What makes an Empires map enjoyable to you?

If you don't like reading, a summary will be at the end of the post.

Ok so as some of you may be aware I am new to mapping for Empires and am interested in making a map for it. What I am going to map I am unsure of thusfar and will worry about that later, but it will most likely be Conquest.

From what I understand huge is exactly what everyone looks for in map size but when you make a map should you make the skybox huge aswell, for the future aircraft or does it matter?

Also, what kind of maps would you rather see? Would you rather see wide open maps for large construction of bases. Or more close quarter to give Infantry a purpose. Or perhaps a mix of both, each team set in a specified building area while everywhere else is more closed making it difficult to expand but perfect for infantry and vehicles to combat.

Also, would it be good to make a map where buildable structures are needed if you wish to proceed beyond your current borders, making it difficult to rush or ninja. Or do you enjoy to go anywhere freely.

Summary
-Are large skyboxs needed even though aircraft haven't been released yet?
-Do you like closed quarters or open battlefields or both?
-Would you prefer to be forced to build structures to leave your borders, to prevent rushs and ninjas. Or go anywhere as you please?

 

Large skyboxes are needed for commander view.

 

An emphasis on defence and base construction.

 

What i like:

Maps with good balance between open space for vehicles and enough
cover for the infantry so they dont die instantly at the moment a
tank sees them.

Maps with well placed res nodes, no king of the hill play style

Maps with many ways to choose and some infantry only alleyways

Maps with lots of random cover stuff like boxes and trees.
(If you have to be skilled to drive through there so much the better.)

NO ladders, srsly NO LADDERS

Maps that dont force a "d-day" like gameplay with the twist that
germany wins if you know what i mean.

No stupid sniper super ownage positions.

Ground Textures that doesnt give one team free hide skill.

Maps with rough terrain. (aka the opposite of emp_railway / trains or
whats the name is)

ESCORT ESCORT ESCORT

Things like the town in that train map, village combat with
every house accessible

No silly rocketsniping, emp_isle is ok but i mean snipe through whole map...

Glycencity style as a classic map


thats for now

EDIT: Animated snowstorm ftw

 

personally, I would love for a map where refineries are not IN the key positions, but situated out in the open, forcing a constant struggle for resources.

Currently, most maps have key positions that are easy to defend, with resource points in them. that changes the game from fighting against bases and against resources to just plain fighting eachother, as it is very difficult to displace a well defended resource point in a key position.

 

Oh, well thanks for telling me haha. Otherwise I would have went as small as possible.

When you say that, do you mean make it required for the commander to place proper defences and organise the base effenciently? To encourage different strategies for which ever situation.

You actually gave me a rather interesting idea.

 

No I mean the map provides a lot of potential for defence, the current maps tend to rely on the structures you build and terrain plays a very small part in it.

Whereas if you take my map as an example, the city has walls, trenches, towers, buildings, and bunkers for you to fortify and shoot from, it's a strong defensive position with a good number of resources, but it also covers a wide area which means your base and troops will be spread out, so infiltration is still a possibility. If you holed up in the city, while you would have resources, the enemy would have many more than you, as the rest of the map contains 4 res points in the mountain, two in the bases, and two in the secondary bunkers, so you would be holding off an enemy which could afford to throw away tanks, while you would be restricted to 3 points.

The map also contains locations with very little resources (1 node) but which are very secure, so you can hold out there if you get overrun, making the endgame more like a section of emp_escort.

 

I wish I new how to map >.<

 

Just avoid "King of the Hill" type of maps and you will do fine...

Look at Slaughtered as an example; a good map; good balance; forces the forces into "Arenas" which COULD serve as a base, but you would either have to be crazy or totaly pwn to secure that location.

I say avoid complete openess like in dustorm; you want to force all the people into "Arenas" where they can actualy see other people and work as a team instead of replaying dune...

 

Why are ladders such a bad thing?

 

If you approach ladders from the opposite side of the hole they end in, you can catch ladders easily, don't just walk across one and hope you catch it.

 

You mean, climb a ladder from say..the other side of a wall? Then don't make the ladders so thick. If I make ladders they are always accessable only from where I want them to because I make them one unit thin. That's all they need.

 

I also make them one unit thin, but if you can't change your approach to one so you don't fall, you shouldn't be trying to use one.

 

I've sloped the ladders on my current map to make them more descent friendly.

Ideally though you would consider putting lifts in.

I don't think King of the Hill is too bad as long as you don't make the hills universally better than the rest of the map. Offset their defensive bonus by reducing the resources, or a resource bonus by making them hard to defend, or any other attribute you can think of, such as ease of access.

 

Standing on moving objects in multiplayer makes you move laggy/jumpy
Ever wondered why there are no moving objects players can stand on in any multiplayer Source game? (including Valves)

 

Dystopia has lifts in some of the levels, and streetsoffire has a lift in it.

I always assumed it was because most multiplayer maps don't have any need for lifts.

And anyway, just make the lifts move slowly so it isn't noticeable, or make them fast and enclosed so you won't need to move.

 

I want more duststorms. that map is so amazing for battles of all kinds and i never find it boring.

visually, cyclopean is certainly one of the best.

layout and tactically, I think slaughtered is the best.

 

I want to see more maps with two defined sides and a "no man's land" that one team has to go through to attack the opposing team. Focus more on seizing important territory because it provides a tactical advantage, not because there's a ref there.

 

What I meant by king of the hill; are maps that allow for the rusher com to ge the uber spot; like in mvalley, there north

Dustorm theres middle, Isle the cliffs

and take the map design of slaughetered and cylopean (Though I find Cyclopean to be a bit to open)

 

- Both open areas and chokepoints, or another way to put it: both infantry and vehicle areas
- For infantry areas: buildings like in crossroads, elevation, trees, ...
- For vehicle areas: open space like in canyon and duststorm
- Vehicle attack paths =\= infantry attack paths (ladders, trees, deep water, small bridges, etc are infantry only)
- A little natural cover for the bases (unlike duststorm), or the possibility to easily move to another area
- Natural cover in general, like simple rocks, elevation, trees, ...

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