Competitive Symetrical Map

To have a fair match it seems mandatory to have symmetrical map, with same amount of mex and same expansion possibility for every players.

Is the planet generator able to produce this kind of map ?
If yes, could we have the choice to produce this kind of planet ?
If no, does a map editor will be released in the futur ?

I disagree with your premise.

Devs mentioned they are or will be experimenting with mirrored planets, so every player has the same starting position.

Thank for your valuable contribution

Good to know, thank you.

I think what nanolathe means is that they don't need to by completely symmetrical but have similar distributions. Well at least I hope that what he means.

Asymmetrical maps can also be balanced.*

*not with the game as it currently stands however. There would need to be some serious overhauls given to not only the units, but also the planetary generator (possibly some fundamental mechanics) and you could conceivably have maps that rely on more than just resource density.

If i understand things right planets being randomly generated the way they are is a core function in how things work. Actual "handmade" maps would be large and require a different infrastructure to deal with, now we are just tossing some numbers around (i.e seed, radius, water height and whatever is relevant).

I'd love a map editor but it seems to be a lot of work to get it done so in the meantime i'm wondering how hard it would be to just make metal patches and spawn points editable?

The easiest way to work on balance in this regard is probably to work with resource balancing across the board so the risk of one player getting plenty of metal and the other getting sparse is minimized. For tournaments you can have spectators comparing and judging spawns but in random games that's not happening. And a win caused by one self having 2x the starting metal of your opponent isn't very fun.

It is 1000 times more difficult to balance an asymetrical map, when symmetrical map are intrinsically balanced. And you will always have someone to argue that the map is not balanced.

So the best way to get a 100% balanced map is to make symetrical one. If you are not convinced, i challenge you to find an asymetrical map that is used in a RTS competition.

Does Dota count as an RTS?

Something I have yet to try: add two (or N) planets with the same seed and other parameters. No good for quick single planet games, but it might at least be equal.

No it's a MOBA.

In starcraft brood war, Fantasy, used in kespa tournaments
http://www.teamliquid.net/tlpd/korean/maps/167_Fantasy_II

Since the planets and spawns are random generated I think balance is good enough as long as the start locations have the same mex distribution.
Adapting to a random environment and gathering intel are also a skills and teamwork effords if you ask me and real world battles are also not fought on symetrical battlefields

Also there are plenty of tournament video's where the player(s) starting in what looks an advantage position and did not win at all
The randomness is one of the strenghts of this game if you ask me.
Luck or bad luck makes it just more intense

That said I was under the assumption a planet editor would be availeble at some point as its needed for the single player campaign?

Honestly I find the "challenge" rather moot. It hinges on the premise that just because something hasn't been widely adopted means that it can not, and should not be done. It's fear mongering essentially.

Which Valve called ARTS (Action RTS).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_tradition
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appeal_to_novelty

I'm not saying that balanced asymmetrical maps are superior, just that they're possible.

I agree with that. I like to adapt my play to a random generated planet.

But it is not fair in the frame of a competition, that why i would like to have the option to generate symetrical planets that are perfectly balanced.

Gods of War was one of the most played maps in competitive TA, fantastic map.

Current state of mex/maps is simply bad for competitive play, one player can get enormous advantage just by spawning at certain point. If we were playing BO5 or maybe BO3 this could maybe be admissible but in BO1 situation both players must have same chances. I've made huge post about this issue and I've talked to devs and they said they are trying out certain ideas with partial symmetry so they are aware of problems and we should wait for their answer.