Oh, I don't have any real evidence that the AlliedPairs isn't Octo, other than its description saying 180.

I'll start a game.

Also, I just looked at the maps. GuardDuty (which is a great name for that, by the way) is not octothorpe pairing; it's asterisk (180 degree) pairing. The other pair mapping says it's 180 degree; I assume it, too, is 180 degree and not octothorpe (#).

For future reference, I'm pretty sure that games which have not yet started are killed automatically when a map is deleted (which happens as part of the making a change). So if a map has been recently updated, and a game on it hasn't started, it *must* be the new version of the map.

FlogMaze.

(yeah, "points of" above was supposed to clarify score-points, as opposed to HP.)

Anyway, yes. I knew the self-damage was a big problem here. It also didn't help that i got so target-poor so quickly, due to both of my neighbors having things go badly on their other sides.

Digression:

The self-damage scoring is one of the biggest differences between duels and group melee. In a duel, you don't mind doing self-damage that much, because it robs your opponent of the same points. On the other hand, getting your opponent to do self-damage is as good as doing the damage yourself. These statements seem contradictory, but they're both true -- the point isn't who did the damage, only how much damage was done to whom. Taking some self damage is obviously worthwhile if it hurts your opponent more than it hurts you; the main cost to consider is how it affects your team strength. Scores will work themselves out later.

With multiple opponents, the choice is less clear, because there's more to consider. But generally, self-damage on a group map is worse for both the player doing it, and the player forcing it. Taking self-damage is effectively helping *all* your opponents by that amount. This makes it a distinctly losing proposition, unless you can manage to line it up so that it hurts each of them (or at least the ones that are threats to you) as much as it hurts you.

And, contrariwise (as Eliminator proves time and again), causing someone to take self-damage helps all your other opponents as much as it helps you (modulo tactical considerations vis-a-vis team strength). This is why puffer-vs-Max is great in a duel and doomed on eliminator -- in a duel, even when you lose HP on a puffer or two, you win over all. On elminator, even when you win your corner you lose over-all, coming out with a depleted army and no points to show for it.

We saw it play out here as Wolff caused me to do a good amount of self-damage -- and got next to nothing for it beyond the satisfaction of a job well done.

Ironically, I think players start out playing more duels -- and start out afraid of self-damage. Then they learn that self-damage isn't so bad, and move to group games -- where it's terrible!

I'm confused. what are the teams, here, and why do some people have no troops at all?

I'd want to play again before saying for sure; I suspect most of my suggestions now would start turning it into Hubbub. the current funky sight-lines are good, though.

Interesting. reminds me of some of my brainstorming sketches for Maelstrom, but i never had quite that idea.

I like the octothorpe in the middle.

the shape connects eight points in pairs; if you drew the connections between allies on, say, GladiatorAlliance, you'd see that it makes an octothorpe.

Defend your partner's exec is an interesting idea. it certainly means both members of the team have to be good (and on the same page).

I'm also always a big fan of octothorpe pairings -- in this case, i'd like to see a diagonal octothorpe, meaning that, for instance, the righter person on the top and the lower person on the left would be paired -- similarly, the left person on the top and the lower person on the right would be paired, etc. Thus, between the two members of any given team are one member each of two teams. (A "straight" octothorpe -- pairing the right team on the top with the right team on the bottom -- would achieve the same ends, but with different tactical ramifications.)

in any case, i agree that a 4team would be nice to have in addition to the 4v4.

.

As Polytrope mentioned in game, there's a window hiding behind one of the cracked walls int he upper left corner. If you go into the editor, and hit "Hide all units" you'll see the terrain features that are hanging out under & obscured by units. It's a pretty useful tool that i try to have a look at once right before finishing up a map.

The recalc has left Jambul in an interesting position -- one point shy of an even thousand (and the next level). If he really is gone, this will be a good monument.

reassuringly, the mini form of the condor medal looks as little like its big form as the little form of the vulture medal looks like its.

hey, i'm like, level 33 or something. sweet!

well it's easy to tell if Robo moved for somebody -- he gives a very Robo-like taunt at the beginning.

it used to behave differently.

Did PGM Miss a turn? she's out of town, but she has a computer with her; i thought she'd be making her moves. she'll be back probably before her next turn.