More 1v1 maps for ladder

[SneakySnake]

There is a great mapmaking tool available to everyone, and step by step instructions on how to make maps. I encourage everyone to play with it a bit, it's fun to build something and call it your own.

And yes, Koppa's map, Tropical lake, is fun and new. Keep working on it and smoothing out things, work on the textures and make it pleasing to look at after you get down the gameplay you want.

As a note, unless you add mexes or reclaim up to the very border of your 10x10 map, the map will play more like 9x9 or something like that. Most maps don't utilize their full dimensions, due to mountains (open palms, crossfire canal), water (craftious maximus, corsica duel), no reason to move into the outer area (standing stones), or whatever. A 5x5 like crimson feud uses almost all of the map space (mexes in the corners, reclaim in the middle and corners, spawns in the other two corners with reclaim) and for me that's why it's a good 5x5. Nobody would bother moving tanks behind the spawn in open palms if there were no mexes or reclaim back there, and ~30% of the map would be unused.

The reason Lionhardt's Regor highlands is such a great map for me is because of the droppable mexes around the mountains. Without those mexes or hydro, there would be no reason to move onto the mountains around the edge of the map. The effective dimensions would shrink. This may seem pretty obvious but isn't something you will normally think about your first time making a map, so I am telling you now

I will have more time to work on my map soon. Good luck on your map making!

Edit: And thanks Kalvirox for bringing attention to more/new 1v1 ladder maps

[Lionhardt]

Actually I have to disagree. "Wasteland" on maps is actually kinda cool at times, because it offers another strategic element. There is no point in going there or building intel, if there are no features of interested such as resources. But you don't know if your opponent might exploit exactly that assumption of yours and do a wide flanking move through the empty area, stabbing you in the back.

So, if done right empty space can be a good map feature. But it should not be too large, Meaning, IF you make the decision to monitor that region you should be able to do it effectively. A 40km map with 15km of wasteland and only 5 km of actual map would be pretty lame obviously.

[SneakySnake]

Sure, that can happen. But anyone with a radar or scout will see that easily. You should give them an incentive to move there other than a potential attack route.

Anyway, I was talking more about the edges or corners of maps. Places where there are no attack routes but there is no reason to move to.

Edit: what I mean is, a small amount of empty land is kind of incorporated automatically. You can't put mexes on every square meter or even reclaim. You will have natural empty spaces, no artificial long expanses of nothing.

[Kalvirox]

Personally, I am a big fan of maps like Syrtis, Regor, Standing Stones, Palms, Vya ect. I think it would be nice to have some, and I hesitate to use the term, "crossbreeds". Now, before you say that's not a good idea I agree but we need some similar styles. The reason Syrtis works nicely as a map is because it's based on rate of expansion to the adjacent corner whilst denying your opponents side and then collecting lots of reclaim from lots of rocks. Same with Regor, Your adjacent expansion is in the middle of an adjacent side of the map but is still far away and, due to interesting reclaim placement and cliffs, makes for a very diverse and action packed piece of game play.

This is the sort of "theme" that I feel works well and that we should have more maps like this in the map pool.
Of course others don't necessarily feel the same.

If we look at navy maps now.

Roanoke, Sera Glaciers are the two better navy maps in the map pool and if it was not 81x81km I would put debris there (20x20 debris remake? Maybe cut out the inner rings of islands and shrink it down to size, I would play that). These maps are determined by how fast you get air up, expand, how soon you start your navy. These are what I would call "skill maps" where there is a lot going on at once and there are lots more factors to consider at once than in a map like Regor. I may not be very good at these maps but I enjoy playing them because of the factors previously stated.

Bermuda Locket is a mixture of the two and we need more maps like it in the map pool. Not only is it about expanding fast to make sure your sides don't get rolled by using a transport where the is a tonne of risk of it being shot down but also getting navy up fast and ecowhoring to the max. This map involves land, sea and air with quick expansion being a necessity and lots of different tactics that could be employed whilst still having diverse game play.

These are just my idea's based on the current maps in the map pool. I will endevour to get some paint sketches and things attached to this thread and see what you make of them.

Thanks for taking the time to actually take a look at this thread and I am happy to see so many people up for it . I will personally test every map you make related to this thread to give you feedback.

[Hawkei]

Though one thing you should note about Debris, which is an 81x81km map, is that it has a particularly low mass to surface area ratio. Consider for instance that one single island on Debris only has about 3 mexes. Now also consider that these islands are surrounded by an expanse of water equivalent to the detection range of an Omni sensor (that is the entire playable area of Setons Clutch).

This means that there will not be very much income and players are forced to defend large areas with small groups of units. It is precisely this style of play which makes Debris so unique. The logistical requirements of moving and supporting forces over such long distances is truly where Supreme Commander comes into it's own as an RTS game. It is a pity that more players don't enjoy playing on 81x81km maps.

I would perhaps be interested to see Debris remodelled as a 40x40km map. But reducing it to 20x20km would, I believe, defeat the fundamental intent of it's design.

[Kalvirox]

Though one thing you should note about Debris, which is an 81x81km map, is that it has a particularly low mass to surface area ratio. Consider for instance that one single island on Debris only has about 3 mexes. Now also consider that these islands are surrounded by an expanse of water equivalent to the detection range of an Omni sensor (that is the entire playable area of Setons Clutch).

This means that there will not be very much income and players are forced to defend large areas with small groups of units. It is precisely this style of play which makes Debris so unique. The logistical requirements of moving and supporting forces over such long distances is truly where Supreme Commander comes into it's own as an RTS game. It is a pity that more players don't enjoy playing on 81x81km maps.

I would perhaps be interested to see Debris remodelled as a 40x40km map. But reducing it to 20x20km would, I believe, defeat the fundamental intent of it's design.

Make it and I will love you forever, if the amount of land/water ratio becomes a pain just change it so there is more land.

[Lionhardt]

Making 40km maps is a waste of time, unfortunately. Nobody plays those maps. That's why I stopped working on my 40km maps as well.

[Kalvirox]

Making 40km maps is a waste of time, unfortunately. Nobody plays those maps. That's why I stopped working on my 40km maps as well.

Which was why I initially suggested 20km

[ZLO_RD]

People do not even like point of reach or Roanoke
And you want to add 20 km map with ton of small islands...

[Hawkei]

Well that's why I think 40x40km is a sweet spot for Debris. It would bring an element of long distance and sparse economy in a similar vein to, say, Emerald Crater. 40x40km opens up some interesting dynamics which, I believe would make it worthy of competitive attention. Without being the current, 81x81km , insane, turtle/tele map which it currently is. As a case in point, I would draw your attention to Point of Reach. Which is a very dynamic map on the 1v1 ladder.

20x20km would simply make it a clone of Roanoke. Albeit with smaller islands. At 20x20km the maps would become overly dominated by T2 navy. Whereas a 40x40km map would require a longer T1 phase and dispersed playstyle. Make it smaller if you want. I just think it would work better at the larger size.