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WINNER! - Secret Treasures of Valhalla

Which is the BEST map? (Choose 3)

  • Total voters
    38
  • Poll closed .
Sir Heroscape

Sir Heroscape

Sir Formerly Known As adoney
CONGRATULATIONS REDNAX!!!
jungle%20fever_3Jj.jpg

Download
Requirements: 1 SotM, 1 VW, 1 TJ
Glyphs: Valda, Dagmar
Bio: Deep in the recesses of the Ticalla Jungle there lies a field of lava, an imposing sight for many travelers. The intense heat of the area has caused many to not even approach it. Recently, some hidden artifacts have emerged from the magma, causing many armies to converge on the area to see who can claim them first.​


We have a winner!!! Jungle Fever by @rednax has taken the win on this map building contest...but boy was it a close one. We had 6 maps all running a close race for the #1 spot! I speak for all of us judges when I say we have thoroughly enjoyed this!!! We had 14 total map submissions, which was on the smaller side of previous contests, but nonetheless impressed with the quality of builds. Clearly our mapmakers took time to design and playtest these maps which is so awesome! As promised, we will be playtesting these maps to determine their balance and competitive worth. Those that we consider worthy of tournament play will be added to our Tournament Map Thread here. We will post our public reviews on your maps. Those that wish to receive assistance and workshop their maps, head on over to our workshop thread here. Thank you again for your participation, we're already excited for the next one ;-)

We'll make sure to get you your @TREX Custom Dice Tower: Dicebowl prize just PM Trex your address information!

TOP 10 Images and Downloads
Spoiler Alert!


Original Post
Spoiler Alert!
 
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Re: VOTE NOW!!! - Top 10

I don't necessarily dislike "Uncharted Jungle", but if it's uncharted... who built the roads there??
 
Re: VOTE NOW!!! - Top 10

Probably one of those naturally occurring roads that you just find in the wild.
 
Re: VOTE NOW!!! - Top 10

NecroBlade said:
I don't necessarily dislike "Uncharted Jungle", but if it's uncharted... who built the roads there??
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From my understanding, the term "uncharted" refers more specifically to a place that is not on a map, or maybe even unknown to a larger population. But I don't believe the word has to mean or imply that nobody knows about the place or that there can't be anyone living there (or even that it can't be an ancient city where people once lived but the location has been lost). I dunno - I think it has a "hidden ancient city of Atlantis" type feel to it.
 
Re: VOTE NOW!!! - Top 10

Mostly a tongue-in-cheek comment about the name vs the theme of the contest. At the same time, I did vote for Ruined City, partly because of its use of the Marvel set, and partly because it doesn't make any claims about whether or not the city is "uncharted". :p
 
Re: VOTE NOW!!! - Top 10

NecroBlade said:
Mostly a tongue-in-cheek comment about the name vs the theme of the contest. At the same time, I did vote for Ruined City, partly because of its use of the Marvel set, and partly because it doesn't make any claims about whether or not the city is "uncharted". :p
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Haha well if we're talking about names and their connection to the theme of the contest, then maybe I'm not one to talk... The name "Battlefield 23" isn't really screaming,"hey there is hidden treasure here..." ;) Guess people will just have to read the background story.
 
Re: VOTE NOW!!! - Top 10

Please, they built the road without using charts. That's why it's in ruin. :D
 
Re: VOTE NOW!!! - Top 10

Wow. We almost have a 6 way split. This is insane.
 
Re: VOTE NOW!!! - Top 10

Many thanks to our friends @Leaf_It @superfrog @All Your Pie @rednax @majofa @heroscaper2010 @Flash_19 and @antmarchingroves for sharing their creations with us. They all look like the product of careful work and they are all welcome additions to the library of maps on the site. Thank you, friends!

My thoughts:

1. Jungle Fever ~ I like this one. I like that it's nearly perfectly symmetrical but still feels wild; I like that it's compact. Pathing goes all over and the lava field is used well.

2. Ruined City ~ I like the look. I like the use of 2x Marvel, which you don't see very often. It looks pretty tight for 2 spacers, and I don't trust those warehouse ruins. But I like the different look here very much.

3. Battlefield 23 ~ One of my favorites. I wonder about the name. Is it self referential, like The National's song Conversation 16? As in, "here's my take on something common, with my own slight variation on it." Well, I like the road across the whole thing and I like the columns as LoS blockers throughout. The whole thing looks sharp and would play well - though not as well - without glyphs.

4. The Crypt ~ Evokes the theme well. As a matter of personal preference, maps with columns packed tight like this are hard to enjoy. Very fussy with placing big units and the columns are often tippy. The start zones are tacked-on 24 hexers, which does not add to the visual appeal.

5. The Swamps of Oigir Scath ~ I like the mixture of terrain and the aesthetic developed with the blending of swamp and ice. The pathing is not as interesting as it looks at first, though, with the far left and right edges being low ground behind LoS blockers.

6. Coastal Cave ~ Another map that appears to offer something different. This one is both evocative, like The Crypt, and offers interesting choices to the players. A little bit of high ground here and there, and you could remove each glyph and drop a hex on that space and it would work well that way, too. I like this one as something that is different, thematic, (apparently) sound, and new.

7. Rocky Mounds ~ A very good map. Looks good, pathing all over the place, and road to ease travel. It's not groundbreaking, but it looks exactly like something I'd choose for a tournament, and it's likely I will do just that.

8. Iconoclast ~ It was GameBear - the famous silent cartographer - who PMed me once about the importance of avoiding dead space on a map. Don't place a hex that nobody would ever want to occupy. As I noted above before about the Swamps, here you have low ground on the edges. What are those hexes for? They make a map that is already small, with tight pathing, even smaller. I like the idea, but I feel like there's more that could be done to express it with the terrain available in these sets.

9. Pure Gold ~ I *love* what makes this map different. Split start zones, a bridge across the top, and the color-coded start zones. The bridge spaces are *so* dominant, though, I fear that what makes this map special would also make it a risky pick for a tournament setting.

10. Uncharted Jungle ~ Another good map in this pool. It feels wild, though the road allows quick access to all parts of the map. I think it probably needs the glyphs to work, but that's ok. If we used glyphs at my tournaments this would be at the top of my list for next time. My first thought, looking that this map, though? "How can it be uncharted, with two roads meeting here? And the columns?" Others have already said it, I know, but I had that thought before I saw their posts.

Now I just have to decide which one(s) to vote for.
 
Re: VOTE NOW!!! - Top 10

Dad_Scaper said:
My thoughts:
9. Pure Gold ~ I *love* what makes this map different. Split start zones, a bridge across the top, and the color-coded start zones. The bridge spaces are *so* dominant, though, I fear that what makes this map special would also make it a risky pick for a tournament setting.
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You're absolutely right. When I saw this contest, my first though was "bridge with a treasure under it" and so I made this map. Unfortunately, that makes map balance tricky, as you said. The rest of the map is made to counteract that high point in a few ways :

1. The bridge is on the side. Putting it in the middle would have provided too much area of cover for ranges units. As it is, you can avoid most ranged figures that are on the bridge if you want.

2. The bridge is on a road. This is an obvious one. Melee figures can reach the top pretty quickly.

3. Wannok is fixed on the opposite side. You can always stop campers with Wannok.

4. The middle start spaces give melee armies a chance to grab the bridge first.

5. The bridge is accessible from the side. You can both attack up and climb up as long as your figures are height 4 and move 4.

6. LoS blockers interrupt many of the sight lines.

I haven't played it enough to know if I was 100% succcessful at mitigating the obvious advantages of the height, but I certainly tried my best!
 
Re: VOTE NOW!!! - Top 10

Looking like a close one everyone. I'm going to throw in a set of golden order markers that match the dice bowl. Just for kicks.
 
Re: VOTE NOW!!! - Top 10

@superfrog , I know I did not do justice to the maps with my analysis. I'm sure there were important features I overlooked for each of them. That's why I started by thanking all the mapmakers. They did the hard part. My part, which is spending three minutes looking at each, is easy. :)
 
Re: VOTE NOW!!! - Top 10

Dad_Scaper said:
3. Battlefield 23 ~ One of my favorites. I wonder about the name. Is it self referential, like The National's song Conversation 16? As in, "here's my take on something common, with my own slight variation on it." Well, I like the road across the whole thing and I like the columns as LoS blockers throughout. The whole thing looks sharp and would play well - though not as well - without glyphs.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the nice words! The back story should help with the name a little bit - be warned it's a touch on the long side. Here's a link to my original post on the Contest Thread with the back stories in it.
 
CONGRATULATIONS REDNAX!!!
jungle%20fever_3Jj.jpg

Download
Requirements: 1 SotM, 1 VW, 1 TJ
Glyphs: Valda, Dagmar
Bio: Deep in the recesses of the Ticalla Jungle there lies a field of lava, an imposing sight for many travelers. The intense heat of the area has caused many to not even approach it. Recently, some hidden artifacts have emerged from the magma, causing many armies to converge on the area to see who can claim them first.​


We have a winner!!! Jungle Fever by @rednax has taken the win on this map building contest...but boy was it a close one. We had 6 maps all running a close race for the #1 spot! I speak for all of us judges when I say we have thoroughly enjoyed this!!! We had 14 total map submissions, which was on the smaller side of previous contests, but nonetheless impressed with the quality of builds. Clearly our mapmakers took time to design and playtest these maps which is so awesome! As promised, we will be playtesting these maps to determine their balance and competitive worth. Those that we consider worthy of tournament play will be added to our Tournament Map Thread here. We will post our public reviews on your maps. Those that wish to receive assistance and workshop their maps, head on over to our workshop thread here. Thank you again for your participation, we're already excited for the next one ;-)

We'll make sure to get you your @TREX Custom Dice Tower: Dicebowl prize just PM Trex your address information!
 
Wow! Thanks so much everyone! This is the third contest I've entered but my first time winning. I feel very honored to be among so many other talented mapmakers. And thank you of course to the judges for all of the time you put in to making these contests happen!
 
Re: VOTE NOW!!! - Top 10

Dad_Scaper said:
7. Rocky Mounds ~ A very good map. Looks good, pathing all over the place, and road to ease travel. It's not groundbreaking, but it looks exactly like something I'd choose for a tournament, and it's likely I will do just that.
Click to expand...
Just the fact that you would consider it good enough to bring to a tournament is the biggest compliment you could give. Thank you.
 
Re: VOTE NOW!!! - Top 10

Congrats, @rednax! Jungle Fever looks really good on both aesthetics and gameplay.

Dad_Scaper said:
I don't trust those warehouse ruins
Click to expand...

I wouldn't either from the picture, but it was noted somewhere that the upper level is removed, even though it's shown in the image. That definitely changes the map.

Ruined City: Love the use of Marvel. Decent LoS blockers, though there are a couple spots on the hills that aren't accessible by road, which could make them troublesome camping spots. Something I didn't notice on the first look as well, is the glyphs are accessible with 6 Move from turn 1 on one side, which could also spell trouble with Rats.

Rocky Mounds: Very reminiscent of Flash Fire, which is a solid map. I like that this take combines the two hills into one central one. The ruin helps prevent camping up there from being too powerful by making anyone on the height vulnerable to units coming from the other side. Very nice.

Pure Gold: I really like the high bridge (maps don't build that high often, let alone for a bridge like that). Unfortunately, that's about the only thing I like about this map. The rest feels too scattered and incoherent.

Iconoclast: Just seems a little boring to me. All the action is directed toward the center. A couple glyphs on the outside would help.

The Crypt: Choke points could be a concern, but I'm a sucker for underground crypts. Lots of different paths to take, though, which should make for a very interesting map to play.

Battlefield 23: Just like it's name, nothing about this one particularly jumps out at me. Looks like the road could get clogged in the middle, and it would be nice if the road extended to be able to assault glyph-holders as well.

Uncharted Jungle: The roads here do allow you to attack the glyphs. Unfortunately there are several spots on height the roads do not reach, and the scattered jungle is too far away to allow many units to use it as cover the turn before their attack.

Coastal Cave: I know some people don't like such a stark division of terrain, but personally I think it can work and I do think it looks great here. Ultimately, the map just looks far too wide across the middle. Other than that I think it's got a good thematic look.

Jungle Fever: Excellent use of all the terrain types. Jungle doesn't provide cover to height, while lava dominates it. Molten lava that manages to not be completely banked (a piece next to swamp) without looking out of place. Good variation in height. And it even manages to have a beachfront. All around, this map just looks like it would play well and look good while doing it.

Swamps of Oighir Scath: Tundra maps can often feel sprawling and difficult to move through, and this seems to be no exception. Playing with slippery ice would make it asymmetrical, too.
 
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