posted 23 January 2004 09:29 PM EDT (US)
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Although erroneously named, tundra is one of three new additions to ES's AOMTT RM family. Having been installed with The Titans expansion, tundra- along with highland and marsh- brings the RM total to 11. Misnamed, as tundra actually describes a vast and level treeless Artic region characterized by frozen soil. In ES's version of tundra, in addition to having trees, players are free to farm- have you ever tried to hoe frozen soil!? Nonetheless, the map is a hunter's and miner's paradise. Speckled with generous gold piles, a distinct brown and yellow-coloured terrain, scrawny but plentiful trees and unique rock formations, a harsh and rugged landscape back dropped by a magical veil of falling snow best describes this map. The snow adds a distinct ambience and is an imaginative addition to the respectable inventory of atmospheric effects ES has already accumulated in the mythology editions: including mist, sand storms, clouds, smoke, lightning and many others. Because if its ubiquitous, easy-to-get-at resources, the map promotes fast and aggressive play. So let's put on our animal hide ponchos and booties, and venture into the snow to get a better look at this month's map, tundra. Although not illustrated here, a high overhead view of a 1 v 1 tundra map reveals little by way of striking features. Basically it's a land map with the usual six settlements and copious amounts of resources. Note the ponds that dot the map: although holding water, they do not contain any fish patches. This high oblique angle reveals the rugged terrain, comprised of continuous, gently rolling elevations that create a graceful undulating pattern across the entire landscape. The map has these unique features: The following picture shows what the rock formations typically look like, but be aware that their placement is somewhat random, usually in the vicinity of the first TC- and in other places around the map- but not always conveniently located. Depending on their placement, because they're impassable (although some units can sometimes fit in between the rocks), using walls and buildings to augment the formations can create good defensive positions. The large opening herd of goats is a unique benefit to tundra, and some uses are less obvious than others. For any scout-starved civy, Eggies or Norse for example, the little gaggle of goats presents a miniature army of scouts. They're slow, have a tiny LOS, and are vulnerable to rustling. but there are a lot of them, and they are free- average number is about six. If a player has mastered his/her micro, the sheep provide a nifty little resource not found in many of the RMs. Note: according to forum posters, about 10 -15% of the time the RM scripting will replace a patch of berry bushes for the goats. Although seldom, it does occur.* Is it just me, or do other people have this problem? (Refer to the picture below) The point is, be aware of this little quirk, and use the expanded mini map (TAB key) to help locate gold piles. Not exactly a secret new stategic weapon, but a unique feature. Although the trees look sickly, they yield just as much wood as do more lush looking RM forests like in alfeim or oasis. This is important since when judging stand size it's easy to assume you have less wood than is actually there. Look at the two pictures below. The top shot is a stand of alfeim trees and bottom is a stand of tundra trees. The prior looks more lush, but both types of trees are 150 wood each, and each stand holds exactly the same amount of wood. Again, the snow is purely a visual aesthetic feature, but it's kinda neat, and is unique to the RM group. Although not depicted in this article, anyone who has played the map is familiar with this atmospheric effect. A veritable cornucopia of hunting awaits players in this map. In this example, there were 15 aurochs, 33 caribou and elk combined, and 11 artic wolves for a whopping 12,775 in available huntable food. The generous wildlife means players should get their hunting dogs upgrade early, and should hunt for as long as possible. Farming can therefore start later, and the ease on early game wood demand is especially appreciated by Atties. But the raiders also know a great opportunity when they see it! Games played on this map generally revolve around a race for the huntables, and raids to deter hunting. That's why, despite the huge amount of natural food on this map, you will still see many top players using farms as a primary, late-game food source. Ah. let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. *Contributed by EvilCat_Knight and Dealer. Thanks guys! [This message has been edited by tbarak (edited 01-29-2004 @ 06:51 AM).]
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The random generator should have protocols after it generates a random event. That's probably better left for another post though.
