Looking for a couple of players to try a map

[ete]

I've been planning a 4-6 faction (two player) map for a few days, trying to integrate several features into the design:
1. Factions are connected by land, allowing early pressure and forcing your target to produce defensive units, but are not so close that it's easy to go for an early kill.
2. Builder factions have a safeish area, allowing midgame if early pressure does not end it.
3. Control of the sea is important (naval invasions, seabases for air raids on foe, securing your sea bases), but not a game ender (enough land that you can have your coast bombarded a bit without losing everything).
4. Native factions have a good patch of fungus to explore and shorter rush distance through the fungus, plus quicker access to pods.
5. Near perfect Top/Bottom symmetry of continents, for balance (right/left is not balanced, due to prevailing winds).
6. Expansion on initial continent is entirely practical (not tiny), as is going to another more fertile uninhabited landmass (have separate continent with the Jungle and other nice things).
7. There is some key disputed territory between the starting locations, most likely the Manifold Nexus (getting it in your territory early for +1 Planet should be a big deal for anyone) and Ruins, maybe others.
8. The sea is at least a slightly appealing place to settle new bases.

I think I've got a plan which should include all of these features (have a mirrored major continent linked by a land bridge, one starting location close to the bridge and one far, with the two far locations separated by only a fairly small stretch of water so naval attacks are practical), but before I actually create the map (mirroring everything, urg) I'd like to know if anyone wants to play. I can set up multiple games on this map if more than 2 people want to play.

Cool things: Non-builder factions should become at least more viable with early conflict, but building is still important and hopefully ending the game will not be easy unless one player skimps on defence and the other goes all out.

Proposed setup:
Players say they want to play, pair off.
Players agree on 2 or 3 factions each.
I finish and post map, players can look at it and decide what factions they want.
Players decide initial starting units (formers etc) and rules (copters etc)
Both players PM me their preferred factions and start locations (duplicates are fine, I'll just make a clone faction with slightly different name), plus any extra info like the uni's initial tech.
I set up game and they go.

I've been playing with the scenario editor a bit recently and I think I should be able to set it all up right. When exactly it happens is not certain because of my other projects and RL commitments, but with a little encouragement I should be able to set it up (including map making) within a week.

So.. want to have a game with some potential early conflict and the possibility of later tech? I'd especially love to see one player go for hardcore builders (Morgan/CyCon/Drones) and another go for something like Uni/Believers/Cult to test whether when not separated by water builder factions really have the advantage.

[roninscg]

Sounds interesting, count on me

[ete]

Started on map. Also made a blank template with everything removed which should avoid the sea level rise bug if anyone wants it.

[ete]

Progress, mostly on start locations. Mirroring mostly not done yet. Start locations and important places will be near perfectly mirrored, other areas may have slight differences.

Echelon Mirrors = start locations, though I'll do a three faction per team version with them moved around a bit (rusher spot same, other one moved to the right a bit, new one to the top left).

The unshown island on the minimap is going to be highly fertile, right now it's pretty unfinished.

Any comments on what I've done so far? I know it could do with more fungus over the builder side, maybe a few more pods scattered around? Trying to avoid putting pods where the terrain symmetry would be too badly damaged by an earthquake pod.

I like how it's feeling so far, to keep the edge you can't just sit back and build/defend safely because the foe will get the Nexus + base in the Ruins + base with boreholes without a fight, and be able to hit you hard. Later on, they'd be able to do shore bombardments, break your freshwater sea with a former, or start building on the monsoon jungle continent and hit you with air power from there.

But on the other hand, there's reasonably fertile land and hopefully not too much immediate risk of losing, plus air and sea tech are very powerful, so you can afford to tech up a bit, though keeping a close eye on when the foe is preparing a big attack could be the key to surviving.

[ete]

Reasons for posting the map not keeping it secret:
1. I intend this map to be used multiple times, after the first use surprise value will be gone.
2. I would like some feedback/maybe encouragement.

I'm kinda trying to build a new standard map here, one which incorporates and allows a wide variety of factions and strategies to flourish. I will likely revise it after the first game or two (if the players could PM me feedback while playing that would be awesome) and would welcome players thoughts.

[ete]

More progress. Mostly comfortable with main continent as an initial version, and mirrored basic land structure. Still plenty more mirroring to do, rivers seem to be particularly awkward to work with.

I've now labeled the start locations (thinking: location 1 is required, locations 2, 3, and 4 are player choice), added fungus/monoliths, mostly done the fertile island, made a start on the central sea.

As for the non-1 start locations, do they seem vaguely balanced? The idea was:
3 has most resources around it, but is far from 1 so harder to assist your other faction and likely no very early coastal base.
2 has two decent base spots right away (start location with river and monolith or nut bonus workable, plus the energy bonus on river spot with monolith or min bonus workable). Gets into inland sea easier.
4 has an excellent base square (river, nut bonus, monolith near) and HQ is coastal, but has no great nearby second base spot. Can assist with a rush easier than other spots.

Though I'm likely to tweak it a lot. Probably add a few more monoliths to make up for the lack of pods near start locations (reduce randomness at a critical time).

[Earthmichael]

I don't think I understand the starting locations.  I only see two marked, and they do no seem to provide a very balanced start.  Were you intending to have 3 starting locations per team?

[ete]

Yes, it's designed for two players using either two or three factions each. The screenshot is of the top half of the map which is mirrored on the bottom half off-screen. There are four start locations marked in the screenshot, which numbers do you not see?

[Earthmichael]

Can you save in MAP file format, so that I can load the map into SMAX and look around?

[ete]

Okay, have some attached bigger .PNGs for now. Will get a .MAP.

Making rivers perfectly symmetrical is a nightmare, but I tried to make them at least close to balanced. Even that took far too long.

[ete]

And the .MP file.

[ete]

All available starting locations are marked as landmarks. Picking location 1 for a faction is mandatory for both players, all others are available and I aim for them to each be reasonable choices in some situations.

There is slight asymmetry between top and bottom, mostly in rivers and some in heights/fungus trying to fix/compensate for those rivers, but hopefully it is small enough to have a negligible impact on the game. If you see asymmetry which is likely to have a noticeable difference, let me know and I'll try and balance it further.

If you've got suggestions for features or changes I'd like to hear them, just bear in mind the objectives in the opening post (especially trying to make a map which lets as many factions and strategies be viable).

One thing I'm vaguely concerned about is whichever faction gets the WP will be able to landbridge to the fertile continent which could prove hard to stop. Perhaps moving it back a little to slow the bridge, or giving both factions a long rocky land bridge to allow the faction which misses the WP to have a chance to reclaim it?

[roninscg]

Earthmichael,

Do you want to we test this map?

[ete]

I'm very happy to set it up for you guys, just let me know factions (either public or by PM if you don't mind clones) and other starting info. I can make it today or tomorrow, maybe the day after. From 30th-3rd I'll be away.

[Earthmichael]

I would consider testing the map.   Are we talking about single or multiple factions each?

I would like the start the game with Yitzi patch, and maybe consider some of the patch options.  And for goodness sake, if are playing multiple factions, lets make sure than units transfer between them.