Post by boorules60 on Sept 6, 2007 16:58:18 GMT -4
forum.agecommunity.com/forums/thread/540522.aspx
Borneo, Ceylon, Deccan, Himalaya, Upper Himalayas, Honshu, Indochina, Mongolia, Siberia, Silk Road, Yellow River.
Borneo
Borneo is an island map with only one Island like on Hispaniola, surrounded by water with fairly distributed whales and relatively lot of fish. Then there are two Natives in the middle of the island. The players start on the edge of the map, surrounded by a trade route with 2 TPs. Thus in principle a watermap with TPs, imo very successful. And there aren't stupid bottlenecks like on Hispaniola, the design is jungle-like.
Ceylon
Another pure watermap. Basically like migration in AoC, which means, that there is a large central island with a lot of resources. Each player starts on his own tiny island and has to expand in some way. Fish and whales are also fairly distributed. However, I must say that I think the water maps are very unbalanced, the Aztecs have here e.g. the advantage, that they can destroy every TC with their Tlaloc BB without anyone being able to rush because getting ships is so slow. Perhaps ES knows this already, that something will be done, e.g. the map removed from standard maps. By design this is like a desert in water^^
Deccan
This map represents India, Deccan looks like Pampas, pretty crazy imo. Meager steppe with 2 natives in the middle of the map, every player starts on the left or right edge of the map. In the upper part of the map there is a trading route with 3 TPs, in the lower part a river with a crossing and below that, some resources and another trade route with 2 TPs. Reminds a mixed Yukon/Pampas. Thus there is a main area with natives and an side area with TPs.
Himalaya
A snow-map Big Smile, this is, however, a very, very deserted landscape, so little to no wood and only a little food, just like in Himalayas^^ In the middle of the map there is a trading route with 3 TPs, there are one or two natives. The players start on their side of the route. Voilá.
Upper Himalayas
Just like Himalaya, only that there is no trade route, a lot of snow and little resources, in my opinion very rush-friendly. In the middle of the map there are two natives.
Honshu
Hmm... this map is hard to describe, again a watermap, although here there shouldn't be a chance for Tlaloc BB-rush in 1v1, because you start extremely close to each other. In the middle of the map there is an island with 2 natives in the middle of the island, the players start left and right on the shore. Then there is like on Caribbean another island with a TP and a trade route and below the main island two small islands with resources. I think there will see few FFs, you MUST rush here imo, because you can take out the opponent so beatifully^^
Indochina
A very interesting map, very similar to Northwestern Territory by design. You start here with a Saloon (what do the natives get there??) and on the right side you have a sea and a river, that divides the land mass and leads to the sea. Then there are in total 4 natives and 2 river crossings. This is why you only need to wall 2 crossings - imagine NWT without the land on the left side and without the lonely TP on the right side, the river doesn't split (the river is a lot bigger), then rotate the map so that the water lies south-east and the map is finished. The coast is also already explored.
Mongolia
A pretty map, both players start at the bottom part of the map, in the middle there are a few natives and at the top of the map a trade route with 4 TPs, so very worthwhile, but also easy to destroy, because the route is far away from your own base. No berry bushes, similar to Pampas without the river.
Siberia
Snow, snow and even more snow. The players start on opposite sides of a frozen-over river, at the bottom of the map there is a trade route with 3 TPs. In general the map is well suited for aggressive play, also here you can destroy the trade route very well, because the bases are far from the trade route. By the way, a lot of snow there Big Smile.
Silk Road
A cool map imo. A trade route jiggles through the map from bottom left to top right and there are natives, 5 in total waiting for the player. And then comes the especialness: the one, who kills the guardian at the TP, gets the control there and gets stagecoach!! You can build no TPs on the route, but you can take over the TPs with heroes and later on with units, this map screams for aggressiveness, because you get the stagecoach right away and get the resources. Very interesting imo.
Yellow River
Imagine a long lake in the middle of the map, from bottom left to top right with a river arm creating a delta. Thus there are a lot of small crossings with a lot of damp places. In this delta area there are natives, the players start on opposite sides of the lake and have to cross the delta to get over to the opponent and/or build a FB on the delta. The map looks very crazy, the design is jungle-like.So, these were the maps, I hope I could describe them to you somehow. Unfortunately I must say there were sometimes mapscrews again, but you should know by now.
Borneo, Ceylon, Deccan, Himalaya, Upper Himalayas, Honshu, Indochina, Mongolia, Siberia, Silk Road, Yellow River.
Borneo
Borneo is an island map with only one Island like on Hispaniola, surrounded by water with fairly distributed whales and relatively lot of fish. Then there are two Natives in the middle of the island. The players start on the edge of the map, surrounded by a trade route with 2 TPs. Thus in principle a watermap with TPs, imo very successful. And there aren't stupid bottlenecks like on Hispaniola, the design is jungle-like.
Ceylon
Another pure watermap. Basically like migration in AoC, which means, that there is a large central island with a lot of resources. Each player starts on his own tiny island and has to expand in some way. Fish and whales are also fairly distributed. However, I must say that I think the water maps are very unbalanced, the Aztecs have here e.g. the advantage, that they can destroy every TC with their Tlaloc BB without anyone being able to rush because getting ships is so slow. Perhaps ES knows this already, that something will be done, e.g. the map removed from standard maps. By design this is like a desert in water^^
Deccan
This map represents India, Deccan looks like Pampas, pretty crazy imo. Meager steppe with 2 natives in the middle of the map, every player starts on the left or right edge of the map. In the upper part of the map there is a trading route with 3 TPs, in the lower part a river with a crossing and below that, some resources and another trade route with 2 TPs. Reminds a mixed Yukon/Pampas. Thus there is a main area with natives and an side area with TPs.
Himalaya
A snow-map Big Smile, this is, however, a very, very deserted landscape, so little to no wood and only a little food, just like in Himalayas^^ In the middle of the map there is a trading route with 3 TPs, there are one or two natives. The players start on their side of the route. Voilá.
Upper Himalayas
Just like Himalaya, only that there is no trade route, a lot of snow and little resources, in my opinion very rush-friendly. In the middle of the map there are two natives.
Honshu
Hmm... this map is hard to describe, again a watermap, although here there shouldn't be a chance for Tlaloc BB-rush in 1v1, because you start extremely close to each other. In the middle of the map there is an island with 2 natives in the middle of the island, the players start left and right on the shore. Then there is like on Caribbean another island with a TP and a trade route and below the main island two small islands with resources. I think there will see few FFs, you MUST rush here imo, because you can take out the opponent so beatifully^^
Indochina
A very interesting map, very similar to Northwestern Territory by design. You start here with a Saloon (what do the natives get there??) and on the right side you have a sea and a river, that divides the land mass and leads to the sea. Then there are in total 4 natives and 2 river crossings. This is why you only need to wall 2 crossings - imagine NWT without the land on the left side and without the lonely TP on the right side, the river doesn't split (the river is a lot bigger), then rotate the map so that the water lies south-east and the map is finished. The coast is also already explored.
Mongolia
A pretty map, both players start at the bottom part of the map, in the middle there are a few natives and at the top of the map a trade route with 4 TPs, so very worthwhile, but also easy to destroy, because the route is far away from your own base. No berry bushes, similar to Pampas without the river.
Siberia
Snow, snow and even more snow. The players start on opposite sides of a frozen-over river, at the bottom of the map there is a trade route with 3 TPs. In general the map is well suited for aggressive play, also here you can destroy the trade route very well, because the bases are far from the trade route. By the way, a lot of snow there Big Smile.
Silk Road
A cool map imo. A trade route jiggles through the map from bottom left to top right and there are natives, 5 in total waiting for the player. And then comes the especialness: the one, who kills the guardian at the TP, gets the control there and gets stagecoach!! You can build no TPs on the route, but you can take over the TPs with heroes and later on with units, this map screams for aggressiveness, because you get the stagecoach right away and get the resources. Very interesting imo.
Yellow River
Imagine a long lake in the middle of the map, from bottom left to top right with a river arm creating a delta. Thus there are a lot of small crossings with a lot of damp places. In this delta area there are natives, the players start on opposite sides of the lake and have to cross the delta to get over to the opponent and/or build a FB on the delta. The map looks very crazy, the design is jungle-like.So, these were the maps, I hope I could describe them to you somehow. Unfortunately I must say there were sometimes mapscrews again, but you should know by now.