Custom Map #8450: RoughTerrain. By: Heisenberg

[AutoPost]

This topic is for discussion of map #8450: RoughTerrain


Author: Heisenberg
Size: 256x256

Desc:
The terrain is unfriendly for powergaming. Moreover you can have unlimited firepower, but you will first need to unlock the capped techs, and that will require a bit of work. Also, the endgame is a tad harder than it looks at first sight. I liked every bit of this map, hope you do too. Stay tuned for an elaborated version of it

[Loren Pechtel]

I couldn't figure out how to fight to the reactor tech, but it's possible to grab reactor, collector and relay at the very start.

[doogin]

Tricky start. I hate an ending where you need to collect all of the pick ups.

[marvinitfox]

I couldn't figure out how to fight to the reactor tech, but it's possible to grab reactor, collector and relay at the very start.

Start gives you an interesting choice.
Either collect reactor tech, or take the top-left emitter in the starting block.
I chose to go for the emitter, as it gives me a PZ which makes for beautiful power early game.

upd: Using this start, it takes me 27 minutes to convert the starting quadrant into a paved factory floor with more power than I can use, and every PZ occupied by a Bertha.
But that is where I will leave it. The final quadrant should be easily assailable (just clear a path with Berthas to that landbridge, and park a row of canons to hold the powerline.), but even when we have that I will be forces to runaround to each corner gathering the upgrades that I don't need.
No thanx.

Update-update:
Ok, so i finished the map.
27 minutes for the first quadrant (fun!) took about an hour
8 minutes to clear the next 2 quadrants (schlepp... no fun) took about 3 hours.
1m30s to kill the last quadrant. routine, with ludicrous reserves of power and Berthas. done in realtime.
Final time ~ 39m-ish


This is your best map to date, I think, and it incorporates a number of great features.
Good balance on those Berthas initially available. 6 are enough to provide firepower, but not enough to overwhelm.
The scurrying for tech in the very beginning is great!

It's just the initial frustration of entering a creeper-swamped territory, plus the double frustration of collecting unwanted upgrades in far reaches, does not much appeal to me.

[Heisenberg]

I couldn't figure out how to fight to the reactor tech, but it's possible to grab reactor, collector and relay at the very start.

Start gives you an interesting choice.
Either collect reactor tech, or take the top-left emitter in the starting block.
I chose to go for the emitter, as it gives me a PZ which makes for beautiful power early game.

upd: Using this start, it takes me 27 minutes to convert the starting quadrant into a paved factory floor with more power than I can use, and every PZ occupied by a Bertha.
But that is where I will leave it. The final quadrant should be easily assailable (just clear a path with Berthas to that landbridge, and park a row of canons to hold the powerline.), but even when we have that I will be forces to runaround to each corner gathering the upgrades that I don't need.
No thanx.


This is your best map to date, I think, and it incorporates a number of great features.
Good balance on those Berthas initially available. 6 are enough to provide firepower, but not enough to overwhelm.
The scurrying for tech in the very beginning is great!

It's just the initial frustration of entering a creeper-swamped territory, plus the double frustration of collecting unwanted upgrades in far reaches, does not much appeal to me.

Thanks for the feedback - I cut down a bit on the creeper flooding, but still kind of hang on to it, cause it has become a bit of a watermark - the initial idea was to be able to create large maps, without loopholes - but I think meanwhile I could close all loopholes without flooding anything - after all, if nearly all emitters start with a delay, what is the point of prefloodig.   Still, it has some kind of visual appeal - shallow creeper with islands

That being said, capping tech, and then giving the option to lift the cap, is something I personally like quite a bit, if it is well balanced
Even the techs I don't need, I like in, cause I'm not sure how others use them - for instance, I was thinking the reactor tech would be on top of the list, yet you went down a different road - these kinds of real choices I'd like to expand on - just it is not easy to anticipate on all possible out-of-the-box approaches to solve a map

Then - I also feel compelled to clear the entire map when I play though it - also when it is not really required - the ultimate design would be when that would almost be necessary.  However, I'm not sure that would a popular design - it also conflicts with real choices - as then the "preferred path" would become the only path

[Loren Pechtel]

I couldn't figure out how to fight to the reactor tech, but it's possible to grab reactor, collector and relay at the very start.

Start gives you an interesting choice.
Either collect reactor tech, or take the top-left emitter in the starting block.
I chose to go for the emitter, as it gives me a PZ which makes for beautiful power early game.

upd: Using this start, it takes me 27 minutes to convert the starting quadrant into a paved factory floor with more power than I can use, and every PZ occupied by a Bertha.
But that is where I will leave it. The final quadrant should be easily assailable (just clear a path with Berthas to that landbridge, and park a row of canons to hold the powerline.), but even when we have that I will be forces to runaround to each corner gathering the upgrades that I don't need.
No thanx.

Update-update:
Ok, so i finished the map.
27 minutes for the first quadrant (fun!) took about an hour
8 minutes to clear the next 2 quadrants (schlepp... no fun) took about 3 hours.
1m30s to kill the last quadrant. routine, with ludicrous reserves of power and Berthas. done in realtime.
Final time ~ 39m-ish


This is your best map to date, I think, and it incorporates a number of great features.
Good balance on those Berthas initially available. 6 are enough to provide firepower, but not enough to overwhelm.
The scurrying for tech in the very beginning is great!

It's just the initial frustration of entering a creeper-swamped territory, plus the double frustration of collecting unwanted upgrades in far reaches, does not much appeal to me.

You don't really need to take the other quadrants.  Once you have the starting quadrant paved you can go straight for the inhibitor with strafers.  I didn't realize it until I had cleared a decent chunk of the upper left quadrant.