Map Cycle Composition

[JtD]

The map cycle currently consists of 32 maps, distributed as shown below. Sideboarded maps are not in the cycle but can be called by admins.:

Eastern Front, 1941 (3 slots)
Finland (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17344)
Istra (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17588) (sideboarded)
Byelorussia (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17339)
Kerch (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17348)
Moscow (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17372) (sideboarded)
Eastern Front, 1942 (2 slots)
Kuban42 (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17349)
Stalingrad (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17368)
Eastern Front, 1943 (2 slots)
Prokhorovka (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17363)
Motherland (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17356)
Kuban43 (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17350) (sideboarded)
Eastern Front, 1944 (2 slots)
Novgorod (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17358)
Murmansk (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?p=195888#post195888) (sideboarded)
Balta (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17337)
Eastern Front, 1945 (2 slots)
FrankfurtOder (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17346)
Berlin (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?p=209947#post209947)

Western Front & Med, 1941 (2 slots)
Malta (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17353)
Libya (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17352)
Western Front & Med, 1942 (2 slots)
Aegean (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=18871)
Channel42 (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17340)(sideboarded)
Desert42 (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17343)
Western Front & Med, 1943 (2 slots)
Tunisia (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17369)
Sicily (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17365)
Western Front & Med, 1944 (3 slots)
Ploesti (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17361)(sideboarded)
Italy (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17347)(sideboarded)
D-Day (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17342)
Leuna (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17371)
Rome (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?p=208176#post208176)
Western Front & Med, 1945 (2 slots)
Ruhr (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17364) (sideboarded)
Ardennes (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17370)
Rhine (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=19259)

Pacific & Asia, 1941 & 1942 (2 slots)
Fyling Tigers (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17345)
Midway (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17355)
Coral Sea (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17341) (sideboarded)
Pearl (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17373) (sideboarded)
Pacific & Asia, 1943 (2 slots)
Solomons (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17366)
New Guinea (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17357)
Pacific & Asia, 1944 (2 slots)
Marianas (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17354)
Burma (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17338)
Pacific & Asia, 1945 (2 slots)
Okinawa (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17359)
Kyushu (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17351) (sideboarded)
Shibushi (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=19268)

Other (2 slots)
Poland (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?t=17362)
Spain (http://www.battle-fields.com/commscentre/showthread.php?p=203453#post203453)

Please give a little feedback about what you like or dislike about that. Keep in mind we'd like to cater all theatres at all times.

[NS-IceFire]

So if balance is desired for the maps then another one or two Pacific theater maps is needed.

[JtD]

The reasons there is one PTO map less than average are

- PTO maps are hard to balance and generally favour red, except late ones
- conflict started last
- essential planes are missing (B6N, D4Y, TBM, SB2C)
- essential ground objects are missing (ships, mostly)

Makes these missions somewhat less fun than the others - unless of course it's your favorite theatre.

[SMURFY1967]

JtD we used to have a spits/seafires/beau`s v ki`s/zekes and vals pacific map, it was Burma44 or something similar, great map with both sides having ground objectives.

[vapour]

That was one of my favourites, once upon a time.

[Zorin]

JtD we used to have a spits/seafires/beau`s v ki`s/zekes and vals pacific map, it was Burma44 or something similar, great map with both sides having ground objectives.

The most unbalanced map of all time. :mad:

[NS-IceFire]

The reasons there is one PTO map less than average are

- PTO maps are hard to balance and generally favour red, except late ones
- conflict started last
- essential planes are missing (B6N, D4Y, TBM, SB2C)
- essential ground objects are missing (ships, mostly)

Makes these missions somewhat less fun than the others - unless of course it's your favorite theatre.

Its true but there are ways around some of that. Has my Luzon map been converted for UK-1 use? I can't remember. That might work fine...although may have a distance issue.

Also the map Smurfy is talking about was a blast. It was a tough battle on both sides with the Spit V being somewhat equal to the Zero and Ki-61 combo.

I was also thinking of a Wake Island scenario. That one has two possibilities...it could be the early 1942 loss of the island for the Americans or the 1943 USN carrier raid.

[JtD]

For once I have to agree with Zorin. That map was very much in reds favor.

[SMURFY1967]

The Ki`s were 84`s, it was a good map. May have been Burma43 I think we had both at one point, the spits were Vb Vc and the 4 x Hispano versions , the seafires were there as well. Perhaps i`m getting the 2 confused, it was pretty even as I remember.

[JtD]

84 means 44. Red had to attack bunkers along the forest ridge. That one was pretty even.

[JtD]

Do we only have 18 regulars on UKD1? You need to vote, folks.

[JtD]

Thanks for the additional 7 votes.

I've updated the first post and linked all maps to the corresponding topics.

First action, it seems, should be the removal of an EF 1943 map in favour of some other time frame, probably 1945.
I also figure we could drop one of the early PTO maps.

Could someone please make this a sticky?

[Gremista]

Great idea creating a list with the current maps and linking the names to the respective map thread. Now people can easily post suggestions and report problems with a specific map and take a look at the map layout. Great job.

[JtD]

As a first small change, I took Coral Sea out and put Ardennes back in.

[JtD]

I added a new map, a Murmansk scenario to the mapcycle. Balta has been sideboarded for that.

Planeset on the Murmansk isn't very near historical, more like a "what if the most modern ac of both sides had been used there" scenario. Still hope you folk enjoy.

[Cinnibar]

What I'd love to see in the rotation is a Mongolia-type map, modelling the Battle of Khalkhin Gol (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Halhin_Gol). There's excellent potential there in a Russian vs Japanese battle... the I-153 vs Ki-27 matchup is a favorite of mine.

There's also potential in the same front for a late-war map, representing Operation August Storm (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_August_Storm), or a similar late-war Russian/Japanese conflict. La-7 vs J2M3 is FUN.

[Professor]

Battle of Khalkhin Gol is a good idea but Ki-27 got no cockpit. This scenario is a bit difficult to plan in my opinion

[JtD]

I have found Soviet vs. Japanese setups to be heavily red biased. The scenarios you mention are featured in the UKD2 map rotation, and AutumnStorm was around for quite a while on UKD1 as well. To me, it was always a pain the the backside to fly for blue while flying red, in particular the La-7, was too easy to enjoy.

The Ki-27 (which does have a cockpit) stands no chance against the I-153.

These scenarios might still find a way (back) into the server, but it won't happen very soon.

[Professor]

ach, sorry about mistake in my previous message :thwak:

[Cinnibar]

I have found Soviet vs. Japanese setups to be heavily red biased. The scenarios you mention are featured in the UKD2 map rotation, and AutumnStorm was around for quite a while on UKD1 as well. To me, it was always a pain the the backside to fly for blue while flying red, in particular the La-7, was too easy to enjoy.


I actually see it the other way in these matchups, as I find the J2M's are a fair match for the La-7, even the 3xB20. Once you get up high, the J2M5 has a significant advantage. Down low, the A6M5's out-turn the La's.

[JtD]

I added Istra. It is an early Eastern Front scenario and originally was a UKD2 map, and one of my favorites. I had to alter a lot, as minor things like the lack of loadout and plane restrictions didn't allow the original map to be used. It is a night time map, the only one we have in the cycle, but the snow improves visibility. Byelorussia is now sideboarded.

[Cinnibar]

Just out of curiousity, could you post the current order of the rotation?

[JtD]

Cinnibar, maybe it is best you check the stats page, missions played. Unless the server crashed in between, you will find the rotation there - always up to date.

DDay.mis
Kuban42.mis
NewGuinea.mis
Malta.mis
Kuban43.mis
Marianas.mis
Tunisia.mis
Murmansk.mis
Midway.mis
Ploesti.mis
Istra.mis
Channel42.mis
Burma.mis
Novgorod.mis
Ruhr.mis
Kerch.mis
Okinawa.mis
Sicily.mis
Motherland.mis
Desert42.mis
Solomons.mis
Ardennes.mis
Finland.mis
Stalingrad.mis
Italy.mis
FrankfurtOder.mis
FlyingTigers.mis
Libya.mis
Prokhorovka.mis
Kyushu.mis
Poland.mis

[Cinnibar]

Cinnibar, maybe it is best you check the stats page, missions played. Unless the server crashed in between, you will find the rotation there - always up to date.

Right. I should have thought of that.

[JtD]

As you may have noticed, some minor changes have occurred in the map cycle some time ago. But the forum was down, so I can only post now.

There is also a notable addition, a new map simulating an air conflict in the Spanish Civil war has been added. I sure hope it is balanced and fun enough. The historical accuracy is not that good, because a lot of planes are missing. So most of the ones actually used are stand ins.

[JtD]

A map "Rome" has been added to the mapcycle. It is quite similar to Italy, and it replaces that map in the cycle. It was test run yesterday so it should work, unless I screwed up today. :)

[JtD]

I added another Eastern Front map to the map cycle, called Berlin. It features all these funny late war planes that were requested and did or did not see service with the forces, such as the P-63 clownwagon, the uber Yak-3P or the Ta-152H, which will win any ceiling contest on that map. I hope at least you enjoy.

I removed Kuban43 from the cycle to make room, I've seen this map all too often lately.

[Priv Tommy]

Thx JtD,

i think the Berlin-Map would be nice to fly.

[Cinnibar]

Wierd request....

Gonna request a change in the map rotation series or change in the time limits in general.

Unless the server is reset, or we have an extraordinary series of winners, the map cycle repeats every two days at approximately the same times. 32 maps x 90 min = 2800 minutes... 48 hours.

Basically I fly the same maps at the same time periods every other day and don't see many other maps in the cycle unless there's a reset at a strange time. I don't get to fly many of the other fun ones unless I timeshift my day.

Could we un-sideboard a few or sideboard a few to change the complete cycle time?

[vapour]

Just pick a map you want and the cycle will start from there, I think.

[Cinnibar]

Just pick a map you want and the cycle will start from there, I think.

I don't manually cycle the maps unless the majority of players in attendance request it... which is almost never.

[vapour]

Change to whatever map you want at the end of a map, at least agree with the rest of the paying members , if there are any. You help pay for it so you get those little perks.;)

[JtD]

Wierd request....

Gonna request a change in the map rotation series or change in the time limits in general.

Unless the server is reset, or we have an extraordinary series of winners, the map cycle repeats every two days at approximately the same times. 32 maps x 90 min = 2800 minutes... 48 hours.

Some maps are won each day so the mapcycle will advance slowly, say by 3 hours or so per day. Also, some maps are shorter, Poland for instance will run only 60 minutes. Eventually, the average map cycle takes about 40 hours to run through. Which imho is a pretty good pace.

The two problems are that
a) the server crashes frequently and will always start at the same map
b) some admins will frequently change the map to their favourite map with no consideration for the rest of the crowd
and so we sometimes end up playing the same few maps again and again.

[JtD]

I added a new map, Aegean. Nominally a 1942 map, it's actually 1941 with the exception of the Mossie. It also isn't very historical. I wanted to do a SpitV vs 109F4 map for a long time, found this the most interesting idea. Hope it's fun for everyone.

I also put Byelorussia back into the loop for Istra and Balta for Murmansk.

[Phoenix]

I haven't seen this map in quite a while. Always has been one of my favorite missions.

[Algorex]

You mean Apennines? I got replaced with Rome.

[JtD]

I think it's Italy. It's still on the server and can be called by admins, but it is not in the cycle anymore.

[Oh_Frustration]

Some maps are won each day so the mapcycle will advance slowly, say by 3 hours or so per day. Also, some maps are shorter, Poland for instance will run only 60 minutes. Eventually, the average map cycle takes about 40 hours to run through. Which imho is a pretty good pace.

The two problems are that
a) the server crashes frequently and will always start at the same map
b) some admins will frequently change the map to their favourite map with no consideration for the rest of the crowd
and so we sometimes end up playing the same few maps again and again.

I've been on the server for two weeks and I have played four maps of which I've played two for seven times. I often play at the same time so the cycle is really annoying. I never get to play my fav maps but always Berlin, Marianas, Berlin, Marianas, Berlin, Marianas, Berlin, Marianas to infinity and beyond. It's frustrating, especially because I'm not very good on either one.:(

[JtD]

Berlin - 1.21pm
Berlin - 10.40pm
Berlin - 7.52am
Berlin - 1.25pm
Berlin - 7.07pm
Berlin - 2.51am
Berlin - 9.49pm
Berlin - 6.36am
Berlin - 7.30am

I don't see how you could manage to play this map 7 times in the last two weeks if playing at the same time every day - unless you are playing for 16 hours straight each day.

[Cinnibar]

I think have only been able to fly once in the past two weeks (hardware issues + lack of time to resolve them), and I'm upset that I haven't flown Marianas yet.

EDIT : Oh wait, that was the last map I flew. And Berlin before that.

How odd.

[Cinnibar]

I've been on the server for two weeks and I have played four maps of which I've played two for seven times. I often play at the same time so the cycle is really annoying. I never get to play my fav maps but always Berlin, Marianas, Berlin, Marianas, Berlin, Marianas, Berlin, Marianas to infinity and beyond. It's frustrating, especially because I'm not very good on either one.:(

According to server stats, you have no sorties prior to Nov 1st under your current handle (five days ago), and you've encountered Marianas and Berlin each exactly twice in the rotation.

[NS-IceFire]

Are there any new scenarios that I can explore for you guys for new maps? I wouldn't mind contributing a couple of original maps if I can get behind it. I'd prefer to focus on areas that the sim is good at...ie. between 1941 and 1945 (or 1946 I suppose although those are challenging maps to get right).

[FlyingFinn]

Shameless bump for converting some superb maps from UKD2&3 to UKD1 use, pretty please?

[Oh_Frustration]

According to server stats, you have no sorties prior to Nov 1st under your current handle (five days ago), and you've encountered Marianas and Berlin each exactly twice in the rotation.

Uhm. Well. Sorry for overstating the thing but I get frustrated quite easily and I seldom get to play on other days than those eight in every week. And I don't play everyday :)

[Cinnibar]

There are eight days in every week?

[Professor]

^I wonder the same thing. Even according to Martian calendar, 8 days/week is next to impossible :D

[WillEyedOney]

Why is kuban43 back in the cycle? It's just a slaughterfest for Blue.

[SMURFY1967]

I like that one myself, but only flying the fighters for reds.

[WillEyedOney]

Aye, think I'll not bother going for the ground targets on that one either.

[JtD]

Yes admins, justify yourself. You called up a map where blue has planes capable of shooting down red ones!

And as for the answer to the why question - can't answer, wrong input.

[NS-IceFire]

Shameless bump for converting some superb maps from UKD2&3 to UKD1 use, pretty please?

Any suggestions?

[FlyingFinn]

Any suggestions?
Haven't flown that much on 2&3, but I know there are some really nice scenarios worthy of trying on UKD1.

Wasn't there discussion about converting UKD1 to SC? Is this viable?

[SMURFY1967]

I`d like to see the above, we`ve had discussions on this in the past, its my opinion that SC offers far greater control for the mapmaker but FBD is far easier for the newer player.

[NS-IceFire]

Well...the advanced stuff in SC doesn't have to be used. Keeps it easier for the new player but SC's advantages like designating target areas and percentages and such are still used.

Just have to structure maps like they are in FBD with all weapons/planes available no matter what.

[a_monkey]

Hi all,

Just thought i'd take a_moment to say that i too have been finding that Marianas and Berlin are somewhat prevalent and frequent maps. Not that i mind hugely. In honesty, i've always rather preferred the pacific maps and Berlin gives some advanced aircraft types to play with. But having read the previous page in this thread, i feel that i could confirm the feeling that those two maps, in particular, are becoming apparently quite common.

Not one for complaining in these situations though, especially with no solution in hand. I've been meaning to get more into map making so that i could actually bring something to the table (other than bananas and fleas). Got the map-making basics just need to learn how to allocate targets really.

Have a Merry Arf and a Happy New Arf ~S~

Arf.

[JtD]

I uploaded a new map, Rhine. It is a late war Western Front map and intended to replace Ruhr. I'm not sure it's going to work the way it should (target locations and performance doubts), so I left Ruhr on the server and made a few quick fixes there as well.
Also, Burma has seen some changes.

[JtD]

I reworked the Kyushu map. I ended up with a completely new map, therefore I gave it a new name, Shibushi, and uploaded it. It will run in Kyushus place in the map cycle now. I hope it works ok, if not please say so. We can still go back to Kyushu quickly.

Shibushi is the name of the town the targets are in, just so you know how I got to that name.