Central Sahara

[Igor]

Can this map be turned to ladder map as in previous season?

[piranha]

Yes. It's ladder now.

[tabanli]

Central Sahara is a very interesting map, thank you Igor for the effort. Here is my 2 cents opinion.

It is a relatively small map, so big stack bonus hero's can't level up too much before confronting with the opponent. So ideally you have to settle for a Barbarian accompanied with a Valkyrie-Paladin-Dread Knight as a good combo. The game is fast and I think most games will finish in less than 20 turns. There is always an urgent need of troops. When you have a level 1 hero offer, it puts you in a dilemma where you can take it and put in good use or pile up the gold and wait for a level-2-3 hero with good allies that can significantly tip the balance of the game.

I think free for all games would be more fun than team games. Also the serpent islands can be expanded to accommodate an 8X8 version of the map for the future.

[piranha]

I'm really enjoying this map but I have thought about a few things.

The ruins on the island giving 3 elementals seems a bit too good. I think 2 elementals would be better since I don't think a single ruin should be able to turn the game that much.
I like that the ruins are set to be the same amount of gold for a ladder map but I think it could be slightly less gold in them. Perhaps 400, 800, 1200.

Otherwise its a really fun action map with many fun ideas.

[Igor]

Thanks for feed back and for good words about Central Sahara map. I will accumulate and consider all I have read. New version may be will be different a little, when it will be time to public it. Thanks again.

[Igor]

Small map suppose to get a barbarian early in the game and to develop him high. If such barbarian will unfortunately lost in 70%-win battle, player still have a chance to dig a ruin with 3 elementals and come back into the game.
Money from ruin is very difficult task if first hero is barbarian. To dig a medium danger ruin, hero need 15-20 UL, barbarian or valkyria take long time to get it. 500 gold from easy ruin technically cannot be changed to 400, only 250 or still 500, 250 is too low sum, on my look.
A thing that I would like to note and to change, is that central city is not in use. Probably nobody wish to occupy it. I changed this city for medium danger ruin, where some pegasi will join in one moment. Hope that this will give interest to use center, too.
Tabanli: I don't know how to make 8 players, map is not so big and player probably will kicked out in 3-4 turn.

[tabanli]

I have been playing this map as a practice for a while and I can say that the game is very different if played one on one, FFA or as a team game. I guess that is expected. But in both cases, I realize that the most important thing to do is to open the level 2 ruin in your Island at turn 3 or at turn 4 at least. After that, the next important thing is to get those elements from the ruin. That gold and the elements from the ruins really makes you or breaks you. With close to 2000 you start to get good allies, an archon, medusa or wizard and if you are close to 3000 you start getting Red Dragons. With them and the new heroes coming with good allies, you will achieve nice momentum.

If you ask me where would I rather start at this map, I would say I don't know. Each one has its own advantage/disadvantage. I guess this is the criteria for a good map. Starting first is a big advantage, but I has always been one. If you ask me where would I attack first, again I don't know. Dwarf island is lucrative but they are though attackers. Orcs are weak but unpredictable. Elf's are somewhat weaker but be cause of that whoever is at that island should have little problem in expanding.