SC2Map files are what is used by the SC2 game, but they can be used differently, and those differences are defined in our map configs. The config gives information like how long the episodes last, how many players it can play, and how to score it.
To create your own map config, just subclass the base Map class and override some of the settings. The most important is to define the directory and filename for the SC2Map. Any Map subclass will be automatically picked up as long as it's imported somewhere.
The mini-games are designed to be single-player, fixed length and exercise different aspects of the game. They expose a score/reward which lets the agent know how well it is doing. The score should differentiate poor agents (eg random) from good agents.
Ladder maps are the maps played by human players on Battle.net. There are just a handful active at a time. Every few months a new season starts bringing a new set of maps.
Some of the maps have suffixes LE or TE. LE means Ladder Edition. These are community maps that were edited by Blizzard for bugs and made ready for the ladder pool. TE means Tournament Edition. These maps were used in tournaments.
They are all multiplayer maps with fairly long time limits.
These are maps made specifically for machine learning. They resemble ladder maps in format, but may be smaller sizes and aren't necessarily balanced for high level play.
The Flat maps have no special features on the terrain, encouraging easy attacking. The number specifies the map size.
The Simple maps are more normal with expansions, ramps, and lanes of attack, but are smaller than normal ladder maps. The number specifies the map size.