Proposal for a new map category: Mainland-like maps

[LetswaveaBook]

There are 3 map categories Random, Skirmish and Scenario. I would like to add a 4th category: Mainland like maps.

The reason for this, is that a lot of balancing and complaining is done by judging how the game plays on mainland. As much as we can say people should play other maps more often, the multiplayer community sticks with mainland. I know some would say this needs to change, but it won't change. This might pose a danger of getting very one dimensional feedback.

In A24 people complained about mercenaries not being useful. They costed metal and metal was valuable. Not by any intrinsic reason, but just because in TGs mainland spawned to little metal. Fast forward to A25 and we have a mercenary cavalry problem. Would it have been hard to create a mod for A24 where players started with 2 metal mines? No, it wouldn't.  Would it increase the fun:  probably masively. Yet the TG community didn't create such a map.

Not only this example holds, but any complaint about the balance is hypocrite as 0AD is highly moddable. If you all dislike something, why not create a mod? How many complaints are there and how many mods are being created?  

If we make many different variations of mainland, we can get more diverse feedback. Variations could include:

-starting with sheep instead of chickens

=metal and stone mines spawn at larger distance to the CC.

- only small mineral mines spawn on the map, possibly making map control more important.

- Different positioning for team games (fortress or player river)

-starting with a blacksmith to promote aggressive play in p2.

-starting with other buildings such as mercenary camps or a temple.

- A gaia fortress in the middle of the map that both teams/players would want to capture

-any combination of those above.

 

The A24 example shows that it is unlikely that the online players will do any major effort to test different setups. If we want them to try different setups, we should really make it easy. The way we can make it absolutely easy to try different setups is by just launching A26 with a dozen of different versions of mainland. I fear that unless we hand players this option, feedback from the multiplayer community  will be one dimensional for A26 again.

I would even offer to create some version of mainland.

(Also: do we need a folder full of the same map? We could kind of make it a kind of hidden folder so only players that know where to find them see this folder. So casual payers don't see this ugly folder full of "repeated" maps)

[Lion.Kanzen]

They call it "pool maps" in the AOE community.

they vote for there maps for ranked games.

Quoting:

"Here is the latest Ranked Map Rotation as determined by the developer picks and community vote. For the next two weeks, you’ll be able to pick from the new set of maps listed below!"

https://www.ageofempires.com/news/rmr-20211005/

[real_tabasco_sauce]

7 hours ago, LetswaveaBook said:

Different positioning for team games (fortress or player river)

what about something like this aswell?:

[Freagarach]

7 hours ago, LetswaveaBook said:

- Different positioning for team games (fortress or player river)

https://code.wildfiregames.com/D4303 by @Jammyjamjamman and @andy5995

[maroder]

8 hours ago, LetswaveaBook said:

do we need a folder full of the same map?

No, You just need one script that randomly or by input from the game starting page chooses what to place on the map. So actually this could even be included in the "normal" mainland, when it is controlled by user input.

Generally I think such a "mainland variation" map could be interesting.

Edited February 11, 2022 by maroder

[alre]

3 hours ago, real_tabasco_sauce said:

what about something like this aswell?:

that is player river (doesn't have to have a river in the middle)

[hyperion]

13 hours ago, LetswaveaBook said:

There are 3 map categories Random, Skirmish and Scenario. I would like to add a 4th category: Mainland like maps.

Those 3 categories stand for generated, hand crafted and locked setup, mainland-like maps is orthogonal to them and as such a filter like "demo maps" is is a better fit.