Maps by Phoenix

posted on February 14th, 2010, 10:26 pm

Oh wow!  I can't wait for tau ceti! 

   
   You know I have been trying my best to set up maps like these for months.  I always end up sticking to a relatively symmetrical design with maybe asymmetrical features in the opposing corners or direct center, but you've really gone all out and made some very cool things.

   I haven't got a chance to play Beta Aquilae online yet, but as soon as I do I may have to change my opinion on how symmetrical maps need to be .  I've always felt as though asymmetrical can leave Elite Players feeling as though they were somehow cheated or at a disadvantage because of the terrain.  There is some definite truth to that - in that if the starting conditions and surrounding areas are not the same, it represents an imbalance.  However, I think in maps this size it will be less of an issue

.

I suppose it's all about striking a fine balance between the perfect balance that a symmetrical map provides, with the interesting design possibilities of an asymmetrical map. Let me know how you get on with online play. I'll tweak the maps here and there based on any feedback I get

Beta Aquilae crashes upon startup.

If you're running FO 3.1.1 then there shouldn't be any crashes. I tested Beta Aquilae 1.1 from downloading off A2FO-Astrometrics to installing into my game and all worked fine.

It seems most likely to be a corrupted download. I recommend removing the following files from the: ...databzn folder:

• Beta Aquilae.bmp
• Beta Aquilae.txt
• Beta Aquilae.bzn

Then re-download and try to install again. After installation, check that all files have arrived at the correct location . If it happens again, let me know.

posted on February 15th, 2010, 12:21 am

Check my original post for Tau Ceti 1.0

Comment welcome and encouraged .

posted on February 15th, 2010, 5:07 am

Wonderful map phoenix.

One thing i noticed though, there should be atleast one more tritanum moon in the bottom right of the map.  Maybe replace one of the dilithum moons.

but I love the layout, and the realistic quality of the system.

Beta Aquilae too 

[Phoenix]

posted on February 24th, 2010, 11:16 pm

Last edited by Phoenix on February 24th, 2010, 11:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Ok doke, I've been busy busy lately but in my free moments I've been working on a new map: Theta Centauri. I am also planning on updating Sigma Draconis significantly to make it a bit... well, better. unfortunately, I am rather busy at the moment so, to coin a well known phrase; It'll be done when it's done

Alas, to make my editing a little easier, I'd like to request a little bit of feedback on some of the maps that are already about .

Specifically:
________________________________________________________________________

Beta Aquilae, Tau Ceti and Sigma Draconis

• What do you like about these maps?
  
• What don't you like so much?
  
• How balanced are they for each player?
  (If not, then why not?)
  
• What strategies do you think they promote?
  (Be specific as to where on the map, you use certain strategies)
  
• How do you think they could be improved?

So far, I'm going to have a look at Tau Ceti's Moon placement too see about that Tri Moon that Adm. Zaxxon mentioned but I could do with a bit more feedback .

Remember, the quality of answers, if any, will directly influence how they develop as well as affecting the design of pipelined maps!

posted on May 14th, 2010, 6:20 am

Hi folks, just thought I'd update my thread with my latest maps .

posted on May 15th, 2010, 3:00 pm

Does anyone have any particular opinion of Theta Centauri?

posted on May 15th, 2010, 3:02 pm

I haven't had a chance to test it, but it looks as good as the others

[Anonymous]

posted on May 16th, 2010, 5:23 pm

Last edited by Anonymous on May 16th, 2010, 5:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

I really want to try the void, but I don't want to sacrifice online compatibility. Any chance of another version to use with a stock set of stars?

posted on May 16th, 2010, 6:19 pm

I did try that option a while back but unfortunately, the addition of stars, loses a lot of the appeal of The Void. If I used a standard starfield then it'd just be an empty "regular" map .

I'm still banking on the devs adding the "stars_the_void.odf" file as FO standard

posted on May 17th, 2010, 7:16 pm

Solar Storm 1.0 released!
Phoenix's Map Making Extension 1.0 released!

posted on May 22nd, 2010, 9:39 am

Hey, I can't seem to find a download link for void v1.3

I got your map making extension and want to try it out

posted on May 28th, 2010, 3:26 pm

Well spotted! I must have accidentally omitted the link .

*repaired* 

posted on June 3rd, 2010, 10:38 pm

Alas, to make my editing a little easier, I'd like to request a little bit of feedback on some of the maps that are already about .

Specifically:
________________________________________________________________________

Beta Aquilae, Tau Ceti and Sigma Draconis



• What do you like about these maps?
  
  
• What don't you like so much?
  
• How balanced are they for each player?
  (If not, then why not?)
  
• What strategies do you think they promote?
  (Be specific as to where on the map, you use certain strategies)
  
• How do you think they could be improved?



  Hey buddy .


  I ha forgotten to get back onto this topic and respond to your request.  Let's have at it!!



• What do you like about these maps?

  Frankly, what I like most about these maps is that there is SO much to explore and the map itself TRULY is an environment that you can utilize in many different ways.  You do an excellent job of creating these wild asymmetrical maps that feel like what exploring space would be .



• What don't you like so much?

  Acutally there is little that I don't like.  However, here's my one concern: that a map like this is tremendously difficult to peg as "balanced" or not.  It's hard to hop onto Tunngle and have a normal game on a map like many of yours because we truly don't know whether or not one spot has an advantage over another.  I know that you are quite careful about building for balance, but there is more to it than that.

  Online, the vast majority of people want to have a game that they feel like has an equal beginning for everyone because they don't want to end the game and say afterward: "well I lost because I had that big fucking nebula on my back the whole time", or "moon dispersal ftw", or something like that.  Basically the easiest way to play online (assuming it's people you're not super familiar with) is on a level playing-field so that everyone has the same chance.

  Now, for example, I love your maps.  I really want to play them more often than not, but until the game is almost perfectly balanced, we can all predict the end of the game before it begins based on where a person starts and what races they are gonna be.  That's a tough one because people don't want to feel that they are starting out handicapped.  Now if Dom, Mal, Mort, and myself were to have a game (don't recall the last time all 4 of us did) we could have a "friendly" game and play one of these maps and have oodles of fun utilizing the terrain and the neat little caves and such.  Outposts would be created, split fleets to guard different areas and such ... but most players cannot manage that.



• How balanced are they for each player?
  (If not, then why not?)

  Again it's actually really hard for me to say how balanced they are just because it's hard to get people online to agree to play a map they don't feel will be balanced for them.  And it hard to know the balance until you play!!   The couple of times that I played Beta Aquilae online we did indeed have a REALLY fun time .  Balance of a map in Multiplayer starts to show after repeated play, and the maps that (in all RTS's) get the most replay are the ones that provide each player with a sense that they are at no disadvantage.

  It really requires a friendly game in order to take a good look at the balancing.




• What strategies do you think they promote?
  (Be specific as to where on the map, you use certain strategies)

  Overall, your maps and the lone moon pairs very much encourage split fleets.  I LOVE having to do that because it reduces the total number of ships in combat at one time and makes micromanagement more fun .  A map with odd terrain, moons in odd places, and such things as that means that you have to play a bit "non-traditionally", which I totally dig.  I like taking the risk of flying through a damaging nebula to escape an enemy fleet.  I like ambushing a moon from a nebula that I used to hide myself from sensors.  It's all so trek-like!




• How do you think they could be improved?

  Well, for what your maps are, I don't think that there could be much overall "improvements" simply because they are relatively unique amongst the other map-makers.  I've tried to emulate what you do by making my terrain a bit asymmetric while doing my own anal-retentive thing and keeping the resources evenly split so people don't complain .  While I map-make, I kick myself when I can tell that one side will have an advantage or that another side will "HAVE" to do somethign unorthodox in order to fully utilize their position.  I just know that a few people will play it and one will be angry afterwards because they will feel that the map "cheated" them.

    On the other hand, I make my maps with the kind of asymmetry that makes people feel as though they are not playing a life-less map with no personality, but keep it even enough to make sure they also feel that the map is not out to get them .

  Hope some of that helps .

posted on June 5th, 2010, 10:56 am

Excellent review .

I definitely had smaller fleet action and the intention of using outposts in mind when designing my maps so I'm glad to see that that is panning out well, in a fun way!

It seems like the main concern is with the map balancing, which is a natural one for an assymmetric map. Sure enough, not everyone will dig these maps. I myself, know someone who would never play a map like mine or yours because they are too assymmetric and therefore unbalanced. However, if you could keep in mind how your online games go with these maps and feed back to me, then I can make small tweaks here and there.

I think the key with these maps, is practice. As far as I'm aware, all factions have roughly equal distances to travel to their most logical outpost sites but those positions are not always obvious .

posted on June 7th, 2010, 4:13 pm

Beta Aquilae 1.2

- Absolutely beautiful! (pretty = good for vids)
- 12 o'clock starting position's tritanium moon doesn't look like a tritanium moon. That will cause confusion
- 7 o'clock starting positions
-- dilithium moon is in a blue nebula, making this moon extraordinarily easy to raid (and a bad staring position to get).
-- Many blue nebula nearby, making it easy for borg to exploit this starting position (very good position for borg, very bad for everyone else)