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I like it  that's a good way to ensure they're built in the appropriate setting only and spreading out the cost maybe makes it a bit easier for players to plan in the purchase
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I like going low GH on the Quetzl. That gives it a very unique role.
If you make that change, you may have to look at the races ability to deal with GH overall. They may need some extra help there. ESP since they've got the rapid fire artillery
(I'm thinking specifically the Blaster unit will need to be able to deal out the hurt to GH. Might make sense to take the blind off that unit and possibly give that to the Battery?)
I know that's a lot of changes. Just how I'm thinking about it
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Prime Carrot wrote:When it comes to the toad unit hopping, would it even get much use? It can already move 2 tiles most of the time. Hopping would be very situational. Maybe if the hop boosted his attacks by 1 stage? Or if the hop was 3 hexes instead of 2?
I was imagining hopping be something it could do in addition to movement so this has many strategic applications:
1) extra movement.
2) hopping over mountains or chasms
3) avoiding zone of control (this is where hopping can make this unit really deadly. Like. Salamander vs saps deadly.). He can move his normal hexes then hop to a squishy unit (this may necessatate lower base movement. Or making hopping something they can only do before moving and attacking. BUT personally I like move hop attack as an option. Makes the unit versatile. Just ya know gotta make the stat line uninspiring )
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Oh quetzl - mobility 12 plus range 2 is a threat range of 6. This doesn't actually work in the game because walker range is 5, so she can stay one hex back and then hit the walker.
Your options are:
1) increase cost >750... or make it so it can't attack GH. Or attack GH stupidly weak (like, GH 1 lol)
2) decrease mobility to 11
That's again imo. But I think that mobility on a ranged flying unit breaks the game :p
3) make its range 1,3 with a decrease in mobility to 10-11 might work too. That way it can get to walker easily, but still has to take a return shot. I would still increase cost substantially with this option (~600)
4) take away the ranged attack and redesign the unit
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First. I freakin love your race. That isn't lip service at all. It is in my top 3 for all time favorites here. I love your GL mounted idea. Excellent execution of a classic idea.
My notes below - mostly slight balance tweaks that are strictly IMO
Quetzl- range 1-2 makes this WAY OP at cost 400. Decrease some stats (defense to around 3-4 OR attacks to around 4-6 should do) or increase cost to around 500-550. Wait. Is this unit aerial? Oh yeah. I see it now
Pouaki - unit aerial - Attack values seem slightly high for a 150 cost aerial unit. 200 cost would probably be more appropriate. Could increase attack/defense bonus from mounting, as well.
I like the blinding mechanic. But I'm worried that it isn't gonna work as you might hope. I think allosaurus should have at least range 7 on his blindness attack. Does his ability hit ALL units as you described, or ALL ENEMY units btw?
Also on allosaurus. I mean that was a HUGE DINO lol. How about giving him some defense to sorta acknowledge how hard it would be to take down? :p
Toad - how about giving him a "hop" activated ability? Fits his name well. I'm thinking 4 round cooldown. He can be placed anywhere within 2 hexes. Can be used before or after moving. Can attack after hoping.
Gigantop- I think he's gonna need to be cost 400. Mobility 9 is a big deal on a tank. I like the design. I think you could justify him at 350 with mobility 8.
Love the tarantile. I've long dreamt of a 3 action unit. (Check our mega man in my fobos race ... 3 actions, AND AAM + MAA ) ) .. think you balanced it very nicely for a cost , attack strength and ability combo!!
Jaekel - okay. I love it. AND what would be even better is ... blindness from jaekel spreads like plague. This would be really zany, making it so enemy can not see jaekels at all.
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UW
Undead Race v2
Main mechanic: units can be spawned from any location next to a Necromancer that is a valid location (I.e. GH can't be on mountains, only aquatic on water tiles, and can't have two units on one tile, etc. )
Which is a serious perk, of course.
Unique race ability:
1. Decay
Decay is similar to plague, but decreases affected units DEFENSE by 1 each turn, and can not be healed by any means. (Not all units are susceptible to decay). Decay does NOT spread to adjacent units like a plague.
2. Refurbished: any time the Undead kill an enemy unit during their turn, the Undead player gets 10% of the cost of that unit in credits.
3. Blood magic and Diminishing returns: the Undead player does not receive credits for owning bases or occupying cities. at the start of the game, the Undead player gets the same number of credits per turn as the average of each other player. The amount the Undead player receives per turn will diminish based upon a formula or something .. something like(total bases x credits per base / [total number of tiles / total number of players]) ... this isn't it. But something where the more credits on a bigger map, the longer it'll take to decay. But im intending them to lose roughly 10%/turn at round 15, 30, and 45. To give a sense of urgency and to balance out the refurbish ability I guess
Some of the UNDEAD Units' attacks will put decay onto enemy troops.
Overall Vision scores and mobility scores are appalling for this race. 1-2 are most common vision score. Getting to the point where you can build units by your enemies base will take time.
Thematically I am going with reanimated forms of Uniwar troops for the most part. Since those units would be recently dead, it makes sense they would be the ones resurrected. Mostly saps and khra since I'm not sure that Titans are even "alive" :p but maybe some of their tech will be used...
Decayed underling GL
Cost 50
Can NOT capture bases
Mobility 7
Vision 1
GL 4
GH 2
Air 0
Aq 2
Amph 3
Range 1
Def 5
Repair rate 0
Decay - this unit loses one DEFENSE per turn, starting at the end of your next turn.
Returned - any time an undead player kills an underling during their turn, it is immediately replaced with a decayed underling under that players control.
Zombirine (zombie marine, yeah)
Cost 100
Can capture bases
Mobility 8
Vision 2
GL 4
GH 2
Air 4
Aq 2
Amph 5
Range 1
Def 7
Repair rate 1
Decay
Returned - any time an undead player kills a marine during their turn, it is immediately replaced with a zombirine under that players control.
Necromancer
Support / GL
Cost 125
Can capture bases
Mobility 7
Vision 2
GL 2
GH 1
Air 1
Aq 2
Amph 3
Range 1-2
Def 4
Repair rate 2
*can build any undead units in adjacent hexes
Flesh weaver
Support / GL
Cost 200
Can capture bases
Mobility 7
Vision 3
GL 0
GH 0
Air 0
Aq 0
Amph 0
Range n/a
Def 2
Repair rate 2
Skill: reweave: cost 100: reset an adjacent units defense to its initial value. (Decay remains on the unit.) cooldown: 7 rounds.
Double repair rate of adjacent units.
Skill: decay: adjacent unit gains the status effect decay. (Cooldown: 5 rounds)
Fuzetisse (yeah like a mantisse with fuze fans and miniguns)
Amphibian
Cost 325
Can NOT capture bases
Mobility 7
Vision 1
GL 4
GH 2
Air 1
Aq 3
Amph 5
Range 0-2
Def 5
Repair rate 1
Actions / turn: 3
AP GL 20%
AP aerial: 30%
AP aquatic 30%
BopperFly (like a boarfly with a bopper sticking out of its mouth)
Air / Blaster
Cost 350
Mobility 4
Vision 0
GL 1
GH 5
Air 2
Aq 2
Amph 3
Range 3
Def 4
Repair rate 1
Actions / turn: 2
AAM: no
MAA: yes (mobility 6)
AP GH 30%
AP aquatic 30%
AP aerial 40%
Spectral Marauder
GH
Cost 250
Mobility 9
Vision 2
GL 6
GH 3
Air 3
Aq 3
Range 1
Def 11
Repair rate 1
Actions / turn: 2
Decay
EMP: radius 1. Cooldown: 6 rounds
Vile Swarmer
Aerial
Cost 200
Mobility 6
Vision 2
GL 6
GH 2
Air 2
Aq 3
Range 1-2
Def 3
Any unit that the vile swarmer attacks receives the Decay debuff.
Zombie Pinzer
GH
Cost 400
Mobility 6
Vision 1
GL 7
GH 10
Air 2
Aq 8
Range 1
Def 20
Repair rate 2
Decay
Salvaged Artillery (can't think of a name. But basically walker/battery parts)
GH
Cost 800
Mobility 0
Vision 4
GL 16
GH 12
Air 10
Aq 12
Amph 10
Range 2-5
Def 14
Repair rate 1
Attack after move: No
Decay
Return of the Kraken (if a kraken and leviathan had a baby)
Submersible
Cost 500
Can capture bases
Mobility 7
Vision 2
GL 9
GH 8
Air 6
Aq 9
Submerged 6
Amph 9
Submerged penalty: -1
Range 0-2
Def 14
Repair rate 1
┆┈┋ ┇쀀┏@Duaneski:┑ ┍ how about a defiled ⥆ that has high defense but horrible attack, or an ok attack but range limit of ⤱ or something, but it can spawn undead ⥈ for a price
To fit with necro mechanic but on the sea, or if you want saps some kind of ghost ship mechanics tbd
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Bopperopoly v2.0
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V2.0 ***new rules***
To capture the neutral base, you MUST EITHER: personally kill an enemy engineer. OR all enemy engineers must be dead.
Regarding redesigned bonus tracks:
- When you achieve a kill move your marauder two hexes. (For each kill). There is no maximum per turn (except for the marauders maximum mobility, really)
- when you PASS a health tile you may build a battery in the unconnected bases, OR a bopper OR tank on an inside base.
Added new game area: engineer toggle.
When you kill An engineer, move your engineer over on the toggle so that your opponents are aware you are all set to win!
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This game is intended for FFA play.
Game setup:
FOW - OFF (players should see everything!)
The map (and game) is separated into four areas.
1. main arena / game board. This is the battle arena where each player starts with one base, twelve boppers, one marauder, one battery, and one engineer.
2. The Bonus Tracks. This is the area with a marauder and a mecha2 and roads and health tiles.
3. The cash cities, populated with boppers. These cities are for extra revenue only, otherwise do not affect gameplay. (Not used past v1.0)
4. The victory mountains. Each player has one bopper.
Each area will be discussed further, but know up front that you can not move your pieces in the bonus track or victory mountains unless you accomplish a goal in the main arena.
The goal of the game is to advance your victory mountain bopper to capture one of the neutral bases. The first player to capture a base in the victory mountains wins.
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Main arena:
each player starts with one base, one engineer, and eleven boppers.
You may use the units as you please.
You may NOT build any units unless you reach the health tiles in the bonus track area. Please read the bonus track section for more information.
The health tiles are key areas in the main arena. Please see Victory Mountains for more information.
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Victory mountains area
In order to move your bopper in the victory mountains you must accomplish one of five objectives:
1. Kill an engineer
2. Kill a unit with a mecha2, or kill a mecha2
3. Successfully sit on a health tile in the main arena for one whole turn. -- if your engineer successfully sits on a health tile for one turn, you receive two movements (must be used on successive turns) for your bopper in the victory mountains.
4. Sit on an enemy base for an entire turn. (Do not capture an enemy base in the main arena. There is a bug with CTF mode whereby that would automatically cause that player to win.)
5. Graduate a bopper to second veteran status.
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Bonus tracks area:
***you may advance your bopper TWO hexes along the road ONLY any time you kill a unit in the MAIN ARENA. ***
kills do NOT carry over turn to turn. (So if you have two kills in round two, and zero in round three, you can move two hexes round two and zero hexes round three.)
When you pass the mecha2 you MUST teleport the mecha2 into the main arena. (You may NOT teleport him to any other game area.)
When your bopper reaches the far health tile in the bonus tracks area, you may build a bopper in the main arena.
Once your bopper reaches that point, it turns around and proceeds back to its point of origin. Once it reaches there you may build another bopper. The bopper then heads back along the road endlessly so long as the player continues to get kills in the main arena.
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FAQs:
Can I explode the helicopters?
No.
If I explode a helicopter do I get to move my bonus track bopper or my victory mountain bopper?
No. No. No.
If my opponent is cheating what do I do?
Find a better opponent.
I want to cheat, is that cool?
No it isn't cool. Please don't cheat.
Bopperopoly doesn't work very well.
That isn't a question, but please feel free to fix it for me and upload a better working version.
Will you make a 6 or 8 player version?
I don't have any plans for that at this time, please feel free to take any design elements here and apply them to a bigger player number.
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I think SvT is very challenging currently.
But, if we are being honest here - and I sure try to be :p
I believe a big part of this is on the map makers and the players voting on maps.
I see A LOT of VERY congested maps. Mountains, forests, dunes and swamps EVERYWHERE. like people are frickin allergic to a plains tile.
But plains tiles are very important to Sapiens and titans. I think with a more wide open map, where you can use sapien mobility as intended, you'll find more success.
That's just my opinion, of course. Take it for what you will
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Rewards sent today. Included an extra 100uc each to the winners for their exceptional patience
Below is the more in-depth writeups for each map. I did not include pictures here, for time constraint reasons. The map name is included, or you can check out the YouTube video of course.
I apologize for the formatting. Unfortunately lose the formatting going from Word to iOS.
Zardecil – Chasmic (Races: ALL)
20/40 (Balance)
15/15 (Access to bases/cities/ AND favorable terrain based upon possible player/race combos)
3/15 (Race Balance, P1/P2 Balance)
2/10 (Unit Build variety [Map requires specific units for success])
36/40 (Enjoyability)
10/10 (Buildups)
11/15 (Map is “Dynamic”)
15/15 (Theme / Aesthetics)
13/20 (Timeliness)
8/10 (Expected rounds for game – shooting for 12-25)
5/10 (Not a “race”)
5/0
5/0 (All Races allowed)
TOTAL: 74/100
Notes: This map’s overall score took quite a beating over the Race Balance and Unit Build variety. I’d like to start by explaining this – in my opinion at any rate: the center Flag is surrounded by chasms. Underlings can zip right across there in one turn. It’s gonna take Saps and Titans 2 turns to traverse for a cap there. Those Chasms pose a particular problem for both Saps and Titans as well since they don’t have the Swarmer as a base unit, and can’t rely on GL to stop the capture attacking to a base from a Chasm. They’re forced into building Mantisse/Fuze on a low credit map. Summed up, I believe Khral have a HUGE advantage here. I gave this map some props for being dynamic, as I think the main stage has the potential to be truly fun in a SVT / SVS / TVT war. The roads at the side should even come into play in those conflicts.
The map has a clean, classic look. Aesthetically this IS my favorite map from this competition. However, I wish that Zardecil had limited this map to SvT, or used mountains in the middle versus chasms. As released, I feel this score is appropriate.
Smash664 – A Cats Ass (Races: ALL)
30/40 (Balance)
15/15 (Access to bases/cities/ AND favorable terrain based upon possible player/race combos)
8/15 (Race Balance, P1/P2 Balance)
7/10 (Unit Build variety [Map requires specific units for success])
40/40 (Enjoyability)
10/10 (Buildups)
15/15 (Map is “Dynamic”)
15/15 (Theme / Aesthetics)
15/20 (Timeliness)
7/10 (Expected rounds for game – shooting for 12-25)
8/10 (Not a “race”)
5/0
5/0 (All Races allowed)
TOTAL: 90/100
Notes: Aesthetically, the map looks pleasing. The central core has a unique aesthetic, and I felt Smash664 made excellent use of the better aesthetic features of this tileset.
One thing that jumped out to me was the use of cities to ramp up income. CTF doesn’t allow neutral bases for this. I liked that Smash had this approach. The map is very dynamic with the split bases. This along with the need to build infantry to occupy your cities, varied attack vectors, as well as the central Neutral base is exactly what I had in mind when I started this contest… (6 months ago  ). The scale of the map is noticeable – it’s quite big. A potential balance issue seems to be the size of the map potentially favoring Speeder/Marauder overall. In particular - Khral may be challenged to cover the middle neutral base. Despite this, this looks like a fun, dynamic CTF map, that with some balancing playtesting has the potential to be a truly excellent CTF map.
wookieontheweb – Frog Legs race CTF final (Races: ALL)
16/40 (Balance)
10/15 (Access to bases/cities/ AND favorable terrain based upon possible player/race combos)
5/15 (Race Balance, P1/P2 Balance)
1/10 (Unit Build variety [Map requires specific units for success])
37/40 (Enjoyability)
10/10 (Buildups)
7/15 (Map is “Dynamic”)
20/15 (Theme / Aesthetics)
8/20 (Timeliness)
8/10 (Expected rounds for game – shooting for 12-25)
0/10 (Not a “race”)
5/0
5/0 (All Races allowed)
TOTAL: 66/100
Notes: Somewhat obscured in the image, the neutral base is above the cities at the top, under the word “threat.” This is one of the few maps that I actually playtested. (Months ago). This map has a very unique feel to it, and honestly it’s a very thoughtful, particular scenario. Look closely at the map and notice the alternating colors on opposing sides. Players capture their mid-harbors, and then ‘race’ for the top mid harbor with their amphibians. Meanwhile, players can attempt to intervene in that race with land units.
Despite the fun, interesting concept, I didn’t get the feeling that this map would hold up particularly well in high level play. The close proximity of the harbors, along with the reefs strongly benefits the player who gets to strike first. Additionally, and perhaps most damningly, there isn’t a great deal of thought that a player can put into their builds. It felt to me like: amphibian, fastest land units, and go.
Again, my impression of this map is that it’s a lot of fun. If you haven’t played it, I highly recommend one go at it. That said, this contest is for a ‘ranked CTF’ map, and I feel that this map misses the mark on that goal.
Batteries – It’s a map where you fight (Races: SvS)
29/40 (Balance)
15/15 (Access to bases/cities/ AND favorable terrain based upon possible player/race combos)
13/15 (Race Balance, P1/P2 Balance)
1/10 (Unit Build variety [Map requires specific units for success])
30/40 (Enjoyability)
10/10 (Buildups)
5/15 (Map is “Dynamic”)
15/15 (Theme / Aesthetics)
10/20 (Timeliness)
5/10 (Expected rounds for game – shooting for 12-25)
5/10 (Not a “race”)
0/0
0/0 (All Races allowed)
TOTAL: 69/100
Notes: The only map to restrict races within the competition. I was really excited to review this map, as I think that’s something that could help to balance out a CTF map. I was sad to see Battery and Fuze preloaded into the map. The mission statement at the start of this post was for this contest to provide a ‘ranked 1v1 map’ – so those units sorta torpedo that possibility. I knocked off some points under Unit Build Variety as a result of this, but otherwise the rankings don’t reflect that, since I didn’t explicity mention this elsewhere in my post.
As it stands - I don’t disapprove of the overall approach here, but between the SvS limitation coupled with the ‘on top of’ each other feel, I don’t expect much variety in builds. I think there’s clearly optimal builds and approaches, and since you’re mirroring races, I get the feeling that this map is gonna live and die with RNG and maybe player error.
On the plus side, I do believe both players have a chance to win. And, I would expect the matches on this map to move along briskly, and I don’t think either player would feel ‘cheated’ at the end of the slugfest. The map title is 100% appropriate. You load into this map, and you start punching the other player. The aesthetics of the map are pleasing, with the tileset being well suited to the abundance of aquatic areas.
Jeff79 – Aeschylus v2 (Races: ALL)
31/40 (Balance)
15/15 (Access to bases/cities/ AND favorable terrain based upon possible player/race combos)
10/15 (Race Balance, P1/P2 Balance)
6/10 (Unit Build variety [Map requires specific units for success])
38/40 (Enjoyability)
10/10 (Buildups)
15/15 (Map is “Dynamic”)
13/15 (Theme / Aesthetics)
17/20 (Timeliness)
7/10 (Expected rounds for game – shooting for 12-25)
10/10 (Not a “race”)
5/0
5/0 (All Races allowed)
TOTAL: 91/100
Notes: Jeff fairly took the initiative a while back and declared himself the winner. I’m excited to see what he brought to the table, to see how he stacks up! -- I’ll head back here after my review. You wait here, friend. .. OKAY, I am back. The first thing I did after looking at the map was go ahead and assign the full 15 points for “Dynamic.” The next thing that I did was smile to myself. There isn’t going to be an easy win on this map, for any race. There are MANY tactical options on this map. There are 4 attack vectors for each player, and there are 4 separate objectives. (3 cities and the neutral base). In the current iteration of CTF, any base capture causes the game to end. As a result, this map appears to me as a sudden death, tactical dream.
Now, I don’t think it’s perfect. I worry about Titans on this map. The terrain is very obstructed (a Jeff79 staple ). It’s very amphibian-centric in the naval areas, with a plethora of swamps and reefs. I do believe this could pose a potential problem for titans. As well as the challenges of getting mechas onto mountains / cities. I'm unsure how the 200 credits/turn will impact particular matchups, but I think this is also to Titans detriment.
That said, it’s still an excellent map. Titans shouldn’t be totally hapless here. The map is aesthetically quite pleasing - if not a little "busy". I particularly approve of the Ocean tile as a crowning jewel at the top. This is certainly one of the best maps submitted, and I would expect that with minimal balance testing, this map could enter the ranked pool and/or find its way into a tournament.
TheImpaler – The Dual Passage v2 (Races: ALL)
39/40 (Balance)
15/15 (Access to bases/cities/ AND favorable terrain based upon possible player/race combos)
14/15 (Race Balance, P1/P2 Balance)
10/10 (Unit Build variety [Map requires specific units for success])
36/40 (Enjoyability)
10/10 (Buildups)
7/15 (Map is “Dynamic”)
12/15 (Theme / Aesthetics)
13/20 (Timeliness)
8/10 (Expected rounds for game – shooting for 12-25)
5/10 (Not a “race”)
5/0
5/0 (All Races allowed)
TOTAL: 93/100
Notes: first impression: This map is different from the other maps, and I like it.
After reviewing the map, I like it a lot. I love how Khral swarmers will play so effectively in the city playground to the south. Meanwhile, maybe the north is a little more challenging for the Khral overall - but far from hopeless. The high-ish credit count I think plays into the map's archetype well. Players have freedom to buy the units they want, and should be able to map credible advances towards the Flag early, and often. Unit diversity and multiple build options are the #1 strength of this map.
The map looks pleasing. The snow tileset isn't always the most exciting, but then city tiles and Blues of the water splashed across the map give this overall a clean, classic look.
The two areas of conflict are well conceived and balanced. However, I don't find the map to be astonishingly dynamic. That is my biggest gripe, certainly. Overall, this map is excellent, and I am not convinced that it would need any additional balancing to enter the Ranked pool.
OmegaD – Maelstrom (Races: ALL)
30/40 (Balance)
14/15 (Access to bases/cities/ AND favorable terrain based upon possible player/race combos)
9/15 (Race Balance, P1/P2 Balance)
7/10 (Unit Build variety [Map requires specific units for success])
30/40 (Enjoyability)
10/10 (Buildups)
8/15 (Map is “Dynamic”)
12/15 (Theme / Aesthetics)
17/20 (Timeliness)
10/10 (Expected rounds for game – shooting for 12-25)
7/10 (Not a “race”)
5/0
5/0 (All Races allowed)
TOTAL: 82/100
Notes: This is one of the maps that I play tested back in the fall. I was concerned this map would play like a race, but left the play test feeling comfortable that it didn't. I remember enjoying the play test a lot, feeling the map allowed for tactical creativity.
"Solid B" pretty well sums up this map in my estimation. It isn't the flashiest map. I don't find it to be very pretty to look at. I don't think it has that "classic" feel to it. But getting to those Flags tales planning, and thought. You've gotta balance your own capture attempt against stopping your opponents. In a lot of ways, this map is a "race," but since it forces some tough tactical decisions on the players, I didn't deduct heavily there.
I do think the middle is maybe too heavily congested, restricting builds somewhat. I consider that to be the maps biggest weakness. It is almost a necessity given the scale of the map, but I think the result is more of a 'scenario' than what I was truly hoping to see. All in all, it's a good map though. And if you're looking for a snappy CTF match you'll enjoy this one.
copeab - MadDash2 (Races: ALL)
35/40 (Balance)
15/15 (Access to bases/cities/ AND favorable terrain based upon possible player/race combos)
15/15 (Race Balance, P1/P2 Balance)
5/10 (Unit Build variety [Map requires specific units for success])
26/40 (Enjoyability)
6/10 (Buildups)
5/15 (Map is “Dynamic”)
15/15 (Theme / Aesthetics)
12/20 (Timeliness)
10/10 (Expected rounds for game – shooting for 12-25)
2/10 (Not a “race”)
5/0
5/0 (All Races allowed)
TOTAL: 78/100
Notes: For the uninitiated, this is the quintessential original CTF map. I remember that copeab made this map VERY early on after the CTF mode was released. In a lot of ways, it has stood the test of time. I have some particular gripes with it, but I think there's a lot to like here, too.
Let's start out with what I didn't like: this map is either a race or a buildup. You're consistently getting one or the other, depending on matchup. If that's your thing, you'll LOVE this map. (Along those lines, this map is snappy - matches definitely aren't gonna last too long!). Personally, I don't love buildups, and I don't like races. So, this is a swing and a miss for me. The map is not very dynamic in nature.
I also knocked some points off for unit build variety. There are some options, but with the 'race' aspect players have some choices pre-made for them (assuming they don't want to lose round 3-4). Mid-late game the tactical options can open up SOMEWHAT, but then you're limited by terrain/scale of the map. It's a tough balance.
What I like: the "classic" feel this map has. It's clean, smooth, and there aren't any tricks or surprises. Having played this one a few times, and talked to others who play it, I do believe it's well balanced. This is not a small accomplishment, and I believe answers the question of why this map has been around so long. For a lot of people, this is an exceptional CTF map. It isn't my cup of tea, and I know this isn't news to copeab. :p
Prime Carrot – CTF Map, sHROOMS eDITION (Races: ALL)
26/40 (Balance)
10/15 (Access to bases/cities/ AND favorable terrain based upon possible player/race combos)
9/15 (Race Balance, P1/P2 Balance)
7/10 (Unit Build variety [Map requires specific units for success])
33/40 (Enjoyability)
10/10 (Buildups)
10/15 (Map is “Dynamic”)
13/15 (Theme / Aesthetics)
16/20 (Timeliness)
9/10 (Expected rounds for game – shooting for 12-25)
7/10 (Not a “race”)
5/0
5/0 (All Races allowed)
TOTAL: 80/100
Notes: First impression: "I don't know about this." Let's take a closer look, and see what pops out.
Unforgiving I think would be the theme for this map. 250 starting credits, 150 a turn thereafter. Brutal stuff, especially in a 'first cap wins' scenario. I have to applaud Carrot for the overall layout. He manages to provide areas for many different unit types to shine. The central base is easily accessible, but by that same virtue likely difficult to capture very early on. This map toes that line dangerously.
For having chosen the Mars tileset, AND including bridges, this map actually looks very nice. For using Mars I actually added an extra point there above my initial review.
Honestly, I don't have much else to say about this map. I get the feeling that it *could* be fine balance wise. But without having played it, those sparse credits and lack of a more dynamic layout just make me feel like this is a "B" map.
angkor (the artist formerly known as Angkor) – 006 EXPLORATION (Races: ALL)
36/40 (Balance)
15/15 (Access to bases/cities/ AND favorable terrain based upon possible player/race combos)
12/15 (Race Balance, P1/P2 Balance)
9/10 (Unit Build variety [Map requires specific units for success])
30/40 (Enjoyability)
7/10 (Buildups)
10/15 (Map is “Dynamic”)
13/15 (Theme / Aesthetics)
17/20 (Timeliness)
8/10 (Expected rounds for game – shooting for 12-25)
9/10 (Not a “race”)
5/0
5/0 (All Races allowed)
TOTAL: 88/100
Notes: This is one of the last two maps I’m reviewing, and I know it’s a contender for the top spot. An in depth review left me with mixed feelings, and an overall sense that this map could be so much more.
I appreciate the scale of the map. It isn’t huge, but it’s big enough that players won’t feel cramped. The map also looks quite nice. It’s got clean, smooth lines, and the blues on the edges and in the center make this map look sort of like a jewel. It’s pleasing to look at.
Angkor opted for the ‘easily accessible’ Flag, which is certainly fine by me. Any race has a mere 2 turns to middle with infantry, and there is barely a unit in the game that can’t impact a possible capture attempt there. It’s a solid design, with the chasms ensuring that units built up front won’t immediately be pummeled. Angkor also made use of the ramping income via cities – which I certainly appreciate. The central harbors I think are a very unique piece of this map. Capturing one of those could provide a spectular boost to a player, and I think it provides a very interesting tactical dynamic to this map.
Speaking of dynamics, you’ll notice I knocked 5 points off in that category. Unfortunately, to get to one of those side bases would require a very spectacular effort by one of the involved combatants. I can’t see it happening. I feel that this was a missed opportunity – if one of those bases had been moved up a hex, maybe towards the edge as well, then all of a sudden you’d have 3 points of engagement instead of just one point of engagement. This, and the potential for long build-ups, were my only issues with this map, and the only thing keeping this map from contention with the top overall spot. Despite this, I do feel this map is ranked-ready, and would not have players walking away feeling cheated by their time on the map.
J016 – CTF in the war 7 (Races: ALL)
26/40 (Balance)
12/15 (Access to bases/cities/ AND favorable terrain based upon possible player/race combos)
7/15 (Race Balance, P1/P2 Balance)
7/10 (Unit Build variety [Map requires specific units for success])
32/40 (Enjoyability)
7/10 (Buildups)
13/15 (Map is “Dynamic”)
12/15 (Theme / Aesthetics)
15/20 (Timeliness)
7/10 (Expected rounds for game – shooting for 12-25)
6/10 (Not a “race”)
5/0
5/0 (All Races allowed)
TOTAL: 79/100
Notes: My last review. Let me say – I really wanted to love this map. I tried to come up with some reasons to justify the flaws that I saw. But in the end, I’ve gotta call a duck a duck.
So, what did I see that I didn’t love? Pretty simple – the scale of the map is huge, the credits/turn is very low, and the center base is much easier for Sapiens to access than the other two races. (Marauder / Marine should really dominate the rush to the center). Speeders would do fine there as well, and so would underlings.. But bringing along swarmers and mechas could be painful. I think there’s some real balance concerns, in part due to the low credit counts, but also just generally due to the layout of the map.
I like the attempt at making a dynamic map. There are many possible attack vectors here. Problem is, again, with such low credits players essentially HAVE to focus on the middle. For a very long time before there’d be enough left to try to make a move at a side base.
The map looks very nice, making nice use of the harbors and blues of the original tile set. It isn’t my favorite map, but it certainly doesn’t invoke any wretching. I think, if you land the right matchup (SvS, TvT, maybe TvS) on this map, you could certainly have a good time playing this as a longer-length unranked game. But I think to have contended for a win in this challenge, it would’ve needed changes to the layout, credits, and maybe scale.
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https://youtu.be/zZSfTvDBKJA
This is the link to Episode 2: including the winners of the CTF Challenge and a QUICK breakdown of each map.
I'll be posting the write ups for each map here shortly.
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Wait WHAT?! I Leave for 5 minutes and this happens?! I feel like I'm being pranked here haha
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Batteries wrote:
Duaneski wrote:I will provide this list here shortly.
Two weeks, right?
Yep. We remain on schedule
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Yes please!
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OmegaD wrote:
The Impaler wrote:*Walks in with 2 bouncers*
"Where's ma money, b$tch?"
LOL
Could we get a listing of the entries or top contenders or something to hold us over until you finish your evaluation?
Yes.
I will provide this list here shortly.
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This needs fleshed out a lot still. But that's the basics.
Would need a mechanism to keep number of players in each faction similar. And cutoff points for joining the Factions. More goals and whatnot. But, yeah, that's the idea
Edit: I'm thinking a blind join system. Like when a player signs up for Factions they rank the order of what factions they would join, and in what order. Players could also choose to go on a wait list for a specific faction... but wouldn't be guaranteed a spot until the next faction war.
Would also want some prizes for second and third place Factions.
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