to the mapmakers for they have a thankless task.
It's good to see somone trying to quantify what makes a map tick. It is obviously as thankless a task as making the maps.
HTC obviously have some kind of formula for the new series of maps. That new maps are/were needed isn't the subject matter of the thread - rather whether the formula is adequate or needs revision. I deduce this from the worthwhile attempt to quantify maps rather than just say, "I hate this map because its bad."
Maps must rather obviously cater to gameplay - if they don't then no players - no money - no HTC.
Gameplay has been perhaps oversimplified to strat and furballing. Clearly there are at the very least sub-types as well.
Can these preferences be catered for in a single map?
Surely they can (as I understand it) because each type is attracted to particular geographic layouts. Define those layouts and write them into a formula.
Classic furballers like to mix it up within minutes of taking off - the more cons around the merrier! Conversely, the "wolves" like to get up from a safe base, get up very high and hunt one v one or perhaps 2 v2 etc. The first type can be catered for with an adaption of the tank-town principle in Trinity. Place 3 fields in the centre of the map. Make them at about 5k in altitude. Give them double the usual ack. Most important - remove them from the strat equation. Make sure their capture is not counted toward a map reset.
The latter group, the "wolves" are not likely to wander into that scenario any more than the strat players. It would keep the guys begging for a fight at any price happy though. The wolves need an area where they know they have a good chance of meeting low to medium numbers of opponents with a similar bent. The strat fighting front can provide this as long as it isn't too narrow (overcrowded) or too wide (can't find anybody).
For the strat players - whether a front moves forward or not depends on more factors than simply "organisation". The length of the front is critical. Mindanao gives quality examples. If you draw the western portion then your defensive fighting is always on a narrow front. This portion can be reset, but only with a combination of numbers and organisation. It rarely happens. Unfortunately and conversely you can only attack along a narrow front too. In the middle of that front is of course A44 which is a one field "furballers heaven".
The southern portion of Mindanao is the unlucky straw. You have a much wider front to defend (and yes attack across). The eastern half of this area has a series of high fields to the north so is often lost fairly quickly. Once its gone however the front narrows - there are high fields at your back and you can defend effectively.
The East section also has a long front to defend. A few clever strat players can reduce that front by removing the supplies of fuel at just a couple of fields and the game bogs somewhat.
Big Isles (the map in question in this thread) has fronts 500 miles long! There is certainly opportunity to attack but unless there are 600 players on there is some chance that you only get opposed on about every third base. These long fronts do not suit furballers of either variety. There is rarely quick action and even then it normally is provided by a cv popping up next to a field. The wolves could fly around all day and never find a fight. I've heard it said that the CT offers much more excitement for them. Can't comment - don't know.
Do these long fronts suit strat players then? No! It takes time to take even an unopposed base by an efficient team. Put in a 4 hour session and whilst you have collected a heap of captures - you've actually gone nowhere. Log back 20 hours later and of course you have to start again as your opposition counterpart in another timezone has just repeated your effort and moved you back. It's mindless and very disatisfying.
In addition to the length of the front there is field type and layout to consider. Somebody in this thread asked why does the South cop the hiding? Well it's demonstrably layout in Trinity. If you look at the fields in the south, the towns are generally located on the northern side. GV spawn points therefore favour the side travelling south. You don't have to fight past a field or a vh. Just spawn, kill the town, get the troops in, move on. The front is wide enough so that where you meet resistance you simply prod somewhere else. Gv's used in combination with planes will roll south no matter how hard you defend.
In D'isles it's placement of ports that causes the southern weakness. The ports in the north are harder to attack than the other sides. On this map CV's are powerful, more so than the others. Lose your CV's on d'isles and you are defending until the reset.
How should this be addressed. Well F1bomber hit it on the head. Map designers need to lay out the fields first, get a balance and then add the coastline - not the other way round. You can take a piece of real world coast and get some sort of balance but it can't be easy (Baltic works ok as an example).
There is a formula that can provide satisfactory enjoyment to the majority of players. It just hasn't been fully defined yet - well not out here in public anyway.
to the mapmakers and to those who try improve the enjoyment others get from the game.
