Welcome
to the land without mountains, a land with winding rivers, blue
lakes, and dense forests. What a perfect place to fight an expensive
war.
Island
of Mystery: Sure, anyone could have a boat, but
this is an island of mystery. It could be anything. Even a boat.
I
originally wanted a level that looked like a golf course, and this
evolved into the current design of four countries and an enormous
island in the middle. This island is entirely covered with forests,
and some roads for easy driving. Most important are the 10 neutral
cities and 6 neutral bases.
Beaches:
I added beaches in enough places that each player's territory can
be breached from any direction. Once again, that all-important balance
of offense and defense comes into play. You should probably spend
your early turns consolidating and defending your home country.
Of
course, if you go for a quick invasion, it may pay off. I wanted
you to have that freedom to decide for yourself.
Lakes
and Rivers:
The interconnecting lakes and rivers allow you to send naval units
anywhere. There's a great variety of narrow bottlenecks and open
spaces. It's all so very sloppy and chaotic.
Naval
units: When playtesting against the computer, I
discovered something interesting. After 15 turns or so, submarines
become less effective for assaults; there are just too many landers
moving about to sink them all. I loved this idea and pushed it further,
giving each player 2 landers at the start.
You
could save up and buy more and more subs, of course, but that gets
pricey. It all depends on your own strategy.
Expensive
War: For this map, I wanted to encourage something
I nearly always avoid: large-scale war. You will have more than
enough money to buy all the tanks, rockets, and landers you want
(within reason). Once your country is secured, you'll earn $1,100
each turn.
This
makes the map rather crowded as the game goes on, but it also sets
up some great fighting. If you think there are too many units running
around, then just remove one or two cities from each player's country.
Crazy
Design : You gotta admit, this is one insane looking
level. It's very organic, just a little chaotic, and open enough
to allow for land and sea battle. Another terrific example of a
multiplayer level that stands out. |
