ARV Maps - May 2018
Posted May 7th, 2018 at 04:53 AM by HS Codex
Map Spotlight
Volcarren Paradise by Robber
Author: BiggaBullfrog
Due to some complications, it’s been a few months since our last article, but we’re coming back at you now with a new map spotlight! This time, we go back to an excellent entry to our Wilds of Valhalla contest: Robber’s Volcarren Paradise.
(This download is an updated version to allow placement of the Marro Hive in the Start Zone.)
Map Bio:
There is a relatively new volcanic island off the coast of the Volcarren Wasteland. Lush tropical terrain covers the surface, and vegetation and wildlife flourish. Hot springs are common due to the island’s volcanic origins, their waters warm, crystal clear and rejuvenating. The air is thick and humid, almost unnaturally so. It is rumored that certain spots on the island are full of wild magic, but this is only speculation.
Pathing
The pathing on Volcarren Paradise is relatively simple: run out of your start zone to the left or the right to meet your opponent. A four-hex pool of water keeps figures from running straight across the middle without a special power, but the low height and small size of the map allows the whole field to feel accessible. The high ground can be reached in an equal amount of turns from either start zone, and figures can run from side to side without feeling like they’ll take a crazy amount of turns.
Height
Most of the high ground is in the center, and most of it is lava, with the exception of the two sand hills on the edge of the map. There are plenty of small hills to fight over to claim an advantage over your opponent, as well as the whole main hill in the center where most of the action will take place. One of the benefits of a small map like this is that none of the height feels out of reach. You can climb anywhere you need to in order to contest the strong points of the map, and no one area is going to dominate the game, requiring smart use of map control to really come out on top.
Effectual Terrain
There are no real line of sight blockers on this map other than the jungle pieces, which only kind of count in my book. There are, however, a lot of terrain effects present between the jungle cover and lava. Again, this is a relatively small map, so these terrain effects have a big influence on how the map plays out. The jungle cover is utilized well to cover advancing units and units in the center of the map, and is particularly useful if a unit ever finds a need to take a dip in the pool. The lava helps to keep action moving as figures run onto and off of it, and its dominance on the central hill keeps one player from automatically winning by steamrolling off of an early victory. In all, although the total amount of terrain on the map is small, the use of the effectual terrain helps the map remain interesting and strategic.
Glyphs
There are no glyphs on this map! This is actually one of my favorite features of it; many maps require glyphs to balance out their action, but the action on this map flows smoothly enough that it doesn’t hurt for the lack of glyphs. In fact, power glyphs would be a definite, unnecessary distraction here, though I do sometimes like to add treasure glyphs in hero-centered, casual games.
Overall
Volcarren Wasteland is a small but fun and strategic map. It quickly became one of my favorites after playing on it and has provided me with many fun games in both fun and casual play. I definitely recommend trying it out; I’m sure it won’t disappoint!
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