I
imagined this level as a world devestated by endless war. Human
beings can barely pull themselves from the rubble, and here we are,
killing ourselves all over again.
The
layout: I really had a lot of fun putting this
map together. There are chunks of pipe scattered everywhere, and
roads and bridges have been destroyed long ago. Now the natural
world has begun to reclaim the land.
I
also wanted rivers and mountains, and Home Bases surrounded by flooding.
And yet, notice how everything is balanced, with all my usual design
traits.
Infantry:
Once again, we begin with several units, so we can dispell with
the first turn or two and get into the action. With 4 infantry units,
you should be able to reach neutral buildings within a turn or two.
Home
Bases:
I believe that multiplayer maps are more interesting when the Home
Bases are taken out of the corners. Players should have the freedom
to attack their friends' capitols from different angles. This also
forces you to think about defense.
Terrain
and buildings: The terrain may look more intimidating
than it really is, but it was designed this way. In keeping with
the theme, I didn't think it would make sense to see dozens of tanks
mowing down everything in sight. That's common in most custom maps
I've seen (over at Advance Wars Net), and it's not much fun.
I'd
much rather encourage stealth and strategy to brute force. This
can be encouraged with the proper terrain: lots of mountains, forests,
and rivers. Under Fog of War, an army of Mech units could defeat
almost anything.
Likewise,
there are a good number of neutral buildings, but not so many that
one player could build neotank after neotank. There should be enough
fighting to keep anyone from saving up too much money without being
punished for it somehow.
The
Human Condition: To quote Miyazaki's novel, purity
and corruption are the very essence of life. Suffering and tragedy
and folly are a part of humanity; this is why, in a world of suffering,
there can also be joy and shining light.
I'm
thinking of this because we're seeing this play out in our world
today. America is under the grip of a cynical, manipulative fundamentalism,
telling the peasants to hate and fear and kill other living beings
in the name of God. The tragedy is that these tactics are working,
and the world is suffering. The hope lies in each of us who resist,
and strive to nurture the beauty in everyone. We don't need
them. |
