Featured Map of the Month!
October 2018 Featured Map of the Month!
Frog Legs
Frog Legs is a 7 player built-in map from the Ladder folder with all players starting on the same land mass in the middle of the map. The map is often played as a land map, but 7 island expansions available as well as two treed-in gold mines in the middle.
There are many options for this map, which is what I like about it. I've seen every kind of unit on this map!
You can wall in or choke, but be careful to protect both the inner opening to the base as well as the larger outer opening near the shoreline, as enemy units can sneak around the trees to get to your vulnerable workers. You could wall off with 5-7 buildings or block or choke the gaps by the trees with grunts, with or without tower/archer reinforcement.
I've tried to figure out why this map is often overlooked and rarely seen hosted, as I don't see any obvious defects and it's really fun to play. Tileset is sometimes a deterrent, or water, or the odd number of starting positions, but I suspect in this case, the lack of appeal French delicacies have to the North American palate is to blame.
I aim to include at least a handful of streams of the Featured Map of the Month.
Recent Frog Legs replays from War2USA
November 2019 Featured Map of the Month
Isle
This month's "Map of the Month" is one I think I've never actually played that I can remember. I selected the map "Isle" from the Classic - Expansion folder and will try to explain why it's so unappealing and seldom played, and then will eventually force myself to play it.
First of all, this map looks like a very low effort creation (unless it was a kindergarten project, perhaps).
It appears to be not really thought out, with everything just plopped wherever. The lines are blocky and not naturalized, but not in a purposeful geometrically pleasing pattern that can give an excuse for unnatural tree and shore lines.
Most of the islands have no gold, no wood, and barely any space. That led me to wonder whether the "secret" or key to this map is the shortage of space (similar to mini chop theme).
After thinking about it some more and staring at the map trying to imagine gameplay on it, I wonder if I may have rushed to judgement on its worthiness as a battleground.
There is potential here, at least, for an interesting, although possibly clunky and haphazard, game.
I'll keep an open mind and plan to post at least one replay this year for this map of the month, and if it's a half way fun game, maybe even a second.
The Isle replay, at last:
I would give this map a few more chances. I think there are for sure many better maps out there than this, but it's a unique thing that the starting island has no trees and you have to choose whether you're going to try to set up a lumber operation elsewhere or go aggressive. Seems I made the wrong choice here.
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