Layout of battlefield / optimal Layout of bases

[Hk]

Hello,
so, I am getting interested into mapping (again. as in nearly every other game ).

However, currently I am stuck in some basic plans.

My general plan is the following:
Every team is supposed to start in some mediocre area for the base, which is maybe able to hold itself agains a strong opposition, but most likely isn't.
For example, in an alien base there whould be rather long straight areas where humans can snipe buildings, so the builders have to spread out the defensive structures. Or, in the human base, the aliens could escape and hide behind corners very soon.
However, I do not want to keep people stuck in their bad starting base and I want to give them the possibility to move to some better base location.
As humans, this should result in two possible base locations:
The first one should be tough for tyrants, however goons shold have a certain chance to kill stuff.
The second base location should be goon-safe, however tyrants can charge in.

The first base could be on a roof and whould be reached via ladders, the second base whould be somewhere in a room with doors. Both bases whould have some medium-length corridors or open areas, so fleeing aliens can be chased down.

However, I am still pondering about a layout for some nice alien base.
I think, the base should offer very few long areas, making sniping stuff from far away difficult and the entrances should not immediately offer the possibility to shoot important stuff without being hit by tubes or hives.
Is this some desireable area for an alien base?


The second thing I am pondering about is: How should a balanced battlefield look?
tight, cramped areas are favoring aliens again, by minimizing the maximum line of sight a human can have and thus reducing the time a human can shoot at an alien until the alien can get a headchomp and the human dies.
Thus, I think, the battlefield should offer two paths, one path, which is rather cramped with a lot of turns and rather short straight lanes which favors aliens and a second path which contains more large areas, thus favoring humans.
is this correct as well?

- Hk

[Survivor]

Hello,
so, I am getting interested into mapping (again. as in nearly every other game ).

However, currently I am stuck in some basic plans.

My general plan is the following:
Every team is supposed to start in some mediocre area for the base, which is maybe able to hold itself agains a strong opposition, but most likely isn't.

Welcome, looking forward to your contribution to tremulous

For example, in an alien base there whould be rather long straight areas where humans can snipe buildings, so the builders have to spread out the defensive structures. Or, in the human base, the aliens could escape and hide behind corners very soon.
However, I do not want to keep people stuck in their bad starting base and I want to give them the possibility to move to some better base location.

This is essential. But not only the better base location matters, also the path a team has to take to get there. If a human team has to move through some alien favorable area in a map to get to the good location the move will most likely fail and not be executed.

As humans, this should result in two possible base locations:
The first one should be tough for tyrants, however goons shold have a certain chance to kill stuff.
The second base location should be goon-safe, however tyrants can charge in.

Generally true and simple

The first base could be on a roof and whould be reached via ladders, the second base whould be somewhere in a room with doors. Both bases whould have some medium-length corridors or open areas, so fleeing aliens can be chased down.

Roofs make pretty bad places for aliens. Humans have a great edge here in the fact that the attacking aliens first must get up, and secondly go off unplanned due to all the knockback of turrets and weapon fire plus dodging.

Doors are not a sure fire way of hindering goons. They will block the snipes but only if those doors are right next up to the base defenses which would be unlikely since the base itself would usually be further back in a room, drawing with it essential defenses (if they are building correctly).

However, I am still pondering about a layout for some nice alien base.
I think, the base should offer very few long areas, making sniping stuff from far away difficult and the entrances should not immediately offer the possibility to shoot important stuff without being hit by tubes or hives.
Is this some desireable area for an alien base?

The most important thing isn't so much the vulnerability of the alien base to long range as the ineffectiveness of the defences. If you make some nice holes for tubes, some good spots where hives can work without getting shot at <1 second of entering base (ergo human is so busy with everything else that he won't see the hive) and lots of angles for trappers (many trapper placements are very predictable and won't hold any experienced attacker) alien builders will love you.

The second thing I am pondering about is: How should a balanced battlefield look?
tight, cramped areas are favoring aliens again, by minimizing the maximum line of sight a human can have and thus reducing the time a human can shoot at an alien until the alien can get a headchomp and the human dies.
Thus, I think, the battlefield should offer two paths, one path, which is rather cramped with a lot of turns and rather short straight lanes which favors aliens and a second path which contains more large areas, thus favoring humans.
is this correct as well?

I would rather have varying advantage areas in series. This is because as you say it humans will follow the human-favored path to attack and defend the alien-favored while for aliens it's exactly the other way around. A circular push pattern.

HB: Human base; HA: Human Attack path; HD: Human Defense; etc

HB HB
HA HD
HA AA
HA AA
HA AA
AD AA
AB AB

The series push pattern could have several paths following this plan.

In the example below the leftmost path makes battles like trenchwarfare. Once you conquer 'trenches' in which you have an advantage it would be hard to drive you away. But it is also hard to reach those 'trenches' because your enemy has 'trenches' to his favor you have to pass through. A trench in this way is an area favorable to one team.

The middle path makes it a tug o war in reverse. A bit like sumo wrestling. The fighting would revolve around the center area, if a team is able to push the other team into an area which is favorable for the pushing team they could then march on to the opponent's base and lay waste to it.

The rightmost path is a defensive path. It makes the central area undefined   but makes sure people are able to defend their first base when they come under siege.
ATCS for example has the rightmost path. The defenders have it easy while the center is fair game for anyone who has the upperhand at that moment.

HF: Human Favourable; AF: Alien Favorable

HB HB HB HB HB
HF      AF      HF
AF      AF      AF
HF      HF     etc    
AF      HF      HF
HF      HF      AF
AB AB  AB AB  AB