VOTE the BftU Challenge: BRACKET 1/4

[Typhon2222]

Welcome folks.

This is the FIRST of FOUR voting brackets for The 1x BftU Challenge.

We had 32 submissions in total. Since the forum software imposes limits on the size of polls, I’ve randomly ordered our entries into 4 brackets of 8 maps each. The winning 4 maps from each bracket will go on to the semi-final brackets (2 brackets of 8 maps each). The winning 4 maps from each semi-final bracket will go on to the final bracket. The winning 3 from that will take home the prizes for First, Second, and Third place.

NOTE: You are allowed to vote for as many maps as you like in each bracket. Now please don’t think this means that you can submit votes multiple times. You can’t — each poll still only allows you to submit votes one time per poll. But you CAN vote for as many or few maps as you like in that submission.

This means we’re using a form of approval voting (thanks dok). Essentially you’re being asked to grade each map on a pass/fail basis. If you like a map and think it deserves to pass, give it a vote. If you think a map is less impressive and probably shouldn’t pass, don’t give it a vote. The winners of each bracket will be those that receive the most ‘passes’.

The nice thing about this form of approval voting is that it allows you to give a thumbs-up to as many or few maps as you deem fit. And you don’t need to worry about exactly how many or few you pass. Whether you vote for only 1 map in each bracket, or for 7, or anywhere in between, you’ll be exerting exactly the same amount of total influence. (Just don’t vote for all 8! That’s the same as voting for none. )

The aim of the contest: to build good tournament-worthy maps. At the minimum, I think this means maps that (a) offer interesting tactical decisions; and (b) are relatively balanced between melee and ranged. Beyond that, though, I know we’re all going to bring our own criteria to bear. So formulate your criteria, and have fun analyzing the heck out of these!

And don’t forget to vote in the other brackets too. You’ll find the second here, the third here, and the fourth here. We invite the entire Heroscapers.com community to participate. Don’t be shy!

How long will voting remain open, you ask? Until three days from now. The polls will close at the end of Saturday, Jan. 21, at which point the winners from each bracket will go on to the semi-finals.


IN THIS BRACKET:

Shadow Pools



Crypt of Wannok



Hall of Secrets



Tenebrarum



The Narrows



Grip of Darkness



Watch Your Back



Xaultica Tunnel

[dok]

Some univited thoughts on the maps. These are going to sound critical. Bear in mind that I know that BftUx1 is a pain to work with, and each map has to make compromises.

Shadow Pools: With the relatively open sight-lines on each side and the rather high high ground, this feels pretty range-friendly. I'm also concerned that Raelin can cover both glyphs, although she can't do it while on the highest high ground. (Aside: big ups for hosting your pdf on google docs instead of one of those file share sites.)

Crypt of Wannok - Great footprint shape. The choice to make one glyph wannok and the other random is weird, but thematic. My biggest problem with this map is that the water inhibits the ability to traverse the map from side-to-side, forcing armies to go the long way around or be sitting ducks on low ground.

Hall of Secrets - solid design, should make for quick play. The worst thing about this map is that Raelin can cover both glyphs while standing on the highest point on the map.

Tenebrarum - the high ground with water in front of it, just in front of each startzone, will encourage turtling. I'm also not a fan of being able to claim the glyph on the opening turn with standard walking figures.

The Narrows - Excellent footprint and LoS placement. However, as with Hall of Secrets, Raelin can cover both glyphs from a perch on the highest spot on the map, and can reach that spot in a single activation. In this case, she can do so while shielded from attacks from much of the other side of the map.

Grip of Darkness - obviously a very unusual map - a pseudo-HoB map. Putting the unique attack glyph on a map that is so unfriendly to the unique squads is a clever choice. Not a map I'd want to play on all day, but the sort of map that gives you pause if it's in the map pool.

Watch your Back - a slightly less extreme version of Grip of Darkness, in a way. However, because the figures start unengaged here, opening initiative can be absolutely critical in some matchups.

Xaultica Tunnel - straightforward design; not much to complain about here. The one thing I would have liked to see is for the LoS blockers to be put farther forward, so they play more of a role in the game instead of just restricting movement out of the startzones.

[Typhon2222]

Thanks to dok for getting discussion started. I should have mentioned it from the beginning, but it slipped my mind. So let me affirm it now: open analysis of the entries here is highly encouraged. I exhort everyone to post whatever thoughts, comments, analyses, reservations, and praise occurs to them. Reading what others think of maps is always instructive and a pleasure, and gosh knows I usually learn lots in the process. So let the discussion spring forth! I beg only that any possible criticism be framed gently and constructively. (But given how classy we are, that goes without saying.)

[Typhon2222]

Some neck-and-neckers here.

[Dad_Scaper]

Interesting. I wasn't expecting my selection to be the one in the lead, but it turns out it is.

Almost all of these look good enough to try. I commend the guys who submitted them.

[Typhon2222]

Originally Posted by Dad_Scaper

Interesting. I wasn't expecting my selection to be the one in the lead, but it turns out it is.

Almost all of these look good enough to try. I commend the guys who submitted them.

Heh. Maybe we should have started a betting pool.

Glad you like them D_S. I think we got some really impressive entries (in all the brackets, not just this one). Nothing like seeing a group of innovative designs to make you realize how limited your own map-making vision is. The extreme terrain limitations led to a lot of thinking-outside-the-box. I think that's awesome.

[nyys]

I can't wait to give Grip of Darkness a try. That one is a beauty.

[Typhon2222]

Tenebrarum, The Narrows, Grip of Darkness, and Watch Your Back go on to the semi-finals!

Drawing up those brackets now.