World Map -unbalanced?

Kristoffer O · #1 February 14th, 2006, 06:57 PM

My original design might very well have been unbalanced, but this was hopefully remedied a bit by double starting locations. Haven't played on it since just after the release of dom2 though.

> This makes it virtually impossible to play a legitimate multiplayer game without using fixed starting locations.

Perhaps the maker of that particular map (me or someone else) intended the map to be used with fixed strating locations and though that it was reasonably well balanced if used with fixed starts.

NTJedi · #2 February 14th, 2006, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Kristoffer O said:
My original design might very well have been unbalanced, but this was hopefully remedied a bit by double starting locations. Haven't played on it since just after the release of dom2 though.

> This makes it virtually impossible to play a legitimate multiplayer game without using fixed starting locations.

Perhaps the maker of that particular map (me or someone else) intended the map to be used with fixed strating locations and though that it was reasonably well balanced if used with fixed starts.

The map is still good for more challenging SP games... or new players looking for an easy map to use for learning.

Oversway · #3 February 14th, 2006, 08:25 PM

I'm confused, why not just use it with the fixed starting locations?

NTJedi · #4 February 14th, 2006, 09:19 PM

To start a map where every kingdom always starts in the same place quickly kills replay value of the map.

Cainehill · #5 February 14th, 2006, 09:35 PM

Doog Dog! Who would want to play the World map multiplayer more than once??? Nothing against Kristoffer's map - I guess a number of people like it for SP games, but I've found that most people, even those who said they loved huge maps, wound up hating MP games on World or Faerun.

If it isn't the level of micromanagement when multiple nations have 100+ provinces, then it's the way players drop out (often without even having the grace to go AI or notify of it). And if it isn't players dropping out, it's the bugs that crop up in the mid to late game on the huge maps, where you can no longer see what's in provinces despite having control of neighboring provinces or even spies in the province.

Not to mention, the game getting blown away when the hard unit limit is finally broken.

NTJedi · #6 February 14th, 2006, 10:37 PM

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Cainehill said:
I've found that most people, even those who said they loved huge maps, wound up hating MP games on World or Faerun.

Yes I agree... even tho I love large maps I've learned the key to still enjoy playing them. Setting up capitals as victory points and usually we agree 40% of total victory points is the winner... sometimes more for longer games.

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Cainehill said:
If it isn't the level of micromanagement when multiple nations have 100+ provinces, then it's the way players drop out (often without even having the grace to go AI or notify of it). And if it isn't players dropping out, i.....

Perhaps someone can start an unofficial Hall_of_Glory/Hall_of_Shame---list. This list will detail the players who played when they dropped out or turned AI and total provinces when they dropped out. Thus if someone drops out when they have only 1 province left they'll be more reliable compared with the fella who dropped out when he had 15 provinces remaining. This would be especially valuable when starting a game with teams... heck I wouldn't want to be teamed with the individual who drops out with 15 provinces remaining.

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Cainehill said:
Not to mention, the game getting blown away when the hard unit limit is finally broken.

Yes I agree... hopefully this gets fixed in DOM_3.

Cainehill · #7 February 14th, 2006, 10:53 PM

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NTJedi said:

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Cainehill said:
If it isn't the level of micromanagement when multiple nations have 100+ provinces, then it's the way players drop out (often without even having the grace to go AI or notify of it). And if it isn't players dropping out, i.....

Perhaps someone can start an unofficial Hall_of_Glory/Hall_of_Shame---list. This list will detail the players who played when they dropped out or turned AI and total provinces when they dropped out. Thus if someone drops out when they have only 1 province left they'll be more reliable compared with the fella who dropped out when he had 15 provinces remaining. This would be especially valuable when starting a game with teams... heck I wouldn't want to be teamed with the individual who drops out with 15 provinces remaining.

Think we'd need that on a non-Shrapnel / Illwinter site.

I know a couple who would be nominated, and one who'd be at the top : dropped out of multiple games, while still playing others, and didn't even respond to messages on here asking him to at least go AI. He dropped out when he controled ... all of Africa and part of Europe. What made it worse, well, more personal - Mark the Merciful had a _treaty_ with me at the time, so I finally noticed after all of Europe and half of Africa were already taken.

Boron · #8 February 15th, 2006, 11:37 AM

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NTJedi said:

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Cainehill said:
Not to mention, the game getting blown away when the hard unit limit is finally broken.

Yes I agree... hopefully this gets fixed in DOM_3.

Yeah this will be the single most important feature for DOM 3. Though i will buy DOM 3 anyways if DOM 3 has a unitlimit < 1 million Units i think i will be highly demotivated.
It is especially important for Single Player (which i still play sometimes and still enjoy). The AIs have a lot of troops there and as player i find it always fun to try to defeat them with troops only too. Even a 150 province Map can in SP get very close to the unit limit.