PLAYER57832 wrote:I already tend to groups maps as follows:
1. Those pretty much like Risk, but shaped differently. These include the World Map, Autralia Map, Midkermia and Rails (just uses lines and dots instead of areas) etc.... BUT also even "strange shape maps" such as Crossword, US senate and Chinese Checkers.
2. the resource group maps, including the Age of Merchants, and the Age of Realms set.
3. A whole set that has "normal" territory bonuses, but altered attacks, including Duck Hunt, American Civil War, etc.
4. "In between" maps that have varied attacks and/or penalties, etc. -- such as Fuedal War, Nuclear USA, etc.
5. the just plain complicated maps, large maps with all kinds of bonuses, varied attack routes, etc. (D-Day, Pearl Harbor, Waterloo, Actium, etc.).
Sometimes, when talking, I group 3 and 4 together.
Agreed. The naming of such groups would have to be optimised, but those are the categories that I think in
and I think those are the ones that are useful when selecting a map. I am much more likely to think "I'd like to find a traditional, classic like map to play on" ... than I am to think "I'd like to find a map beginning with A" or "I'd like to find a map optimised for 800 x 600" [ DiM x

]
then PLAYER57832 wrote:BUT I am not sure that separating them in the drop-down is the best way to go ... at least until we get too many to fit on one screen. Even then, I think alphabetizing is the best way. For one thing, there is no gaurantee ANY categories that make sense now will KEEP making sense after more and more maps are added.
Disagreed

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First of all with tabbed/categorised maps there is no reason not to include an "ALL" tab/category so that (the many?) users who 'just like it as it is' can continue to select from an exhaustive list.
Within each category I tend to agree that alphabetical is the best way to go, though it would be interesting to have them in order of 'number of games currently being played on' or 'number of all time games played on', but these would have to be alternatives, not the default.
The categories chosen can of course be updated in future if they cease to be adequate.
then PLAYER57832 wrote:I would rather see recommendations, comments about the various types in the instructions. Instructions would (I think) be easier to edit and manage ...
Agreed.
then PLAYER57832 wrote:... easier to edit and manage than trying to change the actual map list constantly. Right now, it is pretty easy to find maps, once you know their names. If you start organizing by categories, that won't be as true.
Except if you include an "ALL" category

And also, via this thread perhaps, if the categories agreed upon are good then they should result in an improvement, not confusion.
Cicero