Typhon2222's Maps

[Robber]

I really like the maps, and the diamond shape most of them have is really unique. Another plus is that you mix terrain without caring about BoV standards, and then limit the amount of terrain so that it's BoV eligible.

Another point I like is that you seem to incorporate a higher-than-usual amount of glyphs. It makes more places for the battle to occur.

The only problem in Quicksilver Fane is that there isn't enough height. It only goes to about level three. Aesthetically, it's great. Plus, the road is really different.

As an uncapped castle supporter, I think it is great. But I'd like more LoS blockers inside the "circle" section.

On to Yea Through I walk- Also aesthetically awesome, I think this is a great map. The lava-on-height spots are great. The only two complaints are as follows:

1. The highest points on the map are closer to 1 side. When playing melee-on-range, it makes a pod of range on height and approaching figures are slaughtered. The lava feild balances this a little bit, but a LoS blocker there would help.

2. There are too many spots that are on the heighest points of the map. I usually like to stick to somewhere between 4 and 8. This map has 14, and Margins of Error has 20.

Otherwise, the maps seem nearly perfect. Just a little tweaking and you have yourself a collection of BoV maps.

Nice work!!!

[Typhon2222]

Heya Robber, thanks oodles for the detailed feedback!

Originally Posted by Robber

Another point I like is that you seem to incorporate a higher-than-usual amount of glyphs. It makes more places for the battle to occur.

Yesh, I have to say, I like having at least two glyphs on any map, and sometimes four. I usually go for Valda and/or Dagmar, because these seem to be the least game-changing. Valda's movement bonus helps melee more than ranged, which is a big plus. And Dagmar's initiative bonus is worth having, but I appreciate that it only takes effect at the end of a round, rather than giving immediate bonuses. I also appreciate that it doesn't make certain types of units more attractive than others. That's why I shy away from Astrid and Gerda in particular, and to a certain extent, Wannok. Units who have low base stats for attack/defense gain proportionately more from an extra attack/defense die than do units with higher base stats. So Astrid and Gerda end up helping cheap and/or ranged units more than more expensive and/or melee units (since cheap units, and ranged ones, usually have lower base stats). And Wannok similarly helps cheap units, because they can better absorb taking a wound. Better to lose a Goblin than a Minion, for example.

To counter-balance them, I think the game could use glyphs that rather than adding to one's own attack/defense stats, instead decrease the stats of one's opponent. That would give incentive to play high-cost high-stat (and melee) units instead, since if your opponent grabs the glyphs, it hurts you less in relative terms.

Originally Posted by Robber

The only problem in Quicksilver Fane is that there isn't enough height. It only goes to about level three. Aesthetically, it's great. Plus, the road is really different.

As an uncapped castle supporter, I think it is great. But I'd like more LoS blockers inside the "circle" section.

You know, some people have said they find that the jungle plants -- and the fact that it's easy to get multiple units around every one -- make up for the lack of LoS blockers. But not everyone has felt that way, so you're DEFINITELY not alone. The biggest complaint has actually been about the cordoned-off starting zones. If your opponent can rush all the way forward, he can block the access points entirely. That's an issue, I admit, and has to be planned for. I think Dad_Scaper is thinking of using it at your upcoming tourney? If you get a chance to play on it, please let me know what you think.

Originally Posted by Robber

On to Yea Through I walk- Also aesthetically awesome, I think this is a great map. The lava-on-height spots are great. The only two complaints are as follows:

1. The highest points on the map are closer to 1 side. When playing melee-on-range, it makes a pod of range on height and approaching figures are slaughtered. The lava feild balances this a little bit, but a LoS blocker there would help.

You've made me more aware of this issue in my maps. Many thanks. As you say, my thinking was that the lava-field nature of that high-point would balance things out a bit, combined with the fact that it doesn't actually border the glyphs directly. But perhaps it still ends up being unbalancedly attractive.

Originally Posted by Robber

2. There are too many spots that are on the heighest points of the map. I usually like to stick to somewhere between 4 and 8. This map has 14, and Margins of Error has 20.

Absolutely true. Part of it has to do with my attempt to make maps friendly to double-hex figures. I may be over-compensating though. Of course, it's also true that the two maps you're looking at have lava fields as the highest points.

[Dad_Scaper]

Oooh, here's your map thread, typhon.

I'll be interested to see how Quicksilver Fane plays; all the road and jungle may help obviate the need for LoS blockers in the middle.

Marginal Gain, on the other hand, looks like a shooting gallery.

[Typhon2222]

Originally Posted by Dad_Scaper

Oooh, here's your map thread, typhon.

Originally Posted by Dad_Scaper

I'll be interested to see how Quicksilver Fane plays; all the road and jungle may help obviate the need for LoS blockers in the middle.

That was exactly my hope when making it, D_S. Some people have said they found it to be enough. Others have disagreed. If you get a chance to ask people at your tourney what they think about it, I'd love to hear. (They'll probably complain about the congested exits from the starting zone. I agree, it's a potential problem.)

Originally Posted by Dad_Scaper

Marginal Gain, on the other hand, looks like a shooting gallery.

Maybe so. Though the feedback on it has been really positive. Actually, the feedback so far has been for its four-player version, Margins of Error. But they're essentially the same map. Reviews here and here. Both found it to be more balanced for melee than expected.

[Typhon2222]

Oh wow, feedback! Thanks guys.

I'll reply tomorrow when I'm fresh. For now, just want to announce I've posted a new map:


YAR'S REVENGE
Designed for 1x1 tournament play, with standard 24 starting hexes per player. Uses only the easiest-to-get sets.

Map: YAR'S REVENGE
Uses: 2 BftU, 1 FotA.
Glyphs: 2 of your choice.
Download: here

[RoninValentina]

This new one looks interesting Typhon. Nice!

[Dad_Scaper]

Hey Typhon.

I really like the looks of this one. Something that can happen with maps like this - Jonathan's Hometown Map comes to mind - is they can be *terribly* inhospitable to the larger two hex figures.

Yours may not be so bad because it isn't all columns, but I wonder whether you've given Nilfheim, Tor Kul Na, and Grimnak a spin to see if they all have places they can stand throughout the map.

I do like these ones that look like mazes, and they don't *have* to accommodate all the figs in the 'Scape universe, but it's something to think about.

[Typhon2222]

Dad_Scaper, you're a prince among men.

I just posted a reply to your (ever thoughtful) comments over in the MfN thread, but just in case you land here first....

Grimnak's fine. His tail is long, but that doesn't hurt him too much here at all. T-K-N is tighter. Nilfheim has it toughest. But my philosophy is that those pieces -- especially Nilfheim -- are intended to be difficult to place on many maps. That's why Nilfy costs so little for his power: his size acts as a considerable drawback. If he were a svelte little thing, then he'd be ridiculously too cheap. So if there are some maps in which Nilfy has troubles, well, I figure that's part of his cost, and was intended by the game designers to be such.

That said, I'm thinking of moving the two central stalagmites out of the shadow area, and put them back in line with the others near the starting zones, to completely wall it off. That would also open up that central shadow area much more for T-K-N and Nilfy (and make it harder for rats to clog). Whatcha think?

[kolakoski]

Originally Posted by Typhon2222

Oh wow, feedback! Thanks guys.

I'll reply tomorrow when I'm fresh. For now, just want to announce I've posted a new map:


YAR'S REVENGE
Designed for 1x1 tournament play, with standard 24 starting hexes per player. Uses only the easiest-to-get sets.

Map: YAR'S REVENGE
Uses: 2 BftU, 1 FotA.
Glyphs: 2 of your choice.
Download: here

Originally Posted by Typhon2222

Dad_Scaper, you're a prince among men.

I just posted a reply to your (ever thoughtful) comments over in the MfN thread, but just in case you land here first....

Grimnak's fine. His tail is long, but that doesn't hurt him too much here at all. T-K-N is tighter. Nilfheim has it toughest. But my philosophy is that those pieces -- especially Nilfheim -- are intended to be difficult to place on many maps. That's why Nilfy costs so little for his power: his size acts as a considerable drawback. If he were a svelte little thing, then he'd be ridiculously too cheap. So if there are some maps in which Nilfy has troubles, well, I figure that's part of his cost, and was intended by the game designers to be such.

That said, I'm thinking of moving the two central stalagmites out of the shadow area, and put them back in line with the others near the starting zones, to completely wall it off. That would also open up that central shadow area much more for T-K-N and Nilfy (and make it harder for rats to clog). Whatcha think?

Well met!

You could make those stalagmites into void spaces a la Chaos in the Catacombs. That way the double space figures could move around easily.

[Dad_Scaper]

Well, you *say* Tor Kul Na is fine, but remember a unit has to be able to fit on every space he's walking through, and I'm suspicious about those two narrow openings into the flank areas, and equally suspicious about the pool of shadow in the middle of the map, and a little suspicious about the uneven terrain in the flanks.

Just double check those, if you haven't already.

As I said, I really like these labyrinthine maps, but I had to abandon my Tor Kul Na army before a recent tournament when it turned out the massive Hivelord could not even get out of the start zone on Jonathan's Hometown Map.

I might also level out the terrain in the open-ish areas on the flanks. Keep the shadow as 0 heght terrain, but by leveling the terrain you make it a little less impossible for the two hex figures to find places to stop.

You definitely like those enclosed start zones, Typhon, it's a repeating theme in your maps. What about, instead, taking the two stalagmites and pulling each directly back toward the start zone? They could sit right on those castle walk hexes, which appear to be the big ones & thus couldn't move anyway. Then you could take the odd bits of water from the very edge of the map, where they seem like a place you put them because why-not, then put them in the center, where the stalagmites had been.

You get nice LOS blockage up the middle and leave room for 2 hexers to maneuver, plus I think those two water hexes might look sharp as little dots in the middle of your map.

I don't know, though. I'm glad to share my , I'm just never sure they're worth that much, if you know what I mean.

[Typhon2222]

Originally Posted by Dad_Scaper

You definitely like those enclosed start zones, Typhon, it's a repeating theme in your maps. What about, instead, taking the two stalagmites and pulling each directly back toward the start zone? They could sit right on those castle walk hexes, which appear to be the big ones & thus couldn't move anyway. Then you could take the odd bits of water from the very edge of the map, where they seem like a place you put them because why-not, then put them in the center, where the stalagmites had been.

Inspired idea D_S.

I'll have you know I put those odd bits of water on the edges precisely with YOUR two-hex figures in mind. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to occupy the glyph.

But I have, oh, 22 more water pieces to use from the two BftU sets. So I can easily allocate two to the center, surrounded by shadow.

[Robber]

That sounds good, too. I made some suggestions in the MFN.

~Robber, one-linedly (and about to be Aldin chum...)