1v1 Map idea

Nice idea and cool map. This map will probably reward creative play a lot due to the mixed terrain.

I suspect spiders may be strongest on this.

They're already reasonable on flat ground and will be able to access the high ground and safe zones as well. Depending on the size of the map porc on the high ground could deny areas of the water to other facs too. I'm just guessing here but you may end up with a map with a smaller high ground han flat area in its final, balanced iteration.

:)

I think this is heavily an amph map.

Lava doesn't stop the jumpers from accessing the safe zone, and amph units are secretly all jumpers because Lobster exists. But generally i like the idea of a lava chasm island.

Technically, the lava will also require some shenanigans to get water and lava to coexist on the same map: typically, lava is a type of damaging water, and Spring water is the plane {y=0}.

This map is narrow, and having three lengthwise domains makes it even more functionally narrow for factories that are locked to any of these domains, e.g. ships are locked to water, rovers are locked to not-water. This narrowness means low ability to maneuever in 1v1; in teamgames, this means that the game dissolves into a series of 1v1, one for each lane.

In both of these situations, porc-and-arty playstyle prevails; which means that factories with strong artillery will be favored (maybe alongside the safe-start air that is the only thing that retains ability to switch lanes at will, until Chainsaws and Artemis appear). This also gives a bonus to slow but powerful units; and this fits amphs very well.

Which, in this case, means ships will eventually dominate (or in 1v1, amph start into ships to capitalize on lane economy), as i expect Envoys and later Shoguns will be able to harass both south and north dry lanes with impunity.

The cliff in the middle will not be only accessible to amphs: it will be accessible to ship-plopping Recon commanders as well. Being a metal-heavy and very defensible thing, it will also intensify the slippery slope that's already inherent in narrow lane maps.

It would still be interesting to see someone try to implement it.

There are some workarounds i can think of. The main problem is that most of them won't stop unit idiocy like spiders walking or planes landing into the affected area. Most ideas would require a gadget.

- A terrain typedef with emissive features, absolute speed malus, and gadget that kills everything that steps on it. This probably means that terraforming won't remove this nicely: terraformed typedef'd areas will still be deadly, even if their texture is overwritten! Requires a gadget to apply damage to units standing on lava tiles.

- An indestructible and non-interactive laser fence unit - basically just something that shoots several lasers along he blockage's length. Conceivably can be workarounded by body-blocking or digging a ditch. Doesn't require a gadget.

- Downcount-style barrier gadget (but with altitude limits). Possibly one that kills rather than block. Requires gadget to both do all of its effects, and draw it. Not removable via terraform.

Google, Anarchid - Maybe to destroy the idea of hard lanes, the water could be incredibly shallow. Enough for vehicles to go on, but not fleas. Any thoughts?

Manu -
Love the idea about the safe zone. No lava, just a deep river and a cliff.

Deep water? Up for debate now.
Real mex spots
Agree with 12x8
Geothermals on the low ground, they are like so: --x----------x--
Low ground is totally flat but it can have a few features if you like. Infact:
High ground has metal rocks for collection.
Low ground has a treeline at the very southmost point for collection.

The highground is meant to be useable by vehicles still, so it's mountainous and has a few spikes but with a path sort of going through it horizontally. Like so:

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
=============================
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The full design of the high ground is open to ideas, so long as vehicles may use it, but bots and spiders will have an advantage. Obviously, any units using the mountain path will be hidden to radar back down below.

Updated version to reflect conversation. Shallow water edition.

I think it's a good thing because spiders don't have a terrain advantage elsewhere. If problematic though, we can make a deep-water donut around the spire.

Safe zones are terrible imo. Basically make raiders useless and push the game right into porc/arty spam phase.

Hmmm. I now additionally realize that WRT most back start modes:

- Jumpers (including Ampha) will be able to access this area with impunity, most likely
- All other factories will be able to access them if plopped by a Recon Commander
- Many of proposed solutions are also vulnerable to terraform - it may cost a fairly small amount of metal to bypass the lava

Making the "lava" gap wide enough to require two jumps defeats most of these issues at the cost of allowing ships to enter that zone and become annoying. It doesn't defeat Recon Commander unless it's both lethal and wide enough to require two jumps.

I don't think it should defeat terraform, but it's okay if terra-breaching this is expensive.

There you are Sparkles, i hope i was able to create the map you had in mind.
Tell me if there are any problems with this map.
https://springfiles.com/spring/spring-maps/map-shifting-sands

What i still need to know:
How can i download my map from Zero-k launcher now?
How can i fix whitescreen mappreview when selecting the map in the skirmish menu/
having it selected in lobby

quote: How can i download my map from Zero-k launcher now?

Once ZK infrastructure notices your map's existence, it can be chosen in passworded hosts (since it's un-Supported by default). Then you can remove the password, or tell it to other players. Or when someone marks it Supported, which i just did (for science!).

quote: How can i fix whitescreen mappreview when selecting the map in the skirmish menu/ having it selected in lobby

Should happen automatically... when ZK infra notices your map's existence. Which is has.

Now you have no excuse to not playtest it :P

quote: btw. Anarchid you still need to announce mapmaking contest/tourney

Yes. Probably tomorrow. :)