Clever Name
Creator: NCruz09 || First Published: 09/04/2018 || Players: 2 || Size: 20x20
Categories: None
Rating: 0 in 0 ratings
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Comments:
NCruz09 (09/04/2018 07:41pm | Edited: 09/04/2018 07:48pm):
This is my first map, in which I used the rotational symmetry, and forgot the FTA counter. Maybe
something can be done with the water. I used the central com tower to give an incentive to race to the
middle. I should put neutral cities. Might be too many bases. Ban Lash and broken 5 for certain.
Central
road may lead to recon spam, but I do not know. I have read the forum guides, but of course trial and
error
is an experience. I hope to gain valuable feedback.
Edit: Put in FTA counter and 4 neutral cities. Ban Javier?
walkerboh01 (09/04/2018 11:24pm):
Welcome! There's two comments I'll leave for you that you'll hopefully consider valuable feedback.

1) When it comes to gameplay, bases are the most valuable possession on the map - they are basically
AWBW's queen. If one player has an advantage in base count, even for a couple of turns, it can be game-
deciding.

Because of that, a balanced map will not leave neutral bases where they can be contested while
capturing. Right now the NE and SW neutral bases on your map are very contestable - I recommend just
removing them. 3 bases per side is plenty for this size map and the locations of the other bases should be
fine for balance.

2) When designing a map, try to think about where your map will encourage players to send their units.
Areas of the map that are not directly in the path from one base to another (shortest line of attack) will not
have any strategic value unless there's something worth sending units there for - i.e., properties.

Right now the sides of your map will see no action, every unit will be sent to the middle where the cities
and bases are. I recommend removing the block of preowned cities near the bases and spreading a few
cities in the outer areas of the map. The more lanes there are for attack and defenses, the more players
have to make decisions about where to reinforce and where to abandon, and the deeper and more
dynamic games on your map will be.
Xmo5 (09/05/2018 12:39pm):
^^ This is all really good advice. I'll also add that using terrain strategically can have
a similar effect to what Walker describes in his second point. Basically, you can use
carefully placed mountains, forests, or rivers to change how short each route is relative
to each other. For example, by forcing vehicles to travel around a mountain and through a
forest to get to the center, you make that path longer and consequently make the side
paths more similar in length to the center path. By using this tool, combined with
property distribution as described above, you can mold the map to make units go where you
want them (or even make certain types of units go where you want them).

On a related note, it's also a good idea to have some variety in how open or chokey your
map is. Right now, most all of your map is moderately chokey, but it's nice to balance
that with some more open areas as well. This encourages unit diversity and helps a map
from playing too much to one CO's strengths and another's weaknesses (though this is of
secondary importance). This might be achieved, for example, by having a relatively open
center with only a few scattered mountains and more congested corners, like the way
they're laid out now. Alternatively, you could do the opposite or some other variation
that suits your fancy but, just like above, keep in mind what types of units and tactics
it might encourage and how that ties in with strategic importance of a given area and
travel time to get there.

Experimenting with different ideas and then running some quick playtests (even if you just
play the first ~10 days) can tell you a lot about the impact your design choices make on
player decisions.
NCruz09 (09/05/2018 02:53pm):
Thank you both for the advice. I will take these ideas for the future, and I am currently playtesting. Seeing
that it is Day 4 and I had the funds for a Midtank and Small Tank, I am beginning to see the property
issues. This does stem from me forgetting that the HQ and bases give cash as well. I will experiment to
see how different terrain affects the map. In the future, I hope to create quality maps, maybe a few
gimmicky ones as well, and utilizing the various unit types. Thank you two for your support.



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