|
Map Designer: DepthCharge [ciafoxunit@mindspring.com]
Reviewed by: Tarrant[9th]
Stuff From the Text File:
"First off this map has a bit of a secret im gonna leave out for
players to find out. This map is for intermediate and advance players.
Good equal resources!"
Number of Players: 2-4
Starting Units:
Resourcers - 2
Research Ships - 1
Scouts - 5
What I Thought:
Layout -
Here's another fun map that everyone should include in their rotation I think. If you don't like the neat on-edge loop that the main resource patch makes in the middle of the map, then you'll have to at least appreciate the slick background that DepthCharge chose to use. Although this isn't a custom background, it is clearly one that is not used all that often in Homeworld maps. I got a nifty screenshot of it here from the sensor display. Upon firing this baby up, there are a couple of things you should notice right off the bat. One, although resources are scattered around the edges on the middle plane which is near the player starting positions, the highest concentration is found in the loop in the center so make a note. Second, there are two red dots located in the middle of this loop of resources. This is the "secret" that is mentioned in the text file. What are they? Well...maybe I shouldn't say. Nah, I better not. Oh, what the hell...the two red dots represent a computer controlled Heavy Cruiser and Gravity Well Generator. This guy is "neutral" in that he will fire on anyone who strays too close for comfort.
Combat -
With small resources located near each starting postion, it will take a little while before forces start to clash in earnest. This is mainly because players are not going to be getting too close to each other until their collectors and whatnot begin to migrate toward the resource rich loop. When that happens, make sure you have at least a couple wings of strike craft and a few capital ships on guard because it gets real sticky real fast. But, to gain the advantage, what you really want to do is research corvette technology ASAP and build at least 5 salvage corvettes. Why? Because that neutral Heavy Cruiser I mentioned above it a PRIME target for capturing. To do it effectively, send in a few scouts ahead of your salvagers to distract it. If it's done right, it'll be too occupied to notice that it's about to become a permanent addition to your fleet. After you've "liberated" the Cruiser you will have a major firepower advantage...at least for a while.
Resourcing -
There's not a whole lot of resources for the taking on The Well. And, the more players there are the more difficult it's going to get gathering $$$. No matter where you start, there will be a small amount of asteroids close by which should tide you over until you get the collection machine a rolling. My advice though is to quickly get a collector or two into the resource loop in the middle with a controller and some scouts riding shotgun. The first person to establish a foothold in that area might as well own a bank. And, if you managed to capture that Heavy Cruiser, keep it handy to help take out those pesky enemy collectors that are trying to harvest YOUR asteroids.
Overall -
I liked The Well a lot because it requires a little more planning and thinking ahead than your average map demands. With smaller resource patches luring your collectors away from the motherlode in the middle and the Heavy Cruiser begging to be captured, you're sure to have your hands full with collector and combat ship allocation. This isn't as true with a 1v1 game but you still want to keep an eye on your tactics from the gitgo to make sure that your are collecting as much money as your collectors can handle. I.E. you don't want them wandering off into the void to get that lonely gas cloud if they can be in the big asteroid field collecting that large bounty. In the handful of games that I played, resource injections were at a minimum. This meant that I needed to keep my mothership mobile always moving it toward my collectors. You don't want it sitting way out from the asteroid field especially at the first of the game. The shorter the distance your collectors travel the faster you can rake in the cash. And don't forget what I said about that Heavy Cruiser. If you can manage to grab it before anyone else, they'll be cursing you outloud when they see it appear out of the mist to attack their controllers. And that, my friends, is how we do that...
Overall Rating: 80
Download "The Well"
|
