Alternate team structures

How about the maps? The maps would need to be structured that way. and in all the screens I've seen so far there are only 2 sides to each map.

Not sure if it's possible in this game

Some of the maps we've seen (ok one) could be restructured for that...

And they could always make more awesome looking maps...

I hope they do implement this, either way, it's something to suggest during the beta, they may just put it in

Well the maps are only set up for team 1 vs team 2.. it'd require brand new maps, or at least modified versions of existing maps, for a gametype that few people would play.. And it's time taken away from making more team1 vs. team2 mapps.

It'd be really nice if you could make your own maps though, then something like this should be pretty simple to mod.
And of course, be able to upload the mod/map to someone directly when they join your game rather them having to download and install it BEFORE joining your game.

As far as we know. We've only seen three maps so far, IIRC: waterfalls, lava (trailer), blue circles (http://www.gamershell.com/screenpop.php?id=292244).

Blue circles looks to me like it could very easily support more than two teams.

I don't think making other versions of the maps would be that hard, they already got the terrain design and so on, it's not like they would have to design the maps from scratch.

I don't think it would be that great though, maybe like a fun mode to play once in a while.

I like this idea, although as others have indicated, it may be difficult to implement

Actually it should be easy to implement.

But making the maps would be time consuming for something i'd bet few people should play.

But i very much hope that it could be easily modded in and maps made.

Thumbs up this idea. Could get messy, but introduces new elements. Perhaps in the 2nd or 3rd beta, they could try this out with 3 teams of 3 demi's each.

The biggest issue with this design is simply, how d you balance a 4-way map?

Let's throw out map design for now, since if they had this mode, it's obvious that map design won't be the premiere issue with it.

First and foremost, the only way you could set up a map balanced like this is to have a dual-axis symmetrical map. This means, squares and circles. Right off the bat, you're limiting map design. Three way would require circles and triangles, 2 way squares circles curved lines etc.

Now, you could do a four way "spiral" type map or "tentacle" style, whereby you can have a central meeting ground and all the arms where the bases are are sorta artistically positioned, but here's the problem. You have one army going to the center, that then has to split three ways.

So, first, you have a massive deadlock in the center, but then once you push through, you have severely reduced forces trying to assault up one arm of the map with a now-limited army trying to push against an army designed for 3 teams.

Okay, that idea won't work. So now you'd do a more scattered one army per base split with 3 paths. Now you have 4 teams in, let's say a square. Now you have 3 paths valid for each army to assault from, but only 1 path for each army to be assaulted from by any individual army (barring any previous armies being destroyed). So, now, you have one to your two corners on the right and left, and then one path heading towards the opposite corner.

Here you run into another issue. You have the opposing corners trying to fight each other. What will inevitably happen is these 2 opposing forces will now clash in an eternal deadlock, limiting exactly who you can hit to just your two sides.

This issue can be solved by an overpass/tunnel system, but I don't even think the supreme commander engine is capable of doing this (though the architecture leads me to believe it may be possible, we don't honestly know at this time)

When you introduce more armies, you have to redesign the maps completely around that particular lineup. You can't just convert a pre-existing map to more armies expecting it to be balanced because these types of maps also have moving armies in them attacking a specific goal.

I honestly don't think it's possible, if only because it severely limits map options. And, the more teams you add, the more likely you are to run into issues with balancing them against each other, pathing their armies from one to another, etc.


However, for all I know, none of these will be an issue and I'm just doom and glooming for no reason. It'd be fun to see team games with 3 or 4 teams, or even a FFA style game (though that'd be a nightmare to set up beyond 1v1) but, it is beta for a reason, no reason to not suggest something like this, I s'pose.

On the point of the map structure, there are objectives or at least so has been hinted, it has also been hinted that (ai) armies are more influence-able, both of these aspects might mitigate that factor. For example there could very easily be 5 objectives and you have an army to 3 (1 mid 1 to each opponent) you could attack one opponent by using the middle lane from the middle, for sides, or the sides to attack the middle player. Whats to say you can't channel all your power to the center of the map?

p.s. on the point of limiting architecture you can have more than squares and circles, any multiple of 4 will do, octagons or 12-gons for example.

Actually reading your post hit me with an Idea OnyxBMW. Lets use your spiral/tentacle one, as that was the idea that came to my mind earlier.


You have a central combat area in the middle, And you have 3/4/ Extended arms around the outside 1 for each base. The Spawning NPC's for each team/base will always run towards the middle. In the very middle of the map is a control point/tower/whatever, Once your team takes control of that point they can then change it's facing, now your NPC units leave your base and run to the base the Central point/Tower is pointing towards.

It solves the issue of where do your NPC's go, and it gives opposing teams a chance to try and retake it, as your NPC support is off charging something else. It also gives you something of value to fight over. The only thing that came to my mind was that if you didn;t assign a direction and left your NPC's stocking piling in the middle for a massive rush, but maybe this could be avoided by it auto picking a direction for you and then you reallocating it?

Lets look at the 3 teams first. It would work with an equilateral triangle, with each teams base in each of the corners. Now, draw a line from each corner to the middle of the triangle. This is the center. Each team will have 3 creep lanes, 1 going to each corner and the third going to the middle. If there were no demigods in the game, the creeps on the outside lanes would stalemate in the middle of the lane and the center would be a 3-way stalemate. Now with Demigods, things change. You can push either of the 2 outer lanes, or try your luck in the middle lane. There will be more creeps (3 lanes instead of 2) in the middle to gain experience/income from (assuming same # of creeps per lane), but only if your team/demi gets the kill. It would be the "hotbed". Now to keep things interesting, obviously there would be several legs connecting the lanes, but the creeps would only travel straight to the enemy base or to the center. If the centered were cleared out, the creeps from that team, could then split to travel to the enemy bases.

For 4 teams, the map becomes a square. Same concept where there will be 3 creep lanes from each base. However, in this case, the center has twice as many creeps then the outer lanes (4 incoming lanes instead of 2). If the creeps for your team clear out the center, then they would continue on to the team in the corner opposite of your base.

In summary, pretty much everything that Onyx has pointed out. I don't see that being able to only hit the 2 closest sides as a bad thing because that means that you should only have up to 2 teams attacking you at one time. Who wants to find that 4 different teams are attacking him at the same time...?

Also, you can venture out to the middle where the bases aren't so much in danger as the Demigods themselves, since nukes and blasts from many different enemies could put the wounded Demi down faster. As indicated before, it should be a good spot to level/get income.

I think it would work well, but a 3 team map during the later betas would be the best way to tell for sure.