Symmetrical planets are getting there...

I really hope that the ranked maps are not fixed. I like watching matches but i find it boring when players play in memorized maps, they even know where the opponent will spawn, it cuts away the randomness that is war, of having to scout your opponents position, to think on your feet.

It is an incentive for boring gameplay IMO, witch is always the same with an optimal strategy for any given map, and the game just becomes a rush to who can execute it faster. With random maps you have to develop the strategy on the fly, its less mechanical, more fluid and a heck lot more interesting to watch.

If it's a symmetrical map you'll know where they spawn regardless.

Well not always, since u can have a symmetrical map with multiple spawn points. And even if that is the case , you will still have to adapt your strategy to the metal distribution. If you are playing in a pre-designed map you KNOW where all the metal is, you've played it one hundred times before and tested all alternatives, how long until a dominant strategy to said map becomes the rule? Then it becomes a question of who can execute said strategy faster, witch i find a very boring thing to watch and play.

Soccer pitch dimensions are not all the same http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/rules_and_equipment/4200666.stm

Cricket pitches are even more relaxed http://sarahcanterbury.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/floodlit-lime-tree-essex-t20-20111.jpg

Let me add quotation marks.
Part of my advantage during a match is not ever having seen the map before (...) I really don't want any of the "play it till ya know it" gameplay here in PA.
There. Readable?

Yes i know they are not all the same. The point was that the dimensions are disclosed and publicly knowable beforehand.

There is no surprise surprise. No competitive sport in the world says to it's players 'yea both of you rock up to this place to play the game, but none of you are allowed to know anything about the field or venue beforehand. Have fun!".

Can you imagine how ridiculous that would be? Randomly holding the finals for the wimbledon cup in a court the size of a ping pong table and not telling the players about it beforehand. Or randomly changing the height of the net. "oh but now we test their ability to adapt". lol.

Knowing where your opponent spawns limits nothing but luck.

The greatest competitive rts to date with the top players making thousands upon thousands of dollars know where there opponent will be.

Statecraft is a good rts but planetary annihilation is better.

Planetary annihilation top players play at an effective a pm of 1 to 3 hundred.
With several macro mechanics simplified.

Sc2 top players play 3 to 5 hundred amp with difficult macro and way more difficult micro.

If we could somehow show the greatness of this game and how it trumps sc2 in every fashion and have two 500 effective apm players duking it out, It would be awe inspiring and amazing.

Imho this should be the game that thousands watch as a spectator support.

Two God's duking it out in a 25 to 60 min multiplanet, planet destroying game can not be beat.

These players could have a 1v1 galactic war in 35min to an hour with action everywhere.

While knowing where there opponent was within two to three spots.

heh. I don't have the time. I actually have a life, where I make dough with my brain and come up with more ways to make cash with my brain. I'm not going to sit in a chair and memorize a system of solutions to a system of problems that a million before me have already solved. This is why I do not enjoy school nearly as much as hands on learning or research. And I'm willing to bet other folks feel the same way. I'm here to outwit you in this game. I'm not here to get outmatched by someone who simulated our match for hours beforehand. It's why I have a huge disadvantage in SupCom - I'm good with all the micro and stuff, but I don't know the efficient build orders for each map, and I'm willing to bet high level play is all about efficient builds.

That is NOT how this game should play out. Sure, you need a base level of understanding on how the game works (don't build 5 factories out the get-go or something ridiculous, for example), but you shouldn't have to spend hours memorizing maps to get to that level. You should have to spend hours developing strategies and understanding how the units and structures interact. That's actually time well spent, and can be fun and exciting, especially with friends.

In addition, a game with a system of ranked maps won't retain as many players, because they'll hit a learning wall. Without it, there's still the huge learning curve of learning all the strategies, tips, and tricks involved with playing PA well.

I've been beat by people with a much lower level of skill because I walked into a 1v1 to practice after a week of not playing. I'm fine with this because it was necessary for me to learn new strategies for victory, and to refine my build orders.

I shouldn't have to memorize a bunch of predetermined maps I will only play on for maybe a 1/4 of the time I'll be playing PA if I want to be ranked.

None of these sports test the ability to adapt. They test specific skills in a controlled environment.

Real life isn't a controlled environment. Planetary Annihilation isn't a controlled environment.

You have to deal with the randomness. Use your God-given intelligence to analyze a situation and find a solution. That solution may involve using a standard strat and build order to steamroll your opponent. It may involve adapting after that failed strategy to defeat your enemy. But it isn't mechanical - it's thoughtful

I will continue to hold that SC2 is considered a competitive sport because it imitates real sports. Fixed fields, strict rules, memorization of movements and specific tested skillsets. PA will be a great game - but it shouldn't be that way because it imitates other great RTS titles. It is and should continue to invent and refine new ways to play against an opponent in a strategic battle of will.

Lol innovation is alive and we'll sc2, pa even with known spawns will trump it a thousand times over in innovation.

That minimal knowledge limits but a miniscule fraction of luck; being" he he I found you first"

This simply adds an earlier air fact.

End of story

No, not end of story. Not at all. That's not minimal knowledge, either. That's showing you information meant to be earned. Also, speak some english. What do you mean by this sentence:

This simply adds an earlier air fact

Not meant to be insulting or anything, just curious.

I believe he means if you get an air factory up quicker than your opponent you scout them quicker? Not sure.

@sorian
Uh, point symmetry please?

Mirroring the planet on the equator has certain disadvantages, namely creating all choke points either on the equator or doubling choke points in general.

Point symmetry allows for choke points which exist on both hemispheres, but which are clearly shifted toward one side each.

I'm not sure either, because that just doesn't make sense. You can scout just as quick with vehicles, and rush builds used to have certain disadvantages, like not having the ability to scout/

Watch this: https://forums.uberent.com/threads/zykey-pov-vids.65292/

Its the blender monkey.

Random spawns limits the build and strategies you can do in a match. With fixed spawns, you can do very precise and map specific strats.

This is why we see dox all day long because it's the safest strat. For example, on my custom map, doxes aren't so obvious for a first choice as the paths and chokes limits them.


Both approaches are their good and bad parts. A mixed map pool could be welcome.

I think the ultimate test of a players skills is being challenged by both circumstances. I like the idea of a tournament having a fixed system that players can practise till the cows come home, but also having a totally random system that none of the players have seen before, then you get tested in different ways.

We have already sort of seen this kind of thing happening with teams having their own systems, giving us sort of 'home' and 'away' matches, which I really like.

As everything being added is optional, I think everyone is a winner regardless

Wow you guys! good news! really really good news!

@sorian What's the plan for metal planets?

agreed having to addapt to new terrain was a keyfeature for PA imho ... i would hate to lose that for competitiv multiplayer for both play and spectator reasons ..