New Map: squared

[zydonk]

I first developed the seeds of this map a few years ago, as a refinement of Pumpkin's Rift Valley. Commenting recently on kipman725's enterprising map, centerzoned, prompted me to clean it up and offer it here.

squared.jpg (7.45 KiB) Viewed 11412 times

As you can see, I've scaled it as tightly as possible. The base areas allow full development by the AI, and the centre area is big enough for extensive manoeuvres without pile-ups. The connecting corridors are wide, so no jamming there either. Ample resources in each base, but none elsewhere - nothing to distract from ongoing mayhem. My exp so far indicates pretty sizeable build-ups and continuous activity, even with v2.1.

I'm uploading a wz file that should play in all v2 releases and a wdg for the sainted v1.10.

Because the bases are very hard to take, even from the beginning, this map plays long, so it may not suit mp.

[Zi-Chan]

Nice. I like Maps like this. I mean, i like hard conquering the locked up AI (i got enough Time for Playing)
Thanks for the Upload - will give this a Game later. Yawn.

EDIT: Tested the Map, if it starts - works with 2.0.10, Beta 4, Beta 5 and Trunk r6074.

Too bad, that Artillery can shoot the other Bases - that's the disadvantage of such Maps

[Powzone]

I played it on the 1.10 and I have to say, it's excellent! I thought to check it out and played it for nearly 4 hours now...

Erm, Qi... ou can shoot the other bases, but only the ones at your sides... So send some greetings to the neighbours!
Nice tactical point, if you get artillery managed to be placed in the center...

[whippersnapper]

this map will play like you describe only with the skirmish a.i. which can be fun
for a dedicated turtle.

this map also has much more potential in MP where it will play way faster than
you think but it needs a little more work for that. this is a two level map but
most of your second level has a hard lip edge and only one band of cliff-face.
there are ways to round off this hard edge so troop transported borgs or other units
won't get stuck go over the edge but i think the easier and better thing is just to paint
that second band of cliff face and eliminate the passable terrain over the hard edge.

beyond T1 in MP this map can play as a fast borg wars for example, making use of the troop transport
and forward basing on the elevations.

the mentioned artillery deal can easily be negated in 32ew so that you just don't
turn games into a turtle artillery fest base to base. im sure you can figure how but i will just
say it for others - max out your elevation. doing this will push the borg wars in MP because
you will have to build offensive arty on the elevations with borg builders.

because of the number of in base oil resources and because you have added elevation and
defined the immediate ground maneuver to passages.... this map can play in a variety of
ways which is why i like it a bunch. but however you decide to play it does compel
a click fest - capping all the oil, building all the necessary power modules, and everything
else you must do. you have to hit the ground with running fingers whatever you decide.

my comments just scratch the surface of your maps game play possibilities. it's all good.

[whippersnapper]

XFire: powzone
I'm running the original WZ 1.10 with some mods and maps. ..... Still looking for a 1.10 weapon balancing mod...

it is called VTOL Fun Mod.... the very first balancing mod for v.1.10 and it was made by 4nE, a map maker extraordinaire.

[Zi-Chan]

Like whippersnapper already said: This map is good, but it's by far not finished.
What i don't like, i must say, are the Tiles - they all show in the same Direction like a Pattern - looks weird

[whippersnapper]

What i don't like, i must say, are the Tiles - they all show in the same Direction like a Pattern - looks weird

yea, true. Zi-Chan, i agree, but i think zydonk knows how to fix these visual cosmetics and was just
wanting to see if peeps liked the game play before investing any more time.

it's pretty quick work too. for the base expanse tertiles used you set random rotation, flip x and y -
then use the bucket-fill tool (the center texture geometry would have to redone or you can just
use the clipboard to copy before the bucket fill and paste after). last, do some quick edge brush work
to create asymmetric contrast patterns here and there. maybe 30 more mins of work (not including
painting the second level of cliff face which might take almost as long).

[Powzone]

@Whippersnapper:

Thanks for the mod. I already found it. I'll test it out later.

[zydonk]

thanks everyone for the encouragement. I'm enthusiastic about this map and I'm delighted others are too.

Layout: It's meant to look sort of artificial, like a board game. Uually I patchwork with different texs (see cockate etc). The centre section is meant to look like a carpet (like playing with your soldiers on the sitting room floor!) But it's also intended as a sighting device, so you know where you are in the heat of battle.

As for arty: if you can hit your enemy then they can hit you, so there's a balance here. Just make sure to keep AI droids out of your base, so they don't get a radar fix. (Tho' vtols will do that anyway, I suppose.) It's a tight game and you really have to scramble from the start and keep on scrambling after that.

whippersnapper: thanks for the stuff on mp. Good to know it'll work. But I take your point about the edges. I've modified the map for mp, see below. (Cliffs are there as containers, really, and I figured too high a cliff face would be overbearing.) I hadn't planned on the upper level being useable. I'm not sure it would be fair to use it against the AI, but that will be down to individual players.

[whippersnapper]

thanks everyone for the encouragement. I'm enthusiastic about this map and I'm delighted others are too.

me too. in science and pure mathematics the word 'elegant' is used for a piece
of work that is rich and powerful and expressed with compression like a poem.
that's how i see your map design.

Layout: It's meant to look sort of artificial, like a board game. Uually I patchwork with different texs (see cockate etc). The centre section is meant to look like a carpet (like playing with your soldiers on the sitting room floor!) But it's also intended as a sighting device, so you know where you are in the heat of battle.

i can appreciate that and it does work well as you intended.

As for arty: if you can hit your enemy then they can hit you, so there's a balance here. Just make sure to keep AI droids out of your base, so they don't get a radar fix. (Tho' vtols will do that anyway, I suppose.) It's a tight game and you really have to scramble from the start and keep on scrambling after that.

it is balanced. scrambling from the start for sure and in a good way i believe. with the right skirmish a.i. you can get stronger as an mp player on this map. aivolution has too many known weaknesses right now for that role but if you can run v.1.10 then you can play NIKER's very latest non-cheating BecomePrey a.i. and i guarantee you it won't be a cake-walk (Zarel if your reading, try it if your bored with aivolution being so easy for you to defeat, hehe).

whippersnapper: thanks for the stuff on mp. Good to know it'll work. But I take your point about the edges. I'll modify the map for mp and upload soonest. (Cliffs are there as containers, really, and I figured too high a cliff face would be overbearing.) I hadn't planned on the upper level being usable. I'm not sure it would be fair to use it against the AI, but that will be down to individual players.

sure, np. your map has given me pleasure engaging. thank YOU.

I thought you might have intended the upper level not be used because the only a.i. that can deal with it
is Troman's first iteration of aivolution with unit transport drops (i like much more than the aivolution in the present distro)... and you can keep it that way for this skirmish version of the map because any tile can be assigned as impassable (Pumpkin did this often in their campaign maps and some skirmish maps) or designated cliff so that you can do this with the sand texture you use for your ridges. This way nobody can land troop transports and build on the ridges when playing against just the a.i.

[zydonk]

I was editing my posting above as you replied! Anyway, a modified map for mp has been attached. I decided to make a clear brown tex impassable and then paint the strip above the cliff. This way, you get the hard edge you want, but the elevation remains useable. This will tempt players against the AI - adds a frisson!

Agree with you about aivolution. I still play it in v1.10. Just love all that treachery, but it is a useful tactical device that adds to the game play. btw try this map in v1.10 with aivolution if you think 2.1 is busy. Like exploding Smarties.

Let me know if there is still a prob with mp.

adios

[Zarel]

it is balanced. scrambling from the start for sure and in a good way i believe. with the right skirmish a.i. you can get stronger as an mp player on this map. aivolution has too many known weaknesses right now for that role but if you can run v.1.10 then you can play NIKER's very latest non-cheating BecomePrey a.i. and i guarantee you it won't be a cake-walk (Zarel if your reading, try it if your bored with aivolution being so easy for you to defeat, hehe).

I've been mentioned by name! I feel loved!

I can't try BecomePrey, unfortunately. :/ It doesn't work on 2.x, and I don't really have free time to play 1.10 - I only have time on 2.x because I can call it "testing my rebalancing".

[whippersnapper]

I only have time on 2.x because I can call it "testing my rebalancing".

imho, your work on rebalancing is central to advancing wz game play and i'm all into that.
so in that sense there is a Platonic appreciation in the mix for you. it takes intense focus to achieve
what your working on and when Troman next works on aivolution he will take into account
what your doing, i would guess.

the community map makers are also making contributions to expanding game play in their very
designs which is also kwel and makes me enjoy playing wz more lately just because of their work.

2 other areas that will be key, imho, to developing game play will be widgets and new GUI to the end of better
control over combat groups, in a coordinated way, on the way to and during heat of battle engagements. this
has been an Achilles heel for wz (along with balance) since its release imho, which is why i believe its real
greatness is yet to come (though it has had the promise of greatness from the beginning).

[whippersnapper]

Let me know if there is still a prob with mp.

it's perfect so far as i can tell on my own. i'll test at a LAN gathering this weekend. thanks zydonk.

[whippersnapper]

i'll test at a LAN gathering this weekend.

8 blokes scattered throughout the house playin your map was grand fun. maybe the
keg in the kitchen had a little to do with that but mostly it was your map. this was
on v.1.10. no such results with any of the compatible binaries here.

thanks again zydonk. this is a keeper.