What I think would make an ideal map....
1. Caters to more than one play style. I think the ideal map would foster many play styles and be dictated not by the map but by how the teams are setup and play.
2. Has levels of play. One problem with the new map is it is flat with a few small gullies and hills. So any angles it fosters are basically on a 2d plane. I find it much more interesting to have a map that has 2 or 3 or more levels of play. And these levels should have ramps with easy access to all mechs not just smaller jump jetting maps.
3. Varied cover so you are not just hill humping. Some mechs are better at peaking around tall cover and some at peeking over hills. It would be best to have both.
4. No central feature. I very much dislike one central feature maps. Only a few maps get away with it like Mining Collective. But for mining collective you have higher points around the center you can shoot down on it. That way it does not command the entire map. I also dislike maps with big mountains in the center you cant move over or fire from. Having the large mountains funnels people around the edges.
5. Has many areas of play. I very very much dislike maps that funnel people into certain areas and dictate very limited fighting areas.
6. Does not have sharp bumps, roots, jagged rocks and other things on the ground to stop mechs.
7. Has good frame rates and is optimized well.
8. Has decent visibility.
9. A decent amount of color. The universe is not made up of just drab colored places only. Yes you can have some of these but there is no reason to have every map having such a limited color pallet.
10. Some maps should look alien and strange. The designers literally have the entire universe to work with yet the maps tend to all look like they are on earth or something very close to it. Really they are only limited by their imagination.
11. Sense of scale. Most maps do not give you any sense of scale of your mech or of the planet in general.
More to come when I have more time. Add suggestions of what you think an ideal map would have.
Edited by XX Sulla XX, 20 January 2016 - 08:29 AM.