The Book of Crime Alley Map

[A3n]

Originally Posted by davidlhsl

Thanks!

I'm on the floor right now setting up the 2nd building. I've changed the side support columns from curve-end to straight-end. If I have to use these to support the building, this will look a LOT better than having the columns curl back. Plus, the building is still stable.

Having finished both buildings, I plan to flush all of the toilets at once. I'll then be ready to set up the map Thurs or Fri evening.

Edit: Note for Level 33 - the lower building doesn't have the double-ladder support.

Good pick up.

I just looked at the picture I have of the building & it turns out in the physical build I did, the 2 ladders on the left side of the building (when looking front on) were only 4 & 5 long where in the VS I made them 5 & 6. The way we played is that you still have to count the normal elevations to jump up to the ladders that didn't reach the bottom of the terrain below. I'm going to build one building again this weekend & try to modify it so that it has those supports at the back but try to keep it at only 2 FotA. Thanx for this great report Davidlhsl

Cheers

[quozl]

That must be why I thought there wasn't enough ladders!

[davidlhsl]

I finished putting together the map, and thought you'd like to see it. Since you're redesigning the buildings, I'll leave the supports on.

Spoiler Alert!

I placed my arm between the buildings. Close fit getting down to street level, but not impossible. I'd say the shadow spaces are the most difficult to get to. Since the buildings aren't directly across from each other, you can access the buildings easily. Oh, and since the buildings aren't connected directly to the map, you can actually slide the buildings away if needed.

Spoiler Alert!

Two more views.

Spoiler Alert!

Spoiler Alert!

[A3n]

Hey Davidlhsl, can I push the friendship a little further & ask if you could have a game on it & let us know how it feels. I really want to know if it has the feel of an alleyway fight or not. Man I really need another FotA.

Cheers

[davidlhsl]

Originally Posted by A3n

Hey Davidlhsl, can I push the friendship a little further & ask if you could have a game on it & let us know how it feels. I really want to know if it has the feel of an alleyway fight or not. Man I really need another FotA.

Cheers

Did somebody say.... GAME?!!!

I'll get on it... (probably finish by Saturday evening at latest)

[A3n]

Originally Posted by davidlhsl

Did somebody say.... GAME?!!!

I'll get on it... (probably finish by Saturday evening at latest)

I'd hate to twist your arm though

[quozl]

Originally Posted by A3n

I'd hate to twist your arm though

It does look pretty red already.

[davidlhsl]

I removed one lower ladder piece from each leftmost ladder. I've placed a Minion of Utgar on each support column as statues to make them unplayable (these look really cool on the map).

Batman and Spiderman are definitely hitting the game at a minimum.

Oh, congrats on Swamp Thing, quozl. I bought the figure this week with some others.

Edit: Forces I'll play

Player 1 = Hawkgirl / Spider-Man / Batman / Robin
Player 2 = Yellow Lantern / Sinestro Corps Soldier x 4

[davidlhsl]

I've been thinking about the upcoming battle, and I there are a few items I can go ahead and report as far as what I'm expecting.

First, the battlements and walls will provide figures with a target point that will allow them to look straight down. There is one hex on the roof (and this point also applies to the upper level of the Platforms 5&6 map) that doesn't have a battlement, so the line of sight will be traced from the figure itself. This means that the hex the figure is standing on will actually block line of sight to some of the lower areas, creating a larger blind spot.

I don't point this out as a criticism, merely as an observation for those of you who design maps. If you are already aware of this fact, then crown me Mr. Obvious. But this is a feature I found when playing on Platforms 5 & 6 that I personally found fascinating, as I like the idea of having larger blind spots from rooftops to give ground units better cover.

Second observation: I expect knockback rules to really kick in. Heroes with Super Strength are not immune to extreme falling! Figures are going to want to take high ground on the rooftop and 3rd level, but they will be exposing themselves to getting knocked off. This risk/reward aspect is really exciting, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out in battle.

Finally, the platforms on 1st/2nd/3rd story don't have a lot of room for adjacency. This will promote one-on-one slugfests. I was initially concerned that a side can simply occupy all hexes of a level, but they are still vulnerable to fire from above and from figures climbing down on ladders.

I'm expecting a great battle.

[IAmBatman]

A guy who plays with Knockback! I love it!
And, yeah, this map and any map with lava on it are sooo perfect for Knockback. I really need to start playing with it all the time myself. It's such a fun addition to SuperHeroscape games.
By the way, you guys definitely need to add this David guy to the ranks of the C3G mapmakers! I'd love an excuse to toss him a badge.

[davidlhsl]

Originally Posted by IAmBatman

By the way, you guys definitely need to add this David guy to the ranks of the C3G mapmakers! I'd love an excuse to toss him a badge.

This would certainly be an honor. I'm afraid if I commit to anything, that life stuff and other wandering interests would pull me away. For example, this year I bought season tickets to see the Nashville Symphony. Their season begins this month, so that will take some of my Saturday evenings away.

Another project I'm contemplating: I have a software program called Comic Life Magiq (a Mac OS X program). It let's you create comic book style panels, with the ability to bring in photos. I was thinking that this would be an ideal medium to try to do a battle report. Not sure how long it would take, but I'm thinking it would take at least a month to pull together. If the resulting pdf file size winds up being too large, it would pretty much squash the project. But if the file size is reasonable, I could upload the pdf in the Downloads section. Just something I'm playing around with.

But as I see things where I feel I can make a contribution, I will pitch in where I can.

[Griffin]

I have this thread up and don't feel like finding another one, sorry A3n. If David:html will have us, I propose that he become our newest member in the map group.