Official Voting Thread

[Nexus]

Just for everyone out in different parts of the world, I believe voting is still open for another 11-ish hours. It ends at 11:59 Eastern Daylight Time U.S.A (East coast time, so think Florida time.) So go play and VOTE for your favorite maps.

From Hitmonchan in the Digest : "You have until Monday at 11:59 p.m. EDT"

Count down timer here :

http://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...t+Down+Ends+In..

[TheBeev]

Part 4



Moonlit Graveyard

Balance 1.5
The wave setup seemed a little too easy, simply too few enemies and not enough difficulty. The starting mana seemed a little high for the amount of enemies, but would probably have been ok if the waves were higher in number and more difficult. I couldn't really test how balanced it was as the enemies weren't pathing correctly and got stuck inside the spawn areas.

Originality 2.0
The level wasn't overly original and it didn't quite live up to the name Moonlit Graveyard as the actual graveyard was a very small part of the map.

Detailing 2.5
There were areas of the map that had a fair amount of effort made in the detailing but there was a lot of empty areas, especially surrounding the map.

Empty areas:
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/93...4C94276D3A946/

Optimisation 1.9
There were pathing issues where the enemies would remain stuck in the starting spawn area. You could also escape the bounds of the map.

Escaping the boundaries:
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...1EE397EEA6CFD/


The Forsaken Undercroft

Balance 3.6
I think the amount of mana given at the start was too high and the mana from the champions was extremely high, made it too easy to build solid defences. I think the wave system is fairly well balanced, although the amount of enemies is a bit too high as well as the amount of waves meant the game dragged on a little too long. I did like the design of the level, that was really well done and ensured that the enemies covered a lot of the level and had many ways to get to the crystal. It was easy to navigate and the portals really sped up movement around the map.

Originality 3.8
Some interesting ideas going on here with the wave system and sending out specific enemies and champions each wave. There were a few too many waves for my liking though. I can see what you were doing with the wave spawner billboards but I wasn't really a fan as it meant we had no idea where they were coming from, it also meant we couldn't tell where the enemies were coming from on the minimap. It also breaks away from what the player is used to.

Not easy to see where the enemies were coming from on the minimap:
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...09DE3AB2668E7/

Detailing 3.5
There's definitely an effort made on the detailing and I can see where you were going with the theme. I do feel there were some inconsistencies with the trim and props. Some examples would be going from the scary dragon faces around the corner to some park benches, then a random bearskin rug, bright royal banners etc. Maybe some custom meshes could have been made to better suit the theme, angry looking torture chairs etc. There were also some issues with texturing where they weren't aligned to the shape of the mesh which was a little off putting. I think a little more work is needed on the lighting as well.

Random park benches:
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/93...FF4426BDA713D/

Mis-aligned textures:
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/93...1CFCD140B5387/

Optimisation 3.8
The level is pretty well optimised, no performance issues or pathing issues that I could see. Only a little point on the pathing, the champions all go to one crystal, which can be a pain to try and defend, would have been nice to see them go after different crystals. There were some meshes that hadn't been set up to accept dynamic lights and decals. There were also sections where the tower placement camera hadn't been blocked and the camera clipped into the ceiling, can get frustrating at times.

Not set up to accept dynamic lights or decals:
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...CA7180E8A4ED8/

All champions at one crystal:
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/93...9F4FE927B2F43/

No height restriction volume set:
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...F75F78D1EE451/



Torture Chamber

Balance 1.5
The wave system is far too easy, especially for the size of the map and not all the spawners were used. There were a few pathing issues where enemies would get stuck in the spawn areas.

Originality 2.0
The idea would have been interesting had it been brought full term and finished. There wasn't really anything new or original in the map though.

Detailing 1.5
The texturing and detailing for the level need quite a lot of work. The textures have been tiled a little too high on a lot of the walls and the texture choices don't really fit together. There also needs to be a lot more trim and decorative pieces around the level and some more interesting lighting.

Tiled textures and lack of detail:
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/93...8614E5520CB95/

Optimisation 2.0
The level worked and the enemies pathed quite well apart from those that got stuck on the doors. which is a good thing. You could however leave the map through the doors, which is not a good thing. You could also walk on the lava with no repercussions. There were issues with no camera height blocking volumes used inside so when placing towers you could only see the top of the building.
No height blocking volumes:
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...CD60E556F9F05/

Escaping the map:
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...8048E6EC9EC6D/

No collision meshes:
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/93...FA4833DBCBA78/

Enemies stuck inside the spawn area:
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...FD21B2697969F/


The Manor

Balance 3.2
The layout of the level is quite well done, breaking up the outside area with the maze like hedge rows helped to create some nice choke points. The inside is also quite well designed. I think the DU was a little high and the starting mana count was quite large and allowed me to place a lot of towers and even upgrade them quite high. I think the wave numbers were a tad high especially so early on, would have perhaps worked better if you had more spawn areas and spread the number around a little to make them more manageable.

Originality 3.0
Nothing too original that I could see. The theme for the level was quite nice but again wasn't bringing anything too exciting to the game.

Detailing 2.9
There was some effort made to detail the level and some of the ground level areas inside the manor were quite nice. However, the walls inside the manor were quite lacking, lots of open space which brought down the visual level of the map. The outside was a good starting point, but the hedge rows let down the map as they were far too square and lacked variation or detail.

Hedge rows too square:
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/93...F375D08C2E5A1/

Hedge rows needed more variation to the shape and detailing, maybe some flowers here and there:
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...E3F30C7FFDABC/

Too much blank space on the walls, maybe some balconies or something similar would have broken it up:
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...DECF7F0CF0474/

Too much repetition on the windows and lack of detail on the towers:
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...386E8D727673C/

Optimisation 4.5
No real issues here that I could see, just a little more variation on the pathing outside would have been nice. Also collision on the flower beds.

No collision on flower beds:
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/93...FAE9B75E14002/

[antonowski]

Judging:
All maps are played as a solo huntress on easy (Level 39). This was to eliminate any unfair advantages due to different skill levels (as well as actual levels) of players when playing online.

I’ve also read the threads for each of the maps before judging, just to take into account anything which may have been already mentioned regarding difficulty etc.

I’d also like to add that it is extremely difficult for 1 or 2 people to make a ‘perfect’ map, and it’s difficult when you see a score with no explanation. However, I will be attempting to post in most people’s threads to give a run down of the scores in detail; sorry about the bare bones scores in advance...Just ran out of time!

Well done and good luck to everyone that entered.


Palantir

Balance: 2.5

Originality & Stlye: 4

Detailing: 4.6

Optimisation: 4.1


=================================

Kings Valley

Balance: 3.5

Originality & Style: 4

Detailing: 4.7

Optimisation: 3.9


=================================

Port Etheria

Balance: 2.5

Originality & Style: 4

Detailing: 3.7

Optimisation: 2.8

=================================

Forsaken Undercroft

Balance: 2.3

Originality & Stlye: 3.7

Detailing: 4

Optimisation: 3.2

=================================

Forgotten Graveyard

Balance: 3

Originality & Stlye: 3

Detailing 4

Optimisation: 2

[antonowski]

The Siege

Balance: 3.6

Originality & Style: 4.5

Detailing: 3.8

Optimisation: 3

================================

Torture Chamber

Balance: 1.4

Originality & Stlye: 2.6

Detailing: 2

Optimisation: 1.5

=================================

Catacombs

Balance: 1

Originality & Stlye: 3.6

Detailing: 3.6

Optimisation: 1.3

=================================


Arcane Tavern

Balance: 3.9

Originality & Style: 4

Detailing: 3.9

Optimisation: 3.8

=================================

The library

Balance: 4.2

Originality & Style: 4.4

Detailing: 3.9

Optimisation: 3.5

[antonowski]

The manor

Balance: 2.8

Originality & Style: 3.9

Detailing: 3.5

Optimisation: 3.8

==============================

Courtyard Crossing

Balance: 2

Originality & Style: 3.9

Detailing: 3.5

Optimisation: 1


==============================

Moonlight Graveyard

Balance: 1.3

Originality & Stlye: 3

Detailing: 2.2

Optimisation: 1


==============================

Knights Court

Balance: 1

Originality & Style: 3.5

Detailing: 3.8

Optimisation: 1

===============================

Etheria Village

Balance: 1.6

Originality & Style: 3.8

Detailing: 2.5

Optimisation: 2.5

[The Grand Mugwump]

And this is the last of my votes. What a ride it was playing so many new maps!


Catacombs

Balance:1.3
Enemies were non-existent. Had some potentially good pathing and building ideas, but I never got a chance to see them in action. The map needs more starting mana. The build timer is too short for a map this confusing and of this size. It was hideously painful to move around without a functional mini-map. I didn't even figure out there was a second crystal until I came across it looking for more mana and realized that I had not gone in a circle.

Originality & Style:3.2
I like the idea of the map, fighting through underground catacombs, and the design fit this idea. The tunnels look like they came from a modern setting.
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/59...BD5FE263FE811/
There is no functional mini-map and no music.

Detailing:3.1
There's debris scattered everywhere and the few buildings look like they were either buried or sank into the ground. Feels like a catacomb alright. The lighting is a bit on the bright side. The tunnels seem like they see often use with new looking barrels and crates stacked around, which is at odds with the rest of the decrepit looking map. This pit could use something make it stand out a bit more, such as filling it with water, lava or making it too dark for the player to see the bottom of it.
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...DD083D837A15F/

Optimization:1.9
I couldn't find anywhere to get myself stuck or escape the map. Lighting seems to work. Clipping is off and on for objects.
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...A6FF468569152/
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...2CB43284D52F6/
Mini-map isn't scaled correctly. Some of the stairs end too high from the ground, making the player stick on them without jumping.
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/59...7FF4BC3C5DB44/
Monster pathing could not be observed. Combat phase appeared to start correctly, but no monsters came.


Tomb of Etheria

Balance:4.5
Interesting pathing ideas that allow for creativity on where to place defenses. Starting mana seems high for the number of starting enemies and approaches. Build time of 900 seconds on the first wave is huge and seems like a typo. Could use a little more time on later waves to gather mana. The difficulty seems appropriate for each difficulty, but there's room for it to be more challenging. The DU limit was just right. The elevator seems mostly pointless. Unless it's already at the bottom and about to start moving, it was almost always faster to run up the stairs.

Originality & Style:4.7
Has a new look with many custom textures and objects combined with a unique layout. The two sides areas are a bit too alike, even with one or two stairs moved around. The mini-map looks good and the music choices were decent (I'd love for a musician to make something more fitting for this). The newly opened side areas add more approaches for the enemies, but I feel more could be done with this.

Detailing:4.8
Excellent job polishing up the tomb. The lighting is well chosen and the fog effect in the bottom area is a nice touch. The elevator seems out of place. It looks like something the excavators added, but the mechanisms appear to run through the sand stone wall as if it were originally part of the tomb.

Optimization:4.9
The map played smoothly and enemies pathed correctly. Lighting seems to work fine. The player can not enter spawn areas, but mana can't leave.
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...10DF8A9098133/
Clipping was good for almost all objects. The gears for the elevator do not have proper clipping.
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...15EEDE96DFFAB/
One or two enemies will sometimes walk past the crystal instead of attacking it.
http://cloud-2.steampowered.com/ugc/...7E4E1BADBBF5D/

[gillianivy]

Just for everyone out in different parts of the world, I believe voting is still open for another 11-ish hours. It ends at 11:59 Eastern Daylight Time U.S.A (East coast time, so think Florida time.) So go play and VOTE for your favorite maps.

From Hitmonchan in the Digest : "You have until Monday at 11:59 p.m. EDT"


Count down timer here :

http://www.timeanddate.com/countdown...t+Down+Ends+In..

Thanks for the heads up, for some reason, I was thinking AM XD lols. I hope the laptop can handle your map, might have to kick the bf off the computer. He's been playing The Secret World ;P

[Alhanalem]

It was my mistake if you took it from my last review post- Voting began on the 22nd, not the 21st, so it was my mixup

[gillianivy]

Forgotten Graveyard
Beautiful and creative map with a lot of decoration. Unfortunately, it is too much decoration. There's so much overgrowth, trees and archs, and other things obscuring your vision, it makes it hard to see. It adds to the atmosphere, but makes for slow map navigating. Lots of things to get caught on when running. It is almost a maze, though the layout is simple enough, being able to see which way to go without consulting the map can be a bit difficult. And the map isn't 100% accurate. The North crystal is off the map, along with the top corner it resides in.

Mobs kept getting stuck at the spawn point from the huge structure. Usually mages. The first wave it was just a few, so only took a short time for them to despawn. But the next wave it was double, and the next it was triple. I stopped playing after that (wave 7 or 8 out of 15). The map was beautiful but frustrating to play. And finding the treasure chests was difficult as well, since one didn't even show up, so the first wave or two, I had insufficient mana. The number of DU seemed tight, but with the layout, it would be enough to hold.

Balance:2.5

Originality & Style: 4.5

Detailing: 3 (would be more, but was too detailed with too much clutter)

Optimization: 3

[Sam]

For Kings Valley the ships and the Catapults, Castle Gates and the roofs are all custom meshes. They were not done with the brush tool. I just did not have enough time to properly UV Map and texture them with custom textures. There was only so much time. It was either make gameplay and pathing work or make the meshes pretty.

Moderators please don't move or delete this. No one is going to know otherwise.

Just a small note, this is intentional- There is no way to prevent the AI from trying to land over nothing, so I made it so he would warp back to land if it happened- otherwise he would just fall in the water and die.

No worries guys, very minor points on both accounts.