Welcome back to the CRCorner. I'm not much for introductions, so let's get to it.

The draft has finally completed, so now comes the long wait before the season starts in January. There were a couple of small hiccups in the draft involving the site itself (shoutout to CamWatts and NewCompte for being awesome and helping me run it) as well as some risque trading and a streaming controversy, but overall it went fine and we're almost ready to get the season started. We have a few decisions to make as the CRC in terms of late trades and player determinations (as far as the label of MLTP Experienced) and make the schedule after the final map vote.

That brings me to my main topic for the week, which will be discussing the possibilities of a "Competitive Map Testing Committee". I'm not exactly the most qualified person to be discussing the merits of a CMTC- I've had minimal mapmaking experience, and I'm extremely tempted to give a simple answer of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" and go back to studying for finals. However, the large amount of debate that the condensed "new map" list has generated is a tad too much for me to ignore.

Consider what makes a map "good" for MLTP versus what makes it good for a pub. Public games are filled with less-experienced players, who aren't mechanically gifted and don't have the game sense to compete at the level of MLTP. As such, mapmakers and the MTC have shifted priorities towards making the game more enjoyable for these players. Things like reducing open field, constructing boosts/bombs that lead to an easy grab, and well-defined boost lanes across the map all subtly contribute to the new player experience-in other words, they can feel like they're doing something more mechanically complicated than it actually is. MLTP players need no such handicap; if anything, map elements need to be more open-ended to encourage more technical boosts/bombs.

The CMTC's primary goal would be developing and releasing maps that are exclusive to MLTP. There are a couple of problems that I see with this right off the bat, however. The power struggle that would envelop the CMTC, the captains, and the CRC would be less-than-ideal. Captains have long enjoyed their ability to pick maps that they want to play, maps that they know are good for MLTP. Furthermore, they have the knowledge and technical ability to make generally well-liked decisions (up until a week ago). The CMTC would be taking all map selection power from the captains and would have to decide which maps are played every season, what order they would be played, etc.). To determine who would be on the CMTC is an even bigger problem. As I've said above, the best determiners for "MLTP-quality" maps are, in my mind, the captains. If the captains aren't allowed to be on the CMTC (which I'm almost positive is what CMTC proponents would want), then who is qualified? Mapmakers? I don't believe so, at least not mapmakers who aren't playing MLTP. I believe the only people qualified to determine what maps are good for MLTP are MLTP veterans themselves- people that have played the game at the highest level and understand what works there. Throw in the fact that the people we select also have to be trustworthy, not abuse their power, etc. and we're looking at a very small pool of candidates.

The biggest reason why I'm not a proponent of the CMTC is it's infeasibility, which I alluded to above. I simply don't see it working well initially, and I also don't believe the backlash from all sides is worth the hassle either. There definitely isn't enough time to establish it by this season, considering the map vote is all but finalized. Looking at the system we currently have in place, I'm pretty happy with it. The potential for non-rotation maps in MLTP is there due to captains being able to vote in any map ever made ever. The 6/3/1 split ensures that new maps will always be flowing through MLTP. The map voting changes that were put in place this season are a step in the right direction for MLTP, and until Tagpro Next comes out I don't see myself pushing for change in this regard.

I don't want to write a 10-page essay, so that's it for me. Remember to comment below or shoot me a message on Reddit if you have any questions.Thanks for reading and see you next week.