KTV Dulcimer

Dulcimer is quite an older map, or at least exposes some old ideas that I never got around to finish and clean up, the base idea and layout is from late 2014 when I was experimenting with some open Natural layouts, Dulcimer features some very interesting and thought provoking features, things like the apparently simple army movement patterns, but that as the game advances they become more and more tangled into the layout and pathways the map offers, the strength of drops is also a very strong feature in the map, but there are many additions that work as a counter force to the strength of gorilla warfare, some of these features include the addition of Xel’naga towers designed to help spot incoming drops or air units, or the addition of a backdoor to the main base, that way defensive armies can easily respond to air harass in the Third or Natural bases.

Because of these features plus the map size, Dulcimer will tend to balance towards more air and drop based compositions, yet, because of the overall map openness, ground armies will still be very strong and not something that should be overlooked.

Other thing to keep in mind with analyzing LotV maps and Dulcimer in specific is taking into account the new terrain control units, specially Lurkers, because Lurkers at the moment are such a strong terrain control unit, maps need to adapt to avoid them being overpowered yet still keep them a strong unit. It is very easy to fall into the other extreme and make positional units become very weak via maps, but that’s not something that allows for the development of the metagame and the fun factor of players.

Forward Fourth base

Because of the strength of the terrain control units maps with very closed and choked up areas can be very dangerous for a balanced and map specific metagame environment, specially when the rest of the other maps in a ladder pool are very different between them, creating scenarios where the developers are forced to choose balance the game around certain map features, this is something that’s already happening and will continue to do so as LotV advances, yet maps that go too much the other way can easily fall in a hole where the mobility advantages created by openness can strengthen already mobile armies so much that the new terrain control units simply cannot hold the line against attacks in multiple fronts creating a cascade effect where the metagame rapidly settles into a very limited amount of available strategies for the map and the only way out of the hole would be to weaken then already extremely strong and mobile units, or to limit map design into less open designs.

Regarding specifics on Dulcimer’s design, the map features a mixed terrain checkerboard pattern which was first introduced by an older and much liked map of mine Ganymede, but just because the centers are similar does not mean that they will play in the same exact form, Dulcimer’s version is much more open and funnels armies right into the Xel’naga tower itself creating an area of very high contention, and given that the nearest Fourth base for both players are right near the middle these features generates some very interesting base denial and grand strategy schemes, where early midgame pressure by one of the players can easily sway or force the other to take a certain lateral fourth base, and because of the Main, Natural, Third design it will leave exposed to possibly heavy air harass and drops either the Natural or Third bases, all this while the player that pressured early can choose to put pressure into the Fourth via the high ground that’s near it.

Third base with Mineral patch blocking backdoor to Main Forward Fourth base Central Xel’naga tower Main and Natural bases Central Fourth base

The aesthetics of Dulcimer are based as a follow up to Oneiric Hopes, and even when they are much more “terrenal” and less dreamy than my previous map they still use a more fantastic color pallete which is very under-explored by StarCraft Mapmakers.

Map Information

Map Size: 152×152

Rush Distance: 240

Nat to Nat Distance: 200

Xel’naga Towers: 3

Minerals on Backdoor Mineral Wall: 100

Quick Links

Changelog of the map

V 1.00

♦ Published.