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Map Designer: Aknott [nicolasnaudet@yahoo.com]
Reviewed by: Tarrant[9th]
Stuff From the Text File:
"High Precision Rings Make A Nice Kisses Impression!? Map Has Been Improved : More Rings, And More Angles!"
Number of Players: 2-4
Starting Units:
Resourcers - 2
Research Ships - 1
Salvage Corvettes - 2
Scouts - 5
What I Thought:
Layout -
How many of you have been looking for that perfect 1v1 board but just couldn't seem to find one that fit the bill? Yeah, I know, me too. Well, search no longer because I think I've found the answer to our problem in Aknott's "Kisses" map. Even though it's rated with a maximum of 4 players, I've been having a hummer of a time playing it in 1v1 mode. As you can see from the screenshots above, the layout is unique and kind of eye catching...at least to me it is. What we've got here is approximately 4 loops of linear resource rings on each side that are offset from each other at a 90 degree angle from their respective planes. As simple as it sounds, I believe that one of the reasons that makes this map stand out visually is the fact that none of the loops run perfectly along the X, Y, and Z axis (buff talk for you trigonometry gurus out there) of the board. Translation? All the circles are tilted off of the main plane...heh. Don't ask me why I just didn't say that to begin with, I have no idea. Anyway, player starting postions are on the top and bottom of the third ring from the center on each side. Hmmm, just take a look at screenshot 1 to get an idea of what I'm *trying* to say.
Combat -
When playing as a 1v1 game, there's not a lot to say about the battle areas. As you can imagine in cases like that where it's just you and someone else, combat is not nearly as diverse as it is when you've got more than two players. However, when there are four players, you can start to see patterns here and there. You can expect to see the majority of the action along the resource rings on each side, where you'll be either defending your own resourcers or attacking theirs, and/or in the center of the board intercepting the inbound enemy units or meeting resistance against your own offensive strike package. Either way you're sure to be using your sensor display to zoom in and out of multiple battles after the ball gets a rollin'.
Resourcing -
Whether you're playing with 2 or more players I don't think you'll find resources to be in short supply. The rings of asteroids are pretty dense and contain a sizeable income if you can take advantage of what a medium to large fleet of collectors has to offer. Since the rings meets in the middle of the map, you'll want to keep an eye on your collectors as the game progresses as they will eventually work their way into enemy territory. Kisses is also large enough to warrant having more than two controllers hanging around. The distance from one end of the board to the other makes not having them a crucial mistake since your collectors will be forced to journey all the way back to your mothership to drop cash into your greedy hands. Going to the ATM, it seems, isn't an option on this map so you'll have to do it the hard way.
Overall -
I've seen this map being played on WON a couple of times but I never gave it any thought until I had the opportunity to try it for myself. And let me tell you that I'm glad I did or else I might have forever passed this little jewel on by. Like I stated above, the layout of the map makes you do a double take because it's different enough to stand out from your standard fare. This combined with the adequate amount of resources and perfect size for either 2 or 4 players earns "Kisses" a nod of approval from yours truly. Now all you need to do it click below to download it and drop a quarter in the basket on the way out :).
Overall Rating: 80
Download "Kisses"
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