Will EB include more custom battle maps?

[Greek_fire19]

Seeing as EB has completely redesigned the map, I assume some new custom battle locations will be included. Can you give me an idea how many?

Personally I was a little disappointed with the RTW custom battle maps, they seem to involve a lot of flat ground and small forests. Most of the campaign battles are like that, but it is immensely satisfying when you find yourself fighting on a really interesting battlefield that recalls the complexity of a Shogun or Medieval battle.

I know there isn't much you can do about the campaign map battles - you don't actually build the physical terrain- but if someone could spend a little time finding some of those really interesting battlefields and making them custom battle maps it would be much appreciated. Sometimes it's more fun to play a good custom battle than wade through a whole campaign, but the attraction lessens when you realise your choices are just 'british grassland' or 'cappadocian forest' or 'pripet marshes' AGAIN.

Anyway, just curious

[Moros]

yes there are alot new custom battle maps. weren't there a few screens of previewed ones with a real photograph from that region with it?

[Geoffrey S]

That was for the campaign game, I believe, showing how real locations were translated into the battlefield part of the game.

[Epistolary Richard]

Custom battlemaps are actually derived from the larger map. If you have a look at the files, you'll see that each one has coordinates which tell's the game which part of the larger map it should generate - so you could find them all in the campaign if you wanted.

EB certainly has a lot more of the locations highlighted, but again you'll have to rely on campaign generated fields.

Plans are afoot, however, to give you some even more exciting custom battlefield options in an optional expansion after the Open Beta release.

[Greek_fire19]

Yesyes i understand that custom battles are derived from the campaign - sorry I didn't make that clear in the first post - but I wouldn't be asking for more custom battles if it meant having to design entirely new ones.

What I was saying was, most of the campaign battles are kinda flat and boring, but occasionally you come across one battle which is really interesting and offers loads of tactical possibilities, but its kinda frustrating because you can never recreate the battle unless you happen to fight on the exact same square again.

It would be awesome if someone spent an hour or two finding a few really good battledfields for the EB map, just cus it would add a lot to the game, and I wouldn't get so annoyed when i find a really good map in the campaign game if I knew there were a few good ones always available for custom battle, and not the same old RTW ones..

EDIT: Just a quick example: The other day I was playing BI as the Lombards. Somewhere in the balkans I met an army of Goths. My army was lined up on a big hill on one side of a valley (protected on my left flank by a large rock formation). On the other side of the valley the goths were lined up on a small wooded hill. In the basin of the valley there was an old ruined farmyard. It was all rolling countryside and the scenery around was really pretty. It just got me thinking that if there were a few maps this good available for custom battle it would add a lot to the game.

[Epistolary Richard]

Ah, in that case, the answer is yes.

A few members of the team spent some time a while ago suggesting good custom locations from the map, and every internal build seems to add more

[Teleklos Archelaou]

Stormy's the man who has been doing this. There are some really good ones too. But unfortunately the 1.2 coastline bug keeps some of the most interesting ones from being all that they can be. When we bump up to 1.3 those should go away though.

[Greek_fire19]

Awesome: Thats just what I wanted to hear

[tk-421]

I'm glad that you're adding some. RTW had a really crappy selection.

[Stormy]

Yes, we have a lot of custom battles and these battle locations are everywhere, ranging from Sicily to Media to Syria to Nubia. What ??? want more ? I think we have like 100 custom maps.

[Greek_fire19]

Seriously? I was talking about something like 20, but 100 is better

[QwertyMIDX]

The world is a big place, lots of pretty spots to kill people.

[Ranika]

We have quite a number. Even have the Isle of Mann. There are plenty of great spots to set up battles, very scenic. Mann, for example, you can see the coasts, and I believe you can see out to Britain or Ireland, but I may be mistaken, as I've not played in a while.

[Spendios]

100 custom maps ! That's great I though it was 20 or 30 !