Multi-level maps

When I play on the waterfall map or the Lava map and pan the camera to look around and see those sunken pathways or the culverts and all that I can't help but feel that the playing fields could be made much more interesting.

Now at least the new map is a step in the right direction, it has multiple pathways, possibility of sneaking around the back of your enemies and such, but the waterfal map is painfully linear, way too open, nothing is hidden. Of course this might be the point of it, a simple, flat map designed to maximise combat - but from the other map screenshot, they all look to work like this. None of them have any sort of elevation...

So what about maps with two levels? I'll use the waterfall one as an exemple: You have the upper level "grid" with the two strongholds and the 3 flags and all that, but what about if instead of putting the side gold gathering flags where they were you put teleport pads or elevators or ramps that would lead down into the culverts under the stage where gold gatherers would be.

It would add a whole different level to the playing field, you'd be fighting on two fronts, above for control of creature spawn and bellow for control of gold. There could be flags above that control the spawning of creatures bellow as well - hell you could have creatures specific to fighting in the water down there. But these creatures wouldn't mindlessly head towards the enemy stronghold, since they'd have no acess to it. they'd either be guards for the gold mines you hold, or attackers trying to kill the other sides guards.

What's more, this would LOOK amazing. Being on the upper tier battling it out and catching a glimps of two Demigods duking it out in the water bellow, complete with the water splashing up and around them (with ice / steam effects from Torch Bearer ) would be mind blowing. The possibilities are limitless. Hell I can even see the water washing away the bodies and sending them tumbling out the sides.

Please note I was just using this level as an exemple - it can stay as it is. Or hell it could have 2 versions, one with the flat playing field we know, one with the double layer playing field.

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While I think the idea of arena with land bridges, underpasses is nice, I don't think it can be implemented. There will be problems with control and visibility.

It's been mentioned in one interview that terrain is not implemented because it'd cause AI problems. Frankly I don't believe that's a huge problem but it was nevertheless mentioned.

As to floating platforms linked by, elevators, ramps or teleporters... Elevators would be too inefficient. Steep Ramps would create problems for animation and clipping.I generally don't see having another level up somewhere would add much to the gameplay. You essentially splits the arena into 2 and dilutes the fighting.

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I dont know about that, maybe it can be just a way to get behind or close to the enemy base but even than the map cant support this changes in its shape right now.

Hell I can even see the water washing away the bodies and sending them tumbling out the sides.

But That sound superior.

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Quoting AnnihilatorX,

reply 1

While I think the idea of arena with land bridges, underpasses is nice, I don't think it can be implemented. There will be problems with control and visibility.

It's been mentioned in one interview that terrain is not implemented because it'd cause AI problems. Frankly I don't believe that's a huge problem but it was nevertheless mentioned.

As to floating platforms linked by, elevators, ramps or teleporters... Elevators would be too inefficient. Steep Ramps would create problems for animation and clipping.I generally don't see having another level up somewhere would add much to the gameplay. You essentially splits the arena into 2 and dilutes the fighting.

Depends on the size of the map, the number of players and the way it's implemented. If one level has creep spawn control flag and one has gold mine control flags, you focus combat in both.

And if you simply use teleporters between the areas, you skip the problems you mentioned, and as far as sight for the people playing under, you simply remove the top portion for them (as in it would be see-through)

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You don't even have to put in multiple levels to the maps, but I think you guys right now don't have the best idea you could have for the maps. The maps should be much more open, landscape and terrain should be taken into account, having multiple paths to get into all the lanes is really something that I think you guys would want. As is the maps are sort of Arena style, there isn't much stealth, or cunning, everything is pretty straigthforward just two sides with swords attacking each other, you need to add that third element.

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These are just the test maps so far. I'm excited to see the more complex maps that will come with the main release.

I really hope they mix up the landscape even more.

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Well, we've already seen the preview images of all the maps, so I don't think they will be getting much more complex than Zikurat. I doubt multi-level terrain will be implemented.

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I doubt the engine even supports multi-level maps. Most RTS engines have a hard time dealing with anything that isn't basically flat with different elevation settings.

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