After watching HC3 and many previous tournaments, which maps do you think are especially suitable for tournaments? You can mention general aspects you like seeing in maps (e.g. water maps, wallable or not, hills, type of terrain etc.) or also specific maps that you like or dislike. Obviously, maps also depend on the type of tournament (eg Arabia only, Arena etc.), but many big tournaments essentially are independent of the map type (NAC and HC e.g.).
Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of many HC3 maps:
- aesthetically, they often felt a bit bland and gimmicky (just essentially mirrored, few hills, bland terrain, random "shallow terrain" at the edge in high tide etc.)
- in terms of micro options, I felt some maps lacked hills
- a few of the maps felt too wallable and forced into lategame (e.g. "pants" despite the shallows meant to prevent walling, ravines)
- some of the maps had individual features that made one or two civs OP (eg shorefish)
Positively speaking, I like maps that are unique/interesting, yet still (mostly) somewhat natural looking and not too closed off/wallable such as: Arabia, cross (obv a bit gimmicky, but interesting enough and offers lots of strategic potential), maybe acropolis (altho more for team games), golden pit.
Some maps would be okay if you banned 1-2 civs (eg Slopes without Mongols and Indians). I think Ravines could be a fun map if only there were (a lot) less little forests around and maybe more valleys/hills all over the map. Cup, although imo quite aesthetically unpleasing as it is very unnatural looking, is at least somewhat interesting strategy wise.
I don't mind Serengeti, either, although it promotes hyper aggression and scrappy games.
Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of many HC3 maps:
- aesthetically, they often felt a bit bland and gimmicky (just essentially mirrored, few hills, bland terrain, random "shallow terrain" at the edge in high tide etc.)
- in terms of micro options, I felt some maps lacked hills
- a few of the maps felt too wallable and forced into lategame (e.g. "pants" despite the shallows meant to prevent walling, ravines)
- some of the maps had individual features that made one or two civs OP (eg shorefish)
Positively speaking, I like maps that are unique/interesting, yet still (mostly) somewhat natural looking and not too closed off/wallable such as: Arabia, cross (obv a bit gimmicky, but interesting enough and offers lots of strategic potential), maybe acropolis (altho more for team games), golden pit.
Some maps would be okay if you banned 1-2 civs (eg Slopes without Mongols and Indians). I think Ravines could be a fun map if only there were (a lot) less little forests around and maybe more valleys/hills all over the map. Cup, although imo quite aesthetically unpleasing as it is very unnatural looking, is at least somewhat interesting strategy wise.
I don't mind Serengeti, either, although it promotes hyper aggression and scrappy games.