Hey again folks, and welcome to the third 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.
Staying somewhat in the background, user Domper and his team have been working on a mod for StarCraft II known as Chronicles of Azeroth, turning the game not just into WarCraft III, but also II and I. Talk about dedication! Recently he has submitted two multiplayer PvP maps for the WarCraft I and II sections of the mod that now need some testing. The first one is called "Black Morass" and can be found by searching for that name on Arcade EU, while the second one is called "Fierce Ocean Combat" and can be found under the same conditions. Alternatively, just search for 'Coa'.
For the next two weeks, see if you can take the time to download this map, give it a go, 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, May 31, at which point I'll upload thread #4. Up until that point, all suggestions for maps that require testing are welcome - please put them in the general thread found here.
I'm sorry, but this is NOT fixed. I don't know if anyone else notices this but the ONLY people that can post are Authors, Mods, and people with their first post.
I can't double check anymore since the threads are gone, but I think this is not entirely true - some spammers have been able to make threads since the new measures, as demonstrated by the screencap from my previous post here.
Christ almighty on a stick. I don't want to beat a dead horse, but seriously: it took literally three years for us to get Curse to do any spam-related upgrades to the forum. After hearing about how "the forum software will be updated" a bazillion times and how "the current software doesn't support good anti-spam measures", we finally get a Captcha.
And now, five days after the Captcha, users are being unable to log in, accountless users can't view threads anymore, and the frontpage still looks like this.
Is anybody Curse-related gonna wanna address this? I mean - by now we're used to being left in the cold, but one can hope, I suppose.
It appears that viewing any topic at all is now impossible as a normal, unregistered viewer.
I can still open the front page and navigate through the forum, and articles like the Custom Campaign Initiative also work. But as soon as I click on the title of a forum topic, I'm stuck with the page loading forever. Only if I log-in with my account can I view any topic at all.
Same issue if I try incognito mode. Here's hoping that'll get fixed and we're not stuck with it.
For this week's WTE, we're having a rather special theme based on an idea by scbroodsc2: "Mapster Plays Editor". As a take on the infamous 'Twitch Plays Pokémon' project, us WTE'ers are going to make a melee map together. We'll use the same joint-terraining principle that we've used before: someone posts that they are working on the map, edit the post when they're done, and upload the new version. While there is a "I am working on the map" post up, people should lay off the map to prevent multiple versions from popping up. According to this principle, the aim is to create a fully playable melee map.
So without further ado, I'll leave it up to the first person to stop by to decide whether it'll be a 4-player map, and lay out the basic geometry.
Definitely! Terrain is something that is practically never finished. I can pick up any terrain I've worked on for hours and look at it and still find small bits of texture to alter, doodads to change and objects to move. It's both a pro and a con :P
Welcome to the WTE, Jay! I sort of like what you did, but there's some room for improvement. Scbroodsc2 has already given you some pretty clear indications of how to improve your terrain, though, so I haven't got much to add.
Welcome back Cacho, I loved your terrains back in the day - it's definitely been a while! I quite like what you've done here; you've played around the small area restriction by simply using a space theme so that black borders don't seem weird. My only issue is that the missile turret on your platform is so incredibly grey that, even for a deactivated turret, it seems a bit too bland. Perhaps something slightly colorful would work better?
I like some of those, I don't like others. In particular, the first shot is a great mood-setter and would work amazingly in an introduction cinematic for a map. The fourth one seems a bit too drab, but still great for a moody playable section, and the same goes for the last picture. I will say that some texture play could improve that bit though: save the dark tiles for the higher ground and ramps and put some more variations of dirt on the ground level.
Welcome to the WTE, Deltron! I like what you've got so far. One point of improvement I can see is in the fact that the playable area is a bit ill-defined, making the whole thing look more like a painting or such than an actual terrain. Perhaps putting some actual borders and switching up your color palette slightly would help here.
Simple, but I like it. It's a strong scene and it'd work as a part of a map. I do think it could be improved slightly if the walls were just a tad less rigid and boring; perhaps some sort of small, inlaid crystal on either side would help with that?
That's not a bad idea. Previously when I've hosted joint-terraining style exercises I've tried to discourage people from altering each others' terrain to prevent folks from stepping on toes, but a WTE where we all make one melee map and do actively try to improve each others' work may be worthwhile. As long as people can deal with adjustments and work well together (instead of going "why did you remove my X?!" or objectively making areas worse), it's worth a try.
This is great! It's still a bit too obscure for a playable terrain (if that was one of your aims), but for an art exercise it's just right. I really like how things are now well defined, yet not so clear that you know exactly what is going on here. It's obvious that this is some sort of Protoss Military space platform, temple, parade or whatnot, but it seems alien enough to retain that air of 'mystique'. And it hasn't lost that aesthetic appeal of the color palette; the decals were definitely a nice touch in achieving this.
... the second BWTT. When it goes up, I will also post concise instruction for how to play maps not on the Arcade (as most campaign maps are not). If you've never played a map offline, it's very easy to get set up.
The second BWTT is up, but your instruction isn't. WHAT GIVES, JAY? =P
Hey again folks, and welcome to the second 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 first week, the map we've picked is "Last Remnant", by EDHRIANO. Note that this is the sixth map in the 'Hammer of Dawn' campaign. While it's always worth checking out the rest, this thread is specifically for feedback on the sixth map.
So for the next two weeks, see if you can take the time to download this map, give it a go, 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, May 17, at which point I'll upload thread #3. Up until that point, all suggestions for maps that require testing are welcome - please put them in the general thread found here.
0
Hey again folks, and welcome to the third 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.
Staying somewhat in the background, user Domper and his team have been working on a mod for StarCraft II known as Chronicles of Azeroth, turning the game not just into WarCraft III, but also II and I. Talk about dedication! Recently he has submitted two multiplayer PvP maps for the WarCraft I and II sections of the mod that now need some testing. The first one is called "Black Morass" and can be found by searching for that name on Arcade EU, while the second one is called "Fierce Ocean Combat" and can be found under the same conditions. Alternatively, just search for 'Coa'.
For the next two weeks, see if you can take the time to download this map, give it a go, 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, May 31, at which point I'll upload thread #4. 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!
0
I can't double check anymore since the threads are gone, but I think this is not entirely true - some spammers have been able to make threads since the new measures, as demonstrated by the screencap from my previous post here.
0
There was a bug with Mapster's account database that should now be resolved. Maybe that was your issue?
0
I'm extending this by a week since it's not done yet and there was some interest. Let's finish this map, guys!
For those too limited on time, maybe try to think of a name?
0
Christ almighty on a stick. I don't want to beat a dead horse, but seriously: it took literally three years for us to get Curse to do any spam-related upgrades to the forum. After hearing about how "the forum software will be updated" a bazillion times and how "the current software doesn't support good anti-spam measures", we finally get a Captcha.
And now, five days after the Captcha, users are being unable to log in, accountless users can't view threads anymore, and the frontpage still looks like this.
Is anybody Curse-related gonna wanna address this? I mean - by now we're used to being left in the cold, but one can hope, I suppose.
0
Same issue if I try incognito mode. Here's hoping that'll get fixed and we're not stuck with it.
0
Once we get the more larger scale things done, I'm gonna pick this up and work on some niche details. So get to work ye lazy sods! :D
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Weekly Terraining Exercise #246
Hey hey folks!
For this week's WTE, we're having a rather special theme based on an idea by scbroodsc2: "Mapster Plays Editor". As a take on the infamous 'Twitch Plays Pokémon' project, us WTE'ers are going to make a melee map together. We'll use the same joint-terraining principle that we've used before: someone posts that they are working on the map, edit the post when they're done, and upload the new version. While there is a "I am working on the map" post up, people should lay off the map to prevent multiple versions from popping up. According to this principle, the aim is to create a fully playable melee map.
So without further ado, I'll leave it up to the first person to stop by to decide whether it'll be a 4-player map, and lay out the basic geometry.
As always, good luck & have fun!
The Global Information/Idea thread for Terraining Exercises can be found here: http://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/development/terrain/14658-terraining-exercises-global-information-idea-thread/
0
@CybrosX: Go
@deltronLive: Go
Definitely! Terrain is something that is practically never finished. I can pick up any terrain I've worked on for hours and look at it and still find small bits of texture to alter, doodads to change and objects to move. It's both a pro and a con :P
0
@JayborinoPlays: Go
Welcome to the WTE, Jay! I sort of like what you did, but there's some room for improvement. Scbroodsc2 has already given you some pretty clear indications of how to improve your terrain, though, so I haven't got much to add.
@Cacho56: Go
Welcome back Cacho, I loved your terrains back in the day - it's definitely been a while! I quite like what you've done here; you've played around the small area restriction by simply using a space theme so that black borders don't seem weird. My only issue is that the missile turret on your platform is so incredibly grey that, even for a deactivated turret, it seems a bit too bland. Perhaps something slightly colorful would work better?
@Alevice: Go
I like some of those, I don't like others. In particular, the first shot is a great mood-setter and would work amazingly in an introduction cinematic for a map. The fourth one seems a bit too drab, but still great for a moody playable section, and the same goes for the last picture. I will say that some texture play could improve that bit though: save the dark tiles for the higher ground and ramps and put some more variations of dirt on the ground level.
@deltronLive: Go
Welcome to the WTE, Deltron! I like what you've got so far. One point of improvement I can see is in the fact that the playable area is a bit ill-defined, making the whole thing look more like a painting or such than an actual terrain. Perhaps putting some actual borders and switching up your color palette slightly would help here.
@LucidIguana: Go
Simple, but I like it. It's a strong scene and it'd work as a part of a map. I do think it could be improved slightly if the walls were just a tad less rigid and boring; perhaps some sort of small, inlaid crystal on either side would help with that?
0
@Scbroodsc2: Go
That's not a bad idea. Previously when I've hosted joint-terraining style exercises I've tried to discourage people from altering each others' terrain to prevent folks from stepping on toes, but a WTE where we all make one melee map and do actively try to improve each others' work may be worthwhile. As long as people can deal with adjustments and work well together (instead of going "why did you remove my X?!" or objectively making areas worse), it's worth a try.
0
@JayborinoPlays: Go
0
@redlerred7: Go
This is great! It's still a bit too obscure for a playable terrain (if that was one of your aims), but for an art exercise it's just right. I really like how things are now well defined, yet not so clear that you know exactly what is going on here. It's obvious that this is some sort of Protoss Military space platform, temple, parade or whatnot, but it seems alien enough to retain that air of 'mystique'. And it hasn't lost that aesthetic appeal of the color palette; the decals were definitely a nice touch in achieving this.
0
The second BWTT is up, but your instruction isn't. WHAT GIVES, JAY? =P
0
Hey again folks, and welcome to the second 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 first week, the map we've picked is "Last Remnant", by EDHRIANO. Note that this is the sixth map in the 'Hammer of Dawn' campaign. While it's always worth checking out the rest, this thread is specifically for feedback on the sixth map.
So for the next two weeks, see if you can take the time to download this map, give it a go, 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, May 17, at which point I'll upload thread #3. 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!