Battlefields of Valhalla Discussion Thread

[Revdyer]

Well, my personal favorite is still Marr Highway because you don't have any choice but to crash, smashingly, right into each other.

[UranusPChicago]

Originally Posted by Revdyer

Well, my personal favorite is still Marr Highway because you don't have any choice but to crash, smashingly, right into each other.

And I remember it was quite a sizable crash when we played each other on that map. I had the pleasure of being introduced to you over that map. Very fun, very direct map.

Wow, it is nice to see that Highways and Dieways is still holding it's weight over time. My ultimate goal in building it was trying to lessen the power of ranged at the time, but it appears that I accidentally stumbled on something slightly more than my original intention.

[MegaSilver]

Originally Posted by UranusPChicago

And I remember it was quite a sizable crash when we played each other on that map. I had the pleasure of being introduced to you over that map. Very fun, very direct map.

Wow, it is nice to see that Highways and Dieways is still holding it's weight over time. My ultimate goal in building it was trying to lessen the power of ranged at the time, but it appears that I accidentally stumbled on something slightly more than my original intention.

Wow, UPC, you're back? I certainly hope you can visit the site more often.

Welcome back, hopefully for a long while.

MegaSilver

[Rÿchean]

Was that a UPC sighting? I think it was!

H&D is an all time classic; everyone's fav!!

Invasion is also a favorite of mine.

[Revdyer]

Originally Posted by UranusPChicago

And I remember it was quite a sizable crash when we played each other on that map. I had the pleasure of being introduced to you over that map. Very fun, very direct map.

I remember that too. It's like shoot fish in a barrel; except the fish shoot back.

[xraine69]

Welcome back UPC! Got any new maps?

[1Mmirg]

What a pleasure to see UPC here. Definitely #1 on my most missed at Heroscapers.com list. Glad to see you.

So, I've finally found a moment to publish a review; I apologize for my delay and hope to now be in a better rhythm for judging.

Tell Tail Forest by GeneralRolando

This map may be the BOV nominee I have played the most of any so far. In part this has to do with my being so busy recently (I just haven’t had time to take it down or to do this write up, but when my son needs a few moments of Dad time, I’ve play on it). It’s also been up, however, because of my indecision about the map.

This map bugs my OCDs with some of its tile placements (like the rock tiles on level one right by where each side’s righthand roads comes together—why is there a random rock tile here, especially when there is another mismatched grass tile up in the hills where the rock tile could go? I’ve had to resist finding a way to hack the build instructions and just change it…). I’ve found myself repeatedly trying to decide if its various oddities are purposeful or things overlooked--or maybe just random fun.

Well, I’ve decided. I think most of it is purposeful. I think the map is designed to be frustratingly fun and a bit unusual. And the more I play on it, the more I like it (which is remarkable, because I generally get tired of playing on even the best of the best—I’m always ready to switch to a new map).

Tell Tail Trees has its drawbacks:
• Aesthetics (it is nice generally, but sure has a few things that bug me…)
• Limited side to side motion
• Oddly placed/not fully balanced glyph locations
• An easily Reaver-blocked center (among other points)
• Clumped LOS placement
• A few fairly effective Raelin perches
• A tendency toward longer games

But most of these are also, I’ve decided, covert strengths in terms of play. The map simply doesn’t play like most maps I’ve become used to, but at the same time I really don’t feel it is unbalanced or problematic—just very different feeling.

A few of the unusual things I love about this map:

I love the way units can shoot each other through the trees when they finally manage to reach the upper height (but have trouble shooting many other advancing units).

I love the way melee armies tend (at least initially) to want to go left, while ranged armies have tended to go more right. The glyphs are such that at times they seem poorly placed (and, yes, they are harder to hold with melee units, but, hey, what’s new?): they block the outer skirt of the map and are exposed to heights more from one side than the other, and yet the more I played the more I felt like the glyphs are purposefully tough to hold and designed to give range a bit of a bonus, since the line of sight blockers and roads work together to make things a bit tough on range otherwise.

I like the odd little middle path that gets clogged, so easily, and yet is such a temptation to try to use anyway. It is the perfect example of what this map seems to be about. Creating frustrating, yet tempting options that make tactics tough (but engaging and active), that force strategies to be rethought often in the mid to late game, and allow for quick and decisive moves that don’t initially look smart, but turn out to tip the scales. The middle path (in my games) was soon ignored as armies moved to hold glyphs, often finding themselves only able to hold one and then forces to figure out how to best engage an opponent from side to side—the precise movement the maps makes most difficult. Then as attrition set in armies suddenly found the middle route open and units would slip down the backsides of the mountains and charge through the center gap, to flank an opponent. (Just as one example of many ways in which this map seemed to get more complex and interesting the more we played on it.)

The half walls are another great feature, allowing small units to skirt up the sides of the map to the glyphs with cover, but primarily just making movement side to side that much more difficult, leading to—in my experience—a consistently fun and sometimes surprising second half of the game.

In fact, what I like most about this map was how I can win the first half, gain a great position, but then still really struggle in the second half--the way the second half forced you to rethink your first moves from last time when you sit down to play again.

Anyhow, maybe I’m too simple and missed something, but what I found again and again was a map that kept me hopping and didn’t seem to necessarily reward me in the ways I expected, while also offering me inventive ways of getting back into the game when I was behind.

I was most struck by how the map took a group of sets (RotV + 2 RttFF) that is well used (overused?) and twisted the pieces’ uses to create a very different playing map then others that use the same sets.

It’s not going to win a most beautiful map award, and perhaps I’ve just gotten too use to the map, but I truly do like this map and I love the way the games on it, at least for me, seem to keep changing the more you play on it. Aside from a rare and fortunate pod getting set up, the map just seems to keep both sides moving and to avoid stagnant play. (There is a downside of timing out on this map, as armies negotiate side to side movement later in the game, but it wasn’t an issue such that I would hold it against the map.)

After far too many games on it, I vote YES to induct Tell Tail Trees into the BOV.

[nyys]

Aquilla's Spring by Kaemon Awasome
This one looks a bit too melee unfriendly to me mostly due to water placement. NO to review.


Glacial Overflow by FishTako
Compact with a ton of LoS blockers, right up my alley, YES to review.

[1Mmirg]

Oops. I missed Glacial Overflow. I vote YES to review.

[UranusPChicago]

Originally Posted by xraine69

Welcome back UPC! Got any new maps?

Thank for the friendly "Hello", xraine69. It has been a while.

I will say that I downloaded the newest version of virtualscape. It appears I was quite few versions behind...

I started work on a less than 1 MS, 1 Dungeon map, just for fun. Very minimalist, yet busy and totally non-symmetrical. I will attempt to set it up this weekend to tweak and correct any obvious mistakes. I would hate for map geniuses like Ry or 1Mmirg to bust my chops for making rookie mistakes. Fair warning, though, it has been a long, long while.

I now have a few years worth of forum reading to catch up on. Wish me luck.

[tcglkn]

Originally Posted by UranusPChicago

Thank for the friendly "Hello", xraine69. It has been a while.

I will say that I downloaded the newest version of virtualscape. It appears I was quite few versions behind...

I started work on a less than 1 MS, 1 Dungeon map, just for fun. Very minimalist, yet busy and totally non-symmetrical. I will attempt to set it up this weekend to tweak and correct any obvious mistakes. I would hate for map geniuses like Ry or 1Mmirg to bust my chops for making rookie mistakes. Fair warning, though, it has been a long, long while.

I now have a few years worth of forum reading to catch up on. Wish me luck.

Good luck! I must say from a relatively noob to this forum, it is nice to see such a revered member back on the boards. Any idea how permanent this is?

[RoninValentina]

Originally Posted by UranusPChicago

I now have a few years worth of forum reading to catch up on. Wish me luck.

Good luck man. And let no one fear the siren's call of Heroscape has diminished.