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Orbital Docking Station - Sketch phase
https://www.swmgamers.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=10908		 Page 3 of 3
Author:  Mapmaker [ Thu Apr 21, 2011 10:11 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Orbital Docking Station - Sketch phase
Seems like a lot of good suggestions, and your proposal for the structure of the ship is similar to what I had in mind.

Worth noting: The door at 24, D-G will probably be moved one square to the left, allowing space between those doors for a huge to stop.

A commander protection room on the left is easy to add.

I hadn't considered the lower-right corner a viable starting location for huges; if it is, that raises my hopes further for making this a decent tournament map.

I will probably remove that pit with the starfighter inside it altogether, simply using the floor art to show that it can be opened. Then, if I do go with the exposed interior layout for the central ship, I will truncate it by one square to fit on a terrain card. (Probably shifting it down one square in the process to allow movement from the left around the back of the ship.) In such a case, I would use the bonus terrain card with this poster to show the exterior hull of the same ship: with the card in place on the map, you see the ship's hull. Take it off and you get the inside view. That seems more broadly useful than an opening/closing pit.
Author:  NickName [ Thu Apr 21, 2011 11:22 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Orbital Docking Station - Sketch phase
Vertical walls in or very near gambit are one of the prime elements of a good competetive map. So Ruhk's last sketch is a vast improvement over his earlier ones. You want to prevent someone from blowing a door or two and being able to fully control the gambit area with a shooter from their starting area. That was possible for left in the first sketch, and appears impossible in the update.
Author:  Mapmaker [ Thu Apr 21, 2011 12:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Orbital Docking Station - Sketch phase
Agreed. If I move that central ship down one square, as I'm considering, it will open a few squares of gambit to a left-side shooter. Is that acceptable to allow movement around that ship on both sides, or is it better to limit the left's movement options around the ship in other to prevent that small lane of fire?

The placement of the ship makes little difference to the other uses of the map, so this is strictly a balance question.
Author:  dalsiandon [ Sun Apr 24, 2011 9:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Orbital Docking Station - Sketch phase
as awesome as this one is looking and with the feedback on the past couple of posts shows there is a lot of good thought going into this, with all that said i'm still way more excited for the reverse side.
Author:  GeneralGrievous [ Tue Apr 26, 2011 4:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Orbital Docking Station - Sketch phase
Mapmaker wrote:
Seems like a lot of good suggestions, and your proposal for the structure of the ship is similar to what I had in mind.

Worth noting: The door at 24, D-G will probably be moved one square to the left, allowing space between those doors for a huge to stop.

A commander protection room on the left is easy to add.

I hadn't considered the lower-right corner a viable starting location for huges; if it is, that raises my hopes further for making this a decent tournament map.

I will probably remove that pit with the starfighter inside it altogether, simply using the floor art to show that it can be opened. Then, if I do go with the exposed interior layout for the central ship, I will truncate it by one square to fit on a terrain card. (Probably shifting it down one square in the process to allow movement from the left around the back of the ship.) In such a case, I would use the bonus terrain card with this poster to show the exterior hull of the same ship: with the card in place on the map, you see the ship's hull. Take it off and you get the inside view. That seems more broadly useful than an opening/closing pit.


Great ideas, please do this haha. Huges need all the help they can get.
Author:  Mapmaker [ Sat Jun 11, 2011 9:34 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Orbital Docking Station - Sketch phase
A quick update on this project...

It's still in the works, but I have forced myself to accept a bitter truth: there's no way I'm going to have the space station (and colony facility maps on the back) done in time for Gen Con, on top of my regular workload.

HOWEVER, I'm still determined to have a new sci-fi poster map ready for Gen Con, so I'm fast-tracking a set of new starship designs to create a boarding action map: two docked starships on one poster map, for ship-to-ship combat, and probably a new Mass Transit installment on the back to expand the existing map set.

Also: I will have a new set of 5"x8" terrain cards (collectively forming an aquatic base and smaller space station) available this year.

The posters discussed earlier in this thread are still due out this year--they just won't be funded in time for Gen Con.
Author:  Ruhk [ Sun Jun 12, 2011 2:39 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Orbital Docking Station - Sketch phase
:(

Too bad they can't get done, I was looking forward to seeing the finished works. But, still interested in seeing the new posters you have there.
Author:  darthmaim [ Sun Jun 12, 2011 6:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Orbital Docking Station - Sketch phase
Can't wait until the maps are released! Count me in!!!!!!!!!!!


DM :emperor:
Author:  Centurion [ Sat Jan 28, 2012 2:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Orbital Docking Station - Sketch phase
Really old thread, I know. Any chance you've made any progress on this set, Chris? I was really hoping to see both sides some day :)
Author:  Mapmaker [ Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:11 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Orbital Docking Station - Sketch phase
No new progress has been made on these, technically, though I have gotten a lot of other things out of the way to make room for them this year.

I decided to crank out a Mass Transit IV last fall, on the idea that it could be done very quickly because the subject matter is an expansion of one of the ships from Mass Transit III. Boy, did I miscalculate... That process took me *months* because of the increased level of detail and conceptual work I was putting into it (and also because I had unrelated work to get done that sapped much of my time).

So now, mid-winter, I'm finally ready to launch MTIV, and can start to lay out a schedule to get the Distant Outposts maps made. My goal is to have at least two of those posters ready to debut for Gen Con, along with at least one new fantasy-themed map, and hopefully a new tournament-grade sci-fi poster for you folks.

That's a busy springtime, to be sure, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed in hopes that I can pull it all off.
Author:  Centurion [ Fri Feb 03, 2012 6:51 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Orbital Docking Station - Sketch phase
Thanks for the info, Chris. My poverty has continued longer than expected, so I'm actually kinda glad for any delay :)
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