With the (potentially) impending beta test and subsequent release of StarCraft II, many gamers’ eyes are affixed rigidly to both official and un-official websites, hungrily awaiting news.
But for some players the best therapy is what got them addicted in the first place – the original StarCraft. Thanks to the powerful map editor, StarEdit, that shipped with the original game, it has seen a longevity seldom associated with video games. This has been supplemented in subsequent years with more detailed, fan-created programs that could alter unit colors, textures and create entirely new storylines, such as StarForge and SCM draft.
One of the most highly regarded maps out there and one which is still being played quite regularly is “Blue Night in Seoul”. This eight-player map is small, featuring individual bases which are each walled off from each other and having a choke point at each entrance. The edges of each base are lined with minerals, providing an abundant supply of resources to aid any aspiring general in building their army.
The problem lies in the fact that the bases themselves are quite small, forcing the player to think very carefully about what buildings they want to build and where. The central area can quickly become a killing ground as players begin to field at first tentative and then powerful armies, each trying to destroy their neighbors next door, capturing both minerals and lucrative real estate. As it turns out, the housing market in Starcraft is hot.
This map has been extremely popular in Korea for many years, owing to the studied, yet frenetic pace of the game. A player does not have the luxury of time to craft a grand army with which to smash their enemies, but they must take the time to think about exactly what buildings they want to place where for maximum effect. This map is also vaunted for being an “expert” map, in that has been the preferred choice of many professional Korean players over the years. There are numerous updates for it, mostly tagged in the file name with the year they were altered.
Is it the perfect map? No. In some respects, it limits the pure strategy aspect of the game, as the area is all but revealed from the first few moments. However, playing this map will require a different sort of strategy from the norm, more focused on time management and smart decision making, which can be a refreshing change of pace.
