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Author |
File Description |
Chieftan |
Posted on 05/18/03 @ 12:00 AM
File Details |
Version: |
The Conquerors 1.0c |
Style: |
Build and Destroy |
Number of players: |
2 |
I've designed quite a few maps, but this is the first time I've posted one online for download. Hope you enjoy! Here's brief rundown of the map:
Map consists of a broad river flanked by varying (usually steep) elevations. The land portion of the map is very thick with trees, boulders, and various other "undergrowth." Resources on the map are very plentiful. For example, both sides of the map contain 8 relics each! There is plenty of hunting, sheep-gathering, and mining to be done as well. Overall the map is (hopefully) a pretty and interesting piece of terrain work. It does not include fancy triggers or special units. It's designed to accomodate death-match style battles on an attractive and realistic map.
As for starting forces, you get 4 transports loaded with troops and villagers to begin with, totalling 75 population with transports included. Players start with identical forces at opposite ends of the river. Essentially it begins like a nomad map on steroids. You have a good Feudal-Age army and a host of villagers to land at the location of your choice and start building with. Starting resources are higher than the high deathmatch setting, so you don't need to worry about gathering resources right away.
I'd like to note that I included in the file a .bitmap image of the map (a map screenshot) for you to preview before adding this map to your game.I'd very much appreciate feedback, especially on the strengths/weaknesses of the map. Well, I've done all the work, so download this and enjoy some good battles for me! |
Author | Reviews ( All | Comments Only | Reviews Only ) |
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Pally |
Posted on 06/04/03 @ 12:00 AM
PLAYABILITY: 5
the map is designed for deathmatch games, so playability basically means you can build on it and fight the enemy. The map is well laid out, and it provides a lot of strategic locations. This is definitely a highly playable map.
BALANCE: 4
Balance is almost perfect, except for one thing. The SE side of the river is a quite a bit smaller than the other side, which means it is a little more difficult to defend. The amount of resources seems to be about the same, though. After playing a couple of times, however, I realized that the way the river's shallows are set up, an advantage is given to the smaller side. So it all seems to work out more or less in the end. Given the map design, however, I cannot give this a 5 due to the irregularities in the map's layout.
CREATIVITY: 4
The core map concept is similar in design to a highlands layout, although designed by hand and much more attractive and interesting. However, there are a number of terrain details and interesting uses of objects that caught my eye to more than make up for a relatively unoriginal map layout.
The author uses jungle trees, rotated to one of the two bush variants, to create bushes around the map in an otherwise pine setting. They fit perfectly, though, and add quite a lot of subtle realism to the map. In addition, these are combined often with forage bushes, an effective tactic for creating interesting combinations of foilage other than trees.
Also, shallows are used to create thicker shorelines all along the map's river. This, too, is a subtle design addition that might go unnoticed but adds a great deal visually. Overall small things like mines combined with rocks and placed in dirty low spots along the edges of the map (it almost appears as if they were excavated) add a lot. Although these would also fall under the map design heading, they are very creative and are worthy of mention here.
MAP DESIGN: 5
Map design is excellent! The terrain is really nice, and the use of elevations is very effective. Many of the attractive details were noted above. However, the author also seems to have taken great care to leave no part of this map slapped-on or hurried. The water is complete with realistic water variation, the trees are spaced and arranged in a very realistic manner, and all foilage and elevations look natural and realistic.
This is the kind of terrain work I'd like to see more often; this is among the better work I've seen with regards to the simple art of map design. Even the layout itself is convincing and aesthetically pleasing; the river meanders across the map with varying width and the layout of the land feels as though it really could have eroded with time. Additions such as boulders along the river and across the map are convincingly placed; it reminds me of some visits I've made to glacial regions. Overall an excellent job of map design.
STORY/INSTRUCTIONS: 4
All you need to know is provided in the objectives. Other than that, it's just a straightforward nomad/deathmatch combo. The objectives are rather unorthodox in the way they are written; they could have been more concise. The author seems to have a distinct flair for the dramatic which doesn't quite fit with the fast-paced nature of a deathmatch (what could be basic "destroy the enemy" is much wordier). All information is there in full, but it could be made clearer, especially in the main objective.
COMMENTS/IMPRESSIONS:
I think there is still room for improvement in the map design, despite the excellence showcased so far. Some more terrain mixing, perhaps some more objects of interest, maybe even a little more detail, could still be incorporated.
Additionally, I feel that the player begins with too many units. It would be better to begin with a smaller force and have to build up. One of the issue is that you begin with a pop limit of 75. Some players play on a pop limit 50 setting, and this map would completely negate that, because you already start with more. Since it is strictly deathmatch, a max starting force of 50 would be ideal. Personally I would prefer less, but that is a design decision and completely subjective.
One last note: music and/or custom sound effects might enhance the map, even though it is not a single-player scenario. Somehow the standard music does not fit this map as well as it could. I don't have a suggestion off the top of my head, but I have a gut feeling that the right music and sound FX could really push this map to the next level. Something to consider, though certainly not a must and I would not dock points for the lack thereof.
-Pally |
HGDL v0.8.2 |
Rating |
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4.4 | Breakdown |
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Playability | 5.0 | Balance | 4.0 | Creativity | 4.0 | Map Design | 5.0 | Story/Instructions | 4.0 |
Statistics |
Downloads: | 1,487 |
Favorites: [] | 0 |
Size: | 1.18 MB |
Added: | 05/18/03 |
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