Original Post:
Spoiler Alert!
Well,
R˙chean's contest has drug me (happily) into the map-making arena. I've always loved making maps, but didn't ever record a map I made (except with a picture, occasionally). I have to admit that
Virtualscape really is addictive and fun (and, thanks to LongHeroscaper, a bit more usable by the technically inept, like me--see
here and
here).
My Map-Making Philosophy:
I generally try to find a challenge or a group of sets that aren't often used. That's what catapults me into making a new map, 95% of the time. Can I make a strong tourney-able map with just 1 MS and 1 Exp? Can I make a strong tourney map that only uses 1 BftU, and no other MS? These are the questions that get me started and interested.
The other 5% are generally riffing off of something that I like and trying it a new way. How would this map work as a Snow map? What happens if I add Jungle to this already great map?
--
All comments are welcome. I've played hundreds of games, organized tournaments, done reasonably well at tourneys and game days, made scores of maps, etc. but I know how much value another set of eyes can have. Please share with me your experiences and thoughts!
New 1/23/13:
High Ways or the Highway, Jungle Edition! (RotV + FotA + TJ)
New 7/25/12:
High Ways or the Highway (RotV + FotA)
Challenge: Using just 1 MS and 1 Exp to make a tourney map.
New 3/9/12:
Icy Cavern 2 (minor revisions from first)
Challenge: Making a tourney map that only uses 1 BftU and no other Master Set.
New 4/16/10:
Underground Iceways (minor revision)
(Thanks to input from Gamebear, I have made a very minor (but significant) change to this map. I've adjusted some unseen tiles to be able to raise the out ice pieces (near the glyphs) up one space above table level. This makes those paths more viable. Thanks, Gamebear for the suggestion!)
Challenge: Making a tourney map that only uses 1 BftU and no other Master Set.
New 1/6/10:
Flooded Temple II (revised)
A new look at my old favorite. More options, more paths, more access for 2-hex units, etc. Don't forget to check the caves for lurking spiders...
Challenge: Make a tourney map using the castle walls from FotA. (This one comes awfully close, imo, but is best with some other maps in the pool that are not AE friendly.)
New 5/20:
Flooded Temple II
Tell me what you think? (It uses one more set, so not for R˙chean's contest, but I really like the extra road and access to the map. Double-spaced units have a better time now with this map as well.) All comments and ideas are welcome!
New 5/20:
Volcarren Fountain II
Small changes--mostly to allow melee units one more avenue of getting across the map. (Thanks to
GameBear for his thoughts and help.)
Volcarren Fountain--a loose remake of Velenne's
Feylund Fountain, but with lava on the heights (and, of course, now no trees). It is similar to other lava/RotV maps, but I think it is a fun version. The central glyph (on lava) adds some fun options (some hearkenings here to
Molten Fortress by Dignan). If you don't like that effect, there is a second optional glyph placement available.
Second Option:
(I could have brought the glyphs closer together--the centers of the 7-hex lava fields--I just wasn't sure if being that close to each other was a benefit or a drawback. What do you think?)
Flooded Temple:
The Temple of Shaajad is thought to house an amulet of great power buried amidst its mammoth foundational pillars--all that remains of the ancient temple today.
I have long wanted to try to press the limits of what a castle and RotV map could do. Specifically, I wanted to play with actually using the castle pillars, so often problematic in maps. The map is tall, but the castlewalk, glyphs, ladders, and land bridge in the middle, allow for pretty good access to the height. Even my Knights can enjoy this one (though, honestly, not
quite as much as my Sentinels).
I have been tinkering with this for a while and hope that others will find something worthwhile in it. It is a fun map that presses play in interesting ways. I welcome any comments (PMs are likely best).
[I plan to add a version of this with RttFF as well, just to help increase the play speed, viability of melee and double-hex units, etc. Stay tuned.]
A few older maps/ideas (just pictures):
I love Dignan's
Can't Take the Heat, but we play with 2v2 a lot, so I remade it--just basically added a second one on to the original. This was a fun map--and the first I played with central glyphs on 7-hex lava fields. Good times!
In a similar vein, we tried a variation of the
Castle of Aaryglynn (a Hasbro
official scenario), with snow added all over the map. Really was fun. One trick we tried, was starting the defending player on the ground level behind the tallest part of the castle. Having to rush up to the tall battlements to defend the castle was a really fun variation on the traditional "defend the castle" game.
More to come.