Map Name: Conquer Club Links (CC Links for short?)
Mapmaker(s): Jonofperu
Number of Territories: ??
Special Features: Playing for the lowest score per hole. Upgrading your golfer's skill. Golf carts get you around the course quickly. Sabotage your opponent and they get accused of cheating.
What Makes This Map Worthy of Being Made:
There have been a couple attempts at a golf map. These are the ones I've found:
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=63&t=126087 2010
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=242&t=50632 2008
Apparently they petered out. I like the idea and I have several unique concepts I would like to add.
I'm working on another map that still has a ways to go, so this idea will probably progress slower, but I wanted to get it out there.
This is still in the concept stage, but here is the first full mockup.
Map Image: Full Concept V3
I think we should be able to make it work, but I'm concerned it could become too complex.
I have a feeling these specialty maps sound incredibly awesome to the mapmaker, but become hard to grasp for first-time players.
I've had a bunch of ideas on this and have been fiddling with them for a while but this is as cohesive as it's gotten so far.
Another concern is that I think you will have to understand the game of golf for the map to make sense... To the extent that some of the mechanics reflect the game, there just won't be enough space to explain what birdies and irons are.
Gameplay
OK, so the concept is you try to hold the fewest number of territories between the tee and the hole to get the lowest score and the biggest bonus.
I have a feeling that a map like this with many neutrals that offers a whole development scheme runs the BIG risk of people attacking each other rather than breaking into the neutrals for a bonus. (Similar to what I encountered on my other map). We can do several things to counter this:
1. make it really beneficial to get those bonuses (bigger bonuses)
2. separate players so they will be less likely to attack each other rather than the neutrals for the bonuses.
I could start players on the road next to each tee, and increase the neutral armies on the road.
3. Provide bonuses right away - I think this may be the key, but I haven't figured out how to do it yet. No way are players going to fight through several levels of golfer development and down a fairway to a green for a par or birdie bonus if they don't get any benefit until they complete that whole thing. Maybe that's the biggest drawback of this design.
I suppose I could stick to simpler mechanics and just play Risk on a map that looks like a golf course, but I just don't see the point. So I'm going to keep looking for a way to make this work.
Cheating
The idea here is that an opponent could cut into a fairway you've conquered and instead of eliminating you, cut out some of the steps you took to get to the hole. This could create a situation where you would be "claiming an impossible score" like getting a hole-in-one on a par 5. -10 troops deploy for cheating!
Teamwork also comes into play. Teammates could eliminate a few of your territs thus giving you fewer strokes to the hole and a bigger bonus (so cheating and getting away with it??)
Example on a par 5.
Without training your golfer, Blue OR White tee can attack the 200 yd marker (drive), from there you would attack the 300 (irons), 400, green, hole. (5 strokes for par)
Upgrades allow you to attack the 300 marker from the tees (Long drive),
attack the green from the 300 marker (Long irons),
and attack the hole directly when you would have attacked the green (Putting skill). So with Long Irons and Putting Skill you could attack the hole from the 300 mark.
It is therefore possible to score a 2 on this par 5 for a double eagle.