This is more for me and other mappers. Just writing out my thoughts, since I've wanted to do this for a while. If you got stuff to add, go for it.
Mapping for comp is a huge give and take of O vs D. Maps should always be slightly tilted towards O- slanted towards D will make for slow maps. O are the ones that make things happen. Still nice to throw a "challenge" at O now and then, at the cost of something else in D being removed (add a turret and remove a sensor, etc.) There's no exact measurement of give and take, it's something you feel out.
Fog/Visible Distance: Starts at roughly 600 meters, drops when terrain is wide open, or low, or there are little obstructions (buildings, rocks) in the midfield.
Bases: Generally, no more than 2 or 3 rooms away from enterance to gen room. Simpler is better.
Small Bases: At least 2 enterances.
Medium Bases: At least 3 enterances.
Large Bases: Do not make them (or if you do, make them open).
Smaller enterances create choke points, make for easier turtles, avoid.
Some maps have turtles that are better than others because of these factors. Ex: Pandemodium much better than No Shelter because Pande has 2 enterances to a 1-room base.
Keep in mind the placement of inventories and gens close to enterances. Having outdoor inv spam is bad but passable. Gen spam is bad, in most cases. If a base is going to have inv spam, consider having invs self-powered (or powered by more than 1 gen) to balance this factor out.
Terrains: Hand-made can take a while. For procedurals, Multi-ridged Fractal and Voronoi/Worley noise very good for Tribes gameplay due to their tendency to create bowls and ridges to ski along. Usually want a hiearchy of detail (big features, little features, small features). Hills that encompass OOB borders are generally liked (Feign, Damnation, Opus).
Flag: Give and take very big here- many things to tradeoff, but always keep slanted to O.
You want at least 2 routes available (side to side, back to front). Front to back nice to have. Flagstands approachable from multiple angles a plus for O.
Flagstand should be concave. If convex, consider higher hills/more fog, but generally do not do. Flat flagstands can sometimes work, but generally will cause deadstops. There should almost always be spawns near the flagstand (I aim for roughly 50% of my spawns at flagstand). NO SPAWNS on the flag.
The last "uphill" that cappers touch before touching flag on fast cap routes will roughly start 150m away from flag. The hills cappers start out on on set-up routes will be roughly 300m away from flag. Keep this in mind when picking location for flag on procedurally generated terrain, or make sure to build them in.
List of Gives/Takes for Balancing O/D
If you add one from the D list, add one from the O list too. But generally keep things O-tipped.
Good for O:
Smooth Terrain
More Fog
Inv Spam
Gen Spam
Self-Powered Bunker
Open Flagstand
Big Enterances
Lack of Plasma on Base Turret (one extra step for D...)
Campable Gen Rooms
Good For D:
Sentry Turret
Limited Enterances
Multiple Sensors
Multiple Base Turrets
Limited Routes
Jutting Pieces on Flagstand
Lava/Water around Flagstand
Less Fog
Multiple Bases/Multiple Powersources
Plasma Turret Default on Base Turret
Use the lists as just a guideline. This is not exact science, its something you must feel out.
Thats all I got for now. Hoping Anthem, Fling, adept, enigma, or rayne can chime in here. But anyone should feel free to add. :>
Update:Cross-posting this essay proj wrote as it addresses some of the O/D give-n-take.
http://www.teamwarfare.com/forums/showthread.asp?forumid=4&threadid=487470
Post edited by Rooster128 at 4/10/2013 2:16:43 PM
Mapping for comp is a huge give and take of O vs D. Maps should always be slightly tilted towards O- slanted towards D will make for slow maps. O are the ones that make things happen. Still nice to throw a "challenge" at O now and then, at the cost of something else in D being removed (add a turret and remove a sensor, etc.) There's no exact measurement of give and take, it's something you feel out.
Fog/Visible Distance: Starts at roughly 600 meters, drops when terrain is wide open, or low, or there are little obstructions (buildings, rocks) in the midfield.
Bases: Generally, no more than 2 or 3 rooms away from enterance to gen room. Simpler is better.
Small Bases: At least 2 enterances.
Medium Bases: At least 3 enterances.
Large Bases: Do not make them (or if you do, make them open).
Smaller enterances create choke points, make for easier turtles, avoid.
Some maps have turtles that are better than others because of these factors. Ex: Pandemodium much better than No Shelter because Pande has 2 enterances to a 1-room base.
Keep in mind the placement of inventories and gens close to enterances. Having outdoor inv spam is bad but passable. Gen spam is bad, in most cases. If a base is going to have inv spam, consider having invs self-powered (or powered by more than 1 gen) to balance this factor out.
Terrains: Hand-made can take a while. For procedurals, Multi-ridged Fractal and Voronoi/Worley noise very good for Tribes gameplay due to their tendency to create bowls and ridges to ski along. Usually want a hiearchy of detail (big features, little features, small features). Hills that encompass OOB borders are generally liked (Feign, Damnation, Opus).
Flag: Give and take very big here- many things to tradeoff, but always keep slanted to O.
You want at least 2 routes available (side to side, back to front). Front to back nice to have. Flagstands approachable from multiple angles a plus for O.
Flagstand should be concave. If convex, consider higher hills/more fog, but generally do not do. Flat flagstands can sometimes work, but generally will cause deadstops. There should almost always be spawns near the flagstand (I aim for roughly 50% of my spawns at flagstand). NO SPAWNS on the flag.
The last "uphill" that cappers touch before touching flag on fast cap routes will roughly start 150m away from flag. The hills cappers start out on on set-up routes will be roughly 300m away from flag. Keep this in mind when picking location for flag on procedurally generated terrain, or make sure to build them in.
List of Gives/Takes for Balancing O/D
If you add one from the D list, add one from the O list too. But generally keep things O-tipped.
Good for O:
Smooth Terrain
More Fog
Inv Spam
Gen Spam
Self-Powered Bunker
Open Flagstand
Big Enterances
Lack of Plasma on Base Turret (one extra step for D...)
Campable Gen Rooms
Good For D:
Sentry Turret
Limited Enterances
Multiple Sensors
Multiple Base Turrets
Limited Routes
Jutting Pieces on Flagstand
Lava/Water around Flagstand
Less Fog
Multiple Bases/Multiple Powersources
Plasma Turret Default on Base Turret
Use the lists as just a guideline. This is not exact science, its something you must feel out.
Thats all I got for now. Hoping Anthem, Fling, adept, enigma, or rayne can chime in here. But anyone should feel free to add. :>
Update:Cross-posting this essay proj wrote as it addresses some of the O/D give-n-take.
http://www.teamwarfare.com/forums/showthread.asp?forumid=4&threadid=487470
Post edited by Rooster128 at 4/10/2013 2:16:43 PM