DarkBlizz

Re-made it with Galaxy Editor!

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/1864/pitsday22.jpg

Re-made it with Galaxy Editor!

http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/1864/pitsday22.jpg



History:

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I made this map for a beta key contest, finally done.Briefly, here's what to look for:
- Main in a craterRidges behind main mineral line
- Reverse ramp out of main
- 2 semi-safe naturals, gets safer as the game goes on
- Path to one opponent's natural, blocked by 2 sets of destructible rocks
- That path can be used to defend/attack high yield base
- An open and low ground expansion at the sides of the map
- Crater in the middle with Xel-Naga tower that can see all the other 4 towers
Author's Note
Hey all, this is my submission for the contest. I wanted to do something that I would be passionate about so that I could devote myself into it. While I won't be using the Galaxy Editor to its full potential, that is not my focus. I wanted to create a SC2 map that can be fun to play on both casually and competitively. Coming from this perspective, I didn't want to do anything crazy and revamp the whole game, so there are a few rules I put out for myself before I started getting creative. Some of them are: Have a main with a choke. Have a nearby natural. Don't stray from the number of patches/gas per base. Have a fair start location for everyone. These are just some of the rules I wanted to abide by.

Method
It started out with a few sketches on paper, then I thought why not actually create the map with SC2 graphics? First I needed a grid. So I loaded up the beta (cracked ai) and took a screenshot of the grid made by an scv when he's commanded to build something. I copy/pasted that grid for what seemed like an hour until I got a grid of 128x128. Then I split up the map into quarters and drew some shapes to give me an approximate of how I wanted to design this map. Finally, I loaded up the beta again and went on a search to find the appropriate terrain, cliffs, all that and took screenshots. I copy/pasted the parts I wanted into ms paint to get the map layout I wanted. Sure, a lot of work, and kinda messy, but I'm happy with the result. If anyone wishes for me to upload the grid, let me know.The Main
You start off in a crater. How crazy is that!? Well, it leaves you vulnerable if you plan to 1-base and you get attacked. So it is not encouraged to turtle off of one base. There is a reverse ramp leading out of your base so you can still wall off either at the top or at the bottom of the ramp to defend against the early rushes. Be sure to break out early, cause you don't want the opponent to settle on the high ground for too long -- It'll be an 'uphill battle' if you catch my drift. Other things to watch out for is the ridge behind your mineral lines. It can be used by the opponent to do storm drops, siege tanks, ghosts, any ranged unit.. so it might be a good idea to make a few turrets, cannons, spore back there to defend. You can even drop a worker on top of that ridge and build your defensive structures there. there should be at least a few 2x2 squares. 

Up the Ramp
You made it out of the crater, congrats! You'll notice you're on relatively high ground now. It's a good place to be. It won't be that easy to set up defenses because there are two ramps the opponent can come up by, and there's a bit of distance between the two.

You'll also notice that you have a choice between two naturals. But why choose? Just get both! Seriously though, taking the natural means having to defend more ramps. If you slip up, you might find your forces in limbo when your opponent attacks. You also don't want your forces to get split up or allow a run by. Once you establish yourself on the high ground and both ramps defended, it should be smooth sailing. Or is it?

Natural 1 - Tunnel Vision
The destructible rocks near this natural could lead to your opponents natural. It also towers over the high yield expansion. It's an important backdoor to consider, cause defending your two ramps might not be enough.

Natural 2 - Looking down
This natural isn't as spiffy as the other one, but it overlooks a smaller low yield base that might be safer to hold depending on your opponent's position.