Bitfighter Improvement Contest Reviews

sky_lark's Bitfighter Improvement Contest reviews. Summarized edition. Dec. 2013, round 1.

SNOW CHIMNEY
+ Good balance
= Needs another exit (one-way perhaps)

TOWER DEFENSE
+ Fun concept, nice "ghetto" invention
- Tough for defenders
= Balance time: More for defense, less for offense
= Add poly walls to defenders to allow for natural defense + ability to engineer laserbeams

FORGET ME KNOT
+ Very fun map!

TRAIL BY FIRE
+ Polywall battle arena and design is cool
- Bases are hard to defend
- Outside channels lack value
- Too many teleporters, aid items
= Tighten bases, limit entryways, add and spread out teamed defenses
= Consider speedzones on side channels to increase appeal
= Halve # of teleporters & aid items

IA
+ Impressive visuals & color changing levelgen
- Very difficult to cap
= Due to nature of retrieve and size of community, this map would be better with 2 goals
= Christmas lights map w/ color changing levelgen go go go

DOOKY BOOTY
+ Three teamed core maps are always fun
- Spawns suck, limit defensive ability
= Try one-way exits to keep entrance blockage mechanic
= Move aid pack closer to core for defense's use

FIGUREHEAD
+ Well-done simple map
+ Open room makes for great engineer use
- Speedzones are kinda useless
= Reposition speedzones for greater value

RETRIBUTION
+ Simple, easy fun
- Kinda hard to defend
= If short play time is the goal, shrink base sizes to cut excess space and position loadout zone closer to central area
= If long(er) play time is the goal, lengthen the map and narrow base entrances

SPACE HUNT
+ Middle area has nice styling
- Bases are vulnerable
- Map isn't symmetrical, which isn't necessarily bad, but leaves lots of map unused
= Get rid of easy-out teleporter, deepen bases, spread out defenses, thin entrances
= Consider making map symmetrical

THE UNIVERSAL FIGHT
+ Weak cores contrasts big map nicely
- Fighting or defending is kinda pointless with so many cores and not much tradeoff
= Varying strengths of cores would be wonderful; easier to defend cores should have higher defense to allow players to highlight which cores to focus defensive efforts on
= Add neutral loadout zone in middle for convenience
= Add second core to top and bottom bases.

CIRCLES
+ Fun, intense combat
- Favors imbalance (read post)
= Add flag spawns for unpredictability and to limit camping
= Add slow speedzones for greater escapes and mobility

CORE CONTEST MAP
+ Simple, decent core map
- Poor choice of name (I brought it up because I think names really add to a map)
- Weak and vulnerable cores are problematic
- Slightly confusing middle area
= Up core strength, reposition defenses to be more effective
= Possibly replace middle pods with polywalls, or perhaps repurpose

DANMAKU
+ Neat levelgen
+ Testitem furthest back is borderline annoying but mostly a cool concept
- Speedzones in middle dictating flow are very annoying
= See above^

NECRO-FANTASY
+ Super fun map
+ Unbalanced teams actually play out reasonably
- Took me slightly long to figure out
= Maybe simplify instructions?

COLOSSUS
+ Intriguing concept
- Too many moving parts leads to improper usage of map mechanics
- Borderline confusing
= Simplify map, add instructions of sorts
= Prevent players from inadvertently tripping lasers

RIOT
+ Fun overall map
- Emergency section is neat but slightly long and can be exploited by enemies
= Redesign emergency section to prevent against enemy exploitation

BUFFALO SOLDIER
+ Wall spawns present interesting balance question
- Map is quite bland/empty
= Add stuff, or lengthen it, or move cores around, or be irregular, etc

ZOMB-APOCALYPSE
+ Awesome concept with difficult challenge for humans
+ Zombie maps may be future of dungeons
- This map is hard as nuts. Fair enough, but give us more of a chance! ;)
= Add one-way speedzone exits to sub-bases
= More resources items are a must
= Weaken zombie base by thinning or removing walls

THE REACTOR
+ Surprisingly fun map
- A little excessive content
- Bug in stacking cores (read post)
= Limit portals and excess by adjoining storage to base (or something else that limits portals)