Awesome AGR Map Guidelines (draft)

[OneManClan]

[Disclaimer: This is just a draft. I'm going to be editing this over and over, and over, so your feedback/input/comments always welcome!]

THE BEST MAPS:
Must be fun to Defend, and fun to attack.
This means it should feel winnable, both as Red and as Blue.
There should be multiple great spots to Defend, not just one.
Those spots should be interesting, and attractive - somewhere Blue will want to spend time for an hour.

1. No mazes (being forced to make multiple changes in direction just to get through an area)
2. No confusion (multiple paths, multiple doorways, door textures which aren't doors, Window textures which ARE doors)
3. Red should be able to get from any respawn to the blue base in 10-30 seconds, no more, no less.
4. Must have at least one choke point
5. Must be realistically defendable.
6. Ideally, there should be secondary, longer, fiddlier path to the Blue Flag, so that even if Blue have 'locked down' the main entrance, they still have to deal with Reds who take the secondary path.
7. It is clear where a player has spawned, in which room they have spawned, which way they are facing, and which way they need to go.
8. Don't use the same texture for walls, floors and ceilings
9. Should be playable with 3 vs 3.
10. Not too similar to an existing map.
11. The flag holders exit path should have them go past/near Blue respawns, so Blue get multiple chances to stop them.

[Jonan]

Our entire line up of maps would fail on at least one point each.

[OneManClan]

Our entire line up of maps would fail on at least one point each.

Interesting point.. and you got me thinking... do ANY fav AGR maps tick ALL the boxes?

rock2: Yard has 3 paths, but they are very clear, and distinct. Wardens office library, jail cells, shower, power room. Easy to identify and remember.

mininoheros: perfect?

well6: ticks all boxes? and now that the water tunnel is closed, 3 vs 3 games are viable
2mach1/2machb: perfection?

z7? (though sometimes I get confused which way I am facing when respawning in the front respawn)

Also, I've been thinkin' about the importance of where the respawns are. I think the secret of why some maps (laser2, z7, impact1, dkeep) work so well is because the position of a respawn is just before the FR. So a blue who dies, he gets a chance to intercept a red who hasn't gotten to the FR yet. There should always be a second chance to stop a Red.

[Jonan]

It's a pretty long trip to the key/flag in rock2, you also have to take it to the other side of the enemy base, rather than closer and closer to your own base.

It's a pity mininoheros window isn't a little bit lower, then you could RJ in.

[Jonan]

z7 favours defenders for many reasons, including where the spawns are, you can quickly get to the other spawn / path by taking the lift path.

[OneManClan]

Played an awesome spit game yesterday, and it occurred to me... once Red has the flag, their exit path out of the Blue base requires them to go past BOTH Blue respawns, so blue get a chance to stop them. Thoughts?

This is the opposite of the Camelot situation, and a clear (to my mind) demonstration where Camelot fails. I'm gonna add this to the "Awesome AGR Map Guidelines" List (ie the first post).

[OneManClan]

Played an awesome spit game yesterday, and it occurred to me... once Red has the flag, their exit path out of the Blue base requires them to go past BOTH Blue respawns, so blue get multiple chances to stop them. Thoughts?

This is the opposite of the Camelot situation, and a clear (to my mind) demonstration where Camelot fails. I'm gonna add this to the "Awesome AGR Map Guidelines" List (ie the first post).