[Abandoned] - Skyscrapers

[sully800]

Skyscrapers map

149 territories, but some will start as neutral, so actual territories for players is currently unknown.

Current image:
[bigimg]http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/7594/skyscapers3.jpg[/bigimg]

[sully800]

Version 2:
[bigimg]http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/575/skyscapers2mg2.jpg[/bigimg]


First Post:

Hello all!

I've been meaning to make a map of this type for years, so I figure its time I stop tossing around the idea and start acting on it. I have always been interested in large structures, specifically skyscrapers and bridges. I love the posters that show the world's tallest skyscrapers next to one another because it allows you to compare their height, form, material, balance, etc in a convenient format. I also happen to think that this type of skyscraper poster would make an excellent map!

Below is an image to detail what I am describing. I threw some completely rough army circles on there to illustrate that this is actually a CC map, but I won't deal with aesthetics any more until the gameplay is sorted.

[bigimg]http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/9051/skyscaperdraftyh8.jpg[/bigimg]

Due to the nature of sky scrapers, I would like this map to have a vertical oriented gameplay. ie, you can attack up the buildings but not across them, unless it makes sense like the bridge in the petronas towers. You would be able to attack other buildings at the ground level and possibly at the tops via helipads, but in general I would like each building to be rather isolated. This will make the map somewhat like Prison Riot, in that you have large areas that you can eliminate your enemies and then have very simple borders....but until then each skyscraper will be a blood bath.

SO, the first step should be determining what buildings will actually appear on the map, and how the gameplay will progress. I am not opposed to including structures that are not specifically buildings, such as the Eiffel Tower, the CN Tower, the Gateway arch etc. My main concern is that each structure be easily recognizable, vertically oriented, and massive.

Preliminary thoughts on buildings (these will undoubtedly be included):
Empire State Building
Sears Tower
Petronas Towers
Taipei 101
Burj Dubai
Shanghai World Finance Center

I will probably included Freedom Tower, and probably will not included the WTC though it was a magnificent set of buildings in its day.

Early thoughts?

[sully800]

Reserved II

[the.killing.44]

sounds interesting yet very linear — there's a lot of potential, though. May I ask what those are reserved for?

.44

[sully800]

:-k sounds interesting yet very linear — there's a lot of potential, though. May I ask what those are reserved for?

.44

haha, just if I have future images and detail that I would like near the front but not necessarily in the first post.

Yes, the way I drew the circles is very linear. Ideally the territories would begin to step back just as most towers do toward the top. I believe the map will retain a lot of linearity though because I want to retain the feeling of climbing upward. Also, there will most likely be many many territories as shown in the draft because I can name each tower at the bottom and then label the territories with letters/numbers

[Incandenza]

It's an interesting concept (hell, I remember tossing skyscraper map ideas around with ya when widowmakers first started with KotM). I can foresee bumps in the road, but I don't want to be that guy, so I say, do please continue (and maybe see if you could fit in the Bank of China tower in Hong Kong or the Library Tower in LA, always been a fan of those two, and they're both awful purdy).

[sully800]

From KOTM a million years ago:

2. Go with the skyscraper battle concept. I don't know what the licensing issues are with public buildings, but potentially you could turn the 'hills' into stylized versions of actual distinctive skyscrapers (Empire State Building, Petronas Towers, Sears Tower, Bank of China building in Hong Kong, etc.) with the aforementioned stray continents as 'smaller buildings of note', like a Pyramid or the Taj Mahal. The trick will be finding buildings that can be differentiated chromatically as much as possible, so the map isn't a grayscale wasteland.

I knew this idea was familiar to me!

haha. Bank of China would be a great one to include, I would like many different visual styles and that building is certainly unique. I'm also thinking about the Great Pyramid because it would give an excellent height comparison and break up the monotony of all the towers.

[Incandenza]

Yep, that sounds like me all right.

The Great Pyramid would be interesting, you could also throw in the Transamerica Building in San Francisco...

[LED ZEPPELINER]

if this is going to be a symetrical map, make the army circles more symetrical

[lozzini]

how about the gherkin to represent the UK?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/30_St_Mary_Axe

and i love the idea, would it be 3d like KOTM or more 2d like your poster?

[sully800]

The gherkin is a great choice because it is so unique. And quite large as well!

I plan on keeping the drawing 2D, but I will layer some of the buildings with the shorter structures in front. So the Great Pyramid would sit in front of the taller sky scrapers.

And yes, I will place the army circles symmetrically, I just clicked quickly on top of the original picture.

Should I have some cut aways of buildings to show the underlying structure? Perhaps something similar to the unfinished view of Freedom Tower would add engineering interest. I'm somewhat worried about placing the army circles directly on the towers though, so I may move them slightly to the outside in the open air.

[Incandenza]

I think cutaways might defeat the purpose, under the skin most skyscrapers look pretty much the same.

[lozzini]

The gherkin is a great choice because it is so unique. And quite large as well!

I plan on keeping the drawing 2D, but I will layer some of the buildings with the shorter structures in front. So the Great Pyramid would sit in front of the taller sky scrapers.

And yes, I will place the army circles symmetrically, I just clicked quickly on top of the original picture.

Should I have some cut aways of buildings to show the underlying structure? Perhaps something similar to the unfinished view of Freedom Tower would add engineering interest. I'm somewhat worried about placing the army circles directly on the towers though, so I may move them slightly to the outside in the open air.

if you try to many layers, and put army circles off of the scrapers, the map may start to appear very crowded

[RjBeals]

Sounds good - nice to see you in the foundry sully! You should check out mibi's attempt at a skyscraper map - but he started it knowing it would not quench under the current guidelines.

viewtopic.php?f=242&t=36801

[SuicidalSnowman]

I would just like to say that I think the backdrop is fantastic on this one, would be a really cool looking idea. I like the idea of fighting across the actual buildings. I might have concerns about gameplay, but that could be worked out a bit later.

[sailorseal]

I saw something very similar to this in a NY times article a few years back. Could you make it clear how each territ connects and can you make some sort of route between buildings?
Cool idea

[MrBenn]

I see that somebody has already suggested the Gherkin!

If you wanted to add a touch of humour, you could add King Kong to the Empire State building.

For a sequel map, you could do bridges...

I'll be interested in watching this develop

[john9blue]

What's a skyscraper map without the Chicago Spire?

[sully800]

What's a skyscraper map without the Chicago Spire?

I didn't realize they actually started it! That's a project I first heard about in 2005, and I thought it was awesome from the moment I saw it but for some reason I thought it was delayed or still on the drawing boards. It might be tough to include all of these proposed or in progress buildings since the final look and heights are not yet determined (or at least known publicly). Maybe I should do one that includes the tallest and most notable completed buildings and then update to include the throngs or ultra sky scrapers currently in the works.

If Al Burj, Mubarak al-Kabeer Tower, or Murjan Tower actually get built they would dwarf all the towers I currently plan to include, including the Burj Dubai which is head and shoulders above all current skyscrapers.

Al Burj:
[bigimg]http://kuusanmaki.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/Al_Burj.jpg[/bigimg]

[tlane]

this looks like it could be a good map with a lot of work,
here are some tips to start(if people have said this, sorry)
1. Add some way of connetion between the building, maybe a helicopter
2.don't make the number dots so random (keep them inline with each other)
3.Add some sort of background and overall improve the graphics

just a start
tlane

[bigreuben]

It's only my personal idea, but I think that:

You have a great start and I would like to see it go through and actually become live, I like the idea very much (even though it's just a better looking king of the mountains).
You should leave all the "it will start some day" building for the revamp, and do the building that actually here and actually high (sorry for all of you from England but The Gherkin is not even half of the lowest skyscraper on the draft right now), that being said, I think that only one should make the final map, either Freedom Tower or the WTCs.

[lozzini]

there has to be something representing the UK in this map - there are a lot of UK members. Plus the shorter building will break the possible monotomy of the map up - KOTM has some shorter mountains

[mibi]

This reminds me of the greatest map that never was.

SKYSCRAPER!

[john9blue]

This reminds me of the greatest map that never was.

...and maybe still will be?

[lozzini]

This reminds me of the greatest map that never was.

...and maybe still will be?

and has also allredi been linked form this thread 10 posts ago