Tournament Map Feedback Thread

[superfrog]

Olympus (RainyDays)
This is, at least preliminarily, one of my favorite maps with this set combo. I really like the stone 3-hex on level 3 with the level 4 lava single perch. The lava 2-hexes are also nice.

I do think this map could be opened up and improved by changing these 5 lava field hexes highlighted below to rock (or at least the central 3). I have not checked how possible this change is, but I think it would draw play out to the top side just a bit more than currently happens.

Edit: I checked and was able to switch those central 3 without changing anything else.

[Foudzing]

OHS56 maps:

Alien Underbrush @OEAO
I really think this is a map that falls in the "can be very good but requires the TO to really care about it" category, but if the TO make a slight mistake in glyph choice or if the format doesn't really fit with the map this is a map that can be frustrating to play as melee vs range.

Mt Olyumpus @RainyDays
Super well executed mirror symmetry map, very dynamic everywhere, loved it! Only change I would make is I agree with superfrog, I would widden the rock path on the right, having just 1 hex large path and being blocked by the glyph here doesn't feel great. I would change so there is at least1 hex large way from SZ to SZ without being forced to step on lava or glyph.

[Dysole]

Nothing in depth but I thought it should be noted.

Compact - I think a ranged pod army could set up on one of the sides and make life incredibly difficult for a melee army. Not sure how big of an issue, but observed it to some effect in my game on Sunday.

~Dysole, not ideal for this but wanted to throw up a flag

[Foudzing]

OHS56 maps:

Compact @superfrog
I agree with Dysole I think the sides are too "abusable" by range esp low figure range builds, you may want to unclog them.
Second point which is less problematic is one glyph being 6 move fly away and the other being 7 move fly away, this ended up to be quite important in my game as PKs were on the field. I think this can be problematic in live tourney games where you don't have much time to choose side, place etc. And being on the wrong SZ can screw you up a bit.
Last thing the height are maybe siiiightly a bit too "your and mine I think the hill on your left is sightly easier to get on.
Otherwise I liked the map a lot, the center is very nevigable a and ruins placement is clever. And the map is very melee friendly for a 1xRotV map.

[Foudzing]

OHS56 maps:

Bad Moon Rising @GameBear
Very exciting game on BMR, camping on the level 3 plateaus did not happen, imo that's a map that shines even more in lower tiered formats (draft, draft pod, lower figures). This map will still stay in my top 10 for a while.

Black Ice by @Vydar_XLIII
Hmmm not a terrible map but not a standing ovation neither, all the map saw play but it's kinda expected with small maps like that. The center was very strong, you really need very strong glyphs to not have like all the figure funnel in the center, and the level 4 perches where quite hard to attack into once you establish on them and most figures could get there in 2 turns, and most flying figures in one turn. Also they cover the glyphs very well.

[Shurrig]

Hey, some long overdue feedback from me. These were more rapid fire this time around, if any cartographers have further questions from me feel free to shoot me a message.


Maps by me (AKA getting my bias out of the way):

Spoiler Alert!

Crumbling Castle: I expect Crumbling Castle to receive an update soon. I think the sides are good, but coming out the right can feel bumpy and that level 4 perch is more abusable than I anticipated. I may rework the middle as well, but I want to keep the level 5’s where I can.

Guts: After the update, I think this plays much better. I’m a bit sad I had to lose the level 1 paths through the middle, but I think the tradeoff of making the sides more accessible is worth it. Glad this map has gotten so much play recently; all the feedback has been super helpful.

Stechavan: I enjoy every game on Stechavan. Road is useful, Lava height is dynamic, I’m always moving on the map. Not much else to say.

Maps by @Cleon :

Spoiler Alert!

Gem: Solid Gem of a map that utilizes its two master sets very well. I’m not a huge fan of it aesthetically but I think play on this map feels unique. Looking forward to more games here!

Maps by @Flash_19 :

Spoiler Alert!

Executioner: I think this is a fine asymmetric map. My inclination is that the red SZ is slightly better due to faster access to level 3 and 4, but it seems the games won on this map during CCL were pretty split. I need more games on this to know for sure, but otherwise good map.

Incursion: While I’m not the biggest fan of Invasion, I’ve had a good time playing here on Incursion. Sides are a bit tight like the original, but the height is not quite as abusable against double spaced units. Sometimes, a belt sander is the proper tool to use on a map.

Maps by @GameBear :

Spoiler Alert!

Bad Moon Rising: My favorite @GameBear map. I love a good shadow pool and like how the roads can catapult you over to the opponent’s side. Great, great map!

Ticalla Sunrise: The classic asymmetric map. I’m not a huge fan of how big the map is, the glyph on the sand side is very difficult to get to, but I’m impressed with how consistently even games feel on this map. It’s a staple for a reason.

Maps by @Leaf_It

Spoiler Alert!

Ruined City: The middle of this map is difficult to approach due to how chokey it is. The level 3’s are also pretty turtley. Not a terrible map, just not super interesting either.

Maps by @OEAO :

Spoiler Alert!

Alien Underbrush: This has already been touched upon by others, but this map has a turtling problem. While I won my game against a really bad matchup during OHS S56, my opponent was not very incentivized to move forward from her hills. Combined with the one-space and difficult to navigate level 1 lanes, I can see this map snowballing pretty heavily in favor of ranged armies.

Maps by @RainyDays :

Spoiler Alert!

Embattled Den: Unfortunately, the map is too flat and open, and any level 3 is pushed all the way to the sides. I’d like to see more dynamism here, because right now games on it feel quite dry.

Olympus: Olympus, on the other hand, is maybe my favorite map made by @RainyDays . The difficult part about making mirror symmetry maps is incentivizing play across the map, and Olympus does this very well. My only concern, like @superfrog pointed out, is all that lava on the right (top) side of the map. If there is rock to find, I’d suggest some tiles get replaced there.

Maps by @Robber :

Spoiler Alert!

Platypus: Sure, Platypus has drawn criticism over its tight lanes, but I always find my games to be enjoyable on this map. Development can sometimes feel slow but the action always seems to happen by the end of round 1 anyway. A classic for a reason.

Maps by @Sheep :

Spoiler Alert!

Yngvild Pass: Great map, happy to see it inducted into WoS. @Sheep knows my thoughts well on this map, so I’ll just say great work here.

Maps by @Sir Heroscape :

Spoiler Alert!

Dredgewood Forest: It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve had a good RotV RttFF x2 map that does something different from H&D. I was concerned the height on this map could be abusable by flying, but I’ve yet to see anything egregious. A player can get a pretty juicy Z bomb turn one, but how good is Zelrig really? Road is also super useful, there’s only two level 4 hexes that are unapproachable by height, and range will have a very difficult time abusing that spot due to the ruin blocking LoS. Very much looking forward to more games here.
Nivay Roads: I’m not so sure about Nivay Roads. I like the idea of reworking a HoSS map, but this doesn’t quite nail it for me. My biggest gripe here is with the roads themselves; they either work well or they really don’t work at all and I think that’s due to how bumpy and windy they can be. I think if the roads were more like the original, it could be a winner, but right now it falls a bit short of the mark for me.

Maps by @superfrog :

Spoiler Alert!

Compact: will echo the words of @Dysole and @Foudzing that the edges do feel abusable. I like the play in the center, that’s all fine. Also appreciate the slight asymmetry and achieving a smaller footprint for a RotV map.
Vixen: I played on the older version of Vixen (before the added ice tile on top of the lava field and swamp water SZ’z), but my biggest issue was how far away the level 2 is. It feels a bit sparse, as most melee units will have a hard time gaining momentum against range due to this. The aesthetics are challenging but after seeing the new version it in person I actually liked it more.

Maps by @tannergx :

Spoiler Alert!

Remains of Clionesia: My opinions on Remains have grown over the past few months as I’ve played more online and in person games on it, but I’m still not convinced it’s the best of the best. 4 movers still hate this map and range basically never wants to leave the start zone. I wouldn’t hate playing on this map more, it is a beautiful map, it just punishes more units that don’t deserve it than I’d like to see.

Maps by @Vydar_XLIII :

Spoiler Alert!

Black Ice: My main concern with this current version is the 2-hex level 4’s, which in some small part I’m to blame for, but yeah Nilfheim loves hopping between them. I also had conversations with @superfrog about this map and he had mentioned that lateral movement out of the start zone and I agree. I didn’t see it as much in my recent tournament since I was playing Templars and Nilf, but for 5 or 4-movers I could see it being significantly more difficult to move that way. Otherwise, I think it’s a fine and deceptively speedy map when used right.

Honeycomb: I believe Honeycomb is in the works of receiving an update, but even still its one of my favorite mirrored symmetry maps I’ve played on recently. The level 3 3-hexes cause a lot of podding and thus combat tends to funnel over to that side. I’d suggest putting a stronger glyph over on the other end to counteract this. Aesthetics and name also receive extra points from me!

[MegaSilver]

HexiCon II Map Feedback is live:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

[superfrog]

Interesting!

From those responses it seems as though the big winners were Nightfall, Flaxen Shard, and Dredgewood Forest.

[Shurrig]

Originally Posted by MegaSilver

HexiCon II Map Feedback is live:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

Really appreciate the data here MS! Feedback enjoyers are eating good this week

[Typhon2222]

Originally Posted by MegaSilver

HexiCon II Map Feedback is live:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1...it?usp=sharing

Thanks @MegaSilver !
So happy to see Nightfall receive such praise — even if it didn't make it into the WoS.

[Foudzing]

OST7 maps:

Platypus:
Good game on Platypus even tho I got destroyed by Chris, I feel this map really hold on to its "classic" reputation, different from most modern maps while still being very good to play on.

Battlefield 23: @Flash_19
Well great great game on Battlefield23, all the map was used, very dynamic etc..etc.. Really a top top tier map.

Embattled Fen @GameBear
So I was very excited to play this game as it was my first time playing on Embattled Fen ever, and it's a map that always caught up to my attention, for its originality and the numerous features it proposes.
And yeah I'm gonna be honest I was disappointed, in my mind melee rushing throught the fast swamp was an interesting strategy but in reality the swamp is still a speed bump (well more like a "speed hole") and is level 0, and also the gylph is blocking the way a bit and even if you make it through the swamp, the range opponnent is waiting on the level 2 sand plateau.
Most of the fight happened on the road which is also kinda hard for melee to get good "contact surface area" and get more than 1 or 2 attacks of a turn. Wannok was never contested, I had a wannok absorber in Raelin so it was not worth for my opponnent to try to get it and it was not worth for myself to as I had the range advantage I really didn't need to go in the swamp. I was on the good side of the machup so I won my game handily.
I think this could be a great map in some machups but in my opinion this map is very rough for melee.

Ticalla Sunrise @GameBear
Good game on Ticalla Sunrise even tho the whole fight happened in the sand area, I put the blame on @MegaSilver for the poor choice of glyph (Sola Astrid on sand side) and not on the map this time. I really think the sand glyph should be a rather weak glyph, and especially not a "damage" glyph like Sola Astrid.

OHS57 maps:

Gem @Cleon
Third tournament game on Gem, feels good to have a new tournament map so original. Tho I still think this map is sightly too much range friendly, with the level 2 plateau right outside the startzone being a very good place to pod and the level 4 perches being good hexes to sit on and never move. My opponnent tried to mitigate that by hodling the Valda glyph but it's the glyphs are quite difficult to hold on this map so he wasn't able to keep it for long. As I had to deny the Valda glyph from my opponnent the whole fight happened on one side of the map and the other side wasn't used at all (first time in 3 games that happened, the other two games it played sightly more on one side but not that much).

[MegaSilver]

Normally Ticalla Sunrise is supposed to have the unique attack glyph on the sand side, for what it's worth.