This piece was made 7 years ago on this forums. Does it remain relevant to today's strategic players? Would you have the opinion that today's warzone players are generally better players then the players of 2015 (which this piece was written in)?
"A FEW GENERAL* PRINCIPLES OF GOOD TEAM TEMPLATES:
1. Direct proportionality of map size & starts: As the number of territories on a map increases, the number of total starting armies increases (and vice versa).
2. Inverse proportionality of team size & starts: As the number of players in the game decreases, the number of starts per player increases (and vice versa).
3. Direct proportionality of map size & wastelands: bigger map, more wastelands (if you use wastelands).
4. Maps with better "standardization of bonuses" generally can afford more starting armies.
5. In warlords distribution, maps with more "optimal starting spots" (best for gaining income) and "decent starting spots" (best for countering and positioning) can afford more starting spots.
6. Ideal starting spots for 2v2 games are more based on optimal starting spots and ideal starting spots for 3v3 games are more based on optimal + decent starting spots. Optimal starting spots divided by 4 (then round up/down) is a good approximation of how many starts each player gets in a 2v2. Optimal + decent starting spots divided by 6 is a good approximation of how many starts each player gets in a 3v3.
7. Inverse proportionality of wastelands/gift cards & starts: On maps of 20-35 bonuses, for every 2 wastelands on a non-standardized map/template, you more or less subtract 1 optimal/decent starting spot; and for every 1 wasteland on a standardized map/template, you more or less subtract 1 optimal/decent starting spot. And gift cards decrease in "strategic" value and increase the game's "fun" factor as starting spots increase. In other words, gift cards put downward pressure on starting spots, if the game is meant to be "strategic."
8. Picking for dynamic effect: As the number of starts increases, the greater the likelihood that top players pick bonuses with more territories; as the number of starts decreases, the greater the likelihood that top players focus their picks on smaller bonuses that can be completed quicker.
9. A general rule of thumb for games without wastelands and gift cards: In 2v2s, the number of starting spots could equal the number of core regions on the map; in 3v3s, the number of starting spots could equal the number of core regions plus the number of peripheral regions.
10. Number of cards, "fun" factor & "strategic" factor: The total number of cards is directly proportional to "fun" (more cards generally leads to more "fun" -- though too many cards can lead to less "fun") & inversely proportional to "strategic" outcomes (too many cards generally leads to less "strategic" outcomes).
11. Inverse proportionality of weighted luck & "strategic" outcomes: As weighted luck increases, "strategic" outcomes decrease (but maybe it is more "fun").
(*Note: These are general principles that apply more to "strategic" team-game templates and maps. Certain templates or maps could defy these principles and still be "strategic" or "fun".) "
Edited 1/25/2022 19:29:13
A piece about good team templates: 2022-01-25 19:41:23
I’ve done a lot of team MA games (it’s more or less my favourite style of play), but I’ve never shared any templates with others. But been playing with my group of friends, really.
A piece about good team templates: 2022-02-09 21:07:53
