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Contestants are to create a full-size Faction of their choosing that would (reasonably) be found in the chosen Biome. This race must fit aesthetically, stylistically & thematically with the other 4 Factions of Warcraft 3. You will need to consider how that Faction balances with the other Factions and how it impacts the metagame of melee as a whole.
The Biome should be either Forest or Desert (you need to include this in your description, when posting the final submission).
Kingz
First Impressions:
Your method of designing structures by combining units is interesting. It does bother me somewhat as there are missing portraits and collision boxes are off.
The icon color scheme is outstanding. You clearly though about what custom resources looked good together both for icons and models.
Criteria:
Theme: 9/10
You chose Desert and it is clearly evident that you adhered to it. Videogames that have races inhabiting sandy areas often use floating units. When I look at your tree there are four regular units and one hero that float. It seems like a small detail but it communicates the idea that these units live in shifting unstable terrain. I am not crazy about the buildings as I don't feel they relate to the units produced well.
Gameplay: 9/10
You have a standard nine unit combat tree with clearly defined roles. This race makes significant use of augmenting spells that stack well together. Kalem's Wrath is a good example as it also provides an AoE mana regen for allies. On the hero side I enjoyed Curse of Eerin as it effectively forces a group of enemy units to engage at a disadvantage. My only complaint about these spells is that there are a lot of modifiers to keep track of as a player.
Balance: 8/10
As above any time there is a large set of spells that alter units it becomes somewhat hard to keep up with what is going on in a battle. From my own efforts I know this is a difficult process to create interesting spells that don't burden a player. In combat this was made noticeable and that there are too many bonuses being stacked. At one point a unit with Phaeris Piety died, while being affected by Heart of Ash, Kalem's Wrath, Champion of Dust, and Eerin's Cloak. Further there are too many AoE damage spells. I never made it above 75 food but I imagine being maxed out would be a flurry of area spells that would be difficult for a player to counter.
Creativity: 10/10
You nailed this with your use of resources and the spells you produced. There is nothing particularly complex about these spells or systems but you managed to create a different feel. Most custom race maps are so transparent in terms of how they were designed such as a unit based on a Knight where all that was done was to change the model and toss some spells on it. You should refine this race keeping the area effects in mind and submit it again to the maps section.
Overall: 36/40
Spellbound
First Impressions:
Incredible job on the aesthetic side. I would prefer a standard build effect rather than floating text to indicate completion %. You could also use the sand orb model and have it become less opaque as the building completes.
Your building model choices are fitting with exception to the Ancient Shrine. It's difficult to find good building models that fit together even with custom skins.
Criteria:
Theme: 8/10
There is no question about the Desert choice. The Egyptian motif is not overpowering. Often when this design theme is used it drowns out anything around it. Your unit models begin to reflect this. The Earthripper is odd. Generally the unit models could be more cohesive. The ubersplat adds to the depth.
Gameplay: 9/10
I love the Enigma Cube. It's quite a unique idea; Hidden Essence is a compelling spell. I also like the idea of Shining Strike. It allows a player who is micro oriented to do something with their idle units that does not require mana or casting. I have not seen a gold mining unit like the Megalith before that is quite fun to use and all functional. Fast expanding was a breeze. The Desert Moth and Earth Guardian were less exciting.
Balance: 9/10
While the Megalith is overall a good idea it moves too fast. Expanding is nearly instant as you can begin mining even before the creeps are cleared. The Sandling Merge is an excellent way to scale up a basic unit to be viable late game. Arcane Riddle is a powerful passive but placed correctly on a summon. The Sun Conduit does seem over-powered.
Creativity: 9/10
There are some unique spells here for sure but I think the most interesting aspect of this race is the functional mechanics. I liked the Monolith system and cost variation. Ehile unit composition is not bad it could use some work. The Enigma Cube is a goal for fun/utility design.
Overall: 35/40
VeljkoM
First Impressions:
An insect race based loosely on the zerg with a desert theme with a non-standard unit training scheme.
Criteria:
Theme: 7/10
The desert theme is established through the starting building and sand replacement for blight. Insects, specifically scarabs, have an attachment to ancient Egypt so it leads me to that conclusion. The building and units don't really match as I would expect an insect race to use more organic structures, or at least use ruined structures covered in organic matter like webs.
Gameplay: 8/10
Once long ago I made an insect race not that different from this one so I do enjoy the idea of a larger army with fast spawning units. You have five active cast abilities out of your units so most of the combat can be done by swarming units that I know will be counters to my opponent.
Balance: 8/10
I did not see anything outrageous. I think that the spawn times may be low for the damage units can do. They are vulnerable in the eggs and can be killed but I know players would not be as aggressive as they need to be in order to take advantage of that weakness.
Creativity: 7/10
There is a lot of similarity here with the zerg. The Sand Obelisk is extremely similar to tumors for instance. You could have taken more liberty in spell and unit customization. You did however create a way to take advantage of the swarm unit composition through the ability to train simple counter units quickly.
Overall: 30/40
Score S = 25v/TOTv + 75j1 /TOTp
where v = votes entry received, TOTv = total poll vote count, j1 = the score from the judge, and TOTp = total judge score possible.
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