Map: Rainbows

[fede]

hi folk,
finally i got done my first map
It is Rainbows, you find it in YOG download maps. Since i started balancing it (thanks pejsek and Rodg for tests) i added to YOG new versions.. which are simply wrong. This post refers to Rainbows 4p ver 1.2
Migi's Piranha has been my inspiration, i think we need more map such this for 3, 4, 5 players, not geometrical. As migi's idea, a good way to block paths in a forest-map are rivers, so pool is disabled.
The starting idea was to get a map for 3 players, and i started it as 128x64 (3p versions) but there was bad unbalances and also much free place in the map. Here are we now:

Map scheme may be seen as this (but it isn't geometrical)
YELLOW . . . . . RED
. . . . . . .\ . . . . . /
. . . . . . . . --------
. . . . . . ./ | . . . . \
TEAL . . . free . . PURPLE

(had to add dots because phpBB deletes spaces)

Fruits in the middle of the map - the corridor

4 players + 1 free wheat to make a bit challenging (the " | " in the draw)

All bases, except for purple, can be backstabbed because of backdooring river path, so red can fast join yellow or teal, i suggest to build a 1x1 wall around to keep an eye on the map Purple's backdoor is long, but he will soon end top woods and share same ground with red's base. This disavantage is equilibrated by more fertility on red and purple.

This map may be played also 2v2 (didn't test) because red+purple and yellow+teal are closer and share same path to fruits.

Hope you will try it, and give suggestions because i'm not sure it is well balanced or funny enough
If you will like it i may check again how to get the 3 player version.
Have fun

[Zenfur]

I am terribly sorry to not responding you (especially as it's your first map!)

As when you created this topic I didn't have much time and later I forgot about it.
I haven't played your map yet, but as from looking from the maps' editor as a wise (I hope) map maker I may give you some hints:
Map looks like interesting 4 players map. To make it even more interesting I would disable swimming pools there, as in Piranha because such natural obstacle would perfectly suit there imho.
Quick feedback and some criticism:
- if you want to place fruits in the map in one space, place only ONE kind of fruits, placing all of them in one place is pretty pointless, as it only weakens warriors more and the effect is the same. it's as pointless as placing fruits in the base at start (that has even more sense than in), I figured it out after making many maps, so I suggest to rethink this,
- the conquerable territority has way too little space to settle there, it's even too small for building inns there as wood will grow and block it all pretty quickly,
- rethink the way how sides are placed, natural thing is to set alliances 1st + second vs 3rd + 4th (similar colours (warm/cold) together), here it would be mixed with sides, I think that it should be left vs right (basically, of course one may want to play up vs down)
- I know that it's difficult to create an appropirate evniroment for every player in not regular map, but I must point out some misbalances:
* players green and red have their swarms farther to the wheat, what may have an fatal effect in dynamic of initial economic developpment. Moreover, green player seems to have more wheat than others, what could be easily used to rush everyone with huge army at the beggining, (bad stuff on such small maps).
* map has a small playgrounds for buildings for every of the players, but some of them have significantly better situation as they have a wide forest to clear near (compare purple to green)
* there's easy backside from blue to purple which I think shouldn't exist

That's all what sprang to my mind at the moment, if anything more will, I shall edit this post or post more posts (what I dislike).

You could have been feeling ignored, sorry