.

Optimized X X -
The map ran acceptably well, not perfect, but fairly well.



*Merits*
Merits are extra things I pointed out to myself that stand out as good points for maps. Police Catch Thief has quite a few of these, even a couple double merits.

Quantity √
There's a lot of stuff. The stuff may be superfluous, but there's plenty of stuff in the game to make you busy.

Small File Size √ √
400KB. That's pretty damn good.

Computer AI √ √
The computer AI is great. Annoying at times, but quite good. It actually poses a challenge and is aggressive.



*Demerits*
Demerits are extra things that I pointed out to myself that stand out as bad blotches on the map's scorecard. Police Catch Thief doesn't have too many of these (picked from a predefined list of things that hopefully aren't too subjective).

Very Long √
The game lasts for EVER, man. I eventually had to leave the game at the 1 Hour 23 Minutes 17 Seconds mark after the enemy knocked my command center down to... say... 21800/22000. Seriously, is it even possible to win or even lose? The Super towers are depressingly powerful and the command center has a shit ton of hit points. This all combines into a game that almost always lasts hours. Not good.

Bad English √
Spelling errors, grammatical problems, and such, usually fall under polished. But Police Catch Thief really goes beyond just that and uses badly done internet speak. For example, my hero title was "Rocket Girlz." Wow, man.


All in all, this map needs work done on it, but if you get that work done, the good parts will start to really shine and raise the score higher than its current low. Take my advice and fix up the map; it has potential.

(The numerical rating goes from 1.00-5.00, but the under-the-hood calculation can go below zero and above six, changing the rating description)


Base Rating
 Fun X X -
Balanced X - -
 Original X X -
 Polished X - -
Immersive X - -
 Optimized X X -

*Merits*
 Quantity √
Small File Size √ √
Computer AI √ √

*Demerits*
 Very Long √
Bad English √


Rating: 2.24
Description: Fair
 

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  • Police Catch Thief.w3g
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Aeroblyctos

Aeroblyctos

Aeroblyctos

Level 37
Joined
Aug 14, 2006
Messages
7,602
In-Depth Review, ooh? This my change also! Here we go, I want you to review three maps of mine. They are all very different. With your review I will make a new versions of all those maps. Just gimme criticsm and alot!

So, here we go:
- The Zre Diamond - Four player RPG. Duratation: ~1h
- The Fallen Heroes - Eight player Hero Defense. Duratation: ~40min
- The Protection - Eight player Ladder Defense. Duratation: ~40min
 

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Level 13
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
477
I only do about 2 a day. I'm doing Galactic Conquest right now, so expect to wait a while before it's done.

Be aware, too, that I only review one map per person. If you give me multiple, I choose the one I want to play.

Also, I don't hold back with the ratings. I will pull your map apart.
 

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Level 13
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
477
Galactic Conquest DE review

Vicboy
Galactic Conquest DE v2a

Well, Galactic Conquest, a space-based map of colonization, is a good map buried under a few glaring bad points. Let me explain in the following



Base Rating
The base rating forms the foundation of the score, yadda yadda yadda. If you don't know how it works, see the previous review.

Fun X X -
The map's pretty fun, but gets boring after a while due to its slow pace. Do something to liven it up. It's really monotonous, everything gets done slowly, planets take forever to take out, ships are slow, etc. Also, there really isn't enough content. Make completely different races perhaps?

Balanced X X X
The game is balanced, mainly because there isn't much to balance. A handful of ships, one planet type, stars, and a few really boring research options. The ships are fairly well balanced with each other, the players are given a fair chance against one another, etc. All this adds up to Galactic Conquest getting all 3 points for a balancing.

Original X X -
The map is unlike most, but the idea isn't original. Doesn't really have anything to set it apart from the rest, but it does take place in space, which is rare in a Warcraft III map.

Polished X X -
The polishing is fine for the most part. The look is consistent, everything does as it is supposed to, there's no superfluous extras, etc. You lose a point for horrible textures and some really fucked up animations on some models. The movement engine's failure would normally fall under polished, but I moved it to optimized in this case.

Immersive X X -
The space theme is well put together and doesn't really falter. However, the immersion is broken by the terrible map performance and the bad animations / textures on the models. Thus, you get 2 points rather than 3.

Optimized - - -
Get this fixed, ASAP. The map performance starts fine, but then deteriorates. After an hour of playing, my frame rate at the beginning (50 fps) went to 30 fps, without looking at anything. I would also get major, rapid frame rate spikes. This is a red flag sure-fire sign of major memory leakage. Get. It. Fixed. However, this would only lose you one or two points alone; the reason this map has a flat 0 in this section is that something, be it the movement engine or the combat stuff, I don't know, makes the map have incredibly bad performance when many ships are attacking. I'm talking 0.6 fps during heavy combat WITHOUT EVEN LOOKING AT THE GOD DAMN SHIPS! How the hell does that work? Get that fixed as soon as possible. Fixing the optimization to be 3 points would bring your score up by over 1.00, which shows you how much it gets dented by a single crap spot in an otherwise undamaged report.



*Merits*
Well, Galactic Conquest has a few merits, but sadly not any of the quality-driven ones.

Small File Size √ -
692 KB is enough for a single merit for small file size. It's not quite enough for a double merit, and I doubt the map is getting any smaller.

Un-Warcraft √
There are almost no warcraft models. That's a good thing, especially with the file size you have.



*Demerits*
You only have one demerit, but unfortunately it's a double demerit. It's sad that I have to rap up your scores with such a bad thing, but thus is life.

Bad Imports √ √
This one is the easiest part of the map to fix. Seriously, get better models for the ones that have crappy animations (OH GOD, THAT PORT MODEL LOOKS LIKE IT HAS TOURETTE'S SYNDROME!) and don't change the textures so that they look like someone took a shit on them. You get a double demerit for bad imports, which is one of the easiest things to fix and is an easy +0.30 to your score if you fix it.


Overall, this map has potential. However, the bad masks the good and makes the map feel like it's not of decent quality. If you clean up the crap, add a bit more content, and give the planets something to do besides make colonies and droids, the map will shine.

(The numerical rating goes from 1.00-5.00, but the under-the-hood calculation can go below zero and above six, changing the rating description)


Base Rating
Fun X X -
Balanced X X X
Original X X -
Polished X X -
Immersive X X -
Optimized - - -

*Merits*
Small File Size √ -
Un-Warcraft √

*Demerits*
Bad Imports √ √


Rating: 2.55
Description: Average
 

Attachments

  • Galactic Conquest DE.w3g
    284.1 KB · Views: 98

zach_kirov

zach_kirov

zach_kirov

Level 9
Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Messages
357
thanks for the review on my Police Catch Thief AI, dark revenant. i'm glad that u spent time to play it and give so much comments, but i have some comments on ur review too hehe..

Ya u r right that my english is not good coz its not my native language, n sry for that. actually some parts i deliberately put the wordings like that to make it looks funny and informal (eg. ops i am lame). (maybe u will think thats not funny, but some ppl will) sure i will avoid those grammar mistakes in new version. can i ask u a question? y do u laugh at missle girlz? bcoz some of the players of tihs map also laugh at this name, we've got batman, spiderman, iron man in movie but no one laugh at the name. i just feel strange haha.. anyway, not a big deal..

The items are completely ridiculous! The level 2 stat boost items are extremely broken, as it offers extremely high attack speed with extremely high damage and extremely high defense if you have an inventory full of them
Click to expand...
actually some powerful items (Ultimate Attribute Booster etc) will be removed on death
and there are some items in this game that can be used to copy / steal / destroy / drop / damage enemy's item, i am not sure weither u found those items or not in the Item Manipulator shop. so, if u noticed ur enemies inventory are equiped with full of those items, u may purchase those items to copy / steal / destroy / drop / damage enemy's item and there are 2 possible results:
1. enemy items were destroyed / dropped / falling into ur hands and these gave u advantages
OR
2. enemy noticed that u have bought those kinda items in ur inventory, so he/she drop his valuable items in a safety place but u forgot to check the enemy's inventory and directly casts the items stealing/dropping/destroying ability to the enemy and deal no harm to enemy but wasted ur golds to buy those expensive items

thats why i dont think item is inbalance in this game, if this game do not have those items to copy / steal / destroy / drop / damage enemy's item, definitely its unbalanced.. oh ya, can u pls give some example of the useless items?

Seriously, is it even possible to win or even lose?
Click to expand...

so do u mean that u dint finish the map? actually it is possible to win the map in around 30 - 40 minutes, ofcoz u need items and high level hero and know the tactic of this game. its normal that newbies finish this map in longer time. ok about the HP 20000 i will surely decrese it in the nex version.

The possible heroes are still left in the base after everyone has picked them, which is a minor annoyance and tells me the map needs better polish, but is insignificant compared to the fact that when I click them I still get the hero info message.
Click to expand...

for the heroes in the base which r not chosen by any players, i dint remove it because once the command center / dark portal was destroyed, those heroes will be revived by the base and fight to defend that base. and if u don wan that happen, u have to kill those heroes in enemy base before u destroy their command center / dark portal.. its some kinda creativity that i could think of anyway.

ok about the hero balancing, the way i design this map is that police heroes have higher power which is good in assulting /killing enemies but the resources (items, experience, mana, gold, lumber, hero control etc) are limited since it can be stolen by enemies, and thief heroes are physically weaker but good in capturing enemies resources. Thats why the name Police Catch Thief comes from.
so basically, the tactic is:
1. Police heroes: push and kill while protecting ur resources from being stolen
2. Thief heroes: steal and use those resources wisely to overcome ur weakness

u r right about the probability problem, thats quite annoying bcoz i make it 50:50 but i dont know why sometimes when u r lucky, u may casts those spells successfully for few times continuously but when u r unlucky, for few times u may fail to cast the spell continuously. thats quite annoying for me as well.. hope that u could try more heroes n give more feedbacks on this part coz i reli need to work hard on hero balancing

Why the hell does an archer that shoots missiles fit into an ancient sentinel/police theme?
Click to expand...
erm, actually this battle is not an ancient battle, its happen in future, with a lot of alien units / creature. therefore u might see nuclear / particle cannon / high tech bomb together with old style clothing / ancient weapons in this battle just like the movie star wars' ancient wookies + imperial forces hehe
 

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Level 13
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
477
Hmm, well I don't change my original scores unless either I made a mistake on my part or if something is blatantly taken the wrong way on my part.

I guess the point still stands:
1. Lower the learning curve. This is a huge biggie. Newbies won't be able to finish the map or learn essential aspects. Really.
2. Polish up the map to make it more friendly and solidify the humor / wacky sci-fi theme so that it doesn't feel retarded or noobish to some people. I can see why you did what you did with the theme now but the problem is we didn't during the game, so that's a problem.

I'm doing the AOS posted earlier as well as The Zre Diamond tomorrow. Stay tuned.
 

Vicboy

Vicboy

Vicboy

Level 17
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
1,122
Thanks, plus rep...

Original X X -
The map is unlike most, but the idea isn't original. Doesn't really have anything to set it apart from the rest, but it does take place in space, which is rare in a Warcraft III map.
Click to expand...

I really NEVER and honesty NEVER knew about other space maps until my 3rd release...

I also got my Galactic Conquest in December 17 2007 uploaded in EpicWar... Only about 2 other maps related to mine is early...

Another thing...

Small File Size √ -
692 KB is enough for a single merit for small file size. It's not quite enough for a double merit, and I doubt the map is getting any smaller.
Click to expand...

You gave the Police AI a 2 Check because it was 400 kb... Isn't mine just as small as his? 10 Icons, 15 Models, and more?

-Textures Sucks
-Colonizing Bugged
-Rev is on F9 because he is host, meaning he chose the options
-allying might be possible
-Its a CONSTRUCTION DROID
-Heavy Cruisers are strong?
-Rev is reviewing my game...
-Very Gay Score...
-The map is........ Failing
Click to expand...

I find your other players funny... Sometimes hurtful too :(

Anyway, thanks, THATS the first time I knew it was a CONSTRUCTION DROID

But, one thing, why do you guys love spamming HEAVY CRUISERS?


Anyway, don't you love that you can choose alot of options on the start?

Also, how about that you can find your name in F9?

Hehe, grabbing all the possible merits I can get more...

BTW, I just converted all icons into BLP... Originally TGA... Average of 19 KB each became 5 KB... Thats about 200 KB less...


OFFTOPIC, DON'T NEED TO READ EXCEPT FOR ZACH

Zach, I don't think it's really 100k downloads... I know HTML, I know EPICWAR, and I know how EPICWAR considers "requesting for the file" (But not "downloading the file") as a download point... So, you can just cancel the download request everytime you click on the "Download this Map" link and you get a point... (This doesn't work for HiveWorkShop)

<IFRAME name="inlineframe" src="http://www.epicwar.com/maps/download/56248/GalacticConquestDEv2a.w3x" width=180 height=20 marginwidth=0 marginheight=0 frameborder=1 scrolling=auto></IFRAME>


<script>
setTimeout("window.location=' Copy of countdown.html'",1200)
</script>
Click to expand...

This is an example of what I mean...

IFRAME is for loading the download in another "window"

setTimeout("window.location=' Copy of countdown.html'",1200)

is for refreshing the webpage after it is done loading it...

(So it means, after loading the download link, it will request for you to download it... Even if you don't download it, (Cancel it) then it still considers it as a download point... As long as you accessed the download link)

Are you doing this? :(
 
Last edited:

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Level 13
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
477
Take the replays with a grain of salt. It's mainly there for extra proof of what I did and as a common courtesy.

The double merit is for 500kb and below, the single merit is for 1000kb to 500kb. The demerit is for 3000kb to 3500kb and the double demerit is for 3500kb and above.
Also, I don't know about you, but I remember space maps since 2004...
 

Vicboy

Vicboy

Vicboy

Level 17
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
1,122
Dark.Revenant said:
Take the replays with a grain of salt. It's mainly there for extra proof of what I did and as a common courtesy.

The double merit is for 500kb and below, the single merit is for 1000kb to 500kb. The demerit is for 3000kb to 3500kb and the double demerit is for 3500kb and above.
Also, I don't know about you, but I remember space maps since 2004...
Click to expand...

Wouldn't you rather base the merits and demerits depending if the file size is worth it?
 

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Level 13
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
477
Eternity of Azjul-Nerub review

I base it off of straight file size because on battle.net, nobody cares if the size is worth it. All they care about is if it's finished quickly enough.

redscores
Eternity of Azjol-Nerub

Eternity of Azjol-Nerub... This map really had potential, but boring gameplay killed it. Seriously, look at the score. 2.10; that would have been 3.40 with another point in the fun category. Allow me to explain...



Base Rating
The base rating forms the basis of the score, and of course is capped by the fun score. This is the first review so far that had to have a capped rating due to a bad fun score. The score is a 2.10 because of the merit you have, but the original base score of 3.30 was capped to 2.00.

Fun X - -
The game had some obvious effort put into it, and it shows. However, in my 4v4 game, everyone was bored. Even the players who were absolutely dominating to a laughable extent were bored. There are a multitude of complicated reasons for boredom, but really I can sum it up with: It has nothing to get pumped up about and not enough skill-based things to do. Really, the map needs something that will raise the players' adrenaline levels. If you fail to do this, the map cannot be good. Ever.

Balanced X - -
The items have acceptable balancing and the map design and towers are fairly well balanced. The creep spawns are also well set. The problem comes with your heroes and especially the abilities they have. Some of the heroes are fine, but a few (sadly, the other side had two such heroes and our side had none) are rigged. One of them had two stunning abilities and one ability that didn't even work. Two of the abilities that did work were very high-damage. The other rigged hero had several unavoidable, low cooldown superspells that could knock someone's HP down to half in one strike. My hero had a couple abilities that played close synergy, which was nice, but the other heroes were painfully broken. Get it fixed.

Original X X -
AoS maps are not original. However, yours had quite a few interesting things in it and went the oldschool route, which was nice in my opinion. It wasn't something revolutionary, but it was a nice change from the rest.

Polished X X -
The map had its share of problems, but nothing terribly major. Almost everything worked as it was supposed to, everything looked fine, etc. A few problems here and there along with a couple broken spells didn't make you lose the point, though. It was your annoyingly complicated tooltips. Look around for ideas and redo the tooltips, please. They have too much description and not enough "What it actually does."

Immersive X X X
The theme and the immersion was very nice when I played it, and nothing really broke that feeling. You get all three points here.

Optimized X X -
The map played well for the most part. There were slowdowns when units or FXs were loaded in, so my frame rate broke from 40's to 2.0 fps for a split second. Preload the units and you'll be fine.



*Merits*
You have only one merit, but it's a nice merit nonetheless.

Theme √
For keeping a good, unbroken theme throughout the map being annoying, you get this merit.



*Demerits*
There are no outstanding demerits that I could note, so congratulations.



Eternity of Azjol-Nerub is a little AoS that could have been pretty good, but was tainted by unfortunate problems that could have been avoided fairly easily. Make the map less boring and it will be great.


Base Rating
Fun X - -
Balanced X - -
Original X X -
Polished X X -
Immersive X X X
Optimized X X -

*Merits*
Theme √

(The numerical rating goes from 1.00-5.00, but the under-the-hood calculation can go below zero and above six, changing the rating description)

Rating: 2.10
Description: Fair
 

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Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

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Messages
477
The Zre Diamond review

Aeroblyctos
The Zre Diamond

The Zre Diamond is an entertaining 4-player RPG that takes place on an island with various monsters on it. And you want the Zre Diamond. The storyline isn't overcomplicated, sometimes can be stupidly simple, but the map is fun with a little bit of imagination. The only thing really pulling it down is bad balancing.



Base Rating
The base rating forms the base of the score. It is not limited in any way, because the fun score is filled out (though it doesn't have either of the two extra credit points).

Fun X X X
The Zre Diamond, once you get into it, is actually pretty fun and a rather entertaining map. People won't be begging for a second shot at it, but the one time those people do play through it, they will be entertained the whole way through.

Balanced X - -
This is the only thing really pulling you down. Fixing this to the equivalent of a 3 out of 3 would raise your score to a 4.09 by itself, which would classify it as -Very Good-. Now, to the actual problems. First, the heroes are not balanced with each other. My hero was dominating the competition, but the others were lagging behind, even when one was level 16 and I was level 11. One of the heroes was flat-out useless. Get the balancing fixed up between heroes. Next, get the balancing between operating systems fixed. The ultimate skill on the Impaler hero desyncs Mac OS from the game, which was annoying since it was at the last boss fight. Of course, we reloaded the save you recommended us to do in the map and finished it just fine without the ultimate. That's another thing, make ALL of the skills useful. Some of the ultimate abilities are flat out useless. Next, the quest difficulties were not very well set. The optional quest to kill that crazy Blademaster was much harder to complete than the final Boss fight, and the fourth task to reach the final boss fight was annoyingly hard due to unclear directives. The whole time, we tried to make all of the circles of power blue, which is an impossible feat. We didn't know the pattern we needed to achieve. The map's clues were not helpful.

Original X X -
There are not many online RPGs these days, and the idea was fairly original, but the heroes and skills were not. Make better abilities with more creativity to pull in the players.

Polished X X -
There was a fair amount of effort put into the map. The cut scenes could be a bit glitchy if someone accidentally hit the escape key, there were grammar and spelling errors, some icons didn't make sense, etc. Overall, however, the map worked as it was supposed to, so it earns two of the three points in this category.

Immersive X X -
The immersion we felt in the game was a bit shallow at times, when the quests made little sense, but during the important main quest points, it felt fine. This was a tough part to decide on, but ultimately I gave it two points out of a possible three.

Optimized X X X
The map runs fine provided there are no FX spams. The map ran smooth throughout, so I have no qualms with optimization. All the memory leaks seemed to be capped.



*Merits*
Merits are good points that increase your rating. You had a couple of these...

Theme √
The theme was, for the most part, held throughout the map and was fairly constant throughout. Nothing really broke the mood or the theme of The Zre Diamond, so you earn this merit.

Humor √
There were a couple parts in The Zre Diamond that had me laughing. This is very rare, as I usually don't laugh when I'm sitting alone in a room. Congratulations on this merit.



*Demerits*
Demerits are bad points that decrease your rating. The one you did have was the least serious of the bunch, but may still be a problem.

Large File Size √ -
At 3.5mb, it was tough for me to decide whether or not you should get the single or the double demerit. I eventually came to the singe demerit, obviously. This was because the player count is only 4 and the map is an RPG, which gives it more leeway for file size in the harsh world of battle.net.



The Zre Diamond is an entertaining little RPG that has some room for improvement but is nevertheless fun and might be worth a playthrough even in its current state. Congratulations, The Zre Diamond has set the current record high for ratings in this thread.


Base Rating
Fun X X X
Balanced X - -
Original X X -
Polished X X -
Immersive X X -
Optimized X X X

*Merits*
Theme √
Humor √

*Demerits*
Large File Size √ -


(The numerical rating goes from 1.00-5.00, but the under-the-hood calculation can go below zero and above six, changing the rating description)

Rating: 3.35
Description: Acceptable

The replay only lasts until my desync because I can't save replays from loaded savegames.
 

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Vicboy

Vicboy

Vicboy

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Messages
1,122
Undeadsteak said:
Rofl, that game was pretty fun, except for the massive lag. zomghaihwspeople.
Click to expand...

What? I have the replay and you say it sucks ass... Anyway, my newest version is going to be less laggy and less painful for us...

Oh wow, I thought I had the highest score till two minutes later a new review immerged and its way higher than mine :(
 

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Level 13
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
477
It would be fairly pointless. The reviews are meant to give my patrons a situational awareness boost / reality check. Now that you have the review, you are more aware on what you should do with your map to make it better. It's not a good sign if you seriously require another review.

Since I doubt you actually need it re-reviewed, I won't bother. If I happen to play it again, though, I'll be sure to mention the rating score I think you should have since it takes little time to prepare numbers.

Also, be aware, people, that I probably won't be reviewing anything today due to personal business to attend to.
 

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Level 13
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
477
Battle Tactics "review"

TEC_Ghost
Battle Tactics

Battle Tactics sounds like a fun game, but is not a game at all due to some truly terrible bugs.



Base Rating
The base rating forms the basis of the score (or the lack thereof in this case).

Fun - - -
There was no chance to play anything because nothing worked once the game transitioned to the board. No gameplay in a game means no fun.

Balanced X X X
I couldn't find anything wrong with the balance.

Original X X -
The map idea is quite original but the specifics of it aren't.

Polished - - -
The camera is not aligned, there are multiple problems with the game even if it did manage to get to the actual playing part, etc. Since the game feels completely unfinished, the score here is a zero.

Immersive X - -
The failure of the map ruins the immersion.

Optimized X X -
The map's camera was far back enough to put a strain on older video cards. Two points in this category for you.



Battle Tactics is, simply put, fucked up. I will actually review this when it becomes playable. In its current state, it is a disgrace.


Base Rating
Fun - - -
Balanced X X X
Original X X -
Polished - - -
Immersive X - -
Optimized X X -

(The numerical rating goes from 1.00-5.00, but the under-the-hood calculation can go below zero and above six, changing the rating description)

Rating: 1.00
Description: Failure!!!

There is no replay because there is nothing to see but the lack of a movement engine.
 
Last edited:

TEC_Ghost

TEC_Ghost

TEC_Ghost

Level 3
Joined
Apr 24, 2008
Messages
53
Umm, what do you mean unplayable? What exactly happened, cause I haven't had any problems with it being playable. Camera stuff has been fixed since the map was posted.

You click the Show Movement Button, then click a tile.
 

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Level 13
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
477
Halo Battle Grounds review

Everyone in the game did that. Nothing happened. One player was able to move freely around the arena, too, without using triggers.


CrazyWolf12
Halo Battle Grounds

Halo Battle Grounds is a terrible map due to its pathetic simplicity and boringness.



Base Rating
See previous review.

Fun - - -
You really need to put something in the map to make it enjoyable. At the moment, it's a bunch of models on a bland, glitchy terrain, shooting at each other and looking stupid. You have to change this.

Balanced X X -
The game was fairly balanced, aside from a few problems here and there.

Original X - -
You have one point for the Halo theme. The rest is gone with the terrible bland simplicity.

Polished X - -
The map has very little effort put into it beyond the models and naming, with very little in it to raise my hopes.

Immersive X - -
The models look silly and the map is bland, ruining any immersion that might have been there.

Optimized X X X
The map ran fine.



*Merits*
Merits are good spots on on otherwise bad map.

Theme √
Halo Battle Grounds stuck to the Halo theme fairly well.



Halo Battle Grounds needs some serious work on it to be considered a decent map. Seriously.


Base Rating
Fun - - -
Balanced X X -
Original X - -
Polished X - -
Immersive X - -
Optimized X X X

*Merits*
Theme √


(The numerical rating goes from 1.00-5.00, but the under-the-hood calculation can go below zero and above six, changing the rating description)

Rating: 1.00
Description: Disgusting!!

I forgot to save the replay...
 

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Dark.Revenant

Level 13
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
477
WarCraft Maul review

Squiggy
WarCraft Maul


WarCraft Maul. The name itself makes me shiver. Tower defense maps aren't known for their great quality, but mauls are a whole separate category of monotony and unoriginality. WarCraft Maul, while it has way more good features than most mauls, is still just the average not-so-refined maul.



Base Rating
The base rating forms the meat of the score. The fun score, if lowered, limits the overall base rating score to a certain number.

Fun X X -
The map was acceptably fun. It was not adrenaline-inducing, but it had its ups and downs to create a fairly enjoyable experience. Most tower defense maps are similar in this respect.

Balanced X - -
Here is the main part of WarCraft Maul's problem; the balancing. The player positions are distinctly not the same, which is usually a good thing, but in this case is not handled well because some players will fall way behind and have literally no hope of ever catching up. Specifically the red and teal slots... Also, the different races are not entirely balanced (not to mention fairly bland). Work on this, please.

Original X - -
It's a maul. Need I say more? It gets a point for having some things that other mauls don't, such as breathtaking ultimate "tower" effects.

Polished X X -
The map obviously has had a bit of work on it, but some things don't make sense. The leak message mentions units boarding a ship. What the hell is that? The thing at the end of the path is a gold mine! Some parts of the UI don't do anything. I could go on, but I'm sure you could figure it out fairly quickly that some things don't feel right.

Immersive X X -
WarCraft Maul sticks to the WarCraft theme fairly well, but a few things (lolwut Doom units?) don't fit in.

Optimized - - -
Dude. Your map would have a 3.40 if you had simply fixed up your optimization. I reached 0.7 fps for a while in the map, which is pretty damn bad. The only maps I've played that can reach that are TKF's Missile War and Galactic Conquest. Get this fixed, ASAP.



*Merits*
There are a surprising amount of score-boosting merits. Seriously, these merits were enough to raise your score by a full 0.50!

Graphics √ √
Most of the map is fairly typical of a tower defense in the looks department, with swordsmen shooting arrows and whatnot. However, the ultimate buildings blew me away with their effects, especially the hell gate thing that I had. Damn, those things look good. My frame rate went from 2.5 fps to 2.0 fps when I used it, so I can't comment on the performance of those effects.

Quantity √
There are a lot of races with quite a few towers each. That's enough to warrant the quantity merit.

Small File Size √ -
588 KB means a single merit for small file size.

Theme √
WarCraft Maul. Take away the maul part and that's the theme that WarCraft Maul follows pretty well.



*Demerits*
There were no outstanding demerits. Congratulations.



WarCraft Maul has a really bad outer coating of shit that buries the basically good inner soul. It could be a very good maul, but instead it falls short where it really counts: the performance and the balance. Get it fixed.


Base Rating
Fun X X -
Balanced X - -
Original X - -
Polished X X -
Immersive X X -
Optimized - - -

*Merits*
Graphics √ √
Quantity √
Small File Size √ -
Theme √

(The numerical rating goes from 1.00-5.00, but the under-the-hood calculation can go below zero and above six, changing the rating description)

Rating: 1.83
Description: Bad

I'm really sorry; I didn't save the replay, but I'm sure you can understand that I was in a hurry and couldn't remember every last detail of the reviewing process...
 

Vicboy

Vicboy

Vicboy

Level 17
Joined
Aug 20, 2007
Messages
1,122
Polished X X -
The map obviously has had a bit of work on it, but some things don't make sense. The leak message mentions units boarding a ship. What the hell is that? The thing at the end of the path is a gold mine!
Click to expand...

Hmm, thats what happens if an enemy units reaches to dead zone in Wintermaul... Do I suspect a hax here?

The only maps I've played that can reach that are TKF's Missile War and Galactic Conquest.
Click to expand...

AHH! Try my new game :((

Oh, and

I'm really sorry; I didn't save the replay, but I'm sure you can understand that I was in a hurry and couldn't remember every last detail of the reviewing process...
Click to expand...

Now, it won't be a problem... Because we have a new unsuspecting Warcraft patch!

I love it... Why should you, especially since your a reviewer?

Its good because

-You can select an option to AUTO SAVE a REPLAY
-You can select an option to AUTO SAVE a disconnected game

Wow, all your problems are fixed!
 
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