The map reformed... somewhat

Phew! Finally decided to stamp my foot down and burn my weekend to work on the map.

As you can see from the screenshot above, the paths have been reformed. The next step is to re-map the routes for the creeps, the re-positioning and possibly, the addition of a few more towers.

I have also added a side-shop to both sides of the map, from listening to some opinions of testers.

Slow update... My nemesis...

As some of you might have already realized, the update for the map is going really, really slowly.

I am currently on a guilt-pleasure trip with watching the old seasons of The X-Files, which is hardly much of an excuse... but its so good! lol!

Well, I still do intend to continue my update so it's still a work that will continue to persist. Here are some screenshots of the work-in-progress:

Re-shaped Routes. It will be mirrored on the Dire side of the map.

Red route refers to the main routes, where the creep will follow.

Blue route are extra paths that Players can take. These routes can bypass the 1st and 2nd towers, allowing ganking.

Progress update on Maze Steps Version 1.2

It's been a while and I won't lie; upgrading on the version 1.2 is taking its while as work is making me, well, work till pretty late.

Still, at least yesterday I've managed to figure out how to solve one of the couple of problems I need to tackle for the map, and that is to prevent players from teleporting or blinking onto undesired areas.

After discovering it by chance, since the developer.valvesoftware.com and its discussion boards did not yield much information, I decided to record a video on its steps and uploaded it onto YouTube yesterday. I hope that it will prove useful to anyone making maps or mods in Dota 2.

So, here's the video in question:

I also tried to include the steps inside the developer.valvesoftware.com wiki site, but have no permissions to include screenshots for the steps. I'll be including the same video into that page for people to refer to.

Blocking Heroes' Routes Quick Tutorial

Hammer and First-Aid Plasters on hand.

I have the opportunity to personally witness some friends and colleagues playing a PVP match using my map.

For the time being, the map performed as what I originally expected, but they did voice out some suggestions that are hoped to be added to the later renditions of the same map.

The changes they requested are:

• The central routes between the first and second towers, to be expanded and/or modified.
• Add a side shop/s within the map.
• Stop units from teleporting onto the small spaces within the walls.
• The presence of the Roshan is optional.

Finally, problems detected!

Imagine my expected surprise to see that the map was not performing as it should be, in its entirety when I attempted to submit my map into the Custom Modes category.

Not that the map does not work with the category, but that there were some glaring problems with the map itself.

The following are the bugs I've discovered last night:

• Creeps on one lane seems to be travelling faster than the creeps on the other lane.
• When AI bots are in the game, they don't seem to be participating in the match, meaning that they just huddle at base camp and refuse to move or interact.
• After destroying the first tower, the pond-structure was found to be indestructible.
• After destroying the third tower, the barracks structures were found to be indestructible.

The Roots of the Maze Steps.

As I previously mentioned, I started creating my first Dota 2 map based off a sketch I did quite some time back. It was not meant for Dota 2 back then, but was intended for a different project which unfortunately did not seem that suitable for it.

Fortunately, I kept the sketch and am now about to immortalize it through the power of the Internet. Behold, the 'visionary' sketch of the my first Dota 2 map, Maze Steps.

The initial idea was to have units climb the stairs leading the next platform, up another flight of stairs to another platform, and so forth, until they reach the middle of the map known as 'CP'.

The aim was to try to bring units from opposing sides onto a choke point, in this case represented by stairs leading to a platform.

As you can see, it is a very brief sketch with not much detail. Still, this provided much fundamental basis in which I used in Maze Steps. It is certainly vastly different from the sketch, but the end result was definitely a map I feel proud of.

Lesson of the Day? Sketches helps.

Map : Maze Steps Version 1.0 is done!

Okay, I believe it got the nitty-bitty bits into the map and am ready for its play-test. I'll need to read up about it, in order to figure out how to properly play-test the map with players.

Anyways, here's a screenshot of the map, version 1.0:

Lack of a better name, I decided to call it Maze Steps. Next step is to record a walkthrough of the map, so I'll most likely need a recording software like Fraps, and then upload it onto this blog and YouTube.

The train is starting up!

Hi everyone, Morris here. This is something that I should have done a long time ago, but then again, late than never.

This blog will be my attempt to documenting my level design works, into a online portfolio for all to see. To start things off, I am currently working on a Dota 2 map courtesy of Valve's recent release of the Dota 2 Workshop Tools Alpha just last week Friday.

The documentation website (developer.valvesoftware.com) is certainly a sight for sore eyes; I used to reference to it heavily during my 10-month period in Digipen Singapore, under the Digipen-Ubisoft Designer Programme.

So, what will my map be about? I was inspired by the architectural style of the Mayans and decided to make something similar to it. I did a quick sketch of it on paper to determine a rough idea of how the map will look, which mostly will start to iterate itself during the development process.

Since starting on Saturday evening (August 9th, 2014), the following is my development progress:

My apologies in advance, for the lack of aspect ratio. I am still currently using a 4:3, 1280 x 1024 LCD monitor. Which, I might add, make the workspace quite cramped.

Regardless, so far the map is taking some serious shape and I really like how it is going thus far. I also noticed some restrictions which I can't seem to manipulate at the moment:

• Unable to adjust the size of the Dota Tile Grid. Apparently, once you go into the Tile Editor, Hammer auto-generates a square plain for you. But that's it. You cannot adjust the size of the overall plain in terms of its length and width. Probably something they will add in in the future.
• Measurements is a pain to with, as so far I have to rely on the guide dots on the screen to determine length and width of the tiles I intend to lower or raise. Unlike using brushes where you have see the dimension clearing indicated, with tiles you can't really tell.

However, I understand that the tools are still in Alpha phase. On the contrary, I am extremely pleased and excited to see that the tile editor is making my work a joy to work with. Despite not much community involvement yet, the valvesoftware wiki is proving to be an essential source in getting to know the Dota 2 Workshop Tools.

The following are what I am planning to do at this current moment:

• Include Towers and Structures, for both Radiant and Dire sides. This includes the i/o, which I will be referring to the developer.valvesoftware.com wiki site.
• Slight adjustments to be made to the map, to accommodate the additions of the structures, and to ensure sufficient movement space of the units.
• Addition of the creeps and their movements. Again, will be referring to the wiki site.
• Once all those are done, personal play-test.

Once the map is done and ready for testing, I'll be sure to post it here. I will also be posting a fly-through of the map into YouTube too.