Recently I discussed what people thought of maps containing map-wide assets. The consensus during that conversation was neutral to negative - they take long to download, can cause the TMM queue to feel stuck (waiting on setting up auto match -> people are still downloading the map) and since this is a game from 2007 it doesn't particularly matter anyhow.
To make sure we're on the same page - we're talking about these maps:
- Kaali
- Mauve
- Two Step Shuffle
- Auralan - The Core
- Autumn
- Adaptive Moon (made by Svenni)
- Adaptive Skadi (made by Svenni)
- Adaptive Salt and Pepper (made by Svenni)
My intent is to make more maps, specifically for the 3v3 / 4v4 TMM that is upcoming. However, if the general consensus is that these maps with map-wide assets hurt more than they do good then perhaps I should consider alternatives instead of pushing that direction further.
Therefore I have three questions and I'd like to have some opinions on them:
- In the case of ladder / TMM, would you mind seeing more of these type of maps?
- In the case of casual games, would it influence your choice of one map over the other?
- In general, does it provide more immersion for you when you play on these type of maps?
In both cases be honest and provide rationale if able. I don't mind if your opinion is negative. I'd like to understand whether I'm making these for myself or whether people actually appreciate them.
Note: this is particularly about the fact that maps can use map-wide assets. Not about the map layout (such as extractors) or the design of the map (where ramps are, etc). I am very well aware for example that Mauve was received quite poorly and that is okay - but it is not what I am interested in for this topic.
I got a hint that not everyone knows what map wide assets are and what they can do. Hence, a few screenshots of some of the maps:
Auralian - The core (194mb)
Mauve (196mb)
Two Step Shuffle (192mb)
And an in-depth example of Kaali:
No assets applied
With lighting applied
With normals applied
With albedo applied
All of the above combined
(note: not all these screenshots are the last version of that map in the vault)