add starting territory numbers to "stock" map images

[scottp]

Concise description:

• for each map, please add the number of starting territories each player gets to the image you see when you click the map icon on the "Join a Game" or "Game Finder results" pages

Specifics/Details:

• I could have sworn there was once a legend at the bottom of the map image that popped up if you clicked the icon, but now it's just a link to the discussion thread, and the requested info is not always (or even commonly) readily available in those.
  
  What I'm looking for is, for each map, a listing like:
  
  "2 players - 14 territories each, 3 players - 10 territories, 4 plr - 7, 5 plr - 6, 6 plr- 5, 7 plr - 4, 8 plr - 4"
  
  The reason behind my curiosity is for better decision making info when I'm considering joining/starting a game on a map I'm not really familiar with. I would not want to join a 1v1 game on any map where each player starts with exactly 12 or 15 or 18 (etc) territories. The first player has a built-in advantage on every map, but this is even more pronounced in those cases... e.g. if two players start with 21 territories each, the first player has a drop of 7 and all he has to do is take one territory to knock his opponent down to a bonus of 6. [And if he can manage to take 4 territories, he reduces the bonus down to 5 troops!] Even if the dice are completely even from that point and they trade about the same number of territories each turn, the first player is gaining a 1 troop advantage every round, which sure adds up!
  
  Likewise, I would not want to join a 3 player game where each player starts with 12 or 15 territories.
  
  Anyway, I'm pretty sure this info is available, because I'm nearly certain I've seen it in the past. I just can't remember where.

How this will benefit the site and/or other comments:

• Better info availability (the right info in the right place),
• enhances confidence in the likelihood of an "even drop" when trying a new map, encouraging players to try more variety

[chapcrap]

When you click on the map's thumbnail to bring up a picture, isn't there a link in the bottom corner to the discussion topic for the map?

Pertinent information should be there.

[DiM]

When you click on the map's thumbnail to bring up a picture, isn't there a link in the bottom corner to the discussion topic for the map?

Pertinent information should be there.

yes there's a link but pertinent information is rarely available at a glance. in some cases you'll find some details in the first post and you'll have to dig for details in the rest of the thread. but in a lot of maps the first post doesn't even contain basic info.

so i totally agree with this suggestion.

[DoomYoshi]

When you click on the map's thumbnail to bring up a picture, isn't there a link in the bottom corner to the discussion topic for the map?

Pertinent information should be there.

yes there's a link but pertinent information is rarely available at a glance. in some cases you'll find some details in the first post and you'll have to dig for details in the rest of the thread. but in a lot of maps the first post doesn't even contain basic info.

so i totally agree with this suggestion.

QFT. Stated perfectly. Especially older maps where all or most of the [img] tags are busted.

[chapcrap]

When you click on the map's thumbnail to bring up a picture, isn't there a link in the bottom corner to the discussion topic for the map?

Pertinent information should be there.

yes there's a link but pertinent information is rarely available at a glance. in some cases you'll find some details in the first post and you'll have to dig for details in the rest of the thread. but in a lot of maps the first post doesn't even contain basic info.

so i totally agree with this suggestion.

That sounds like a Foundry problem rather than something that needs to change in map imagery. I'm not in favor.

[DiM]

That sounds like a Foundry problem rather than something that needs to change in map imagery. I'm not in favor.

this is not a foundry problem since it was never required to have this info in the first post. such details as number of terits per player come into discussion and all recent maps make sure the number of terits per player is fair.
on the older maps people didn't even take such things into consideration. so yeah, especially in 1v1 you might get maps where the person going second will be at a disadvantage.

anyway, even if somebody took the time to update all the maps' first posts with such info, i'd still prefer to have it written just bellow the map image, right after the thread link.
this way i can easily browse the maps and get the info i need than clicking on each map then the discussion link, then waiting for the new tab to load, then searching for the info i need.

[scottp]

Thanks for the support DiM!

chapcrap, even if A solution is to include the info in the discussion thread in the Foundry, the experience of the CC user is better served if the info is readily (one click) available when one is considering whether to join a game or not.

I'm convinced this info USED to be presented somewhere along with the map image. Can we just put it back?

I'm adding an example of how it might look here:



My suggested addition is in red text. (Those are not the actual numbers for the Africa map, i just made those up.)

[agentcom]

Damn, I thought this post was about something else: The starting values of each territ. Several times, I went through a map's foundry page to figure out what kind of neutrals I'd be facing if I advanced, only to find this information buried in an xml file. I finally realized that I just had to go to game finder and hope that there were some sunny games that hadn't progressed very far. Now, adding that info to map image is a suggestion I'd support. This one ... eh, I don't really care how many territs I start out with on each map.

[army of nobunaga]

More people should be going to the Map Makers forum anyway....

Im torn on this Idea, I think I like it, and I am not sure if people will go to the mapmakers section of the forum just for neutrals anyway.

[chapcrap]

Damn, I thought this post was about something else: The starting values of each territ. Several times, I went through a map's foundry page to figure out what kind of neutrals I'd be facing if I advanced, only to find this information buried in an xml file. I finally realized that I just had to go to game finder and hope that there were some sunny games that hadn't progressed very far. Now, adding that info to map image is a suggestion I'd support. This one ... eh, I don't really care how many territs I start out with on each map.

This idea would be something I would support if it had it's own suggestion.

[MichelSableheart]

Damn, I thought this post was about something else: The starting values of each territ. Several times, I went through a map's foundry page to figure out what kind of neutrals I'd be facing if I advanced, only to find this information buried in an xml file. I finally realized that I just had to go to game finder and hope that there were some sunny games that hadn't progressed very far. Now, adding that info to map image is a suggestion I'd support. This one ... eh, I don't really care how many territs I start out with on each map.

This idea would be something I would support if it had it's own suggestion.

QFT

Though I really like this suggestion as well. Especially with maps like Three Kingdoms of the Korea's or All your Bases, it is extremely difficult to figure out the number of starting positions. The information in the first post of the map discussion thread is not always reliable, and because of the mix of starting positions and freely distributed positions, it's a nightmare to calculate the number of positions each player gets by hand.

[agentcom]

Damn, I thought this post was about something else: The starting values of each territ. Several times, I went through a map's foundry page to figure out what kind of neutrals I'd be facing if I advanced, only to find this information buried in an xml file. I finally realized that I just had to go to game finder and hope that there were some sunny games that hadn't progressed very far. Now, adding that info to map image is a suggestion I'd support. This one ... eh, I don't really care how many territs I start out with on each map.

This idea would be something I would support if it had it's own suggestion.

Your wish is my command: http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewto ... 4&t=168666

[chapcrap]

I have changed my mind about this. I support!