The long awaited result of the map contest for Masters of RMS......
First of all, a big thank you to all and every one of the 18 people who submitted maps. We didn’t expect that much success for this contest and it’s really great to see that the map making community is alive and thriving. We got loads of interesting and unique ideas, I must say even more than expected. The creativity is really incredible, I’m personally amazed at how various maps can be in Age of Empires 2 while remaining competitive, and that makes me think we will see even more in months and years to come.
A reminder that tonight after the showmatch Kids of RMS Zetnus will go on stream with a breakdown of all the maps, you will be able to ask him all the questions you want on your map or the judging process. Don't forget to tune in at https://www.twitch.tv/zetnus
All of the submissions we got will be gathered in a map pack mod that will be published later today.
Ok, now, let's go into this. the honourable mentions.
Let’s first break down by category. Every map was noted by the jury in four categories, then everything was aggregated for the final note. Here are the maps that got the highest note in each of those categories.
Competitiveness
Competitive maps could be found in the mappool of the rank ladder or any big tournament. Resources are balanced, the generation is the most fair possible for the players. The meme aspect of this type of maps is marginal at best.
Examples
Very competitive maps: Arabia, Cross, Islands.
Not very competitive maps: Forest Nothing, Mega Random, real world maps, scenario maps.
The Most Competitive Map Award goes to Marsh Madness, by biz. This map, which looks a bit like Land Madness with random shallow crossings and an outer ring of deep sea fish on top, would probably be the theatre for incredibly fast pace and aggressive extended feudal wars. The map is featured in the Kids of RMS showmatch, tuesday 22/09 at 20gmt.
Complexity
Complex maps can be the theatre for a fairly wide range of strategic approach and playstyles. At the start of the game you don’t know exactly what your opponent will go for. Those maps need adaptability from the players.
Examples
Very complex maps: Arabia, Mega Random.
Not so complex maps: Black Forest, Socotra.
The Most Complex Map Award goes to City Ruins by PleaseBeGentle. A crazy map with nomadic start, open fields, choke-point areas, a big hill in the centre, scattered resources across the map, various and precise points of interest that the players can claim. We never seen gameplay on the map yet, but we all had hard time to appreciate the deepness of the map, and we’re still unsure what the meta is. Hope to see games on it in the future.
Originality
Original maps just don’t make you think: “Oh, this is just an Arabia clone.” Those maps are unique and players will have to train a bit on them to figure them out.
Examples
Original maps: Maps that don’t look like other well known maps (Cape of Storms, etc.)
Not so original maps: Maps that look like other well known maps (Cenotes, etc.)
The Most Original Map Award goes to… City Ruins once again with a whooping 9,6/10 rating. Really this map is something else and a lot of work was put into it. Congrats to PleaseBeGentle.
Visual appeal
How much aesthetically pleasing the map looks. It’s probably to most subjective of the categories so it was given less weight.
The Most Visually Appealing Map Award goes to Orchards by Gen_Rhys_Dallows. This maps just looks cosy, pretty and peaceful, with a welcoming Mediterranean feel to it. You would almost want to live in it. Everyone was charmed with the aesthetic of this map and it got a 4,8/5 rating for this category.
Third place
Third place goes to Watering Hole, by MyteaLancer. A nice looking map, the jury noted a very clear focus point in the centre with the hunt and fish, that could, combined with the fairly openness of the map, promotes early aggression. Congrats to MyteaLancer for this map.
Second place
Second place goes to Marsh Madness, by biz. As noted before, it might not be the most original map as it is close to Land Madness, but it is very competitive and balanced, and aggressive map, and the twist of adding the water element opens up the gameplay to potential new strategies compared to its older, land only sister.
Now, for the winner of the contest
And the winner is……
City Ruins!!! Winning the Complexity and Originality categories, the map seduced the jury with its uniqueness. Congrats to PleaseBeGentle who makes it to the main event! Honestly can’t wait to see how this map plays out.
Reminder that every map submitted for the contest can be downloaded at https://aoe2map.net
The detailed results can be found at https://aoe2map.net/contest/masters-of-rms/maps/
Thanks everyone for all the good maps and see you soon for the next steps
First of all, a big thank you to all and every one of the 18 people who submitted maps. We didn’t expect that much success for this contest and it’s really great to see that the map making community is alive and thriving. We got loads of interesting and unique ideas, I must say even more than expected. The creativity is really incredible, I’m personally amazed at how various maps can be in Age of Empires 2 while remaining competitive, and that makes me think we will see even more in months and years to come.
A reminder that tonight after the showmatch Kids of RMS Zetnus will go on stream with a breakdown of all the maps, you will be able to ask him all the questions you want on your map or the judging process. Don't forget to tune in at https://www.twitch.tv/zetnus
All of the submissions we got will be gathered in a map pack mod that will be published later today.
Ok, now, let's go into this. the honourable mentions.
Let’s first break down by category. Every map was noted by the jury in four categories, then everything was aggregated for the final note. Here are the maps that got the highest note in each of those categories.
Competitiveness
Competitive maps could be found in the mappool of the rank ladder or any big tournament. Resources are balanced, the generation is the most fair possible for the players. The meme aspect of this type of maps is marginal at best.
Examples
Very competitive maps: Arabia, Cross, Islands.
Not very competitive maps: Forest Nothing, Mega Random, real world maps, scenario maps.
The Most Competitive Map Award goes to Marsh Madness, by biz. This map, which looks a bit like Land Madness with random shallow crossings and an outer ring of deep sea fish on top, would probably be the theatre for incredibly fast pace and aggressive extended feudal wars. The map is featured in the Kids of RMS showmatch, tuesday 22/09 at 20gmt.
Complexity
Complex maps can be the theatre for a fairly wide range of strategic approach and playstyles. At the start of the game you don’t know exactly what your opponent will go for. Those maps need adaptability from the players.
Examples
Very complex maps: Arabia, Mega Random.
Not so complex maps: Black Forest, Socotra.
The Most Complex Map Award goes to City Ruins by PleaseBeGentle. A crazy map with nomadic start, open fields, choke-point areas, a big hill in the centre, scattered resources across the map, various and precise points of interest that the players can claim. We never seen gameplay on the map yet, but we all had hard time to appreciate the deepness of the map, and we’re still unsure what the meta is. Hope to see games on it in the future.
Originality
Original maps just don’t make you think: “Oh, this is just an Arabia clone.” Those maps are unique and players will have to train a bit on them to figure them out.
Examples
Original maps: Maps that don’t look like other well known maps (Cape of Storms, etc.)
Not so original maps: Maps that look like other well known maps (Cenotes, etc.)
The Most Original Map Award goes to… City Ruins once again with a whooping 9,6/10 rating. Really this map is something else and a lot of work was put into it. Congrats to PleaseBeGentle.
Visual appeal
How much aesthetically pleasing the map looks. It’s probably to most subjective of the categories so it was given less weight.
The Most Visually Appealing Map Award goes to Orchards by Gen_Rhys_Dallows. This maps just looks cosy, pretty and peaceful, with a welcoming Mediterranean feel to it. You would almost want to live in it. Everyone was charmed with the aesthetic of this map and it got a 4,8/5 rating for this category.
Third place
Third place goes to Watering Hole, by MyteaLancer. A nice looking map, the jury noted a very clear focus point in the centre with the hunt and fish, that could, combined with the fairly openness of the map, promotes early aggression. Congrats to MyteaLancer for this map.
Second place
Second place goes to Marsh Madness, by biz. As noted before, it might not be the most original map as it is close to Land Madness, but it is very competitive and balanced, and aggressive map, and the twist of adding the water element opens up the gameplay to potential new strategies compared to its older, land only sister.
Now, for the winner of the contest
And the winner is……
City Ruins!!! Winning the Complexity and Originality categories, the map seduced the jury with its uniqueness. Congrats to PleaseBeGentle who makes it to the main event! Honestly can’t wait to see how this map plays out.
Reminder that every map submitted for the contest can be downloaded at https://aoe2map.net
The detailed results can be found at https://aoe2map.net/contest/masters-of-rms/maps/
Thanks everyone for all the good maps and see you soon for the next steps
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