made mainly for CA in mind sure it works on other mods
low metal in start pos
Geo in the center of the volcano thingy only accesible with air (dont try to sneak ur all terrain arm kbots in there i made a moat!!! unless u feel like terraforming the super deep water )
Map was made with kbot/vehicle/air viability in mind
feedback most welcome
i will probably add more bump mapping to the rest of the ground if i need to make another version for other reasons
Minor complaint, could you capitalize the map name as it appears in the lobby? Mine is apparently case-sensitive and the map was all the way at the bottom of the 350+ maps list I got. Couldn't find it for a while
Looks good otherwise, love the little bumps on the map and such.
atm the water is shallow most untis can pass (this was a mistake i planned water to be deeper)
if i make a final version which i plan to with a different metal layout once it gets enuff playtesting i might not make those areas water
i been toying with the idea of lowering map hardness and raising the sea level so that all areas apart from the starting area will easilly break and turn into water after alot of fighting (to give the illusion of ice) not sure if to do so yet
need more feedback about balance and stuff b4 i consider a final version
I think that this map can be very pretty, and has some very nice bits, but also has a lot of room for improvement. I think you need to think a little harder about the layout, because this layout is somewhat two dimensional, and with a boolean concept.
What I mean by that is that height really has little to do with the map, other then the central volcano (which looks very cool, but ultimately is a big impassable gimmick... Not that it's a bad thing, but I think it needs to be supported by a solid map). The map is essentially completely flat, and the terrain variations appear to be put there mostly as gimmicky visuals rather then for any clear gameplay reasons.
When I say boolean, I mean that there are no real 'fast' and 'slow' elements, 'difficult' and 'easy' elements, 'defensible', 'open', 'advantageous', 'risky', etc. It is primarily divided into "passable" and "non-passable". I think you are not fully taking advantage of the many advantages that the Spring engine has given in terms of variable terrain - and the way units interact with that terrain. To me, your map, while being far, far sexier then any red alert map, is still following the same essential design principles - "here's a flat area, fight here. Here's a cliff, you can't pass here. Here's a convenient ramp, go up here. Here's a big impassable mountain to break up the flatness a bit".
In terms of the layout of the map, it seems to be fairly straight forward - you've got neat starting bases with a conveniently defensible single entry ramp (I also think you may have gotten a bit lazy with the design of these, especially the one in the bottom right hand corner). The map itself is perfectly symmetrical, no matter which diagonal you divide down. You have made an effort to make the perfect symmetry not be an blatant mirror, but in my mind it is still highly artificial. The best map makers are those that make a map that looks assymetrical, but actually plays very fairly and symmetrically. It is really hard to do, and most simply go the easy mirror route, but in my mind that's a bit of a cop-out. As a map maker, you are like a craftsman of gameplay; you have the ability to totally rethink the way players decide how to use their units and strategies. Mods are constant, players can often be constant, but variable, well thought out maps can provide endless variations and complexities for the exact same mod.
I do apologise if this review has been overly critical - it's late and I'm tired. As your first map, I think you've shown a lot more promise then many other map makers with their first maps, especially where visual flair comes in. But I think you can't simply rely on the sexy drama shot to carry you through, and then fall back to a very flat and perfectly symmetrical map - which would probably play well in a 1v1, but because of the challenges players can throw up on a flat map, rather then the strategic and tactical variety that the map encourages. Keep thinking about how can you, as a map designer, encourage players to play on your map in a way that is different to other maps?
When you're designing a map, draw it as a plan on paper. If it looks a bit dull and straight forward there, it will probably play like that, irrespective of how sexy you make it look.
So, in summary:
- Nice looking, but:
-- Need to think a little harder about the layout in terms of gameplay.
-- Try to break up the landscape a bit with more objects that can be interacted with, not just impassable ones, so that it looks more natural
-- Try to avoid pure symmetry, and where you need to use it, try to make it much less obvious
I played it once (in 1v1) and enjoyed it as a fairly straightforward map which still allowed us players to pull a couple of unexpected tricks.
Some maps are brilliantly landscaped with all sorts of bumps and levels, but I don't think that they necessarily all should be. This one looks good and is clear from the outset in what it expects from a player. I think it's an excellent addition to the 1v1 map armamentarium.
Ice is also often flat in the real world and in other maps.
Minor changes I would like to see for the final version are more use of the river bits in the corners (maybe make these a bit more strategically important, defensible, resource rich and difficult to access) and maybe a bit more detail around the spawn areas e.g. the entrance ramps.
Id disagree WZ, about the hilliness. Its mostly flat, but those little hills around the centre are the perfect place to stage a kbot assault. Coming down out of them or placing defenses up there is a good way to push into enemy territory, while the open outer areas are more vehicle-friendly.
Id suggest:
1. A less centrally focused metal layout.
2. Put the water level just below the surface for cool watery effects in craters so its like ice.
3. Make the central volcano less rounded, it looks like rounded hills on the top.
thanks all for the comments/critique especially warlord it is greatly appreciated
i agree with most of what has been said tbh the map was a rush to see if i could make a half decent map in terms of gameplay/looks in a short period of time (2 hours) i think i achieved that goal
the map was made with CA in mind and ive specd a few 1v1's on it.They usually turn out to be long drawn out but eventful fun games
i agree with sak on the metal layout and i believe i also need to put some more work on the texture.
My list of changes for next version
-Different/spread metal map not totally focused on center (custom metal spot texture to)
-some more hilly areas on the flats not symetrical but balanced towards both corners
-lowering sea level to make nice water effects on craters and lowering hardness
-bumping up wind
if anyone would like to add on that please feel free to do so
im off this laptop sucks and hopefully my pc is fixed tommorow if not well excuse to get a loan for a new one
Make the hils on the corners,where the starting positions are,have more naturally looking ridges.
It looks like you just slapped them with a photoshop brush.
Yeah, that's what I was commenting on when I said it seemed like it had been done a little lazily.
I personally don't like the whole 'convenient base demarcation', I think it's really artificial, and doesn't really add much to the game. You don't need to have it there, and you could make that area much more interesting with a bit more effort.
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