Spring RTS Engine

Okay here are 4 concepts for the terrain-layout.

Let me know which one you think is best? or what you like to see changed before i will make it into a map.

Grey = Low
White = High

Hill Take Over:


Dry River:


Center Rock:


Bowl:

Assuming you start on teh two sticky out bits, bowl is the best. IMO. Then teh center Rock one, but the other 3 we all have in one form or another, while bowl is more original.

BTW, If you do the last one, any chance it could be like a quary? IE grass on top and then huge cut out rock for the middel... that would feel so cool to play in.

aGorm

I like Bowl. There's also interesting things you can do with it - make the center metal-rich, make the center metal-rich but filled with water, etc.

Bowl would be great because, if the center were metal rich, you would have to decide between advancing on the sides for a tactical advantage or advancing in the center for more resources and a larger army.

Personlky I thik we have quite enough "rush the middel for metal maps" so whatever you do, be carfull with the metal. The free land there should be the hook, not vast amounts of metal.

aGrom

dry river, that terrain is very cool.
nice detailed pics, and letting the ppls chose their maps =
using polls would be a good idea though

my personal favourite is Map1: Hill TakeOver..

I'll wait till more reactions are posted.

Agorn, however, that idea of water in the middle could be very nice!

Center Rock

In Center Rock, are the river banks level with the river? If so, that one would be cool.

:) yes, there are leveled (or little submerged like in riverdale)

(my other favourite map :)

I like center rock and bowl the best. Both are pretty symetrical, so you qont have an advantage from one side to the other.

dry river and center rocks. the others are good but its too focused on the center. i like games where there is not particular area of occupation that wins you the game but more so maps that you have to play well to win. you still have to play well even if you own a metal rich position to hold it and win, but if maps are more evened out, players are forced to expand anywhere and take up a certain line.

I'd love to see any of those done, they look like some absolutly great 1v1/2v2 concepts and I think spring could use some more of those. I like how all of them use map heights for tactical purpouses a whole lot, not enough spring maps do that and the ones that do have tended to go a bit over the edge.

Talk to forboding angel about balancing maps with height differentials, there's a few tricks he's figured out that could make you job easier.

I think if you do one like center rock and widen it out a bit. (make a bit more low ground so that it doesn't play like "Two Valleys") I think that would play really well as a map for epic battles, (players could put lots of Arty on the top of the center rock and pwn all who oppose in the valleys!

I like the assymetry of dry river; but bowl is the most innovative.

Personally, I see no problem with having the middle as metal rich, because the design of the map doesn't necessarily make it a "king of the hill/middle" rush to the centre. Because of the low terrain in the middle, you have a situation where instead of the middle being a strategically important place to hold (like most rush to centre maps), but rather a particularly dangerous area to hold. The outside rim would be far easier to hold; and a far better route to your opponent's base; the centre, on the other hand, would be in big trouble if you got some medium artillery (guardians, etc) up on your base; because you could probably shell much of the bowl.

They're all good! At last maps made around the gameflow and not just about pretty landscape!

I'm still confused...

offcourse i can make all of them... However, i want to start with the map most people like, and want to play...

what to do..?

IceXuick wrote:I'm still confused...

offcourse i can make all of them... However, i want to start with the map most people like, and want to play...

what to do..?

Start a poll?

Poll started + new test images (lowres heightmap)





I'll make test views of the others too, if you guys want to...

ice, just so you know; you are; 1: a utter legend 2: have far too much spare time on your hands :D nice one with the poll too btw