Hey hey people, welcome to the seventh edition of the Bi-Weekly Testing Thread!
As per an initiative from JayBorino and me, we've set up the Bi-Weekly Testing Thread, or BWTT, with the purpose of testing specific maps made by community members. What does this mean? Simple: editors in need of feedback suggest their own maps (either via PM to me or JayBorino, or by posting it in the intro thread), and we'll pick one that will be used for the BWTT.
For this week's BWTT, we've picked a map from the ever so popular 'arena' genre: "Certamine", by Caevrane. The map is skillshot based and supposed to be very intuitive, with fast games of around 10-20 minutes being the format of play. You can find the map by searching for it on battle.net, or through the arcade link here: battlenet://starcraft/map/1/274873
Caevrane has told us that his current focus in terms of development lies on the next hero (a canon biological Protoss one) as well as new game modes. That said: for the next two weeks, see if you can take the time to download the map, give it a play-through, and post your detailed feedback here. What did you like, what did you not like? What could be improved, and possibly: how?
This thread will stay up for two weeks, until tuesday, July 26, at which point I'll upload thread #8. Up until that point, all suggestions for maps that require testing are welcome - please put them in the general thread found here.
I opened up the map from the Arcade and it looks like a really fun and pretty well polished Arena type game with various heroes with cool abilities. The only problem is that I couldn't get anyone to play with. I believe there are 8 slots. Anyone want to try this out with me sometime?
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Check out my YouTube channel for test playthroughs of custom campaigns as well as editor tutorial videos. Mapmakers, don’t hesitate to PM me if you would like me to test your campaign.
Visit my channel where I showcase custom content! Send me a PM or respond to my YouTube thread if you'd like to see your map/s on my channel (eventually!)
Sweet! Maybe we can get a couple more people to play sometime this weekend.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Check out my YouTube channel for test playthroughs of custom campaigns as well as editor tutorial videos. Mapmakers, don’t hesitate to PM me if you would like me to test your campaign.
Hey guys, i have a very crappy internet here, but i'll do my best to show up july 26th anyway! I'm thinking about re-releasing the map so more people show up, please tell me what you think!
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"What do i look like? An orc?" - Artanis after being poked.
Join Team Genesis, ask for players and our opinion for the game, and this "bi-weekly testing" thread. Theres a good chance youll get someone :) Just tell us the time. time zone, and region.
I tested this game, twice. rating 3/5 (gave it 5 in game, because, yeh know, support a mapper and all).
Gameplay:
The game was simple. very simple. you get a hero, and you can switch pretty often to test all of the heroes. The heroes have very simple abilities, all ranged heroes have a pretty similar "shoot a ball in a direction, and hope it hits someone." melee, isnt great. they have a similar "click a button while in melee range, and hit someone". A player is given a big buff to life, and is "the king". Kill him to take his buff. More kills increases your movement speed. No items, no leveling, no stats, nothing changes from minute 1 till the end, other than the life buff owner, and Movespeed bonus.
What I didnt like:
The life bonus turned a "hit someone 2-3 times" into a "hit someone 4-5 times". With limited sight, increased move speed per kill, and enough time to flee before being hit 5 times, it is nearly impossible, unless more than 2 people gang up, to kill the king. In both games, the king had double the score of 2nd place. (it was everyones first game but mine in both cases).
The lack of difference between heroes, the lack of any form of customization or progression, the lack of usefullness of melee. The fact that cast times are instant, turn rates are instant, and cast distances are about the same. This means that in nearly every situation, pick a ranged, shoot a bolt forward, and take half a step back. you will never take damage.
What I liked:
Very easy to pick up. Pretty much a point and click, no instructions needed.
Looks smooth, units, skills, terrain, ect. Not amazing or artsey, but smooth, if that makes sense.
Overall thoughts:
Everything I would suggest doing to this game would pretty much turn it into warlocks (warlock brawl) whatever it was on wc3, and sc2. I dont think any skill shot game can ever compete with that.
Jay and I are trying to get a group of people to play sometime. You can join us!
Anyone else that would like to try this out just PM Jayborino or myself.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Check out my YouTube channel for test playthroughs of custom campaigns as well as editor tutorial videos. Mapmakers, don’t hesitate to PM me if you would like me to test your campaign.
Deltron and I played this and I really liked the skillshot based attacks. With 2 people, it was fun, but became old sort of fast - I can definitely see having more people creating a superfun, longer game. I didn't come across any bugs and every hero I tried seemed pretty neat with an interesting way to deal damage. Honestly, there's nothing critical I have to say about my experience. Next steps, you could try to add more map variation that cycles to add more diversity. Further, allowing the heroes to be selectable before choosing would be helpful to see what the player is getting themselves into before confirming their first choice. Fun map overall!
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Visit my channel where I showcase custom content! Send me a PM or respond to my YouTube thread if you'd like to see your map/s on my channel (eventually!)
I also agree with what Jayborino said about allowing the player to select the heroes at the beginning to get an idea of what each of their abilites are. This will give new players a chance to become accustomed to the hero before they are thrown into the fray.
Maybe also include dialogue saying that your hero can be changed once the game starts so the player knows they don't have to be stuck with the same hero the entire time.
Another suggestion would be to include having maps with varying terrain. For example you could have one map that has line of sight blockers, destructible rocks, etc. You could also add items/pickups that would give the hero a timed advantage (e.g. increased health, energy, damage, etc.).
I would definitely like to try this map out again in the future with more people.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Check out my YouTube channel for test playthroughs of custom campaigns as well as editor tutorial videos. Mapmakers, don’t hesitate to PM me if you would like me to test your campaign.
It probably should be noted that I'm not a competitive player. I mostly prefer coop hero based games (rpgs, hero survivals and what not. Asymetrical PvP if it comes down to it), consider me biased towards that point of view. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, so played with 8 players.
Map is very clean looking. Everything was smooth and unsophisticated. I played preserver hero and well, now that I think about it deeper, there is a bunch of things you do.
Main idea is kill-die-repeat but one ought to take advantage by observing battlefield and trying to steal kills. You should predict where your enemy is moving to shoot projectile so that it collides. You should learn and anticipate DTs blinking habit to counterattack when he blinks to you. It's a neat and nicely thought out game with those cliffs and whatnot.
But with 8 players it felt so very chaotic. Sometimes I would respawn into middle of action and get instagibbed. Sometimes I'd die a few seconds after spawning without having done anything. First 5 minutes were me never dying and just aimhacking everyone. Next 5 minutes were me dying to DT and a bunch of other unfortunate circumstances. Sometimes after dancing with a guy for 15 seconds I'd finally kill him just to walk into someone else spawning and finishing me. Sure you can be a reflex-driven beast putting out amazing killspree combos, but at that moment I was like "give me a break please".
Game ended with me having 1800 points of 2000. The impression it left on me was "another small skillshooting minigame". Maybe there are people who are into this type of game, but for me it wasn't memorable. I felt like I experienced all that the game had to offer and the experience thought tight, wasn't compelling enough.
Just too fast, too homogeneous for me to appreciate it.
What solution would I suggest to make it more memorable?
In maps description it says that maps name means "contest". Perhaps it could be made to indeed resemble a contest? For example have game rounds where each round offers an opportunity to test your abilities under different circumstances.
Like this:
Round 1: All players have only 3 lives, round ends in 4 minutes or on last player alive. When round ends surviving players are awarded points based on how many people survived (the less survived the more points survivors are awarded). This way those who feel weak will flee and hide, while those who are strong will try to eliminate people so that they themselves can get more points. Of course, killspeed bonus is still awarded to incentivise violence.
Round 2 “Coliseum”: players have 1-2 lives and need to survive monster onslaught. Weak enemies are oneshotted, elite enemies are take 10-20 hits. Players can't hurt each other, but they can leave others to die if they wish. Survivors are only awarded points if they beat all monsters.
(could last around 5 minutes, dead players can either observe or can be moved to special training area with training setup specific to their class. Think of moving dummy target practice, or a hall of mirrors to fight your doppelganger).
Round 3 “Elimination”: All players are split in 2 groups where they fight each other and then victors of groups fight each other too. With current killing speed it shouldn’t take more than 1 minute)
And so on .. Rounds can be shuffled randomly, can be repeated (stronger/alerted versions of previous rounds), there can be environmental hazzards randomly placed on map to enhance it (think blizzards mutators).
If you go with rounds you can also add progression, maybe shop, maybe rewards/credits to personalize your character.
I think a setup like this would give map some real identity instead it could benefit from.
But, these are just some thoughts that I randomly had after reading maps description you wrote, don't take them to heart. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow thinking "dear god, what a trash thoughts I had yesterday, can't believe I actually typed that". Or maybe you already know exactly where you want to go, in which case - let us know and I may check back on the map a few months down the line.
Cheers.
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Hey hey people, welcome to the seventh edition of the Bi-Weekly Testing Thread!
As per an initiative from JayBorino and me, we've set up the Bi-Weekly Testing Thread, or BWTT, with the purpose of testing specific maps made by community members. What does this mean? Simple: editors in need of feedback suggest their own maps (either via PM to me or JayBorino, or by posting it in the intro thread), and we'll pick one that will be used for the BWTT.
For this week's BWTT, we've picked a map from the ever so popular 'arena' genre: "Certamine", by Caevrane. The map is skillshot based and supposed to be very intuitive, with fast games of around 10-20 minutes being the format of play. You can find the map by searching for it on battle.net, or through the arcade link here: battlenet://starcraft/map/1/274873
Caevrane has told us that his current focus in terms of development lies on the next hero (a canon biological Protoss one) as well as new game modes. That said: for the next two weeks, see if you can take the time to download the map, give it a play-through, and post your detailed feedback here. What did you like, what did you not like? What could be improved, and possibly: how?
This thread will stay up for two weeks, until tuesday, July 26, at which point I'll upload thread #8. Up until that point, all suggestions for maps that require testing are welcome - please put them in the general thread found here.
Good luck and have fun to all!
I opened up the map from the Arcade and it looks like a really fun and pretty well polished Arena type game with various heroes with cool abilities. The only problem is that I couldn't get anyone to play with. I believe there are 8 slots. Anyone want to try this out with me sometime?
Check out my YouTube channel for test playthroughs of custom campaigns as well as editor tutorial videos. Mapmakers, don’t hesitate to PM me if you would like me to test your campaign.
You got it!
Visit my channel where I showcase custom content! Send me a PM or respond to my YouTube thread if you'd like to see your map/s on my channel (eventually!)
@JayborinoPlays: Go
Sweet! Maybe we can get a couple more people to play sometime this weekend.
Check out my YouTube channel for test playthroughs of custom campaigns as well as editor tutorial videos. Mapmakers, don’t hesitate to PM me if you would like me to test your campaign.
Hey guys, i have a very crappy internet here, but i'll do my best to show up july 26th anyway! I'm thinking about re-releasing the map so more people show up, please tell me what you think!
"What do i look like? An orc?" - Artanis after being poked.
Join our mapmaking Discord server and let's reach the 100th member mark! https://discord.gg/EGa6EPE
Vote in my poll: What do you do best!? http://www.strawpoll.me/12207821/r
Join Team Genesis, ask for players and our opinion for the game, and this "bi-weekly testing" thread. Theres a good chance youll get someone :) Just tell us the time. time zone, and region.
"You either are doing it, or you are not": Me
Team Genesis: Founder/Leader
Skype: Grasso2012 or Add me in-game 558
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I tested this game, twice. rating 3/5 (gave it 5 in game, because, yeh know, support a mapper and all).
Gameplay:
The game was simple. very simple. you get a hero, and you can switch pretty often to test all of the heroes. The heroes have very simple abilities, all ranged heroes have a pretty similar "shoot a ball in a direction, and hope it hits someone." melee, isnt great. they have a similar "click a button while in melee range, and hit someone". A player is given a big buff to life, and is "the king". Kill him to take his buff. More kills increases your movement speed. No items, no leveling, no stats, nothing changes from minute 1 till the end, other than the life buff owner, and Movespeed bonus.
What I didnt like:
The life bonus turned a "hit someone 2-3 times" into a "hit someone 4-5 times". With limited sight, increased move speed per kill, and enough time to flee before being hit 5 times, it is nearly impossible, unless more than 2 people gang up, to kill the king. In both games, the king had double the score of 2nd place. (it was everyones first game but mine in both cases).
The lack of difference between heroes, the lack of any form of customization or progression, the lack of usefullness of melee. The fact that cast times are instant, turn rates are instant, and cast distances are about the same. This means that in nearly every situation, pick a ranged, shoot a bolt forward, and take half a step back. you will never take damage.
What I liked:
Very easy to pick up. Pretty much a point and click, no instructions needed.
Looks smooth, units, skills, terrain, ect. Not amazing or artsey, but smooth, if that makes sense.
Overall thoughts:
Everything I would suggest doing to this game would pretty much turn it into warlocks (warlock brawl) whatever it was on wc3, and sc2. I dont think any skill shot game can ever compete with that.
Skype: [email protected] Current Project: Custom Hero Arena! US: battlenet:://starcraft/map/1/263274 EU: battlenet:://starcraft/map/2/186418
I couldn't get anyone to play with me...:( I have no friends.
@Hockleberry: Go
Jay and I are trying to get a group of people to play sometime. You can join us!
Anyone else that would like to try this out just PM Jayborino or myself.
Check out my YouTube channel for test playthroughs of custom campaigns as well as editor tutorial videos. Mapmakers, don’t hesitate to PM me if you would like me to test your campaign.
Can you link the map video of Certamine by Caevrane
@Hockleberry: Go
I play with you just Pm on skype or send me a pm here usually next day as I check usually one time a day.
Marie T. Freeman If you're too busy to give your neighbor a helping hand, then you're just too darned busy. https://www.facebook.com/wargirlmaps.maps
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Deltron and I played this and I really liked the skillshot based attacks. With 2 people, it was fun, but became old sort of fast - I can definitely see having more people creating a superfun, longer game. I didn't come across any bugs and every hero I tried seemed pretty neat with an interesting way to deal damage. Honestly, there's nothing critical I have to say about my experience. Next steps, you could try to add more map variation that cycles to add more diversity. Further, allowing the heroes to be selectable before choosing would be helpful to see what the player is getting themselves into before confirming their first choice. Fun map overall!
Visit my channel where I showcase custom content! Send me a PM or respond to my YouTube thread if you'd like to see your map/s on my channel (eventually!)
Almost forgot to leave feedback!
I also agree with what Jayborino said about allowing the player to select the heroes at the beginning to get an idea of what each of their abilites are. This will give new players a chance to become accustomed to the hero before they are thrown into the fray.
Maybe also include dialogue saying that your hero can be changed once the game starts so the player knows they don't have to be stuck with the same hero the entire time.
Another suggestion would be to include having maps with varying terrain. For example you could have one map that has line of sight blockers, destructible rocks, etc. You could also add items/pickups that would give the hero a timed advantage (e.g. increased health, energy, damage, etc.).
I would definitely like to try this map out again in the future with more people.
Check out my YouTube channel for test playthroughs of custom campaigns as well as editor tutorial videos. Mapmakers, don’t hesitate to PM me if you would like me to test your campaign.
It probably should be noted that I'm not a competitive player. I mostly prefer coop hero based games (rpgs, hero survivals and what not. Asymetrical PvP if it comes down to it), consider me biased towards that point of view.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, so played with 8 players.
Map is very clean looking. Everything was smooth and unsophisticated. I played preserver hero and well, now that I think about it deeper, there is a bunch of things you do.
Main idea is kill-die-repeat but one ought to take advantage by observing battlefield and trying to steal kills. You should predict where your enemy is moving to shoot projectile so that it collides. You should learn and anticipate DTs blinking habit to counterattack when he blinks to you. It's a neat and nicely thought out game with those cliffs and whatnot.
But with 8 players it felt so very chaotic. Sometimes I would respawn into middle of action and get instagibbed. Sometimes I'd die a few seconds after spawning without having done anything. First 5 minutes were me never dying and just aimhacking everyone. Next 5 minutes were me dying to DT and a bunch of other unfortunate circumstances. Sometimes after dancing with a guy for 15 seconds I'd finally kill him just to walk into someone else spawning and finishing me. Sure you can be a reflex-driven beast putting out amazing killspree combos, but at that moment I was like "give me a break please".
Game ended with me having 1800 points of 2000. The impression it left on me was "another small skillshooting minigame". Maybe there are people who are into this type of game, but for me it wasn't memorable. I felt like I experienced all that the game had to offer and the experience thought tight, wasn't compelling enough.
Just too fast, too homogeneous for me to appreciate it.
What solution would I suggest to make it more memorable?
In maps description it says that maps name means "contest". Perhaps it could be made to indeed resemble a contest? For example have game rounds where each round offers an opportunity to test your abilities under different circumstances.
Like this:
Round 1: All players have only 3 lives, round ends in 4 minutes or on last player alive. When round ends surviving players are awarded points based on how many people survived (the less survived the more points survivors are awarded). This way those who feel weak will flee and hide, while those who are strong will try to eliminate people so that they themselves can get more points. Of course, killspeed bonus is still awarded to incentivise violence.
Round 2 “Coliseum”: players have 1-2 lives and need to survive monster onslaught. Weak enemies are oneshotted, elite enemies are take 10-20 hits. Players can't hurt each other, but they can leave others to die if they wish. Survivors are only awarded points if they beat all monsters. (could last around 5 minutes, dead players can either observe or can be moved to special training area with training setup specific to their class. Think of moving dummy target practice, or a hall of mirrors to fight your doppelganger).
Round 3 “Elimination”: All players are split in 2 groups where they fight each other and then victors of groups fight each other too. With current killing speed it shouldn’t take more than 1 minute)
And so on .. Rounds can be shuffled randomly, can be repeated (stronger/alerted versions of previous rounds), there can be environmental hazzards randomly placed on map to enhance it (think blizzards mutators).
If you go with rounds you can also add progression, maybe shop, maybe rewards/credits to personalize your character.
I think a setup like this would give map some real identity instead it could benefit from.
But, these are just some thoughts that I randomly had after reading maps description you wrote, don't take them to heart. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow thinking "dear god, what a trash thoughts I had yesterday, can't believe I actually typed that". Or maybe you already know exactly where you want to go, in which case - let us know and I may check back on the map a few months down the line.
Cheers.