Introducing Mapgen Week on Ladder

maaaaaan.. It's true .

@loxpooig We just need 20x20 maps that are mostly impassable mountains with a little 5x5 in the middle. Or a 6x6, 7x7, etc. Then you wouldn't be able to tell from the lobby how big the map is.

Potentially you could even block out a part of the map completely, like is done on Strife of Titan (technically 20x20 but actually more like 14x14) so the map would show up as 20x20 but the playable area could be much smaller

It is possible however you will always be able to see the map size when sitting in the custom game lobby though.

What about maps with internal borders though? Not that I particularly care for blind maps, but it allows more size options. 5km can have annoying issues with air and lack of build space on the edge; I imagine 8km would alleviate this while still feeling small. (I don't suppose we'll get the map-gen to do the equivalent of Cobalt Valley any time soon though.)

Personally I've enjoyed mapgen week (when I've had the chance to play). It has exposed some of my weaknesses (e.g. big open maps with lots of expansions, where T1 spam can work but travel time is significant).

@arma473 that's a good idea and what can also solve what @Cyborg16 is saying. Btw @Cyborg16 in 20x20 you have to think of nuke as tml, t3 arty as t2 arty, GC as t3 spam and so on... xD t1 tanks are almost useless

@loxpooig That is not true at all ...

@cheeseberry That's fair, I don't disagree with anything you said. I suppose where I am coming from is that I see people complaining about not knowing map specific BOs while they're suiciding tanks, overflowing a ton of power, and making units from 2 factories while upgrading mexes. Map specific BOs couldn't be further from the actual issue even though it might feel that way. Hell, I've been that person to an extent, but then I have to consciously remind myself that I didn't lose just because the other guy knew the map better.

I've come to realize that trying to memorize a good BO for every ladder map is harder and more tedious than just memorizing the basic ones + small modifiers on them and knowing when to do which one and makes you a better overall player when you know how to properly and generically manage your eco.

Of course I couldn't agree more with you saying it's human psychology and human psychology is dumb. A very fair and valid point, though I suppose it's something to overcome if you want to become a better player.

Btw @Cyborg16 in 20x20

@loxpooig I was more talking about spread-out 10k maps. 20k isn't even an option at my ladder rating.

@exselsior said in Introducing Mapgen Week on Ladder:

@karlhoffman said in Introducing Mapgen Week on Ladder:

Maybe its true maybe its not, but I WANT TO SEE THAT THE MATCHMAKING IS FAIR and nobody can have even a tiny advantage before game starts

Yes the true measure of who is the better player, keep everything even with no advantage whatsoever. I'll be sure to challenge Tagada to a 1v1 now and tell him that he has to magically play at my 1400 ladder level so we can be even with no advantages. Same factions too, after a good nights rest and some food and coffee.

Now thats sounds fair!

I thought mapgen week was fun, but would not want to see it done for a period longer then a week. The last day or two was a little tedious. That being said, would be excited to see it kick off the first 5 days of any month.

My two cents on the whole build whoring issue: What most people below 2k ladder think build whoring is, is just the other player having decent macro and a basic opener. That will not change regardless of if you play mapgen or not. I only know builds for a small handful of maps. Palms, badlands, and loki come to mind. The rest i just improvise on the spot.

A good build should make sure that you plan to build only as much power as you need, more mex/reclaim on map means more power, so plan ahead. Engis should expand quickly, and you should have an early tank or two screen for your expanding engis. Thats all there is to it. If you are wasting power (or god forbid, mass) in the first 5 minutes, thats not the result of a bad build, but of poor macro. That will be the same on mapgen or any custom map. Its a skill that needs to be developed.

Buildwhoring would be the tagada/nexus level creations. The secret badlands build, or any other build that requires you to have planned out engi reclaim/pathing to the absolute second, giving you a clear goal of a faster transport, bomber, or getting 2 factories ahead of your opponent by minute 5 due to cutting pgens or skipping mass extractors. It would be map specific, and have 0 power overflow with mass/energy storage at ~10% for the first 5 minutes.

If its something that can be done on any map, its not build whoring, its good macro. If its something that you can plan in the first 15 seconds by pulling up the reclaim field on the map and sending an engi to the nearest rock/wreck, its just good macro. If it truly was a build order whore, the player would be up in the land of 2k.

I say all of this not to antagonize or beat anyone down, but to help people try to understand how to better improve on their end. 90% of the people i train (or used to when i had more time), their biggest issues were their macro decisions. Not micro/gameplan choices. People up to 1600-1700 still spam t1 pgens in a line with 2-3 engis for the first 10 minutes, leaving their power management decided by the gods, regardless of the map. Once you have a decent understanding of the macro in this game, then you can start to learn how to really play it. Its really hard to outsmart people when they have 2-3x the stuff that you do. Its much easier to win when you have more tanks.

@tex said in Introducing Mapgen Week on Ladder:

I thought mapgen week was fun, but would not want to see it done for a period longer then a week. The last day or two was a little tedious. That being said, would be excited to see it kick off the first 5 days of any month.

Out of curiosity why did you find mapgen week tedious towards the end of it?

Wholeheartedly agree with everything else you said, was what I was trying to express but stated much better than what I said.

How have you not realised that if you want to become better than you need not onlu practice but the theoretical part as well. Like the most efficient way to get the theory part is to watch freaking replays. You cant really imprpve yourself at a somewhat decent rate without those **this is only for sub 1700 rating.