Map Critics

since there are already 120 maps, i write some critics, voteout-suggestions and possible improvements on some of them. its my personal opinion to those maps (besides the player-based ratings).

for the ease of work, i only linked the ones i am not fully OK with.


alphabetically:
[spoiler]4STOPS:
fine

AIRPORT:
idk, never played. messy graphics

ANGEL:
the middle of the picture is extremely light. can you even see white towers? Not cool!http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/ANGEL

ARENA:
fine, classic

ATOMIC:
Cannot see which ways/turns the creeps are going to take. Not cool! http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/ATOMIC

BANGARANG:
Diagonal path segments, epileptic background. not cool!
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/BANGARANG

BAY:
Diagonal Path segments. not cool!
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/BAY

BERINGSTRASSE:
fine

BIOHAZARD:
This background remembers me of my dying graphics card, it looked just like that back then. also, path outline too thick. horrible!
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/BIOHAZARD

BLACKART:
fine

BLACKOUT:
Due to the extra long tunnels not to my liking, but well...

BLOODLINES:
fine

BLUEWORLD:
fine

BOMB:
fine

BOULDERDASH:
horrible, oversaturated high-contrast background. very bad ratings.
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/BOULDERDASH

BUBBLES:
fine

CAMOUFLAGE:
Not sure if these are tunnels.
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/CAMOUFLAGE

CHURCH:
fine

CIRCLE:
fine

CIRCLECHAOS:
fine

CIRCLESTAR:
fine

CIRCLETYCOON:
messy path texture. not cool!
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/CIRCLETYCOON

CIRCLEVECTOR:
fine

CLIFFWAR:
fine

COLORDOT:
fine. the path is a bit twisted tho...
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/COLORDOT

CONSTELLATION:
fine

COLORBREEZE:
horrible. the curves suggest that the creeps move along them, but they don't.
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/COOLBREEZE

CORRODED:
fine

CROSSVECTOR:
the texture in the path edges is a little annoying.
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/CROSSVECTOR

CRYSTAL:
fine

DARKVECTOR:
fine

DEFCON:
fine

DESK:
the blocked spots are not obvious. the ruler is not blocked, but when i played it, i felt it should be.
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/DESK

DIAMONDRUSH:
fine

DONTWORRY:
not sure about that one.
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/DONTWORRY

DOODLE:
the drawings don't suit very well into the game. also, the spaces they block aren't clearly visible at the borders of the drawings. not cool.
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/DOODLE

EIGHTORB:
fine

EMERALD:
fine

FLYINGORB:
fine

GEWITTER:
fine

GHOSTERY:
fine

GRASSLAND:
fine

GREEN:
fine

HANDY:
fine

HELLMARCH:
fine

HOLLYWOOD:
fine

HOTROUND:
baaaaaad. the circle suggest that the creeps move in a smooth circle, but they obviously dont.
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/HOTROUND

ICEWORLD:
the blocked spots seem very randomly placed. you never know if a certain spot around the planet is blocked or not.
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/ICEWORLD

INDUSTRY:
cant really tell which turns the creeps take. the 2 arrows are not enough to clear that up.


ISLANDS:
Not clear which spots are blocked. also, the speed-up happens quite unexpectedly.
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/ISLANDS

JUMPINGCREEPS:
fine

JUNGLETOUR:
fine

KEEPOFFTHEGRASS:
fine

LABYRINTH:
i find the labyrinth-lines quite confusing since they have nothing to do with the path. also, very bad rating (+11, 2, -18)
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/LABYRINTH

LADDER:
fine

LADDERVECTOR:
fine

LADYLIKE:
fine

LAVA:
fine.

LAVACHAIN:
fine

LEMONDOT:
Baaaaad. the path in the white stain is quite counter-intuitive. also, the #FFFFFF white is bad for creep-visibility (cant see white creeps at all).
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/LEMONDOT

LIMIT:
fine

LINETOWERWARS:
fine

LONG:
fine

LONGSPEEDVEC:
fine.

LOOPINGS:
baaaaad. graphics shows circles, but the creeps dont move along em. also, contains diagonals. very bad rating (+8, 3, -12)
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/LOOPINGS

MAGICMIKE:
fine

MINIQUADCORE:
fine

MOTHERSHIP:
the graphic overlaps the path, makes it look messy. if the actual mothership weren't there, it'd be fine.
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/MOTHERSHIP

MUMBLES:
fine

NOVA:
fine

NYC:
huge mess. no idea where the creeps are going. very bad rating (+10, 4, -21)
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/NYC

OBSESSION:
fine

OCTOCORE:
omg. no clue what the creeps are doing on this map. rating (+4, 4, -20)
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/OCTOCORE

OLDPAPER:
fine

OLYMPICS:
Again circles that the creeps dont follow. Rating (+5, 1, -25)
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/OLYMPICS

ORANGE:
no idea which way the creeps take. the arrows are not only for nothing, they are actually misleading. baaad
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/ORANGE

PARIS:
uh ok....

PINKPLANET:
fine

PLANB:
chaotic and confusing. rating (-11, 2, -23)
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/PLANB

PLASMAVECTOR:
fine

PLOX:
fine

PROVINGGROUNDS:
fine

REDVECTOR:
fine

REDWORLD:
fine

RENEGADE:
Not too popular, probably due to the creeps coming from both sides.
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/RENEGADE

RESTRICTED:
fine.... rating tho: (+6, 2, -13)
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/RESTRICTED

RICHTUNGSWECHSEL:
one of the most popular maps. but why is the image quality so bad? looks like a badly saved jpg...
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/RICHTUNGSWECHSEL

ROUNDNROUND:
largely a split path. rating: (+5, 4, -25)
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/ROUNDNROUND

RUBYTILES:
fine

SANDBANK:
fine

SCREEN:
fine

SENFGLAS:
fine. path texture is ugly tho
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/SENFGLAS

SKYLAND:
fine. i hope the clouds arent blocked.
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/SKYLAND

SMILE:
rating: (+9, 2, -18)
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/SMILE

SNAKYPATH:
baaaad. diagonal paths. rating (+8, 2, -22) also, the path texture is pure psychegelic randomness.
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/SNAKYPATH

SOBER:
fine

SPECIAL
fine

SPECIES:
fine

SPEEDCOOP:
fine

SPEEDLOOP:
in the 4-player-view. one round corner is missing. could easily be added.
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/SPEEDLOOP
same goes for speedloopx2

SPEEDVECTOR:
fine

SPHERE:
fine

SPLATTER:
rating: (+7, 6, -19)
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/SPLATTER

SPONGLE:
fine

STONES:
fine

STROBE:
fine

TREASURE:
graphics dont fit the real path too well (too distorted). also bad rating (+7, 4, -12)
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/TREASURE

TRICKY:
fine

TWOSQUARES:
fine

VERLAUFEN:
fine

VIRUS:
fine

VORTEX:
fine

WHIRLPOOL:
fine

WINTERMAUL:
fine

WOODSTOCK:
fine

YELLOWPATH:
baaad. very different path lenghts (85, 141). rating: (-7, 0, -15).
http://www.creeptd.com/en/maps/YELLOWPATH[/spoiler]

[Pezinator]

Thy Aleqqqs for the very nice critics. Up to my opinion you're right we got many maps that actually should be sortet out. I don't know when the already promised cleaning up finally starts, but I think that time has come to do it. We get permanently new and sometimes even really good maps, but those aren't accepted cause we already have so many.

I mosty agree with your map critics. There is only one map I disagree and this is orange. It takes about 3 rounds and you know how the creeps move. It may look a bit confusing at first, but that doesn't last for long and after the first "shock" it's a map that's really nice to play, so please give it such a bad critic.

i took a look at it again, and after 4 or 5 tries, i still cant tell which way the creeps are going to take ^^ i like how it looks but i cant help it, i cant figure out the path.

regarding the diagonal paths i mentioned - i feel i should write down the reason why i dislike diagonal paths again
--> if the path goes diagonally, and next to it are (diagonally touching) towers, the creeps move over the towers. that looks awful (if not even buggy).
i think in a grid-based TD-game, mapmakers should refrain from making diagonal paths, its just not practical.

[Rambo196]

Ich schließe mich aleqs an und bin auch für die Entfernung/Überarbeitung der maps mit diagonalen Pfadelementen.

Bei der map Roundround gibt es nach wie vor, obwohl der Bug schon X mal gemeldet wurde, Fehler bei dem Pfadverlauf. Es wurde in den vorigen Threads geschreiben es wird sich drum gekümmert und die Fehler behoben... nix ist passiert!

Finde Diagonalen taktisch/spielerisch eine schöne Erweiterung. Im Classic+ Theme ohne Turmfarben als HIntergrund sind die Überschneidungen auch gar nicht so schlimm^^

Einfacher Trick dies optisch etwas sanfter zu gestalten ist die Pfade eher dünn zu zeichenen. Und Felder Blocken halt, wobei das bei so auffäligen Maps wie Snakypath etwas viel des guten wäre.

Hat halt so seine Vor und Nachteile :S

Man könnte auch einfach die Laufzeit der Creeps bei diagonalen Feldern um das Wurzel(2)-fache erhöhen, dann passt das auch wieder.

[dcode]

Wurde doch schon gemacht...

Fiel mir nicht auf, zocke die Maps nicht. Dann verstehe ich aber euer Problem nicht, dass das scheisse war, als sie zu schnell waren ist klar. Stört euch, dass die Creeps die Türme streifen, wenn da nicht geblockt wird?

ja. das spielfeld ist ein raster aus quadratischen feldern, und die bewegung entlang einer diagonalen passt nicht ins bild.

das überlappen der pfadlinie und der tower sieht einfach nur buggy aus

und ja, beim default theme ist es auch nicht besser, im gegenteil, da sind die tower opak und es wird noch mehr vom pfad verdeckt

ich kann gar nicht glauben dass ich das so ausführlich erläutern muss, ich dachte eigtl. das wär common sense

findet denn jemand die diagonalen pfade gut, oder auch nur tragbar?



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Okay, du hast recht
Wie gesagt, spiele ich die Maps nie, weshalb es mir bisher noch nicht auffiel, aber das sieht echt scheisse aus, sollte man irgendetwas ändern, wobei mir weder blockieren, noch die Maps einfach rauszunehmen wirklich zusagt; es muss doch irgendwie eine elegantere Lösung für das Problem geben.

[Pezinator]

Die einzige wirklich umsetzbare Variante wäre es ei Turmtheme zu machen, das extra für Diagonale Pfade angelegt ist...

Wie gesagt, spiele ich die Maps nie.

zurecht

Ich finde schon, dass diese Maps raus sollten, die hätten eigtl erst gar nicht aufgenommen werden sollen.

Das ist auch mit nem eigenen Theme nicht zu lösen. Die Türme grenzen direkt aneinander, sie berühren sich an den Ecken (wenn full size).

Man möge sich doch mal die Bewertungen anschauen, so gut wie alle Maps mit diagonalen Pfaden haben mehr dislikes als likes.

[Pezinator]

Ich bin normalerweise auch strikt gegen Diagonalen Pfade. Ich spiele sie auch beinahe nie (zumindest nicht freiwillig). Trotzdem fände ich es schade, wenn man sie komplett anschaffen würde, denn immerhin bringen sie doch eine komplett andere Fassette in das Spiel.
Ich persönlich wäre also stark dafür eine andere Lösung für das Problem zu finden.
Auch wenn mir zur Zeit leider keine passende einfällt...
Zum Thema Theme: Eine Frage: was würde passieren wenn man die Viereckigen Tower in der classic Theme um 45° drehen würde, so dass das Viereck auf einer Ecke stehen würde? Würde das das Problem in euren Augen verringern?

[dcode]

As long as maps with diagonal paths, tunnels or other stuff are not part of the tournament maps (too often), I don't see a problem there. I, for example, had some fun on SNAKYPATH.

[Rambo196]

@Pezi: dann sehen Türme auf geraden Pfadsegmenten so aus wie zur zeit auf diagonalen, bringt also nix.

[Pezinator]

@Pezi: dann sehen Türme auf geraden Pfadsegmenten so aus wie zur zeit auf diagonalen, bringt also nix.

Hmm Rambo das stimmt allerdings daran hab i nit dacht...

As long as maps with diagonal paths, tunnels or other stuff are not part of the tournament maps (too often), I don't see a problem there. I, for example, had some fun on SNAKYPATH.

I think Non-Tournament-Maps should also meet certain criteria, and not having diagonal paths is one of those criteria ^^

As for tunnels - they wouldn't be so bad, if they didn't screw up any rockets coming following a creep. instead of redirecting (thats what they do when their former aim dies or leaves the map), the rocket shots completely vanish. that's what makes the tunnels so bad.

[Pezinator]

That's one of the reason I like tunnels. I think that's quite a nice fact, cause it makes it a bit more difficult to defend a map. You can not simply build rockets everywhere beside tunnels.

I think that's quite a nice fact, cause it makes it a bit more difficult to defend a map.

lag also makes it difficult to defend properly, but that doesnt make it fun ^^

[dcode]

When it comes to tunnels or stuff like that, it's mostly a matter of personal preferences. That's why there are not much maps containing tunnels in the tournament repository. However, I think that it's ok to have them.