Map Idea: Popular/Famous Clmbing Routes up El Capitan

[Mikoyabuse11]

El Capitan
Mapmaker(s): Mikoyabuse11

Description:
A map idea that I had recently is to create an entirely vertical map based on the popular/major climbing routes up one of the most famous climbing walls in the world. See the linked image below as the initial inspiration. Each climbing route meanders up the wall, and is subdivided into individual pitches (typically 20 to 40, which may need to be condensed down) which could easily become individual territories. Some routes intersect and diverge, but additional "traverses" could easily be added where needed to link up the map as needed. Every route, and a significant number of pitches already have been named even and are famous in their own right (at least within the climbing world) which I think adds a lot of real-world connection and interest.

Bonus Structure:
Each route, from bottom to top is it's own region, and bonuses are collected by holding X, Y and Z consecutive pitches along the same route. Attacking rules would be mostly standard, can attack up and down a route, and across traverses like a standard map. Long linear bonuses is kinda similar to things like the Rail maps. Idea would be to have multiple teams possibly simultaneously collecting a bonus on the same route (ie one from the top and the other at the bottom). As the length of consecutive pitches held increases, you may get a better bonus but would also become more vulnerable with a longer, linear area to defend.

Optional Victory Condition:
One top to bottom route (something like The Dawn Wall cause its the most badass) could be used as a victory condition. It would spawn as all or mostly neut, would be centered on the map (ie an equal number of routes is on each side) and the victory condition is to hold the entire length of the route for one turn.

Number of Territories:
Unknown, but on the larger side, 150 to 200 possibly. I greatly prefer larger scale maps personally and think its a shame that we lack more maps on a similar scale as Hive.

What Makes This Map Worthy of Being Made:
A vertical map would be pretty unique on this site. Being based on one of the coolest natural features on the planet (at least I think so) would be really fun, especially with El Cap receiving some extra media attention more recently through Alex Honold and The Dawn Wall. Finally a bonus structure based on holding X number of consecutive territories along long parallel regions would be a fun variation of the Rail map format while still being really easy to figure out and accessible on the first play.

Map Image:
My inspiration:
https://www.yosemite.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Heart_Overlay-Erik-Sloan-400x554.jpg

Just a thought that's been stuck in my head, curious what others think.

Thanks for reading.

[HitRed]

Question

Starting positions? Base camp only or also other areas?

HitRed

[Mikoyabuse11]

Spawn base camps seems like an obvious choice given the theme, but personally I'm not sure I like it because it leads to samey repetitive games (having said that I love me some Feudal Epic) so in my head at least I was picturing this as a normal random spawn type of situation.

Basecamp spawns could be neat but i am picturing having issues with imbalances on outside routes which would only be vulnerable from one side, and wrap around connections would be thematically weird.

[ZaBeast]

Finally a bonus structure based on holding X number of consecutive territories along long parallel regions would be a fun variation of the Rail map format while still being really easy to figure out and accessible on the first play.

Probably more a spinoff of the route 66 one the way you describe it, wouldn't you think?

If you can add traverses to not make it too much a race to the top it might be decent. I'm not really a fan of conquest maps where the bonuses snowball too much (AOR for instance). Alternatively you could make it a NWP-style map with some routes neutral, but starting position along the way. I like staggered bonuses, so if you could have a bonus for the most common resting positions across the different routes or something like that it could be nice

[HitRed]

Consider base camp + 2 auto deploy attacking into the map AND attacking one way into a "supply area". A small chart on the side. Each gets there own. Short term thinkers would attack into the map and long term thinks would build up to take the supply area +3 bonus starting Neutal 8. I never climbed but preplanning must be critical.

HitRed

[Mikoyabuse11]

Finally a bonus structure based on holding X number of consecutive territories along long parallel regions would be a fun variation of the Rail map format while still being really easy to figure out and accessible on the first play.

Probably more a spinoff of the route 66 one the way you describe it, wouldn't you think?

If you can add traverses to not make it too much a race to the top it might be decent. I'm not really a fan of conquest maps where the bonuses snowball too much (AOR for instance). Alternatively you could make it a NWP-style map with some routes neutral, but starting position along the way. I like staggered bonuses, so if you could have a bonus for the most common resting positions across the different routes or something like that it could be nice

I haven't yet played NWP or Route 66, but you're right, Route66 does seem like the closest comparison, I guess it'd be as if Route66 map had 6-8 parallel routes. And yeah, i too don't like AOR. A more conventional bonus structure would of course work as well, routes can be divided into upper, mid and lower, or divided by the number of days they typically take to climb and delineated by camp locations.

A mitigation of "conquest" bonuses could also be done as follows: say every route is 30ish pitches (territories). A bonus could be collected for holding say 5 consecutive pitches and maybe 12ish consecutive pitches on a single route. However, you would only be allowed to collect a single bonus per route, that would stop the snowballing effect, force players to expand laterally and encourage more multi team competition for space within the same route. Thoughts on that?

I appreciate the thoughtful feedback.

[Mikoyabuse11]

I'm thinking victory condition. First one to hold any complete route. Routes might overlap in areas creating conflict.

Yeah, i like the idea of holding one complete route and winning by "summiting" El Cap as well. In my OP I suggested having only this victory condition as an option for one specific, central route because depending on how the map layout ends up, victory by any route might be too much? Also it could make the left and rightmost edge routes more powerful because they are more easily defended from just one side. Having a victory route in the middle of the map might balance the slight advantage of a safer map edge with distance from the victory objective if that makes sense.

Edit: lol i think you amended your comment as i typed my reply, will leave this here for the value of extra discussion

[HitRed]

I saw you already covered that.

Welcome to The Foundry!

[Mikoyabuse11]

Consider base camp + 2 auto deploy attacking into the map AND attacking one way into a "supply area". A small chart on the side. Each gets there own. Short term thinkers would attack into the map and long term thinks would build up to take the supply area +3 bonus starting Neutal 8. I never climbed but preplanning must be critical.

HitRed

I'm personally not as big of a fan of the attacking into the map style and using set spawns. It makes me think of Baseball which is a beautiful and creative implementation of the game of baseball into a risk map format, but at the end of the day the actual game play ends up sucking because it too often results in one team getting a foothold on the field, and then repeatedly counter sweeping opponents off as they attempt to get onto the field. I personally prefer the more more classic risk random spawn style.

[Mikoyabuse11]

I'm open to feedback as to whether this merits me attempting to learn GIMP and make a draft? There appears to be some good tutorials on map making in the Foundry forums but a lot of the associated photos are now missing from those posts. I'm new to this map making process but am willing to take a stab and learn.

[HitRed]

I RISE!

I might not reach that place I seek,
My untried strength might fail me;
Half way up the mountain peak,
Fierce tempest may assail me;
Though that place I may not gain,
Where in life pleasure I may pain,
I will die fighting towards it.

I RISE!