Spring RTS Engine

Here's my first try to get to know what the community wants.
I've gathered my last sketches of some map lay-outs and i'd like to ask you people what map would you like me to design:

Feel free to change my sketches or improve on them with different metal-layouts for example!

Red = metal
Green = starting position

Map 1 - Rockefellah Center
2 vs. 2 or 3 vs. 3

A map with 5 clear lanes:
- center
- around center 2x
- all the way around
But on the sides enough room for expansion and flanking attacks
Maybe place this on one big square/round island?
Maybe the big hill in the center should be able to hold by the 2 sides at the same time.

Map 2 - Crater Bay
2-4 vs. 2-4

A kinda like DS, but larger and with more diverse lanes, with strengths and weaknesses. In contrary to DSD it has more cross-over-section between the upper and lower areas.
For every player there is a 2-stage advancement in metal.
Maybe there should be water above and below, or 2 lowland lanes?

Map 3 - Zeta Island
2 vs. 2 or 2-4 FFA

This map tries to open up as many possibilities to attack/defend.
Lot's of open spaces, but also (high) solid turtle locations.
And off course all around access over water.
Maybe i should even add some in-land-rivers.
And some sandy beaches for some amphibious stuff.

I want (1). Preferably with more & longer twin spirals ramps.

Map 1, on an island, with a cherry on top. I haven't seen many maps that use spiral ramps. I like the idea.

edit: by "haven't seen many" I mean that I can't recall seeing any maps with such ramps.

Allright, map 1 is taking on the lead!
Map 1 was actually the oldest/first sketch of a spring map i made.

Just a side question:

What about Map 4 ?
3 vs 3 - land and water map
Yes, chokepoints, but also some free area's.

http://i.imgur.com/EMj8H.jpg
(metal is blue-grayish here)

4.

3 would be great for AI testing

4.

1, 4 would be great!

If i had to answer for myself, i would take 4, but i got to see what people play, and people play stuff thats easy to defend. Which rules out 3, 1.

I shall vote for 2, because it is from the family of dsd, which will garant many players, if you name it properly..

4 well, it just looks better then the other sketches.. and it would be nice... but couldnt you incorporate that into 2?
Mirorr it twice and take it for the lower part of 2?

what dimensions are those maps?
4 looks like it could be a nice 12x12 sized 1v1 map.
(with metal a bit different)

4 will probably get drained of water and called something something Dry and get played to death.

Make 4 big then release a much smaller 1v1/2v2 version

The return of the man who brought us DSD..:D welcome back!

Map 3 looks okey, the shape is like Doomed. To differentiate it you could makes the edges be beaches so water is not trapped. Map 4 looks very unique, my favorite of the bunch(not just because the concept art is awesome but also because the layout is very innovative).

(1) and (4)

Once again, I am pleading with you to use ssmf and featureplacer + Spring Features. You are way too good of a mapper and artist to not use these.

Looking forward to these


Edit: Another thing to consider. Evo and Spring Tanks use features as "Cover Areas". Basically what this means is that when units go into the trees and stuff, they get cloaked and stealthed, so features become ambush points. It adds a lot to the game, so having features is important for more than just looks!

scribbled around on 4)

-added cross overs to "switch lanes" at top left corner
-added island in lower right: imo way too few maps have islands that are actually worth taking

He's back!



edit: like Zeta Island, but startpos are too close to each other. A 4FFA on an island with porcy startpos hills would be excellent, though.

WOW - a lot of feedback allready!
I'll check them all tomorrow and respond to as much ppl as possible.
Thanks!

Maybe someone can keep count.. could i add a poll thingy to this thread?

PS. i will take mapping a notch slower than i did before.. i have a job now.. But i will work at it as much as possible.

Here's my deeply unhelpful feedback: make whichever map you're most excited about--it'll be bound to turn out better. From the looks of it, you've invested a lot more into Map 4.

PersonalPreferences>PeoplesPreferences much? Well, lets ask main..

knorke wrote:scribbled around on 4)

-added cross overs to "switch lanes" at top left corner
-added island in lower right: imo way too few maps have islands that are actually worth taking

The ramps are good but the geos along the middle are pointless because players are too risk adverse. Also needs at least four more metal spots.

Methinks Knorke is fond of the BA Behemoth.

@1: I'm not sure if it's a worth of doing

@2: Maybe, but on the other hand, theres millions of similiar maps with similiar concept, so nothing new there

@3: Now this might work, especially when you can make map edges seamless with proper water settings.

@4: Definitely worth doing. Would be really nice 1v1 - 3v3 map. I also agree with knorkes improvements there. I'd probably make water around and make it an island, so you could do seamless map edges and place some really nice palm trees on the beaches, Shore rocks, vegetation... Yummy...