99 replies to this topic

[General Solo]

Will probably look the other way when
you may find yourself stripped of all but a leg by
Nasty team mates

[Shlkt]

I've played it 3 times so far. I'm not in love with it yet, but I don't hate it either.

PROS

• I like the terrain around the sides of the map which consists of small gulleys and hills. Good variety, doesn't impede movement.
  
• There are relatively few rocks, stumps, roots, and other pieces of clutter to get stuck on.
  
• No invisible walls encountered yet
  
• The gently sloping hills do not block missile flight paths, which I think is a good thing for a weapon that rarely sees usage in competitive drops.
  
• The lack of a single distinguishing landmark or obvious cover is a good thing IMO; it forces teams to use more of the map instead of cowering in an obvious spot.
  
• This map is NARC heaven.

CONS

• Too much walking to get to the fight. I know some players are constantly clamoring for "bigger maps" but I think they're just wrong.
  
• The no-man's-land in the center of the map (where there's even less cover) restricts movement too much. Not that you *can't* move there, it's just a terrible idea. It forces teams to take the long away around via gulleys, and actually makes movements more predictable (which is bad).
  
• Obviously there hasn't been enough time for exhaustive playtesting, but I think there are some open areas of the map that are too open for competitive play. Brawling will be challenging enough in Quick Play queues; against a team of veterans with excellent awareness and scouts it will be impossible to close the distance. I expect to see 12-man teams packed to the gills with ERLL. If they use the map at all.

Edited by Shlkt, 21 January 2016 - 06:56 AM.

[White Bear 84]

Why do most players hate this map?

It is not easy mode hide behind cover in a big bundle map.

Every drop has been tactically different, sometimes LRM's are a bit of a dish out, but still, its heaps of fun to play. Love it.

[Wintersdark]

Shlkt, on 21 January 2016 - 06:36 AM, said:

[*]This map is NARC heaven.

A tool that sees little let real value elsewhere, getting narced on Polar Highlands is death. Fear the narc!

Quote

[*]Too much walking to get to the fight. I know some players are constantly clamoring for "bigger maps" but I think they're just wrong.

Absolutely the biggest problem with the map. It can take a while for things to get going.

Quote

The no-man's-land in the center of the map (where there's even less cover) restricts movement too much. Not that you *can't* move there, it's just a terrible idea. It forces teams to take the long away around via gulleys, and actually makes movements more predictable (which is bad).

A problem in the early match, but less so once things get underway. There's still functional cover in the middle, but it's easier to defeat. You can safely cross the middle if you pay attention, but it's usually a bad idea to fight there.

Quote

Obviously there hasn't been enough time for exhaustive playtesting, but I think there are some open areas of the map that are too open for competitive play. Brawling will be challenging enough in Quick Play queues; against a team of veterans with excellent awareness and scouts it will be impossible to close the distance. I expect to see 12-man teams packed to the gills with ERLL. If they use the map at all.
[/list]

it's really easy to move on the map into 500m without ever giving up line of sight. I know that my Clan LPL mechs are never outranged there.

You can get closer too, if you pay attention to the layout and have patience.

[Mmerryweather]

So far, I think this map is great. There are some issues with having enough cover and NARC can be a real problem. I watched a Direwolf get NARC'd in the middle of our group and go from 100% to dead in less than a minute from LRMs. ECM and AMS 'Mechs would definitely help the situation.

It's probably too early to judge this map on its faults or merits. It can take a long time for engagement to happen, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This map forces Lights to scout and, like usual, people need to be aware of where their assaults are lagging behind.

I think one of the bigger issues with PGIs map design is scale and relevance. River City, Crimson Strait, Viridian Bog, and Tourmaline Desert probably have the best sense of scale. I mean, what is Polar Highlands supposed to be? A far flung outpost? Then what's with all the roadways? Why are the buildings even spread so far apart? What is this, DBZ and all we do is fight in the middle of nowhere?

I am glad at least that this map doesn't have an "easy mode"...yet

Edited by Mmerryweather, 21 January 2016 - 09:26 AM.

[Iothil]

Generally I like it, and it's a very nice map imo, feels like mechwarrior should feel.

The biggest issue from my side is, that conquest is flawed, MASC is too strong on a large conquest map like this and generally the team with the fastest light wins, as you have no way catching the bugger in time. Also, depending on the team, you are essentially useless in a brawler. If your idiot team decides to shoot it out over the no-mans-land in the middle, you cannot do anything. On other maps you can at least try to lonewolf around in cover and take a good romp at the enemy's backside, but here, you walk like ~8 mins.

[Zerthios]

I rather dislike this map, while it is large and that is a plus, but it is way to open, ending with most games having both sides stare at each other until one sides scouts either find a weakness or someone gets bored and runs out. This is very much a wait and bait map.

[Ragnahawk]

Shlkt, on 21 January 2016 - 06:36 AM, said:

I've played it 3 times so far. I'm not in love with it yet, but I don't hate it either.

PROS

• I like the terrain around the sides of the map which consists of small gulleys and hills. Good variety, doesn't impede movement.
  
• There are relatively few rocks, stumps, roots, and other pieces of clutter to get stuck on.
  
• No invisible walls encountered yet
  
• The gently sloping hills do not block missile flight paths, which I think is a good thing for a weapon that rarely sees usage in competitive drops.
  
• The lack of a single distinguishing landmark or obvious cover is a good thing IMO; it forces teams to use more of the map instead of cowering in an obvious spot.

Cowering. That's what your 100 ton atlas traveling 61 KPH is doing when he realizes that he can't get within 1000 m of the enemy team, when he go so fast.

[Cato Phoenix]

Drops my FPS. :/

[MarineTech]

I personally, really enjoy the map.

Only issue I have with it is during Skirmish when the last enemy decides to run off and hide.

It's great for Assault and Conquest though.

[Kusunoki Masashige]

I refuse to play this map. Its now my primary most hated map after terra therma. Poorly designed and optimized for the skilless hordes of LRM newbs...

[Iothil]

Hahaha... No. Sorry, but conquest is reat

MarineTech, on 21 January 2016 - 12:19 PM, said:

I personally, really enjoy the map.

Only issue I have with it is during Skirmish when the last enemy decides to run off and hide.

It's great for Assault and Conquest though.

Hahaha... No. Sorry, but conquest is really annoying on this map. MASC abuse en masse and the team with the fastest light wins as the map is simply too big with too much distance between the points.

But yeah, last player diving and trying too hard is annoying.

[MarineTech]

Iothil, on 21 January 2016 - 01:25 PM, said:

Hahaha... No. Sorry, but conquest is really annoying on this map. MASC abuse en masse and the team with the fastest light wins as the map is simply too big with too much distance between the points.

Hahaha... Yes. Sorry. But for me, I think it's a great conquest map.

You have to actually coordinate some strategy before setting out BECAUSE of its size. You can't just set out in the standard NASCAR murder ball and play "Skirmish with some spots on the map we can ignore."

[Semper Bob]

@ F8Sealed ~

I respectfully disagree, despite the limited cover I got my 48km/h Atlas into optimal range without any major damage.

edited because I apparently can't figure out how to quote properly

Edited by Rotrau Romali, 21 January 2016 - 02:06 PM.

[Iothil]

MarineTech, on 21 January 2016 - 01:41 PM, said:

Hahaha... Yes. Sorry. But for me, I think it's a great conquest map.

You have to actually coordinate some strategy before setting out BECAUSE of its size. You can't just set out in the standard NASCAR murder ball and play "Skirmish with some spots on the map we can ignore."

Agree, talking about public games ofc, in which you can type/scream "left flank inc! LEFT FLANK INK!" or "Cap now or lose, lights to theta!" for about 5 times and no one moves a muscle and instead observes an empty strip of land.
For premades, this map is the best map so far, imo.

[White Bear 84]

Iothil, on 21 January 2016 - 02:38 PM, said:

For premades, this map is the best map so far, imo.

For any team that is organised and works together this is the best map by far.

Last night we actually had a brawl in the centre against three groups, they were LRM heavy and we were not. We actually won by taking out scouts and using the rolling hills as cover while we flanked round to target their LRM boats.

Teamplay more OP than LRM's...

Perhaps this map might actually educate some pilots on the merits of tactical maneuvering and flanking, since it is the only map that does not offer a tonne of safety nets (i.e. blobs of cover to hide behind).

Time to suit up mechwarriors..

Edited by White Bear 84, 21 January 2016 - 04:55 PM.

[Ragnahawk]

Rotrau Romali, on 21 January 2016 - 02:05 PM, said:

@ F8Sealed ~

I respectfully disagree, despite the limited cover I got my 48km/h Atlas into optimal range without any major damage.

edited because I apparently can't figure out how to quote properly

Than the enemy team has brawlers or they are very unaware. Or you slipped in with an ECM atlas. Or waited in the trench. Whatever the case, raven 3L is lord on this map. X-5 / 4X are kind of.

Edited by F8Sealed, 21 January 2016 - 05:01 PM.

[SteelBruiser]

F8Sealed, on 21 January 2016 - 05:01 PM, said:

Than the enemy team has brawlers or they are very unaware. Or you slipped in with an ECM atlas. Or waited in the trench. Whatever the case, raven 3L is lord on this map. X-5 / 4X are kind of.

And I've managed flank them with my KGC several times. Now that wakes them up in a hurry!

Edited by SteelBruiser, 21 January 2016 - 06:40 PM.

[Ashvins]

TOO BIG !!!

The size of this map means 3 min wasted just closing to weapons range at best. Most matches so far it's been 5 min before weapon range. If you're in a brawler type mech add 1-2 min to that if you can even get into weapon range before being LRM'd to death.

I like the general Ideal of the map but the distances between cover locations is too far. The distance between cap points again too far. It leaves brawlers in a situation where you "charge" the enemy and hope they don't have heavy LRM's or ER weapons, or cower in cover.

This map gives us LESS tactical diversity not more. If it was 1/2 the size it would be much better.

[Tywren]

As others have said, too big, at least for what it is. If it had more cover this size would be ok; if the map was reduced in size by 1/3, it would be ok even without more cover. But when you have matches where the teams spend over 10 minutes just trying to find each other (both sides were ECM heavy to counter LRMs) then you have a problem with the map.