Map Editor Feedback

Some feedback on the map editor

  • the allowable time limit feels a tad short. I accept that everyone posting 20 minute online challenges would be bad, but a little variety would be nice :slight_smile:
  • auto-colouring the paths (based on arrows) was an inspired addition
  • more props would be greatly appreciated. (ruined) buildings would be the ideal addition so we can build and fight in cities, stuff like fountains, bridges, crashed aircraft, burned out vehicles, army tents, a sentry post/barrier, POW camp style huts/barracks, brick or concrete walls, etc. Actually, brick and concrete walls and a roof tile type pattern might make user-created buildings possible, rather than you having to design multiple building types.
  • linked to that, a third path type corresponding to concrete roads would be nice
  • can we get some water? Either terrain type or prop - as a prop should be easiest and sufficient
  • love the and options for props. Really makes decorating a new map far easier
  • can we can some pillboxes for infantry defenders?
  • can we have attacker start zones with restricted unit types? (this would need code changes, but is already in for defenders - infantry and turrets can’t share the same square)
  • I couldn’t find a way in-game of resizing the map area. I’ve posted one online map (Chunnel Defence) where I naughtily doubled the height of the map using a text editor, but that’s apparently confused the minimap a bit.
  • saving a map offers attacker and defender difficulty adjusters. These are scary because I don’t know what they do or how to factor them into the map balancing.
  • saving a map you get to define an excellent name and description. Unfortunately nobody else ever sees those, as they aren’t retained on online challenges :frowning:

Hmm. If you want a test for think of what you’d need to make an Operation Market Garden map, where heavy armour has a long road and a couple of bridges to fight across before it can support infantry units that start rather nearer a seriously well defended big bridge in an urban setting. Sorry, I like themes for my maps :slight_smile:

Balancing maps is very very difficult. Rather than suggest in-game mechanisms to help with that, is there any chance of an addition to the manual or a map balancing video or a forum post that shares your learnings from balancing the campaign maps?

On the whole, I’m enjoying designing/testing maps. It’s a good feature!

in addition… can there be a way to easily make horizontal barbed wires?

So far afaik the only way is going random angle and keep trying until something remotely horizontal comes up…

or is there an easier way I just don’t know yet?

Thanks for the feedback, I definitely intend to improve usabiltiy and capabilities of the editor.
You can turn off random angle, and manually rotate any prop by holding down control and using the mouse wheel. This is explained in the tutorial but it is easy to miss. I’ll add much more helpful hints to a lot of the screens soon.
Water is difficult to implement without it looking a bit rubbish. Ideally footsteps would splash through it, and ideally there would be reflections. None of that is easy, nor ripples. I’d rather only put it in when I can get it looking really good.

I agree regarding walls, buildings, pillboxes etc. These are all things I’d like to add when I can afford the art budget etc.
Currently maps are fixed size, but this is something else I’d like to eventually address.

hmm…

sorry… didin’t pay attention to that.

not to make excuse for my ignorance, but for others’ (and my own) good, can you put a controls button which will bring up a window to show all controls, or just have the controls displayed somewhere out of the way so people can check anytime? Imo it’s gonna be easier to learn than tutorial boxes…

thx

And of course there’s a keyboard equivalent … isn’t there?

There may not be yet, but I’ll add one.

Can you make a computer vs computer for the map editor so we can evaluate balance quicker? I kinda miss the hands off approach of GSB.

Otherwise, great game, thanks. Have it running on 13" Macbook Pro, have to keep fan spinning pretty fast but it’s worth it.

Hmm, computer vs computer would be excellent. It’d make map creation a metagame in its own right, trying to create and finetune balanced maps.

Of course, that’d then lead to division vs division balance issues, but that’s where the online game excels :slight_smile:

I’ve made a few maps on full supply levels with a total frontal assault possible, it’s so beautiful to watch but I can’t keep up with the defender emplacements. It’s a little more realistic though, hard to put new gun turrets in place, throw infantry in the trenches as fast as they can die. It sucks too that infantry only has one unit type to refresh and deploy, while each light, med and heavy turret refreshes and more can be deployed. I don’t use anything for defense anymore except big missile turrets with long range and fire rate upgrade.