The Gates

[Moderator]

19:57, 17th Aug 2013
Orcnet: Remixer's review

Remixer's Review
Terrain
The maps terrain is lacking. It does not really have different variations which are needed in larger maps like this. Tile using gets very boring, because of usage of the same tiles next to each other the same way, you should mix up tile sets a little in such a large map or you will lack the variations for different ground styles. Also, the terrains basic things as ramps and bridges are made badly. Bridges looks bad since you have picked wrong ones for certain places, you have placed a dirt bridge at a grassy area, this is bad. Also you should very rarely use Dirt Stone Bridges. The terrain needs way more definion: proper tile using and fixing the basic things. Also, the decorating seems a bit weird, you seem to stack same things at certain places. For example the demonic foot prints, you have placed them to a few placed on the map but in those locations there are like 50 of them. You should fix this kind of placements, make more natural looking environment in total. I see your point to make the portals and the demonic creatures to spread around them, however you need to seperate those two different worlds from each other in another way than just stacking one doodad around them. You can change almost everything around them, ground tile, doodads (You can place rocks and stones and all kind of things that can be linked to demons and demonic things. A good Tilesets to look for those things are Dungeon, Black Zitadel and Outland. Another thing that hurts my eyes is the color of water, that is just awful. You should really change that. I make a list now:
1. Improve the tile using.
2. Fix the basic things as ramps and bridges.
3. Seperate two totally different environments better from each other. You should not place a volcano and a snow next to each other (just an example).


Creeps
Creep camps are weirdly placed I have to say, they block many strategic paths and some of them are out of place. Seconly there is too much creeps I think. The map is unnecessarily large and I think you should drop its size. I know your point that there can be huge armies in it too, however the lay out does not seem to support any strategic paths or plans. The terrain is way too open for strategic purposes and it is filled with small areas however when it has huge plain areas and small passages the terrain starts to look very shattered and it ruins the idea of wars and battles and good tactics. The creeps does not help it, they are placed to all passages to enemy side of the map which already is very shattered. Also the item drops are overrated: Almost every single creature on the map drops an item. Also the item drops are very schematicly done, same drops after each other. Even though the item type would be different the level and class are still the same. The hardest creep camps does not drop good items, they just drop dozens of normal items, this is very bad choice in my opinion.


Generally
Because the map is already lacking, I will not even try the gameplay. However, the idea seems nice. Generally the terrain is very lacking, it does not have any strategical points or plan supporting areas. Its wide open at most parts which does not support any strategies, just a huge blood showers. And at some points it is just small passages which does not support the idea of huge armies at all. You have mixed way too much doodads from different tilesets without mixing tiles and other things, the units and single doodads from other tile sets look very orphan. You need to fix the two major things: strategical lay out and terrain in total.

Rating:
Terrain: 1/5
Comment: Terrain does not need maybe more doodads but the proper use of them. Change the color of the water. Mix the tilesets properly so the ground does not get boring and so that the single doodads does not look out of place. Terrain does not have any strategical points or passages which reduces the score a lot because this is a large map. Re-Heigh the bridges and ramps, they are ankwardly placed right now. You need to re-think the lay out.

Creeps: 1/5
Comment: Creeps has way too many small item drops. You need to have better but less drops at harder creep camps. Some creep camps are very out of place. The creep camps are mostly from felwood, as is the tileset, however the environment is something completely other.

Generally: 1/5
Comment: Generally the map is very lacking due the lack of terrain and very confusing creep camps and environmental decoration. As you first fix the lay out and creep camps and also make the tileset mixing and doodad mixing good I will try out the map and will score it also.

Rating: 3/15 (Unacceptable)

 

[CroMoX]

Please fix the type of game mode, it is an altered melee not a melee.

Also a screenshot would be nice to sell your map to the viewer

 

[UndeadImmortal]

Now that's a lot of waygates!

• Hive description is lacking. Either use http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/tools-560/map-description-generator-1-2-a-224558/ (Requires Java) or http://www.hiveworkshop.com/forums/miscellaneous-tutorials-456/map-description-templates-171659/.
• Credit is missing for the author of 'GeneralHeroGlow'.
• Map preview (optional).
• Please do mention on what race is the Naga.
• Terrain is absolutely huge! The volcanoes, lightnings, and those fire don't match with the map theme at the top-left corner.
• Never use the Noise tool, it makes the terrain looks odd. You could use the Smooth terrain to smooth them.
• Those cliffs with pathing blockers are imbalance for range units. Ex. Get a zeppelin at a Goblin Laboratory, then put those range units inside them, then drop them at those cliffs, viola, free micro. You could put pathing blockers at the cliffs so they won't be accessible (except for air), of course press P to see the pathings (Pink are for ground units).
• Putting gates is a bad idea, AIs do not know how to use them. Either create a trigger to make them open once a unit comes close, or remove them.
• If you're making item drops for unit, be sure to not exceed to more than 3 units having an item to drop, it makes the heroes imbalance.
• Those waygates does not have team color and is hard to see which waygate you're gonna teleport to.

Well that's all for now, I'll leave the Naga race for others to review.

 

[adambjake]

Thanks for the feedback! The pathing blockers DO make for easier access by air, and exploitation if the treeline is cut in the main base. I do realize this, but feel most players would not! I feel it unlikely that most players would play in such a way! The purpose of the blocker is mostly this air-accessibility, besides assisting with pathing AI. I do appreciate your feedback concerning issues of balance! As for the noise I believe we're simply going to have to keep our different tastes on the matter.
Also, I updated the description. I hope the credits are more clear! Thank you again for all your feedback/assistance!

 

[Twilight]

Comment

The map is very cool, but description needs work, add some color to it, use bb codes, add some screenshots
_______________
Rating:
4/5

Terrain

Terrain is very nice, this is a real Felwood map.
___________________
Rating:
4/5

Gameplay

A simple melee map.
____________________
Rating:
4/5

Final Rating:

Terrain:4/5
Gameplay:4/5
Comment:4/5

FINAL RATING:
4/5

Suggestions
-Fix description
-Add some screenshots
-Terrain can be Improved

 

[UndeadImmortal]

Twilight, would you classify what he needs to add to the gameplay for it to become 5/5 to your taste? Also give some useful links to him (preferably the BBCodes you mentioned).

 

[Twilight]

bb codes are juts at the bottom at the page, it is easy to find.

 

[Legal_Ease]

Map Submission Rules
BBcode key
Map Discription Templates
Beginner's Guide to Map Making
Text Colors
Advanced Terraining
Hidden Material
Weapon Attachment
Map Preview Screen
Things GUI users should know
Polishing Your Game
Custom UIs

 

[adambjake]

Thanks again!

Thanks for all the helpful advice on this post! I've updated with images, a bit more description, and BBCODE! lol. Also, the map file has updated with various minor corrections as well as corrections to the two spelling errors in the previous upload!

 

[adambjake]

Ty CroMoX for the advice! I took the steps you suggested please let me know what you think about the screenies as well as the map!

 

[adambjake]

Thank you again for your post Immortal! I did add colors to the waygates to make them more distinguishable. Again, I much appreciate your input!

 

[Remixer]

Remixer's Review
Terrain
The maps terrain is lacking. It does not really have different variations which are needed in larger maps like this. Tile using gets very boring, because of usage of the same tiles next to each other the same way, you should mix up tile sets a little in such a large map or you will lack the variations for different ground styles. Also, the terrains basic things as ramps and bridges are made badly. Bridges looks bad since you have picked wrong ones for certain places, you have placed a dirt bridge at a grassy area, this is bad. Also you should very rarely use Dirt Stone Bridges. The terrain needs way more definion: proper tile using and fixing the basic things. Also, the decorating seems a bit weird, you seem to stack same things at certain places. For example the demonic foot prints, you have placed them to a few placed on the map but in those locations there are like 50 of them. You should fix this kind of placements, make more natural looking environment in total. I see your point to make the portals and the demonic creatures to spread around them, however you need to seperate those two different worlds from each other in another way than just stacking one doodad around them. You can change almost everything around them, ground tile, doodads (You can place rocks and stones and all kind of things that can be linked to demons and demonic things. A good Tilesets to look for those things are Dungeon, Black Zitadel and Outland. Another thing that hurts my eyes is the color of water, that is just awful. You should really change that. I make a list now:
1. Improve the tile using.
2. Fix the basic things as ramps and bridges.
3. Seperate two totally different environments better from each other. You should not place a volcano and a snow next to each other (just an example).


Creeps
Creep camps are weirdly placed I have to say, they block many strategic paths and some of them are out of place. Seconly there is too much creeps I think. The map is unnecessarily large and I think you should drop its size. I know your point that there can be huge armies in it too, however the lay out does not seem to support any strategic paths or plans. The terrain is way too open for strategic purposes and it is filled with small areas however when it has huge plain areas and small passages the terrain starts to look very shattered and it ruins the idea of wars and battles and good tactics. The creeps does not help it, they are placed to all passages to enemy side of the map which already is very shattered. Also the item drops are overrated: Almost every single creature on the map drops an item. Also the item drops are very schematicly done, same drops after each other. Even though the item type would be different the level and class are still the same. The hardest creep camps does not drop good items, they just drop dozens of normal items, this is very bad choice in my opinion.


Generally
Because the map is already lacking, I will not even try the gameplay. However, the idea seems nice. Generally the terrain is very lacking, it does not have any strategical points or plan supporting areas. Its wide open at most parts which does not support any strategies, just a huge blood showers. And at some points it is just small passages which does not support the idea of huge armies at all. You have mixed way too much doodads from different tilesets without mixing tiles and other things, the units and single doodads from other tile sets look very orphan. You need to fix the two major things: strategical lay out and terrain in total.

Rating:
Terrain: 1/5
Comment: Terrain does not need maybe more doodads but the proper use of them. Change the color of the water. Mix the tilesets properly so the ground does not get boring and so that the single doodads does not look out of place. Terrain does not have any strategical points or passages which reduces the score a lot because this is a large map. Re-Heigh the bridges and ramps, they are ankwardly placed right now. You need to re-think the lay out.

Creeps: 1/5
Comment: Creeps has way too many small item drops. You need to have better but less drops at harder creep camps. Some creep camps are very out of place. The creep camps are mostly from felwood, as is the tileset, however the environment is something completely other.

Generally: 1/5
Comment: Generally the map is very lacking due the lack of terrain and very confusing creep camps and environmental decoration. As you first fix the lay out and creep camps and also make the tileset mixing and doodad mixing good I will try out the map and will score it also.

Rating: 3/15 (Unacceptable)