Good points, although are you sure gold bases have rich geysers? I opened up a few melees to check and they don't seem to go with that, i.e. they use normal geysers too.
Really it depends. You don't have to use rich geysers, but as a general guideline there are 2 rich geysers at gold expo's. This doesn't mean people wont deviate from that rule. Especially when they're trying to be creative. Some of the GSL maps do this, where they give your natural expansion(for example) a rich geyser but few mineral fields, etc.
You can play with this all you want, just make sure it is mirrored & balanced for every player.
Gold Bases have 6 rich mineral fields, and 2 rich geysers.
Normal Bases have 8 normal mineral fields, and 2 normal geysers.
As a general guideline to how many bases I make I usually have 4 bases per a player, unless you get a lot of players then you have to cut off at a certain point otherwise you have too many bases.
Terrain should be balanced for every player, to make interesting maps you should try using different types of symmetry (rotational etc). Most if not all of the GSL maps use rotational symmetry stemming from the central point.
Give your maps direction and focal points, and avoid things like Siege Tanks being able to shell away at your base from across a gap. Those are what piss people off.
Don't attempt to change up the terrain too much. It should be equal and a direct copy/paste of itself. Changing parts of it just throws things out of proportion and creates imbalances. This is one of the main issues people have with Blizzard's maps, there are too many imbalances due to terrain difference across their maps.
Having a mock-up map design prior to starting is much better than starting without one. Try not to go in blind, you get stuck on ideas.
Creative use of rocks and neutral/hostile units can add A LOT to your map, so keep them in mind when making designs for your map.
Really it depends. You don't have to use rich geysers, but as a general guideline there are 2 rich geysers at gold expo's. This doesn't mean people wont deviate from that rule. Especially when they're trying to be creative. Some of the GSL maps do this, where they give your natural expansion(for example) a rich geyser but few mineral fields, etc.
You can play with this all you want, just make sure it is mirrored & balanced for every player.
Gold Bases have 6 rich mineral fields, and 2 rich geysers. Normal Bases have 8 normal mineral fields, and 2 normal geysers.
As a general guideline to how many bases I make I usually have 4 bases per a player, unless you get a lot of players then you have to cut off at a certain point otherwise you have too many bases.
Terrain should be balanced for every player, to make interesting maps you should try using different types of symmetry (rotational etc). Most if not all of the GSL maps use rotational symmetry stemming from the central point.
Give your maps direction and focal points, and avoid things like Siege Tanks being able to shell away at your base from across a gap. Those are what piss people off.
Don't attempt to change up the terrain too much. It should be equal and a direct copy/paste of itself. Changing parts of it just throws things out of proportion and creates imbalances. This is one of the main issues people have with Blizzard's maps, there are too many imbalances due to terrain difference across their maps.
Having a mock-up map design prior to starting is much better than starting without one. Try not to go in blind, you get stuck on ideas.
Creative use of rocks and neutral/hostile units can add A LOT to your map, so keep them in mind when making designs for your map.