Teamliquid Map Contest 9 Text by monk



Two TLMCs in one year? We're back! TLMC returns this fall with its ninth iteration, promising to inject all new maps into our ladder system. Last season, maps such as Acolyte, Interloper, Odyssey, and Ascension to Aiur went directly from TLMC8 into ladder and WCS. Which maps will be the lucky finalists that will get a chance to hopefully shake up the StarCraft metagame?



As always, we have a few new twists to this TLMC, ones that will shake up the mapping metagame.



Submission Phase

August 18 - September 8

Rules/Restrictions:

Maps can be submitted to one category only. Maps cannot be submitted to multiple categories.



No custom textures or Force Fields.



Rocks and collapsible structures use default HP values and cannot be modified.



Individual mineral node and vespene geysers have default resource amounts and cannot be modified.



No custom data on maps.



Suggestions/Concerns:

For all categories, when deciding to utilize a gold base, make sure there are some sort of risk associated with them. Otherwise, gold minerals bases with low risk tend to usually favor Zerg over the other races.



When using air pathing blockers try to avoid setting up zones that trap air units within them.



For the new category, be careful when adjusting the number of resource nodes at bases because it could impact balance between races and/or matchups.



During the second phase of the competition, small changes are often times better than large radical changes that dramatically alter the map’s direction.

Categories



1. Standard

Guidelines: Medium sized map. Players tend to have more flexibility on these maps to open with a wider variety of strategies and/or builds.



Medium sized map. Players tend to have more flexibility on these maps to open with a wider variety of strategies and/or builds. Average rush distance: (Not a hard restriction. Could be more or less: 40-50 seconds.



(Not a hard restriction. Could be more or less: 40-50 seconds. Playable map dimensions guidelines (not full map dimensions): Map playable area should be approximately between 18,000 and 22,000. (Note that these numbers are guidelines and not hard rules.)



Map playable area should be approximately between 18,000 and 22,000. (Note that these numbers are guidelines and not hard rules.) Examples: Newkirk Precinct’s playable area is 172x124=21,328.

Abyssal Reef’s playable area is 152x136=20,672.

Coda’s playable area is 138x144=19,872.



2. Macro

Guidelines: A map that favors defensive play and encourages players to reach end game unit compositions.



A map that favors defensive play and encourages players to reach end game unit compositions. Average Rush Distance: 45-55 seconds (Note: Not a hard restriction. Could be more or less)



45-55 seconds (Note: Not a hard restriction. Could be more or less) Playable map dimensions (not full map dimensions): Map playable area should be approximately 21,000 and up. (Note: Not a hard restriction. Could be more or less)



Map playable area should be approximately 21,000 and up. (Note: Not a hard restriction. Could be more or less) Examples: Ascension to Aiur’s playable area is 160x132=21,120.

Proxima Station’s playable area is 172x152=26,144.

Dusk Towers playable area is 156x153=23,868.



3. Rush

Guidelines: Map favors early aggression and offensive play.



Map favors early aggression and offensive play. Average rush distance: 35 seconds or less. (Note: Not a hard restriction. Could be more or less)



35 seconds or less. (Note: Not a hard restriction. Could be more or less) Playable map dimensions (not full map dimensions): Map playable area should be approximately between 16,000 and 20,000. (Note: Not a hard restriction. Could be more or less)



Map playable area should be approximately between 16,000 and 20,000. (Note: Not a hard restriction. Could be more or less) Examples: Paladino Terminal’s playable area is 144x112=16128.

Interloper’s playable area is 134x142=19028.

Defender’s Landing’s playable area is 150x130=19500.



4. New

Guidelines: Maps that explore new ideas for how maps can be played.



Maps that explore new ideas for how maps can be played. Map maker can adjust the number of mineral node or vespene geysers at bases. Cannot adjust the values of each individual resource node.



Map sizes can vary between Rush, Standard, or Macro.



Examples: Blood Boil, Sequencer, Dasan Station, Korhal Carnage Knockout, New Gettysburg.

Mappers who submit maps MUST submit each map in one of the four categories. This time, the judges will pick sixteen(16) finalist maps to move on to the next stage:

Three(3) Macro Maps



Three(3) Rush Maps



Three(3) Standard Maps



Three(3) New Maps



Four(4) "Judges Picks"

Judges Picks can come from any category and will consist of maps that the judges feel belong in the top 16. As we don't except all the categories to be uniform in quality, this helps to ensure that the most deserving maps, regardless of category submitted, make it to the next round. Mappers who submit maps MUST submit each map in one of the four categories. This time, the judges will pick sixteen(16) finalist maps to move on to the next stage:Judges Picks can come from any category and will consist of maps that the judges feel belong in the top 16. As we don't except all the categories to be uniform in quality, this helps to ensure that the most deserving maps, regardless of category submitted, make it to the next round.



TL Judging Phase

September 9 - September 15



Once the maps have been submitted they will be checked for quality and the remaining maps will be passed to representatives from the Team Liquid Strategy team and selected professional players/community figures for judging. If you are a professional player and would be interested in helping out, Once the maps have been submitted they will be checked for quality and the remaining maps will be passed to representatives from the Team Liquid Strategy team and selected professional players/community figures for judging. If you are a professional player and would be interested in helping out, PM us . Together, the judges will trim down all submissions to a final 15 that will be used in the next stages of the contest.



Tournament Phase

September 16-September 22

Next we'll have a tournament stage where professional players will compete on these experimental maps for prize money. Once again, thanks to Blizzard for providing the funding for this event. Details will be disclosed at a later date.



Iteration Phase

September 23 - October 2

The iteration phase is one we introduced in TLMC7 and in general it's been a big hit for everyone. In this phase, mappers will be able to submit clean final versions of their maps for consideration by Blizzard and the community.



Public Voting Phase

October 3 - October 5



The public will then vote on the final versions of these maps. Note that public voting only determines the final placing of these maps, that is how much $ each mapper wins. It does not directly affect which maps Blizzard will chose to appear in the next season of ladder. However, this is your chance to make your voice heard about which maps YOU want to be on the ladder.



Prize Distribution

Provided by Blizzard



One change we've made to this iteration of TLMC is to reward all mapmakers who placed as a finalist. That is, ALL 16 finalists will receive $100 for each map they've submitted to the contest. In addition, there will also be more prizing awarded to mappers who have maps that finish in the top 5.



First - $500

Second - $250

Third - $125

Fourth - $75

Fifth - $50



And as always, all fifteen finalists will receive a



And as always, all fifteen finalists will receive a Community Commander Portrait



TLMC Winners Announced

October 6



After the winners are announced, Blizzard will take into consideration all sixteen maps for the next season of ladder and WCS. After a rigorous QA session, Blizzard will announce which maps will be available for you to play on at home closer to the start of the next ladder season.



How to Submit



Mappers will be limited to four map submissions each with a limit on two maps per category. For example, you may submit one map to each category or submit two macro maps and two rush maps.



Please PM your map file(s) to Saturday, Sep 09 4:59am GMT (GMT+00:00) . Please title your PMs with the name of the map and keep all submissions to 1 map per PM. This time we'll also be be asking mappers to submit more detailed information about their maps to ensure neither the judges nor the community misses any key features.



Map Name



A picture of your map. Please submit your maps with a standard 90° top down overview' do not use any angled or tilted images. Please mark start locations and describe any starting location constraints.



The size (dimensions) of the map



The map category you wish to enter with this map.



A description of the map.



Why the map fits the category you selected.



List and describe any distinctive features of the map.



Point out any alternate resource or rock usage on the map. Describe why you chose to use non-standard numbers.



Main to Main distance: (in-game seconds using a worker from town hall to town hall)



Top of main ramp to top of main ramp distance: (in-game seconds using a worker)



Natural to Natural distance: (in-game seconds using a worker from town hall to town hall)



Any relevant analyzer images (optional)



A download link to your map

Entries not in this format may be excluded from consideration. Please do not send questions to the 'TL Map Contest' account; contact TLMC organizer



Submit your map Mappers will be limited to four map submissions each with a limit on two maps per category. For example, you may submit one map to each category or submit two macro maps and two rush maps.Please PM your map file(s) to TL Map Contest with the following format before. Please title your PMs with the name of the map and keep all submissions to 1 map per PM. This time we'll also be be asking mappers to submit more detailed information about their maps to ensure neither the judges nor the community misses any key features.Entries not in this format may be excluded from consideration. Please do not send questions to the 'TL Map Contest' account; contact TLMC organizer monk instead.



FAQS



Q: Do I need to send my map file, or will an image or a link to my map on Battle.net be enough? We want the map file for this contest, so a link to Battle.net is not sufficient. There will be a huge number of maps to choose from, so we will need to open many of them up in order to check for details that we can't find otherwise. To send your maps, upload them to a file hosting service such as Mediafire or Dropbox and include the link in your entry.



Q: How do I attached a map file or image to a PM? The TeamLiquid PM system does not support attachments. Instead, use an external image/file hoster such as Mediafire, Dropbox or Google drive for map files or Imgur for image files. Please sent those links along with your submission.



Q: I want to enter a team map/FFA map into the contest. The Team Liquid Map Contest has traditionally allowed team play maps to be entered and evaluated separately from 1v1 maps, and some of these submissions did eventually reach the ladder map pool. Unfortunately, this season we will not be considering team play maps submitted to the contest. If you're really passionate about making high quality team play maps then we strongly encourage you to post your work in our Maps and Custom Games forum.



Q: Will the winning map automatically be included in WCS? No. A list of the top maps will be submitted to Blizzard for consideration for use in WCS/ladder.



Q: How crazy can my maps be? Maps need to be ladder appropriate. This means that features requiring specialist knowledge (rising lava, geysers used to block ramps, etc.) will not be accepted. If your map passes that test and complies with the guidelines above then your map is acceptable! Of course, if you are concerned that your map may not be suitable for ladder then please PM monk and we will tell you whether or not it is appropriate.



Q: I’m interested in the contest, but I’m horrible at map making. What can I do to support the mappers? Post in their map threads and give them support, encouragement and replays on their maps! Giving your favorite mapper support will be much appreciated by the mapper. Replays are especially valuable as it helps the mapper align their design goals with the map with the reality of how people play their map.



If you have any unanswered questions please do not hesitate to ask them below or PM

If you have any unanswered questions please do not hesitate to ask them below or PM monk who will be happy to answer them. Best of luck in the competition. Moderator