The wait has ended, we are now announcing the winners of the map contest, and the maps that will be featured in the tournament. First of all thanks to the 12 map makers who submitted maps in the contest, we have seen some crazy imagination at work and can't wait to see games played on the best maps of the bunch.
Only 6 maps were selected, the 7th map was deemed not competitive enough and then discarded as a result. A custom map will replace that 7th map in the main event, and will be played as game 1 in all series.
For now we are working on making sure that the maps are fair and bug free. The map pack as well as the full results will be available over the weekend.
Let’s first break down by category. Every map was noted by the jury in five 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 Award for Most Competitive Map goes to Sacred Glades, by Zetnus. This open and aggressive map, with few woodlines and big plains with extra resources, gets a solid 15,2/20 rating in that category.
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, Islands.
The Award for Most Complex Map goes to Otisco by TechChariot. The jury was puzzled by this nomad start map, but everyone agree that the variability of gameplay should be pretty high, at 7,2/10.
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 Award for Most Original Map goes to… Otisco once again with a whooping 9,4/10 rating. Really this map is something else and a lot of work was put into it. Congrats to TechChariot.
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 Award for Most Visually Appealing Map goes to Kelimutu Lakes by XingXing. A lot of work has been put into the scenery for this map, which as a result gets a 4,4/5 rating.
Clever use of "Holy" in the gameplay
Which map maker followed the theme of the tournament the closest? Some bonus points for the good pupils.
The Award for Most Thematic Map goes to Yam Suph by HenkDeSuperNerd. With his totally historically accurate depiction of the Exodus and Moses crossing the Red Sea, Henk gets a 4,8/5 in that category and crushes the competition.
And now, without further ado, here are the 6 maps winning the contest.
Holy City
by Jasuni
Players start as pilgrims traveling to a friendly monastery in an abandoned Holy City. The city is surrounded by a moat and contains many relics which players will need to capture to defeat the enemy.
Gameplay particularities
Priests have had their range lowered. The relic trickle rate has been halved and controlling the temple of heaven also generates a gold trickle. The gates of the neutral city are weakened, but villagers cannot attack them.
Kelimutu Lakes
by XingXing
According to some, the lakes act as a resting place for departed souls. The souls of the dead are directed by the gatekeeper, Kondo Ratu, who decides based on the age and the behaviour of the recently deceased the lake they will go to. Tiwu Ko’o Fai Nuwa Muri (Lake of Young Men and Maidens) and Tiwu Ata Polo (Bewitched or Enchanted Lake) slumber to the east. It’s the third, Tiwu Ata Bupu (Lake of Old People), the westernmost body, which seems the most bewitched. Long after the sun has risen and cleared the sky of any clouds, a thick mist stays swirling around the crater. Faint outlines, vaguely human in shape, form and dissipate in the vapour.
Gameplay particularities
Players start with only 4 gold mines and no stone mines close to their town centre. The 3 volcanic lakes (1 big one in the centre and 2 small ones in the north and south) have high amount of fish. The water is shallow everywhere. When a fish is completely harvested, a gold mine with 400 gold spawns. The 2 small lakes have stone mines with 700 stone each on their shore. When a stone mine is depleted, a holy relic spawns. Close to each small lake, a shrine is located, which if you control gives you the option to train priests. They only have 25 HP and 4 range, while also costing 100 gold, and you cannot deposit relics in the shrines, so you have to consider your investment.
Sacred Glades
by Zetnus
Sacred Glades is an open land map that features additional trainable units to serve as healing support.
Gameplay particularities
The following units are available: "Blind Lame Priest" - trainable in dark age from the pagan shrine that players spawn with. Cost: 30 gold; 0 conversion range; very slow walk speed when carrying a relic; 6 line of sight; 15 hit points. "Healer" - trainable from a monastery. Cost: 60 gold; 0 conversion range; cannot pick up relics; 45 hit points; 4/4 armor; regenerates health; cannot be converted.
Starfighter
by Cebdos
Side waters are connected by a shallow river that runs around a middle hill. Standing on the hill, a rock church protected by a priest generates gold for the player controlling it.
Gameplay particularities
The middle hill contains extra stone mines (shaped as rocks) and a rock church. Controlling the church generates gold (approx. 3 gold miners), however you first need to get rid of the gaia priest protecting it. The gaia priest being located in the centre of the church, he cannot be killed by melee units.
Texcoco
by TheMadCADer
Past the dense jungle in the Yucatan, a shrine to the jaguar god lies in the middle of Lake Texcoco. Whoever controls the shrine will receive a blessing, so long as they are able to provide a sacrifice…
Gameplay particularities
The monument in the middle gives a gold trickle to the player who controls it -Players start off with a scout that has the same stats as an eagle scout, but it is not immune to jaguars
Yam Suph
by HenkDeSuperNerd
Yam Suph is the body of water which the Israelites crossed following their exodus from Egypt. A priest (Moses) will lead your peoples, who after seeing the burning bramble bush devoted themselves to the prophet. Players will have to build a town centre and establish a settlement, to prepare their exodus through the Red Sea. Even though players have no starting TC, The 5 extra villagers speed up the pace of the game, and access to fish will be an early thing to contest.
Gameplay particularities
Players start with 8 villagers, a small herd of goats, a camel, a small hut, and a priest. The priest will be able to heal, but his ability to convert enemy units is significantly reduced. The passage in the middle resembles the sea floor. All land terrain on this map is buildable, and docks can be placed at shorelines on a flat surface of water. Resource placement for this map is aimed for competitiveness. Equal amount of forest and equal amount of minerals should be guaranteed, if this is not the case, the map is considered a bugged map. There are only 2 holy relics on the map, which can be picked up by the starting priests, so be careful not to lose them.
Thanks everyone and see you in the tournament!