Ramparts is like the lesser-noticed baby brother of Lost Temple. It's design is simple and interesting: the main base has one ground choke, but it's big with an internal high-ground of ramparts, so daring dropship play is encouraged. Also like Lost Temple, the Starcraft version has significant asymmetries. I decided to take this little mapling and give it a makeover, like Blizzard did for the Starcraft 2 version of Lost Temple.
Elements to keep:
- Big main bases with the signature "ramparts"
- One choke to main, with a natural expansion out on the low ground. Standard ground-based play is certainly possible.
- Center island expo, which provides a high-ground staging area, furthering encouraging air tech or drop ships.
New elements:
- Watchtowers useful for ground play, but carefully placed to allow drops to skirt if attacker is careful.
- Mineral-only gold bases. Useful, but players are encouraged to expand into empty mains for gas and therefore air units are again a good choice for map control/awareness.
- A semi-island base in the north and south serve several purposes (1) add two standard bases to the original map which was thin on bases, (2) provides an alternate ground path for a meaty army, (3) gives a players another safe/sneaky base to expand to as a reward for getting dropships or nydus tech.
So, welcome to Ramparts for Starcraft 2, see you on the wall!
