Drink
and Drown in naval warfare. The stage is set
for epic battles on the high seas that would make Russell Crowe
blush. Can you land your troops on the islands?
Naval
Units: Always trying to innovate and create something
new, this level focuses on naval warfare. There are never enough
quality ocean battles in this game, so this should solve that problem.
Each
player begins with 2 landers, 2 submarines, a cruiser, and a battleship,
a fairly impressive convoy. Isn't this better than spending the
first five turns building up an army? Be careful, now; those ships
are very expensive to replace.
Capture
buildings: I think if you are going to begin a
game owning cities and bases, then it should be possible for opponents
to capture them. In each quadrant, 1 city and 1 base are vulnerable
to capture from each player's corner territory.
This
is an example of balancing gameplay. I also did this to force the
computer onto the center island chain.
Sea
Ports: Note that there are no neutral ports in
Drink and Drown. Losing a port can prove devestating, so
focus your strategy on these buildings.
Islands:
You'll have to land on the islands and capture buildings if you
want to keep that navy afloat. There's the option of grabbing neutral
cities, especially the two islands on the east and west. You can
also take away your friends' cities on the northern and southern
islands, doubly useful.
The
center island chain allows for some great land battles without becoming
too bogged down or complicated. This is also important territory
to control when you are about to lead that final assault.
Balance:
Just a short word or two about that all-important
gameplay balance. You want to create maps that are equally fair
for all players, but you don't want to settle for making everything
symmetrical. That's boring. Notice that all the islands here have
a distinctive look. The design should serve the players, not the
other way around. Finally, keep bottlenecks to a minimum. Traffic
jams are not fun!
Fog
of War: While I designed this for daytime combat,
there are more than enough hiding spaces to make Fog of War a lot
of fun. I think nighttime is much better, anyway; it keeps you guessing
and keeps you honest. |
