Create a Video to Teach Effective Map Making & Evaluation?

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Do you think a video on map making would be useful?
Yes, I think an in-depth commentary would help a lot.	67%	[ 4 ]
No, the instuctions found on the forum are sufficient.	33%	[ 2 ]
Total Votes : 6

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Mar 28, 2016 21:59

Subject: Create a Video to Teach Effective Map Making & Evaluation?

Eikonoklastes

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As we all know, there are a lot of maps out there. While many of them are well designed, there are an equal, if not greater, number that are unbalanced. Furthermore, some of these unbalanced maps have worked their way into random ranked games; a fact seen in the screams of anguish that occasionally reverberate throughout English chat. Now I know that Simsverd has posted rather extensively on map making in the past, but not everyone does well when it comes to text-based learning. Therefore, I was thinking that some of our expert map makers might, when time and inspiration allows, make one or more short YouTube videos on the art of map making. Perhaps select 5-10 problem maps and dissect them so we can all see why they are unbalanced. This would most likely require the use of a PC emulator such as bluestacks, but I think that it could prove extremely useful in the long run.

Why go through all of this trouble? Admittedly, this could prove somewhat time consuming; however, I see a two potential long-term benefits to it. The more obvious of the two is that it could lead to better designed maps. The other is that it could lead to more accurate evaluation of maps. Looking at how some of the maps are rated, I can't help but feel that at least some of those votes are a bit of a knee-jerk reaction; that is, "I lost on this map, therefore it suck" and "I won on this map, therefore it's awesome!" It's worth keeping in mind that the current minimum score for rating a map is only 1700 and while that is a notable achievement, it doesn't mean that someone automatically possesses the knowledge to rate maps. In fact, it may be a fallacy to assume that just because someone is great at playing Uniwar, he or she is equally skilled at evaluating maps. Therefore, for the sake of not only promoting good maps but also voting down flawed maps, I think some sort of visual tutorial might be the way to go. Of course, we still need to get players to actually vote on maps, but that is a problem for another post/thread.

My apologies for this somewhat lengthy post. It turned out longer than anticipated. Since not everyone likes to post actual responses, I've included a poll as well (and no, this poll is not designed to bully certain map makers into doing anything they don't want to do

)

Mar 29, 2016 00:06

Subject: Re:Create a Video to Teach Effective Map Making & Evaluation?

Apercent

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If someone want qualified (like simsverd or some 2400) wants to do it, that would be nice. But you can learn all that you need to know about it from the forum

And even if we make a video, theirs no guarantee that anyone will watch it. Most people don't watch how to videos (including me).

Also, in my map testing experiences, most people don't thumb down my maps just because they lost. My smileg man map, for example, has no thumbs down, even though I've beaten people on it many times.

Mar 29, 2016 12:08

Subject: Re:Create a Video to Teach Effective Map Making & Evaluation?

TheDragon

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Also a vid on how to test maps. Many that look good on screen need minor tweeks to be properly ballanced.

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Mar 29, 2016 14:54

Subject: Re:Create a Video to Teach Effective Map Making & Evaluation?

Eikonoklastes

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If someone want qualified (like simsverd or some 2400) wants to do it, that would be nice. But you can learn all that you need to know about it from the forum

I'm hoping that someone like Simverd would be willing to do this. While I do agree that the instructions and advice given in the forums are good, they may not be sufficient for everyone. Coming from an education background, I know that no matter how detailed the instructions are for a given assignment, there will be some who just do not get it. In fact, some of them will make the very mistakes that I desperately warn them to avoid. Of course, I can and do meet with some of them, and this generally results in stronger work. This, I believe, is akin to Simsverd agreeing to test out a player's map and critique it with them via in-game chat. One-on-one is an effective teaching method, but it is also limited as well. After all, you can only work with one person at a time.

Another method of instruction that I have found effective is to perform an "autopsy" of a student's work. This can be an in-depth critique of one work, or it can be a specific/focused look at one aspect of multiple works. This allows me to point out specific issues (especially common and frustrating issues) and discuss possible solutions with a much larger group (such as an entire class). While I think a short video might prove extremely effective, I also think that a series of screen shots of problematic/defective maps might work as well. An experience map maker/analyzer could use a simple program like paint to highlight things on the map that map makers should avoid. For example, "This layout doesn't work for it makes it easy for player 1 as sapiens to cap the opponents bases before they have a chance to get to them."

I think the current instructions found on the forums are great, but there is still room for growth and improvement. Also, map making is mostly a visual exercise, so I think it makes sense to employ a more visual approach when it comes to instructing others in this art/process.

Mar 30, 2016 13:04

Subject: Re:Create a Video to Teach Effective Map Making & Evaluation?

volf

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Joined: Jun 03, 2015,
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Moose needs to do this.

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