Multiplayer maps and focus points

[InfraredFog]

Hey guys, I'm going to start building a few of my own maps for my playgroup, and want to get some advice to avoid making crappy maps right off the bat.

1. When you guys build a four- or six-player map (2v2 or 3v3), do you like to try and focus all players on a certain part of the map, so all players can effectively engage each other, or do you create the map in a way that encourages plays to more-or-less face off against one other player on the opposing team?

2. What map-building techniques do you use to create focus points on the map? I'm sure roadways, glyphs, water, height, can all be used, but are there any specific techniques that work well in multiplayer?

3. Glyphs can, in my experience, create some imbalanced scenarios where the first player to the glyph blows out the other player. Where do you place glyphs in a multiplayer map to avoid this? I would think in the middle where everyone can gun down whoever is on the glyph, but I've also seen some maps where they're placed on the outsides, making it it a tough choice to "waste" a troop to send towards it or not.

Any extra advice in creating fun multiplayer maps. Specifically, tomorrow, we'll be playing a 3v3 game, and I want to at least have a decent map ready for it.

[kolakoski]

You could play Pirates! and/or use chas' map (described therein), as it is designed for 3 versus 3.

http://www.heroscapers.com/community/blog.php?b=1322

[InfraredFog]

Yeah, that does look fun, but I wanted to learn more about map making than find a map for tomorrow, since I'll want to build more than just one for tomorrow.

[kolakoski]

I would suggest building a map patterned after a BoV map(s) you like, and put your teams on opposite sides of the map. If you must place the players in a circle, I'd place teamates adjacent to one another as much as possible, rather than alternating them, so that they can cooperate/synergize their armies.