Comments on new maps and Deployment

I was initially surprised by the very small maps and new deployments. Invisible walls ruined my first game. The enemy was right on me in the second. After some games now I would say I like them and they definitely help with camping or draw farming. I never found draws to be a problem, nor campers. Don't get me wrong I hate campers, but I usually play a balanced comp that is at home on defence or offence. Remember kids: 'Camper kills are the sweetest kills'. The invisible walls are an issue but hopefully that is easily fixed. I also think the new maps and deployments add some variety to encounters. They make the games more about what you did on the day rather than what you planned to do. It can lead to some pretty bad situations depending on the match-up though.

I liked the bigger maps with more standard deployment also. I think it made more play styles viable. Unfortunately that meant far too many people camped, and too many of the maps helped them do that. I do find that campers are often not the best players so they are more easily overcome than you expect once you put the pressure on. Also being able to have the rest of the map outside their campsite can be a big advantage.

I guess I would say I am fine either way, new or old, with just a slight preference for the old. I was wondering how others feel about the deployment changes on the whole now they have been active a while. Had any particularly good or bad games as a result of the changes? Do you feel on balance it is an improvement to the game?

The deployment zones really haven't bothered me. What has, is the invisible walls and to a lesser extent the smaller maps. Although, I think the smaller maps bother me mostly because they aren't smaller maps, they're large maps with invisible walls making them small maps. If the maps were actually small (visually), I would be fine with it. Now that I think about it too, really the only thing I don't like about the small maps is how much advantage it gives the Golem in DM. Beyond that, getting to the action quicker hasn't been all that bad. I start every game defensively, but if my opponent is the same, I get on the move (slowly), and with these smaller maps, getting to the opponent once I get on the move is much quicker and more enjoyable.

i personally have strong Ancient Battlefield feel on each of the new small maps

As I already said in another post, Tiny Maps + Invisible Walls + random Deployment zones can give a faction an auto-win in many cases: e.g. Lanever map where either the units can be deployed in less than 4 square one from each other (auto-win for Wolfen/Golem) or you can efficiently block all the paths going to your main units (try to win there against 3 necro comp with heal... only possibility is if you are Alahan with many archers and it is still difficult as hell), or Behemoth map where Alahan archers can be located behind the bushes on the right with only one way for the enemy to enter your "fort" -> automatic Draw or Win for the Lion. There are many other cases in which only the initial pure luck of where your enemy deployed his units can allow you to win/lose the game, no strategical thinking at all...

As I already said in another post, Tiny Maps + Invisible Walls + random Deployment zones can give a faction an auto-win in many cases: e.g. Lanever map where either the units can be deployed in less than 4 square one from each other (auto-win for Wolfen/Golem) or you can efficiently block all the paths going to your main units (try to win there against 3 necro comp with heal... only possibility is if you are Alahan with many archers and it is still difficult as hell), or Behemoth map where Alahan archers can be located behind the bushes on the right with only one way for the enemy to enter your "fort" -> automatic Draw or Win for the Lion. There are many other cases in which only the initial pure luck of where your enemy deployed his units can allow you to win/lose the game, no strategical thinking at all...

^ This. It happened to me yesterday again, there is this one map (don't know what the name is) that has a statue in the middle, bushes in front of spawn zone and big Rocks on the side, the enemy used his necro with heal to block one path and his HB skeletons to block the other path, there was no way to go inside without engaging in a close fight, while I was trying to, I got destroyed by archers.

What I have noticed a lot though, is that every time I get a small map I hate and I tell my opponent how much I hate this map, he tells me he does too, not once has an opponent told me it was fine for him.

I think smaller maps are fine if the devs make it harder to just close paths made out of 1 hex, the fact that some of this smaller maps lost the side paths to overtake enemy spawn zone is what I hate the most. They sure make the fights faster thought but just a bit less tactical in some cases, specially with some random deployment spots that the enemy can use to spawn 6 hexes from you.

The best way in my opinion to fix the invisible walls, would be to fix (I think is seriously broken) the H option I think is show hexes option or something like that, right now it shows just some hexes with walls on oranje, then not much more, if it would show up the whole map hexes in a different more contrasting color to the green and oranje we use for movement it would be awesome.