TL.net Map Contest #15: Voting Results & Winners

Treadmill makes use of very smartly positioned slow and acceleration zones, taking full advantage of them and synergizing them with the mirrored symmetry layout. Treadmill has already delivered some solid games during the Wardi Map Contest Tournament and certainly has potential to keep doing so if selected for the competitive ladder.

High risk, high reward center bases are sure to give a major advantage to any player that secures one—if they aren’t forced to GG while trying. With a semi-island blocked by Mineral walls at the very bottom of the map, Treadmill opens up many possibilities for players who want to tailor their build orders for non-standard gameplay.

Map Features

We’re very happy to announce a finalist made by a mapmaker from Mainland China, a scene that hosts many major tournaments but sometimes feels detached from the rest of the StarCraft II community.

Pride of Altaris favors more defensive gameplay during the early-middle phases, due to its high ground natural and easily defended initial expansions. As the game moves on, the action is directed to a central valley, where players will have to wrestle for control of several late-game expansions.

The central gold bases have 8 rich mineral patches instead of the standard 6, but are riskier to take than gold bases on most previous maps. Be it daring fast expansions or late game brawls, they’re a potential point of conflict all game long.

Map Features

From the freestyle category, Yamatai makes a considerable impression based on its active usage of verticality, shining a light on how upcoming maps and future TLMC submissions might use more than three terrain levels. Of course, Yamatai is also notable for its vibrant visuals—one hopes they can be preserved during performance optimization.

Despite having a more standard expansion layout, Yamatai still hosted a variety of interesting games during testing during the TLMC tournament. A low-ground center crossed by several high ground ridges ensures that vision and positioning will be crucial to victory. While previous maps have certainly achieved this effect, Yamatai takes it to the extreme with its varying terrain levels, and we’re curious as to how tactics might evolve on the map.

Map Features

Aqueducts is a map that has been worked and reworked through many years by veteran mapmaker Superouman, and is a familiar map to TLMC veterans. It’s a map with very strong fundamentals, and is exemplary of how to merge aesthetics and level design in a harmonious manner.

For the map layout itself, the center is an extremely important flashpoint, especially for armies that excel at controlling space. While there are many narrow chokepoints and corridors that armies must maneuver through, the wings of the map are still relatively open, preventing the game from becoming too cramped or stagnant.

Map Features

With outstanding aesthetics, Oblivion features an eye-catching split tileset that has become uncommon in recent years. However, the distinct visuals are paired with a very solid standard layout, which is the real key to the map’s success.

A central attack path flanked by two high-ground plateaus makes scouting absolutely critical, as losing sight of the opponent’s army for just a few seconds could spell disaster. Resourceful players should try to take full advantage of the multiple paths, be it for backdoor harassment or seizing an advantageous position ahead of a major battle.

Map Features