Diamond Profile Blog Joined May 2009 United States 9882 Posts Last Edited: 2011-07-27 19:22:47 #1



Today is a very special day in the Stacraft world, it is the one year anniversary of Starcraft 2!!



So much has changed in the last year it is unbelievable. Only a year ago Khaydarin Amulet was still an upgrade, Marine splits did not exist, MC was a random unsigned Korean that used to play BW, and maps like Steppes of War and Kulas Ravine were still use in tournaments and not considered a major issue with the game.



Well in that year Amulet was removed, MarineKing came out of no where and showed everyone a new style on infantry control, MC has won multiple GSL's, and maps like Steppes of War and Kulas Ravine have made way to new maps developed by the community.



It was just that year ago that mapmaking was considered not really important, but in that time many amazing mapmakers have shown the world new and original maps that help evolve the games as much as the players and patches. Most tournaments use map pools that contain very few Blizzard or Ladder maps, and the future of mapmaking as more then a hobby is finally here.



Today I am proud to announce that the dream that is mapmaking as more than just a hobby has made it's first major step.



Only a year ago Khaydarin Amulet was still an upgrade, Marine splits did not exist, MC was a random unsigned Korean that used to play BW, and maps like Steppes of War and Kulas Ravine were still use in tournaments and not considered a major issue with the game.Well in that year Amulet was removed, MarineKing came out of no where and showed everyone a new style on infantry control, MC has won multiple GSL's, and maps like Steppes of War and Kulas Ravine have made way to new maps developed by the community.It was just that year ago that mapmaking was considered not really important, but in that time many amazing mapmakers have shown the world new and original maps that help evolve the games as much as the players and patches. Most tournaments use map pools that contain very few Blizzard or Ladder maps, and the future of mapmaking as more then a hobby is finally here.Today I am proud to announce that the dream that is mapmaking as more than just a hobby has made it's first major step. SteelSeries has agreed to become the primary sponsor of the iCCup Mapmaking Team! They will provide the iCCup Mapmaking team with valuable support, top notch high quality gaming equipment, and open many doors that were previously closed to the mapmaking world!



We are very proud to make this announcement, and as far as we know it is a first in the Starcraft mapmaking world. We thank SteelSeries for their support and will continue to put out top notch tournament quality maps to represent them in the best way possible.



Speaking of top notch maps..



While we are beyond excited to announce this new partnership, we have been over the last several months been preparing a anniversary gift of our own to the community and all of Starcraft II.



They will provide the iCCup Mapmaking team with valuable support, top notch high quality gaming equipment, and open many doors that were previously closed to the mapmaking world!We are very proud to make this announcement, and as far as we know it is a first in the Starcraft mapmaking world. We thank SteelSeries for their support and will continue to put out top notch tournament quality maps to represent them in the best way possible.Speaking of top notch maps..While we are beyond excited to announce this new partnership, we have been over the last several months been preparing a anniversary gift of our own to the community and all of Starcraft II. Today I present you with the iCCup Anniversary Edition Maps (iCCup AE Maps)!



Each map has been in works for quite some time, and is fully designed ONLY for the highest level of professional play. In spirit of the anniversary we decided to go back and revisit 2 Brood War maps, and acclimate them for Starcraft II. The other two were previous iCCup maps that we felt with some modernization could be true competitors in the tournament map pool. We have been working directly with Korean and North American pro gamers on these maps, and have customized them based off their feedback and responses.



Without further ado, I welcome you to the iCCup AE Maps!



iCCup Sanshorn Mist AE

Remade By: SUPEROUMAN

Currently Published On: North America, Europe, Korea, China





The original Sanshorn Mists was a map that was truly ahead of it's time. It has many concepts on it that were not able to be used when it was created. Players did not understand how to play a very open map, with multiple easy to take bases. Games when the first version was released were mostly one base or two base all ins.



It came to my attention several months ago that Sanshorn Mists put into modern play would probably work very well. So we did a silent test on the Korean Weekly. We had several games on it to verify that it would not all be one base cheeses and such. The results were fantastic, with it playing out as a true two player macro map like no other. It was from this that the idea for the AE Maps was born.



You will notice this is the map that underwent the least change from the orginal, as most of the the problems lied in the visual department, and not terrain features. We feel with this visual upgrade as well as some other small changes (adding more pathing routes) that Sanshorn Mists will be the go to for 2 player macro maps in the future.



iCCup Othello AE

Remade by: Grebliv

Currently Published On: North America, Europe, Korea, China





Othello was the first BW map to be remade during this project. The original map's style and general layout on paper seemed to be very equipped to make an easy transition into Starcraft II.



Like Sanshorn Mists, very few things have changed from the original, but some of them are pretty significant like the changes to the cliff behind the natural. One thing that has NOT changed and makes iCCup Othello AE a first of it's kind is a total lack of a Xel'Naga Watchtower. There is very few spots where one would make sense, and we felt that adding it would be simply adding it to add it, not for any in game purpose.



Othello was a highly regarded map in BW and we think it will be a fantastic addition to SCII.



iCCup Sungsu Crossing AE

Remade By: Monitor

Currently Published On: North America, Europe, Korea, China





iCCup Sungsu Crossing is one of the oldest iCCup maps in existence, and every game that didn't end in a bunker rush was dynamic and action packed. TvZ in particular was a non stop slugfest.



However the original in modern games is much too short, and the side paths are not really worth using. We looked at these as complicated but fun fixes. The solution to the rushes was obviously to extend the map as much as possible while maintaining the aggressive style of the map.



This map is not by any circumstances a super macro map, many games will not get off 2 bases. But this is a dynamic map that as the game progresses and can very easily become a true macro map. The middle choke will become borderline unusable once T2 tech hits, and the third has a LOS blocker heading into it, so it will be easy for a defender to mount a effective counter attack. This combined with the fourth with a very easy to hold XNT will allow players to play any type of style, although ground based play should be much stronger than air.



iCCup Katrina AE

Remade By: Neobowman

Currently Published On: North America, Europe, Korea, China





iCCup Katrina AE is the final map. It is without a doubt the most experimental map of the bunch, and is a map that will require possibly very different play styles compared to most maps. Like the original Brood War map, you have easiest to obtain natural in SCII mapping history, but you have a huge main that can be dropped or harassed, and taking bases beyond the second will be very risky.



iCCup Katrina AE should be the first "air" map in Starcraft II history and was designed to reward air play as much as possible while not totally eliminating the possibility of ground based armies.



This map has undergone quite extensive changes from the BW version (mostly related to size), and should be one of the most bizarre, yet playable maps in the pool that will reward both the fans and players games that are NOT just standard.

The original Sanshorn Mists was a map that was truly ahead of it's time. It has many concepts on it that were not able to be used when it was created. Players did not understand how to play a very open map, with multiple easy to take bases. Games when the first version was released were mostly one base or two base all ins.It came to my attention several months ago that Sanshorn Mists put into modern play would probably work very well. So we did a silent test on the Korean Weekly. We had several games on it to verify that it would not all be one base cheeses and such. The results were fantastic, with it playing out as a true two player macro map like no other. It was from this that the idea for the AE Maps was born.You will notice this is the map that underwent the least change from the orginal, as most of the the problems lied in the visual department, and not terrain features. We feel with this visual upgrade as well as some other small changes (adding more pathing routes) that Sanshorn Mists will be the go to for 2 player macro maps in the future.Othello was the first BW map to be remade during this project. The original map's style and general layout on paper seemed to be very equipped to make an easy transition into Starcraft II.Like Sanshorn Mists, very few things have changed from the original, but some of them are pretty significant like the changes to the cliff behind the natural. One thing that has NOT changed and makes iCCup Othello AE a first of it's kind is a total lack of a Xel'Naga Watchtower. There is very few spots where one would make sense, and we felt that adding it would be simply adding it to add it, not for any in game purpose.Othello was a highly regarded map in BW and we think it will be a fantastic addition to SCII.iCCup Sungsu Crossing is one of the oldest iCCup maps in existence, and every game that didn't end in a bunker rush was dynamic and action packed. TvZ in particular was a non stop slugfest.However the original in modern games is much too short, and the side paths are not really worth using. We looked at these as complicated but fun fixes. The solution to the rushes was obviously to extend the map as much as possible while maintaining the aggressive style of the map.This map is not by any circumstances a super macro map, many games will not get off 2 bases. But this is a dynamic map that as the game progresses and can very easily become a true macro map. The middle choke will become borderline unusable once T2 tech hits, and the third has a LOS blocker heading into it, so it will be easy for a defender to mount a effective counter attack. This combined with the fourth with a very easy to hold XNT will allow players to play any type of style, although ground based play should be much stronger than air.iCCup Katrina AE is the final map. It is without a doubt the most experimental map of the bunch, and is a map that will require possibly very different play styles compared to most maps. Like the original Brood War map, you have easiest to obtain natural in SCII mapping history, but you have a huge main that can be dropped or harassed, and taking bases beyond the second will be very risky.iCCup Katrina AE should be the first "air" map in Starcraft II history and was designed to reward air play as much as possible while not totally eliminating the possibility of ground based armies.This map has undergone quite extensive changes from the BW version (mostly related to size), and should be one of the most bizarre, yet playable maps in the pool that will reward both the fans and players games that are NOT just standard.





Well that's the AE maps and the news about SteelSeries! We hope you enjoy the maps and visit



Note: Individual threads will be going up for the maps, but some of our members are on vacation or in different timezones, so they may come up at different intervals. Each map has been in works for quite some time, and is fully designed ONLY for the highest level of professional play. In spirit of the anniversary we decided to go back and revisit 2 Brood War maps, and acclimate them for Starcraft II. The other two were previous iCCup maps that we felt with some modernization could be true competitors in the tournament map pool. We have been working directly with Korean and North American pro gamers on these maps, and have customized them based off their feedback and responses.Well that's the AE maps and the news about SteelSeries! We hope you enjoy the maps and visit SteelSeries for all your competitive gaming gear!Note: Individual threads will be going up for the maps, but some of our members are on vacation or in different timezones, so they may come up at different intervals. Ballistix Gaming Global Gaming/Esports Marketing Manager - twitter.com/esvdiamond