Dignan's Maps - New Map 01/30/24

[Dignan]

Here's my latest Map that I created the other weekend. We played a few games on it and had a good time. It uses what I like to call a "tournament foundation". In other words, it takes up about the same amount of space as a typical tournament map, is designed for the same point sized armies, but uses well beyond the typical amount of terrain.

Map: Hustle Up
Date Uploaded: 1/26/08
Requirements: 6 MS, 2 FotA
Notes: Do not put the doors on the castle gates. This map is intended to be played without the doors.

[Dignan]

This map is one that I have generated for the upcoming Richardson Open. With that it mind, it was created for tournament play. This map breaks out into two defined sections. One side favors melee with a road and lots of LOS blockers, while the other side has open terrain and choke points to create areas for ranged units to lay down fire.


Map: Tripdien's Glade
Date Uploaded:3/31/08
Requirements: 1 RotV, 2 RttFF

[nyys]

Great stuff... I especially like Keep Your Enemies Closer.

[LongHeroscaper]

Originally Posted by Dignan

This map is one that I have generated for the upcoming Richardson Open. With that it mind, it was created for tournament play. This map breaks out into two defined sections. One side favors melee with a road and lots of LOS blockers, while the other side has open terrain and choke points to create areas for ranged units to lay down fire.


Map:Tripdien's Glade
Date Uploaded:3/31/08
Requirements: 1 RotV, 2 RttFF

I had a very similar idea:
http://www.heroscapers.com/oldgaller...ee_Curtain.JPG
The map is called The Pine Tree Curtain, and it was submitted for Team tournament in Dallas. It was not chosen though, because they said it had a few choke points. I would remove the single tree between the Hive and the curtain to create a more open area there.

I like your maps so far. Keep Your Enemies Closer has a great idea, but the dragons would have lots of fun there .

[Dignan]

Originally Posted by LongHeroscaper

I like your maps so far. Keep Your Enemies Closer has a great idea, but the dragons would have lots of fun there .

Yeah, the simple fix for that is to stagger the wall heights. But, it looks a little wonky that way. That map is more of a "fun" map than a "fair" map. A few combinations of units can really "break" it.

[Dignan]

4/19/08: I have uploaded several new maps for an upcoming tournament I am hosting. Each picture speaks for itself. Hopefully you will enjoy this latest batch. We spent several weeks playtesting the maps to get "good" gameplay out of them. Enjoy.



Map: Flash Fire
Date Uploaded: 4/19/08
Requirements: 1 RotV, 2 RttFF





Map: Molten Stronghold
Date Uploaded: 4/19/08
Requirements: 1 RotV, 1 FotA, 1 VW





Map: the Dam Ruins
Date Uploaded: 4/19/08
Requirements: 5 RotV, 2 FotA





Map: On Frozen Pond
Date Uploaded: 4/19/08
Requirements: 1 RotV, 2 TT

[LongHeroscaper]

All of your new maps look really good. I am never a fan of using Castle wall without the cap, so I will leave Molten Stronghold aside .
In terms of balanced and playable, I like Flash Fire the most. It looks similar to Ch1can0's Little Rampage and UPC's Highway or Dieway, but in a smaller footprint, which is excellent for tournament.
Melee units will have difficult time on Damp Ruins, I think. But the map looks great. So does On Frozen Pond.... I would replace several water tiles surrounding the central glyph by ice tiles (or snow tiles) to create a passage to cross the river more easily. I know you want the glyph to be hard to claim and hard to defense, but unless it is an important glyph, I think the area will see less play. Just my 2 cents .

Overall, I really like the look of your new patch. I think people in the tournament will have a lot of fun playing on these map. Good jobs, Dignan!

[Rÿchean]

Originally Posted by LongHeroscaper

Overall, I really like the look of your new patch. I think people in the tournament will have a lot of fun playing on these map. Good jobs, Dignan!

Agreed. I am definitely looking forward to this one. Good job, Dignan.

Now I haven't played on any of the maps yet so I expect a thorough trashing on 4/26.

[Dignan]

Thanks for commenting on my maps Long. I am honored that you took the time to look at each one of them and type up a great feedback post.

Originally Posted by LongHeroscaper

All of your new maps look really good. I am never a fan of using Castle wall without the cap, so I will leave Molten Stronghold aside .

Yeah, I'm generally not a fan of uncapped walls, but I wanted to restrict the amount of terrain I used for this map. Visually, I was going for the look of a ruined castle, which is the only reason why I even toyed with the idea of not putting caps on the walls. That said, I know that many players hate the look, so I knew I would hear about it.

In terms of balanced and playable, I like Flash Fire the most. It looks similar to Ch1can0's Little Rampage and UPC's Highway or Dieway, but in a smaller footprint, which is excellent for tournament.

Thanks. Once I finished building this map I couldn't wait to play on it. The small footprint combined with all the roads just made it look so fast and dangerous. Our playtesting has born witness to the fact that there are no safe spots on this map. I agree with you that this one is probably the most balanced and playable.

Melee units will have difficult time on Damp Ruins, I think. But the map looks great.

This map is the one that changed the most during our month or so of playtesting. It has difficulties for several unit types. I was surprised to see how hard is was to effectively use the ranged powerhouse 4th Mass on this map. A couple of units really shine on this map: Fliers, slitherers, and Sir Gilbert (just ask DrLivingston). It's probably the least "balanced" or "fair" of the bunch, but it really changes things up (for good or for worse) and will get players to really think about their movement (I hope).

So does On Frozen Pond.... I would replace several water tiles surrounding the central glyph by ice tiles (or snow tiles) to create a passage to cross the river more easily. I know you want the glyph to be hard to claim and hard to defense, but unless it is an important glyph, I think the area will see less play. Just my 2 cents .

Thanks for the feedback. The middle glyph is one that ends up being dominated by range (for obvious reasons). When we made the glyph too important there, a ranged army just crushed melee armies. making it easier to get to with ice is a pretty good idea. I might have to make a revision to this one. As it stands now, it's been pretty interesting to see players dance around the middle. The side passages are actually pretty melee friendly. it's difficult to bring much to bear into that area without getting too close. That said, this map is the one in our rotation that is supposed to be "range friendly" and it is.

Overall, I really like the look of your new patch. I think people in the tournament will have a lot of fun playing on these map. Good jobs, Dignan!

Thanks very much. That's the most important goal of my tournament: to have fun. I hope that all the players enjoy themselves.

[Dignan]

Originally Posted by Rÿchean

Agreed. I am definitely looking forward to this one. Good job, Dignan.

Now I haven't played on any of the maps yet so I expect a thorough trashing on 4/26.

Glad to hear that you are looking forward to it (I can't wait). I'm pretty sure that your tournament experience and skill will keep you from getting trashed next week (I think you've played in more tournaments than the rest of the field combined ).

[Kahrma]

Nice looking maps! Can't believe I haven't poked around your map thread before. I came across Divided We Fall while looking for a Tundra map for our next HS tourney here in KC. If we use it I'll let you know how things pan out.

[S1R_ART0R1US]

I really like all these maps. Molten Stronghold looks really interesting to me, even if it doesn't have capped walls When I saw Divided We Fall, I swear I started to sing United we Stand. They all look great.