Nezon |
Posted on 10/05/10 @ 10:12 AM
Initially I downloaded this because I felt the need to try out some of the new maps out these days. My first impressions when playing was that it immediately reminded me of my first map I've made (and uploaded). This is probably why I was able to play though the whole thing.
Nevertheless, it was good fun.
Playability: 2
This map is a mix between fix-forced and build & destroy, the later being the more predominant one. You start of with a fix force, and fight though a somewhat linear stage into the open. The battle was extremely easy, I didn't lose a unit. I suggest you make the initial opening more challenging.
Once you reach the vast open land, the gamestyle changes to B&D. You use the villagers you discovered to gather resources and raise an army to attack the 'Traitor'. After gathering an army, I found that it wasn't necessary as the enemy was far too weak. (You could roam around and gather enough gaia units to beat the game). After building the wonder and achieving the other victory conditions I did not become victorious. I had to build the wonder twice in order to get to the victory screen. You should place flags in the area where you are suppose to build the wonder or else it becomes rather confusing.
Balance: 1.9
This map was far too easy. There was no challenge in the initial stage, nor was there any difficulty in the build and destroy aspect. It felt as if I was playing against an easy bot. The battle to fight the 'last boss' was quiet anti-climatic. Maybe I was expecting some grand battle with tons of units (like most new map designers do), but instead it was rather the opposite. To make the map more difficult, add more units for the opponent or something like that, it's up for you to decide.
Creativity: 2
The designer did make use of the new editor, but it all felt like random patches of random placed in random areas. Disjointed cliffs, random shallows, beta-stone walls. Everything was just out of place. Also, there are flying dragons everywhere. Not good. Try to avoid too many of those. The victory conditions were rather bland, but it is a start. Next time maybe adding more players into the game to spice things up, after all, most of the map is blank.
Map Design: 2.1
As mentioned above, there was use of the enhanced editor, but it was not utilize correctly (or well). Frankly, this map would be better without it. Mind you, I'm not telling you to steer away from it, but rather get a firm grip with designing with the original editor before jumping into the new one. You need a strong foundation to build upon if you get what I'm saying. The designer uses the brush tool for the trees (even though the flora was pretty much scarce) which is 'alright' if he/she mixed it up a bit. It can be a bit boring to see the same type of tree everywhere. Most of the map is empty spaced, which means there could be a lot of potential for having some sort of base/village/whatever there. Empty space = boring. You should try to make it more appealing by placing more grass clumps or desert patches (But don't overdo it). However, that is just my opinion: I'm not that a great designer myself, so you should check out 'contemporary' designers such as Gumble if you want to see how map design is done with mastery.
Story/Instructions: 2.2
A very short story. Not really engaging, but at least something is written there. The objectives were straightforward, but other than that nothing else to say. Some spelling errors but I believe that shouldn't deduct any points.
Additional Comments:
When I first started, my map was pretty epic fail. Don't get dishearten, you have a lot of potential. If you check out my first map (Assassin's Begin) you could see how similar mine was in turns of map design. Random clutters everywhere, poorly placed roads, etc. This is a starting point, and I hope this review doesn't put you off but instead motivates you to design more maps. Remember, everyone starts of as a newbie, so keep practicing and you'll get there ;).
Nezon
|