Preview Map

[Ederson]

Hello fellows,

Is there any way to know the map layout before joining a game?

Im asking it because there are some maps really unbalanced like this one I joined a bit ago:

[Huttensohn]

hey, had the same issue today. joined this map, my enemy had 5 Town centers next to him, I only three. and all others were separated from water.

maybe there should just not be imbalanced maps, or maps with uneven center distribution, besides from "handicap" maps..

[makazuwr32]

that's the problem of random distibution...
i am working on some maps with preset tc generation for random maps (so you'll be able to choose amount of players and some other things) but it is not that easy to make it balanced and good looking. I am also trying to avoid of making map morrored or close to.

As for map preview - it will require coding from stratego and i am not sure if it is so required (because we have many other things we need to implement and most of them are more important than this for sure).

[Odhinn]

Is there an ability in the code, that you can register a bout 12 squares for each player, that protect against rocks so they can build a base or is it complicated? In one of my games, each player starts with five towns. Yet only 2 of mine were accessible until i could go about 15 spaces to reach the others as i was blocked by trees...yet with the terrain features, is there a way to filter a bubble of 12 spaces for each map, the 12 spaces generated randomly x # of players. Or perhaps the spaces must be manually input for each map, depending on the texture of the map and registered officially in the code as x:# y:# and each map be coded with 6 safety positions. also creating diversity of terrain , depending on the race, within those 12 spaces in a star pattern that is a base.

[makazuwr32]

Uhm the thing is that tcs on completely random maps are generated ON ALREADY COMPLETED MAP without any changes to terrain. And i doubt there would be added any time an option to auto clear terrain from obstacles (and those obstacles might be: water, rocks, forests placed by map creator, actual obstacles (for example dead trees, igloos or pyramids), unit type obstacles — houses, neutral or even hostile units, indestructible rocks and many more) — it will take months if not years to properly code such option from stratego for not so high output. So i doubt if we would ever see such possibility.

There is an option to place on the map 6 preset possible starting locations for players but it is only an option and not every map creator even knows about them and how to use those — i also do not have actual experience of using those as well so can't help with them.

And ofc there is no way to automatically place them on all fully random maps of aof — we will require in order to do that manually recreate each map (alas here i might be wrong and we can make a draft from random map to edit for ourselves).
Neither i nor savra have any time for that as well, sorry. I am struggling to find time and finish 1 (one!) preset multiplayer map that is 70% ready for more than 6 months!
I doubt if stratego would work on that as well.
We all are busy with units and such as well as (sssssurprize!!!) with real life — work, family, various real life problems.
So editing those maps (or making new maps with better balance) is up to you — aof community.

B2198 is working on more fair starting tc positions placement mechanic for example. But we do not know when it might be finished (it might take 1 week, 1 month, 1 year or even 5 years — who knows?) and if it will work better than current one.

In general — all those maps are made by aof community so you also may make some by yourself as well, send to stratego and if they are fine he will put those in.

[Stratego (dev)]

Is there an ability in the code, that you can register a bout 12 squares for each player, that protect against rocks so they can build a base or is it complicated? In one of my games, each player starts with five towns. Yet only 2 of mine were accessible until i could go about 15 spaces to reach the others as i was blocked by trees...yet with the terrain features, is there a way to filter a bubble of 12 spaces for each map, the 12 spaces generated randomly x # of players. Or perhaps the spaces must be manually input for each map, depending on the texture of the map and registered officially in the code as x:# y:# and each map be coded with 6 safety positions. also creating diversity of terrain , depending on the race, within those 12 spaces in a star pattern that is a base.

as Makaw wrote
- there are many "balanced" maps already to play in multiplayer
- also you can send yours that i can put in

but best is that a new awesome TC placing alghoritm is being made, and i hope in a few weeks can be out for testing:
see here the progress:
viewtopic.php?f=205&t=12198

[Odhinn]

I have read the post you directed me to. Sounds like yall are doing a great job of coming up with solutions to this topic. Thank you for your hard work and dedication, I'm impressed.