Huge Asset Based Maps & Insurgency Maps

[Bakerzoid]

One of my first experiences of PR was playing on the map Seven Gates. I had read the manual and had done some research into the PR modification beforehand but I was amazed at the level of tactics, strategy and teamwork that the modification brought to the game.

The game became my new hobby. I really enjoyed being part of a squad but I enjoyed leading a squad of willing members more. In particular, I enjoyed thinking up plans to attack an enemy position, choosing a suitable place to defend a position from or setting up my squad to ambush the enemy and seeing my orders being carried out and my plan succeeding.

However, that seems like a long time ago now. This recent patch has brought many good features to PR but I feel that with the later patches PR also appears to be on a course moving away from my original experience.

In my opinion, the cause of this is the introduction of what I call 'huge asset based maps' this refers to maps such as Kashan Desert and Silent Eagle as opposed to other larger maps such as Kozelsk. I will go into more detail about the identity of these maps and how an infantry squad operates on these maps in another post.

These maps themselves haven't directly led to the decline of squad tactics but with their introduction maps such as Seven Gates and Operation Ghost Train have been removed. More importantly, there are no dedicated AAS servers in the UK anymore and servers choose insurgency maps and these 'huge asset based maps' over maps such as Jabal Al Burj, Operation Barracuda, Muttrah City (Not as much though on this one, I admit) etc.

I think what would be good for PR is the reintroduction to servers of these smaller AAS maps (Jabal Al Burj etc) and the creation of new, infantry orientated AAS maps.

[K4on]

i really miss mestia, eod desert, ghost train...
you don't know how often people mentioned that in the forums. but everytime the answer is:
"it was removed cause it's not working with the actual gameplay".

It's too bad about those awsome maps

[Bakerzoid]

I'm not alone! After writing my original post, I looked at the AAS maps available to play. Unfortunately some maps like Asad Khal or the Skirmish games are too small but the majority of the maps are alright and would provide the experience I described in my OP. Its just that servers don't seem to play them, perhaps people like Insurgency and Kashan Desert type maps more but personally I will always associate PR with leading your squad of men against another squad of men, fire fights, flanking, suppressing, ambushes, finding cover etc.

[Scared_420]

i completely agree with bakerzoid, jabal al burj is hardly ever played as well as fools road and its quite a shame as they seem to have been replaced with silent eagle which i find is a boring and looong map, others may not agree but that is my opinion

i find the larger maps such as quinling seem to play out for a couple hours whereas fools road etc. play out about 1.5 hrs a round, i would rather have a round of jabal and fools then 1 round of kashan/silenteagle etc.

[Bakerzoid]

i completely agree with bakerzoid, jabal al burj is hardly ever played as well as fools road and its quite a shame as they seem to have been replaced with silent eagle which i find is a boring and looong map, others may not agree but that is my opinion

i find the larger maps such as quinling seem to play out for a couple hours whereas fools road etc. play out about 1.5 hrs a round, i would rather have a round of jabal and fools then 1 round of kashan/silenteagle etc.

You make a good point in regards to the length of time of games too. Personally, if a map lasts 2.5 hours but is very entertaining, I can always arrange that amount of time in my life to play the game. However, the comfortable length of time of AAS games is an advantage.

Maps like Kozelsk and Fool's Road are both very large, but because the maps are forests and the CP's are closer together (particularly Kozelsk) the game still maintains the experience described in my OP.

[Rudd]

if you don't like the maplists of a server, do not play there. In the last 2 days I've played Asad Kahl, Jabal, Kashan, muttrah and qwai 16 on TG....how much more mixed can you get? ramiel and another ins map were thrown in for good measure.

Variety is the spice of life.

Old maps die because we move beyond them.

[boilerrat]

Those maps were taken out because the DEVs thought they were outdated in quality.

Those maps might also come back in a separate map pack later

[Rhino]

Those maps were taken out because the DEVs thought they were outdated in quality.

Not because of there quality no. Some maps are removed because they are too poor quality for the mod but most are removed because they are old and dont meet the gameplay requirements of the mod any more, or simply to just open up some space for new maps.

[Bakerzoid]

I don't quite understand what this 'gameplay requirement' is. If you had of asked me what the gameplay requirement was when I first started playing PR, I would have said that large-medium sized AAS maps would have met that requirement.

For those who do not agree with me, what do you find more entertaining about Insurgency maps and Kashan Desert type maps than the infantry focused AAS maps.

Also this TG (Tactical Gaming) server [R-CON]Rudd referred to. It seems to me that the majority of the time this server has very few people on it (around 20 - 30, being generous). I could be wrong but regardless, when looking at the list of servers it is quite clear that in the UK all servers play ins maps and Kashan Desert type maps all the time. Maps such as Jabal Al Burj and Operation Barracuda are always at the end of map lists and are only played late in the evenings if they are played at all.

I'm not seeing any variety here at all and I'll say this, variety isn't a good thing if it means over diluting a game with maps which are not as entertaining. Of course what is entertaining to one person may not be entertaining to another but this shows that the statement 'variety is the spice of life' , referring to variety as always being a good thing, is too simplistic to reflect reality.

Old maps die because we move beyond them. True, people will get bored with playing on the same maps over and over again but I do not think that this warrants a drastic change in gameplay. We must not forget why people enjoyed these maps so much but we must also avoid producing maps which are same as these original maps. This is difficult but necessary. However, people do become bored of maps for a reason, for example people in this thread have asked for maps like OGT but bigger, so I think there are definitely ways to keep people who have played the game for a long time entertained.

[Rudd]

Also this TG (Tactical Gaming) server [R-CON]Rudd referred to. It seems to me that the majority of the time this server has very few people on it (around 20 - 30, being generous). I could be wrong but regardless, when looking at the list of servers it is quite clear that in the UK all servers play ins maps and Kashan Desert type maps all the time. Maps such as Jabal Al Burj and Operation Barracuda are always at the end of map lists and are only played late in the evenings if they are played at all.

its an American server, so it only fills up from around 1700hrs GMT til around 0400hrs GMT.

if you don't like the maplists of the UK servers, tell them on their websites, get them to change it.

Old maps die because we move beyond them. True, people will get bored with playing on the same maps over and over again but I do not think that this warrants a drastic change in gameplay. We must not forget why people enjoyed these maps so much but we must also avoid producing maps which are same as these original maps. This is difficult but necessary. However, people do become bored of maps for a reason, for example people in this thread have asked for maps like OGT but bigger, so I think there are definitely ways to keep people who have played the game for a long time entertained.

I've actually had a wack at a pure OGT 2k, but the original terrain really isn't that interesting when you make it bigger, the old maps need modernisation, mappers make maps that interest them because its such a lot of work, remember they are unpaid if there is a certain scenario you are really interested in, or an old map that you are really missing, I'm sure we'd all love it if you had a go at making the map more modern
https://www.realitymod.com/forum/f189-m ... audit.html

but I will show you a teaser of something I'm working on, though its quite an old picture now, its not quite OGT, but I suspect the gameplay will be similar to an extent.
http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/7349/b ... 084906.png

[Bakerzoid]

Awesome! Just one thing, is that a railway bridge a spot in the distance?

[Rudd]

you have a good eye, but no I don't like railways ingame tbh, the rails just get in the way of driving vehicles, and its alot of work when all you gain is 100m worth of cover from a train or crashed train. its only worth it when you have huge train depots an such.