[Abandoned] - Los Angeles

[oaktown]

Click image to enlarge.

Mibi asks how the freeways work... indeed how should they work?

I am leaning toward giving a bonus for stringing together freeway territories and NOT allowing ranged attacks along freeways, because i just feel that it will wreak havoc on the play of the game. Let me explain...

Consider the San Fernando Valley region. As it now stands it is a 6 territory region with 3 defense points, and four attackers; good for a +3 or +4 bonus. If we allow all freeways to attack territories two spaces out, suddenly the region has 5 points to defend from 11 possible attacking territories.

And it gets worse... San Gabriel Valley would have 6 defense points and 12 possible attackers, Central would have to defend against 1 attackers, and Gateway would have to defend against 19 attackers. I'd consider this overly-open gameplay!

And while we could add some well spaced-out on/off ramps here and there and make it like the New York City map, that's not really how freeways work... especially in LA where the freeways don't always move you around quite as fast as you'd like.

I'm still interested in hearing possible alternatives that would give the map a twist around the freeways.

What I do like is the notion of giving incremental bonuses for stringing together freeways. It would make games in this map progress in two distinct stages: 1) a linear stage of capturing and controlling freeways to get immediate bonuses, and 2) a stage of expansion out from the freeways into the city to capture and control regions. I predict games in which multiple players start by going after one region - Orange County for example - and both collect freeways bonuses while they duke it out for control of the entire region.

I'm torn between giving a bonus for controlling any three connecting freeway territories, or just giving a bonus for connecting territories of the same freeway. Really, the key triples are already falling along a single freeway - bonuses in each valley, three potential freeway bonuses in Orange County, etc. Plus, keeping it along the same freeway makes it much easier to explain and cuts down on the XML headaches; and believe me, the XML will indeed be a headache. Making the freeway bonuses fall along individual freeway lines will require coming up with different colors for each freeway just to keep things straight.

The territory bonuses shown on the map reflect what i have calculated each region to be worth on top of the freeway bonuses you will also collect for holding the entire region. For example, Orange County comes out to be worth +8, so while the +3 looks low you have to remember that there is a +3 and two +1 freeway bonuses that you will collect in addition to the region bonus.

[TaCktiX]

I really like the simple bonus-added mechanic of the freeways, and making any cool thing would likely mar the simplicity of the map's mechanics. I would say keep those. I would be biased on allowing overlap, it would give interest strategic options.

[oaktown]

I would be biased on allowing overlap, it would give interest strategic options.

Thanks for weighing in tacky... about that overlap, if you hold four freeway bits together, aren't you holding two sets of three? No, you're holding on three and an extra bit, so how do you say that? Maybe I don't and I just hope people get it.

Anyway, here it is with different colors on the freeways. I'll be away from the computer for the next four days, so you all can rip it to shreds while I'm gone.

Click image to enlarge.

[Bones2484]

Looking good

I don't know (at this point) what wording you can use to explain the 3-segment problem you mentioned... But it's going to be confusing, especially on the coding (since the coding will treat 4 segments as two 3-segments). You might just need to do every number. ie: 3segments = +1, 4segments = +2, 5segments = +3, etc.

Just for our reference:
5 Freeway has 13 Territories
405 Freeway has 13 Territories
10 Freeway has 10 Territories
57 Freeway has 6 Territories
101 Freeway has 5 Territories

I like the colors on the freeways, it makes them all look very nice. But my anal nature would like to see the 110 go under the 405 and 10 if possible!

Some additional things you may be able to draw into the map (trying to space them out on the map):
Santa Monica Pier
Rose Bowl in Pasadena
Irwindale Speedway
Queen Mary (in the ocean at Long Beach)

[windmaster1]

ur forgetting my city lynwood

maybe put the staple center in the back ground or the Hollywood sign

[oaktown]

I'm beginning to hate the way this map looks... is it just me?

[fireedud]

I'm beginning to hate the way this map looks... is it just me?

It's different. The novelty of it has worn off for you. Now you just have to wait and get used to it.

[InkL0sed]

I'm beginning to hate the way this map looks... is it just me?

Nobody likes to look at bright and sunny for too long. It's sickening.

Unfortunately for you, you're probably the person who will look at this map the most. It looks fine to the casual viewer.

[whitestazn88]

i like the look.

ps. i got a new idea for you! f*ck the freeway bonus, steal the san diego real estate map idea and get bonuses for holding major attractions. there are multiple ones in each region, rosebowl, compton, staples center, the gay part of LA, long beach, sea world, disney land, shit like that

its definitely easier to explain, and since you still don't know what you wanna do with the highways, i decided i'd throw in my two cents

[Coleman]

This is all I have to say: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxoD9zWY9Rg

Somewhere high in the desert near a curtain of a blue
St. Anne's skirts are billowing
But down here in the city of the lime lights
The fans of santa ana are withering
And you can’t deny that living is easy
If you never look behind the scenery
It's showtime for dry climes
And bedlam is dreaming of rain

When the hills of los angeles are burning
Palm trees are candles in the murder wind
So many lives are on the breeze
Even the stars are ill at ease
And los angeles is burning

This is not a test
Of the emergency broadcast system
Where malibu fires and radio towers
Conspire to dance again
And I cannot believe the media Mecca
They're only trying to peddle reality,
Catch it on prime time, story at nine
The whole world is going insane

When the hills of los angeles are burning
Palm trees are candles in the murder wind
So many lives are on the breeze
Even the stars are ill at ease
And los angeles is burning

A placard reads
"the end of days"
Jacaranda boughs are bending in the haze

More a question than a curse
How could hell be any worse?

The flames are stunning
The cameras running
So take warning

When the hills of los angeles are burnin
Palm trees are candles in the murder wind
So many lives are on the breeze
Even the stars are ill at ease
And los angeles is burning

[snapdoodle]

I'm beginning to hate the way this map looks... is it just me?

I wasn't going to comment yet until I had a clearer idea about the freeways. I'm a little unsure as well.

But since you brought up graphics...

I'm not loving the mountains. I think it's because they are so brown. The color clashes with the light coloring of the rest of the map. Some foliage would greatly help out. Actually some more detail is various places would definitely improve the look. You've already done a great job with some of the landmarks. In fact, the landmarks, and the street grid, and the colors are pretty awesome. But the water, the mountains, and the font in the legend probably need something.

I'll comment on the freeways at a later date.

[oaktown]

But since you brought up graphics...

I'm not loving the mountains. I think it's because they are so brown. The color clashes with the light coloring of the rest of the map. Some foliage would greatly help out. Actually some more detail is various places would definitely improve the look. You've already done a great job with some of the landmarks. In fact, the landmarks, and the street grid, and the colors are pretty awesome. But the water, the mountains, and the font in the legend probably need something.

Yep, the mountains are bugging me as well, and I'd also come to the conclusion that they are too dark... I'd like to believe that they can be saved just by lightening them up and maybe adding some green (as if the hill around LA are ever green), but they may just not be playful enough.

I think I've just looked at this one too long - I'll probably jump back and forth between projects for a while as inspiration grabs me.

[Joodoo]

Just to make sure how the freeways work...
Could I directly attack Irvine from Downtown?

[snapdoodle]

but they may just not be playful enough.

I think you hit it on the head.

[mibi]

This is all I have to say: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BxoD9zWY9Rg

Somewhere high in the desert near a curtain of a blue
St. Anne's skirts are billowing
But down here in the city of the lime lights
The fans of santa ana are withering
And you can’t deny that living is easy
If you never look behind the scenery
It's showtime for dry climes
And bedlam is dreaming of rain

When the hills of los angeles are burning
Palm trees are candles in the murder wind
So many lives are on the breeze
Even the stars are ill at ease
And los angeles is burning

This is not a test
Of the emergency broadcast system
Where malibu fires and radio towers
Conspire to dance again
And I cannot believe the media Mecca
They're only trying to peddle reality,
Catch it on prime time, story at nine
The whole world is going insane

When the hills of los angeles are burning
Palm trees are candles in the murder wind
So many lives are on the breeze
Even the stars are ill at ease
And los angeles is burning

A placard reads
"the end of days"
Jacaranda boughs are bending in the haze

More a question than a curse
How could hell be any worse?

The flames are stunning
The cameras running
So take warning

When the hills of los angeles are burnin
Palm trees are candles in the murder wind
So many lives are on the breeze
Even the stars are ill at ease
And los angeles is burning

This always makes me think of Las Angeles,

"the car's on fire and there's no driver at the wheel
and the sewers are all muddied with a thousand lonely suicides
and a dark wind blows
the government is corrupt
and we're on so many drugs
with the radio on and the curtains drawn

we're trapped in the belly of this horrible machine
and the machine is bleeding to death

the sun has fallen down
and the billboards are all leering
and the flags are all dead at the top of their poles

it went like this:

the buildings tumbled in on themselves
mothers clutching babies picked through the rubble
and pulled out their hair

the skyline was beautiful on fire
all twisted metal stretching upwards
everything washed in a thin orange haze

i said: "kiss me, you're beautiful -
these are truly the last days"

you grabbed my hand and we fell into it
like a daydream or a fever

we woke up one morning and fell a little further down -
for sure it's the valley of death

i open up my wallet
and it's full of blood "

[RjBeals]

A little dead flag blues huh - you know your music well my son.

Jacking my own post to link to this amazing spoken word piece by Godspeed You Black Emperor. CLICK TO FEEL IT

As far as the mountains.. eh, I like them, but I'm with the rest - maybe they're just too overpowering and not what most people want to see when they look at an LA map.

[oaktown]

It's funny that this has turned into musical spam, because every time I work on the map I start singing this one to myself...

You walk down Alameda shuffling your deck of trick cards over everyone
Like some precious only son
Face down, bow to the champion
You walk down Alameda looking at the cracks in the sidewalk, thinking about your friends
How you maintain all them in a constant set of suspense

For your own protection, over their affection
Nobody broke your heart
You broke your own 'cos you can't finish what you start

Walk down Alameda brushing off the nightmares you wish could plague me when I'm awake
So now you see your first mistake was thinking that you could relate
For one or two minutes she liked you
But the fix is in

You're all pretension, I never pay attention
Nobody broke your heart
You broke your own 'cos you can't finish what you start

[snapdoodle]

man, you just depressed me...

lol only a little.

[gimil]

Come guys lets get back to making maps, thats much more fun than music

We got any plans for this in the near future oaktown?

[max is gr8]

I think you need a new game play idea, what about in the hollywood you could have an inset, and if you make a movie (camera, actor and director +1) and have cinema's dotted all over the place with sets etc. Go wild, gameplay is more important that the graphics, for now.

[seamusk]

I think you need a new game play idea, what about in the hollywood you could have an inset, and if you make a movie (camera, actor and director +1) and have cinema's dotted all over the place with sets etc. Go wild, gameplay is more important that the graphics, for now.

Is there ANY game play to this yet? I'm not meaning to poke but I'm unclear as to what the gameplay idea actually is.

[max is gr8]

There's no idea to hold things from all over and make something, I suppose the age of merchants is similar but in this one you could need a script an actor a camera and a cinema to get a bonus. You could have a hollywood inset at one place. But if you have LA you have to have movies. It's almost the law.

[equalpants]

Hey, this is pretty cool! About time we had an L.A. map. Just some various suggestions:

1. I think it'd be a little easier to read if the freeways had some kind of marking for each territory they pass through--just a little circle, or an offramp, or something. Right now it's pretty hard to judge distances along the freeway with a quick glance; you have to follow the line carefully and count.

2. Possible freeway gameplay idea: have a killer-neutral "traffic" territory for each freeway, connected to every territory the freeway passes through (and to adjacent freeways). So you can use the freeways for long-range attacks, but you have to wade through traffic (take out the neutrals) first. Or if that seems too powerful, you can make some or all of the territory-traffic connections one-way--i.e. "onramps" and "offramps".

3. Naming issues: the area marked Westwood might be better off as Brentwood; Westwood isn't usually considered to go past the 405. Culver City's a little too far west, too--maybe Mar Vista instead? And although Compton's definitely more famous, it's still kind of weird to have the Watts towers in Compton.

4. Maybe add John Wayne and Burbank and let the airports attack each other?

5. It would be really cool if you could get a hold of the typeface they use in the Thomas Guide, or something close to it.

[Bones2484]

I think you need a new game play idea, what about in the hollywood you could have an inset, and if you make a movie (camera, actor and director +1) and have cinema's dotted all over the place with sets etc. Go wild, gameplay is more important that the graphics, for now.

I'm not a fan of this much at all.

[max is gr8]

We have enough Graphical Maps, but they aren't as good as the others, Which ones do I play, ireland - because its so small, Age of Merchants, new game play style. King of mountains, gameplay far greater than any others. Age of Might, Magic and The other one. Why new game play ideas. Circus maximus great idea, I prefer gameplay over simple repetitive games.