After playing Westwoods horrifically unbalanced a pattern of islands map, I wanted to make a FFA map from the ground up which is competitive for all players.
After some play-testing and feedback, I present revision 2.
Each island has a single land entrance to the mid of the map, a beach running along the entire rear side of the island, two double ore mines and two oil derricks.
The entrance is a double mud bridge of equal length for all players and every player spawns the same distance from it. The mud bridges help turtlers as it slows down and funnels enemy units into a small killing zone. It also slows down rushers using their initial MCV to expand early.
The double mines spawn with no initial ore, allowing each player to place refineries in the optimal position one cell away from the mine. The double mines allow a single ore truck to continuously mine without wandering off to other ore mines. This also completely eliminates the south economy disadvantage for all players.
The mines have been moved closer to each player spawn with one oriented toward the beach and one toward the land entrance. This stops naval units completely cutting off your economy. It also means players unfamiliar with the map are more likely to place REFs closer to the ore.
The two additional oil derricks are to speed up game-play for turtlers and to alert new players to the presence of oil elsewhere. The oil derricks have been placed on the beaches so that attacking naval forces can easily destroy the derricks. Not only does this remove the economy from the defender, but the destroyed derricks give space for deploying MCVs from transports.
As such, naval landings are an extremely effective strategy.
As players push out of their islands by the mud bridges, they will come to 'outer mid'. Outer mid comprises of a small clearing amongst gems in each of the four corners of mid, with each corner joined by the mud bridges of two adjacent islands. Each clearing has a small amount of room for early expanders, with ore trucks clearing the gems to give more building space.
Each clearing also has an oil derrick, which will see early infantry fighting for control of these areas.
As the gems are cleared, a double ore mine will be uncovered between each of the four clearings. The gems reward an early expansion initially but the uncovered double ore mines will allow successful early expanders to retain an advantage late game. This allows successful early expanders to keep an economy advantage.
Players who push to outer mid will find that naval is cut off between AB CD EF GH. Players on outer mid can place naval production facilities between HA BC DE FG, but due to the rocks at the shore the naval production facilities would have to be placed close to enemy islands, effectively cutting off naval production for early FFA expanders.
However, naval units will be able to navigate around these rocks and can attack the early expansions. Essentially, players must choose between early expansion with an early economy advantage or keeping naval at the cost of an economy disadvantage.
That said, players who go naval will be able to capture the oil derricks on the tiny islands in each corner of the map. However, these derricks are vulnerable to naval and air attacks and once destroyed, they are gone.
Once players have a grasp on the early mid expansions, the final area of the map will be contested. Inner mid has a clearing with a double gem mine surrounded by debris. This allows ore trucks to mine but the gems not to spread. The debris also slows down ore trucks slightly.
The general economy advantage of capturing inner mid is offset by the fact this area has four land attack routes from all sides. Even a successful outer mid expand may only cover two of the routes. Also, the further the player expands into the centre, the more vulnerable the outer islands become to capture.
Control for the double gem mine in the centre of the map won't be as important as the strategic value - being sheltered from naval and bombarding the outer mid ore mines and early bases from the ridge lines.
[align=center]FFA replay - revision 2[/align]
[align=center]download[/align]
Have fun.
). Replay stops halfway through otherwise I would post it.