RBPBEM6 Map Design Thread (Spoilers)

[sunrise089]

Placeholder for mouse-over prevention

[sunrise089]

Ok guys, so here's what regoarrarr and I were thinking about:



The idea is to put everyone in a line sideways, and pretty close together. Then place a medium sized long and skinny lake between all of them (including the edges - cylindrical wrap) to force them to expand vertically. This will create long fronts that will be tough to defend, but also make their cores pretty safe.

One variant idea is this:



Same basic idea but everything is shifted up, and a big sea on top connects the channels. This is safer for the players early but opens up some more naval options late.

For the map, we need something all land and probably square shaped. I think square shaped because if we want room for 5 capitals plus buffer lakes horizontally that probably makes about the right amount of room vertically.

Team Battleground may work, but I'd be necessary to fill in the desert.

Any thoughts or ideas?

[Twinkletoes89]

Idea seems quite good

Just to add a little something - maybe you could divide the 'bars' in half to make defence a little harder too?

[novice]

Nice concept. Some ideas:
- Identical land strips.
- Possible channel cities.
- Ice channels (for subs).
- Most fertile land in contested areas, encourage pink dots.
- Start with a larger area defogged. (see above)
- No barbs. (see above)

[Krill]

Those lakes better be wide, and ocean filled, otherwise someone might get knackered by an unseen galley invasion

[regoarrarr]

Those lakes better be wide, and ocean filled, otherwise someone might get knackered by an unseen galley invasion

Or narrow enough that they can know to prepare for one, right?

[Cyneheard]

How narrow would you say is "narrow enough"? 5 tiles? 4? 6?

[pocketbeetle]

I like the second variant idea of a sea + solid block of land to expand into.

My understanding of the setup was that the lakes would be galley-able, but the fingers would be thick enough to keep the capital safe/cushioned by at least one city either side.
Assuming of course, that a player doesn't decide to move their capital to the edge.

[Krill]

Or narrow enough that they can know to prepare for one, right?

Prefare: I'm working on the understanding that the aim with this map is to make teams grow north and south and have to defend far away from the capital.

Forcing teams to prepare for possible galley warfare early on will delay players growing north/south...and if one player decides to try for early war via this route, you are likely to get a run away civ which means that you aren't going to get those long borders to defend. Winner is likely to be decided by ho doesn't get attacked instead of who expands and then capitalizes on it.

If the aim of this map is to force the civs to grow north and south, make them grow north and south and not have to worry about anything else. Make them try to settle far away instead of turtling.

Which means, ocean in the lakes to make them safe. You'll still get the later era warfare, with possible boatings, as sunrise has said.

[sunrise089]

Hey all, anyone know how to make a custom size map? I'm going to do all of the tiles by hand, but I need a map 50t wide by 34t tall. Is that possible without crazy mods?