New map exclusive for LU

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llrr
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New map exclusive for LU

Post by llrr »

Hi all, a new map called "xen", based off hix, is now hosted at bzflag.allejo.io:5157.

It's a LU exclusive map as it is aimed at league play. There is no FFA version and there's no plans to have one. The server supports /timelimit and /countdown in order to play FMs. Please give it a try and let me know if you like it or not. All feedback welcome!

My aim is to get the map into the offi list. However, if there is not enough interest in it, it will simply be removed.

Check it out! :)

llrr
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llrr
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Re: New map exclusive for LU

Post by llrr »

Hey guys, please note that the server name has been updated to the public LU list, with the same port 5157. The map is also updated to the latest version with minor edits and objects cleaned up (eliminated overlap to make radar view clearer). We've had around 20 fms in two days on the map, so if you haven't tried it out I strongly suggest you do so! And if you've been hesitant because you thought it's "just another hix clone", well it ain't. Trust me!
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indy
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Re: New map exclusive for LU

Post by indy »

Love it. Thank you llrr!
-Indy
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allejo
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Re: New map exclusive for LU

Post by allejo »

Xen has been added to the list of official league maps! At the time of writing this, the map is already available on allejo.leaguesunited.org and meliodas.leaguesunited.org for FMs and officials!
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llrr
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Re: New map exclusive for LU

Post by llrr »

Thank you to all for helping to test the map out. In the week that it's been released around 40 FMs have been played on it. Special thanks to allejo for helping me hosting it and updating the map for me :)

To mark its official release for leagues united, here is a short promotional video. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um2CXiUJ6u8
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llrr
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Re: New map exclusive for LU

Post by llrr »

Hey guys, for those of you who haven't watched the promotion video above I encourage you to do so :) I would like to emphasise and highlight the important point I highlighted in that video, and that is Xen is *not* Hix. It neither aims to replace Hix nor aims to improve Hix. I find myself having to explain this point many times whilst playing on Xen.

Hix is the most popular map, as it strikes a good balance between alot of things, as well as being historical and played over 30k times so everyone knows every rico and tactics like the back of their hand, BUT, some players don't like Hix. It just goes to show that for everything there are people who like it and people who don't (and for the record I absolutely love Hix).

Whilst Xen was inspired by Hix originally, it has come a long way since, and I would like to point out that small variations to a map can create vast changes to gameplay. Hence, players shouldn't expect to jump into Xen and get the exact same feel as Hix in terms of gameplay. If a new map did this then it will die because it will always be inferior to Hix.

I would like to encourage everyone to be open minded when playing on Xen, and instead of looking out for Hix elements, explore the map and learn new tricks, new tactics, and develop new play styles. This way the map will develop its own identity and its own tactics as people play more of it. In my humble opinion it has great potential when it comes to competitive gameplay.

I accept that some people will never like the map, just like some still don't like hix, but I think with maps with potential, the more you play it the more you discover that it's unique in its own way and is worth the time to get better at it :)

As a final note I would like to demonstrate the "Hix based comments" that keep popping up
"This map is too busy, there are too many blocks"
"Ricos are random"
"Can't defend base as easily"
"Can't defend corner 1v2/3 for very long"

For example, I cannot argue against comments such as "can't defend corner 1v3 for long" when the map is *supposed* to be more attacking.

At the end of the day, I think the performance of the map is best measured by how well matches play on it. So far out of 40+ FMs or so (before and after it became official), there hasn't been a single blowout score. There hasn't been a winning score of more than 5 caps. There's been a large number of 1 cap wins or ties. I think the balance speaks volumes of the quality of the map.
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leviathan
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Re: New map exclusive for LU

Post by leviathan »

Played a 3v3 fm on it and thought it was quicker and had less "difficult" jumps for ground players like me. I liked it. Thanks for your effort!
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Re: New map exclusive for LU

Post by Monster »

There are many things that I don't like about the map. However, at his point I'm still happy to attribute most to my lack of experience on the map. The one thing that irks me every time I play a fm on it is the way the map feels crowded. There are few opportunities for long shots. There are many areas I feel like I should be able to reach with my bullets via some rico but I can't. Again, maybe this is due to my inexperience, or its a feature and not an oversight of the design. All in all I had some fun matches and more attempts at good jumping maps are always welcome :)
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llrr
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Re: New map exclusive for LU

Post by llrr »

Thanks for the comments guys. If I see you online I would be more than happy if you show me where you think are the places where ricos are missing on the map. I'm happy to work on small tweaks to the map to make it even better.
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