Fall From Heaven VII Map Thread (Help Needed!)

[Ravus Sol]

Thank you in advance! I'll also apologise now if you find yourself shaking your head at my choices.

[Ravus Sol]

[SIZE="5"]The Red Dragon[/SIZE]

While waiting for feedback I may as well point out the potential places the Barbarian Dragon can go.

The Grigori have Dragon Slayers so to deny them the oppurtunity to use them is harsh. But having the Dragon in a city means that city will produce unlimited Barbarian Archmages. Any player that beelines Archmages themselves and grabs the Domination spell can then steal unlimited archmages... It's a very broken glitch that hasn't been edited out of the game yet.

So with that in mind I figured we could alter how we place this foul beast.
I have found 5 places and figure that the Dragon can be a held guardian outside of the city... perhaps let off the leash as a animal on a enclosed island... Or placed so far away in a city it doesn't matter. If we didn't include the city the Dragon could be held nearly anywhere... but a stationary target is easy pickings to an intelligent mind.

[Ravus Sol]

Spot #1

This spot is simple enough. The City goes on the City and the Dragon Goes on the Dragon.

The City gets Some held Sons and Adepts and the Dragons Horde

The Dragon is held at the chokepoint

This spot allows the Dragon to be visable and a threat to get through to the city unless the player goes for the Water Religion or Naval units. This spot doesn't cut out exploration along the land-bridge but it does provide a cut of middle point and unlimited warrior marauders.

[Ravus Sol]

Spot #2

This spot is out of the way.

You need a unit that can travel through ocean to get to this island in the far north.

If we don't mind leaving the breakage in this would be a good spot to have the dragon held with a city.

Otherwise it could be a spot to have JUST the dragon. No city. Take the dragon of the leash and give it AI-ATTACK. Without time to slowly build up a force a player would need a sizable naval force to transport enough units to take down this beast.

Of course a dragon by itself doesn't provide much incentive to be killed apart from the ability to tame it too your own side via Rangers or Beast Masters...

[Ravus Sol]

Spot #3

This is the Peninsula that got turned into an Island.

It's close enough to the mainland that you can get their with only minor sailing units.

It is also large enough to be a viable settling spot, and in terms of Lore the Grigori are just to the north.

For this area it might be good to settle the city with the Sons and Horde in the spot and let the Dragon of the Leash with AI-Explore, AI-Pillage or AI-City attack.

If the first then the dragon will only attack the units that venture out of the city...
If the second then the Dragon will leave the city alone but will pillage the resources to stop the city being economical (will it also attack units out of the city?)
If the third then it will immediately retake the city if a player conquers it.

Either way this area has the most potential to be amusing for lurkers...

Anticapated the line:

OMG! THE DRAGON HAS ENTERED MY BORDERS AND IS BEARING DOWN ON THE CITY!

[Ravus Sol]

Spot #4

This area is "meh"

It's just an single tile island with just enough space for the player to land an assault force.

A place where the players can see it but not easily get to it early on. The Dragon could be alone or in a city but there isn't enough space to let is of the "held" leash.

[Ravus Sol]

Spot #5

This is the Centre of the map and has Mountains around.

The Mountain range could be extended to make a enclosed city with a choke point. The Dragon could then be a held guard outside the city like in Spot #1 but be accessible to four players more easily then 2. (Including the Grigori)

[Ravus Sol]

[SIZE="5"]Unique Features[/SIZE]

Most of the Features are fine to place around the map or next to the Player. The Epic Dungeons Can be deadly if used by enemies near a rivals borders and the BIG three are completely overpowered and shouldn't be near someone's starting location.

I feel that the players should have ONE unique feature nearby, preferably one that matches the lore.

The Big Three should be no where near anyone as they overpower a starting position and any city thereafter.

Epic Dungeons
Brandelines Well
Broken Sepulcher (also provides a Death Mana Node)
Maenalus (only placed in water)
Pyre of the Seraphic (also provides a Fire Mana Node)

The BIG Three, Economic boosters
Dragon Bones (Commerce)
Remnants of Patria (Production)
Yggdrasil (Food)

Mana Node Features
Mirror Of Heaven (+3 Production and a Sun Mana Node)
Standing Stones (Provides a Earth Mana Node)
Tomb of Sucellus (Provides a Life Mana Node)
Letum Frigus (Provides a Ice Mana Node and a Event for Amurites and Illians)

Misc
Guardians of the Pristin Pass (Spawns three 8 str Gargoyles)
Pool of Tears (Extra Healing)
Odio's Prison (Extra Defence nearby)
Maelstrom (Teleporting for Water units)
Ring of Carcer (A Immortal Unit for the first player with a lvl 15? Unit)
Seven Pines (Forces Peace on players)

[Ravus Sol]

[SIZE="5"]Features for Civilizations[/SIZE]

This lists the current features of the nations and the POSSIBLE changes for them.


[SIZE="4"]Elohim[/SIZE]
Currently have:
Bradelines Well
Amusing as this is the well to HELL. Lore wise they could be guarding it.

Changes:
Seven Pines as the forest of peace would match their nation
Tome of Succellus as the resting place of the former god of Nature and the current god of Life.


[SIZE="4"]Sheaim[/SIZE]
Currently Have:
Letum Frigate
It is in a jungle when it should be in Ice and has more Lore with the Illians or Amurites

Changes:
The Broken Sepulcher
As the resting place of a awesome Lich and the place of a Death Mana Node it fits with Lore... but would be overpowered.

The Pyre of the Seraphic
Fits with the Jungle nearby and Fire Mana isn't as overpowered as Death Mana


[SIZE="4"]Balseraphs[/SIZE]
Currently Have:
Odio's Prison
Fits with Desert and mountains

Changes:
Mirror of Heaven
With all the desert this would be appropriate but is quite a powerful resource. Probably better of in the middle of the deep desert

The Broken Sepulcher
Not as broken when the nation has no death mana initially... The lore fits as Perpenchant was a contempory of the Lich Lord that escapes from here.


[SIZE="4"]Elves[/SIZE]
Currently Have:
Nothing

Changes:
Yggdrasil
The World Tree Matches the lore but is overpowered. Could be placed nearby inbetween Sheaim or Hippus?

Tomb of Succellus
As the resting place of the FORMER god of Nature this fits lore wise and extra Life mana is not broken.

Pool of Tears
Don't know about Lore but it could be used.


[SIZE="4"]Grigori[/SIZE]
Currently Have:
Nothing

Changes:
Seven Pines
Cassiel, the former Archangel of the God of balance was actually present at the Pines when the Compact was forged and Gods retreated slightly from the realms of Erebus. Cassiel thought it should have retreated them completly and thus Fell to Earth as a Mortal to lead the peoples away from the wars of Gods.
Fits perfectly...

Odio's Prison
As the Resting place of another Former Archangel it sort of fits.


[SIZE="4"]Hippus[/SIZE]
Currently Have:
Standing Stones
Unsure of the Lore but the Earth mana seems more in tune with the Dwarfs then horse riders.

Changes:
Unknown
Nothing really fits lore wise

[Mist]

Since noone dialed me up as a dedlurker I can probably spoil myself and leave some comments.

1) Hippus have flat out the best land in the game. That 4 silk, deer and crab site is an outright monster.

2) You are seriously underestimating hammer production in Balseraph land - cows, plains hills next to floodplains, sun mana to scorch grass hills. This will add up to a lot.

3) It sucks to be Elohim. No happy, no commerce, no rivers, not financial...

4) Too many trees around elf start. I understand you want to help them start a bit, but this is over the top. And makes March godawfully powerful.

5) Either give everyone strategic resource, or leave everyone without. Current distribution makes no sense ( Balseraph have no defence against Hippus rush )

6) Everyone apart from elves will struggle for health on this map

7) Tower victory will be next to impossible given low amount of mana nodes.

8) Spread out mana giving uniques next to Balseraph. Keelyn is arguably the most powerful arcane leader in this game, she does not need to have 4 times as much mana at hand as everyone else together :P

9) Odio's Prison *cannot* start close to any capital, to much of a crutch for defending valuable cities.

All above is after a short glance. I'll have a more detailed look later.