Greetings,
Another issue is upon us. We've got a full issue here, with three maps arising from the recycling bin after long vacations. In addition we've got your favorite column with WCA's latest challenge, and we all think you'll get a kick out of it. Sadly no Editorial this issue, school got in the way of our intended writer, so look for it next issue. Of course we've got A Look Back and Spotlight, covering Tisha's Puget Sound and Sully's up-and-coming World Cities. And finally our Community Perspective, with the proof that nobody likes reading what I'm typing right now. Just let me know if I should just cut this portion out already.
Hope you enjoy the issue,
TaCktiX
Senior Editor
In this section we cover every map presently in development. Each map is accompanied by a brief description of the map's theme, graphics, and gameplay, as well as what's been happening in the last couple of weeks. Finally, a link to each topic, the map's creator(s), and what stamps it presently has are noted.
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Name: Brazil Creator: RjBeals
Stamps: Description: The ultimate winner of the well-publicized
Brazil Revamp Competition , Rj has created a map that simply oozes with color, fitting for a nation known for its vibrant culture. Graphics are the order du jour now.
Present Development: Quenched.
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Name: Germany Revamp Creator: Pepperonibread
Stamps: Description: The current Germany map, as many German members have pointed out, is quite inaccurate. In this revamp, Pepperonibread is redrawing many of the borders to more accurately reflect the real Germany, as well as changing many of the territory names. Finally, the graphics will be completely overhauled and replaced with, in the words of Gimil, "super cool, shit hot graphics."
Present Development: Working on ironing out the XML centering the the like.
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Name: Antarctica Creator: e_i_pi
Stamps: Description: Conquer Club has featured at one time or another all continents, save one: Antarctica. To avoid the problems of "boring chunk of ice with only research stations on it" and the treaty protecting it from conquest, the mapmaker has cast the map forward in time to 2060, when ice has given way to land, and everyone is vying to conquer it all. The graphics are suitably cold yet colorful, and the conquest basis of the map has been well-thought-out. The map merely asks that you conquer the previously unconquerable Antarctica.
Present Development: Back from vacation and seeking blood...er, a graphics stamp.
Name: Atlantis Creators: [player]Premier2k[/player] and [player]Nemesischild[/player]
Stamps: Description: Ever want to visit Atlantis? Ok, maybe a myth, but not anymore! Atlantis is unique map that is sure to get CC gamers talking. Great layout and design, with a bounty of colors keeping it lively.
Present Development: Updated, with lots of comments requested.
Name: Austerlitz Creator: [player]pamoa[/player]
Stamps: Description: Have you ever wanted to be Napoleon? Well here is your chance fight his battle, win his victory or turn it into his defeat. With new and complicated game play, this map will be challenging players for years to come. The beautiful landscape is full of small details and a little history for those of us not fully aware of Napoleon's triumph.
Present Development: Recently stamped for gameplay, with a large version for the graphics in the works.
Name: Balkan Peninsula Creator: [player]ZeakCytho[/player]
Stamps: Description: This is a gorgeous map of the Balkan Peninsula. The gameplay is classic, with numerous small continents and easy to take bonuses.
Present Development: Quiet of late, but improving by leaps and bounds when it gets updated. Maybe we should call Zeak Pep Jr. due to his school obligations.
Name: CC Archery Creators: [player]Kaplowitz[/player] and [player]gimil[/player]
Stamps: Description: CC Archery is a map that mimics players shooting at targets, and one disgustingly cute rabbit. Bonuses are easy to get, making gameplay fun in the early game. The graphics are heavily tongue-in-cheek, which serves as a boon for this map.
Present Development: After a nearly year-long hiatus, back in action. Any and all comments to make the idea work are requested.
Name: Central America Creator: [player]Igoasklucyl[/player]
Stamps: Description: Fresh out of the Central America Amateur competition, this map is a representation of the Central American nations with classic gameplay and smooth tropical graphics.
Present Development: An update should be out soon and the mapmaker is on the lookout for any additional feedback.
Name: Chess Creator: [player]john9blue[/player]
Stamps: Description: A map based on one of the oldest games, to put it simply. It's a lovely rendering of a late-game chess match, with auto-deploys on held pieces and attack routes based on piece movement. That alone makes for a different and engaging gameplay, sure to set this map apart. So grab the speed clock and claim checkmate soon.
Present Development: Gameplay stamped and looking to have graphics soon too.
Name: Conquer Mart Creator: [player]lzrman[/player]
Stamps: Description: Ah, the shopping mall. Home of After Thanksgiving sales, last stands against the zombie apocalypse, and armed conflict. Well, in the past there wasn't any armed conflict, but this map seeks to change that, with fights over the departments and stores of a standard shopping mall being the order du jour. An overhead view shows off the floorplan of conquest, similar to a mall directory.
Present Development: Looking to be in dire straits with uncertainty of how to improve the map.
Name: Das Schloß Creator: [player]Cairnswk[/player]
Stamps: Description: This map is unique in several ways. For one, it is the only map that can only be won by completing the objective. For two, it's gone back from quenching into the foundry with a major rework of the map's mechanics to fix some unforeseen balance issues.
Present Development: Once issues are resolved on those and all present games on the older map are completed, the map will get re-quenched. According to Game Finder, that is a mere
2 games (a year after the map released).
Name: England Creator: [player]MrBenn[/player]
Stamps: Description: Green and Pleasant Land indeed. This map displays England and only England, in many shades of green. Wonderful graphics make this map a showcase of real talent unless you happen to not like green. No special features except for a inset to include London.
Present Development: Currently being thrashed through numerous means to make a build-your-own bonus viable on the map.
Name: Europe 1099 Creator: [player]Beko the Great[/player]
Stamps: Description: The Crusades, you can hear the clashing of swords and the crying of peasants just from a glance at this map. Look closely and you will see it was painted on cloth. The setting of this battle, Europe and a touch of Africa during the 1099 Crusade. This map plays to the religious aspects of the time period and looks like it will make a great game.
Present Development: Getting a good mix of gameplay and graphics feedback, with a new version sure to come soon.
Name: Feudal Epic Creator: [player]Gimil[/player]
Stamps: Description: The long-awaited sequel to the original conquest map, Feudal War. Whereas Feudal War was restricted to only 6 players, Feudal Epic has enough for 8 people, with wide and expansive village regions in between to clash and vanquish your enemies in. Otherwise, the gameplay is the same, if not better, than the original Feudal War, making this a certain favorite when it quenches.
Present Development: Undergoing numerous small tweaks to the graphics to make it perfect.
Name: First Nations of North America Creator: [player]Tisha[/player]
Stamps: Description: Painted on a parchment for all to see, a picture of early North America. Divided into its early tribes, from the tip of Greenland to the tip of Mexico, and everywhere in between. With good old fashion standard game play this map will be a delight to those players that like to keep it simple.
Present Development: Unleashed upon the Foundry and sure to get an update soon.
Name: Gilgamesh Creator: [player]Oaktown[/player]
Stamps: Description: This map is unique in at least one way: it grew out of a rejected revamp entry. Now divorced from the confining Centerscape gameplay, the maker has crafted a vibrant and mythologically-informed look at the Fertile Crescent during ancient times. Utilizing portions of the Gilgamesh epic, the map has both standard and special bonuses, leading to a very diverse gameplay.
Present Development: Still working on balancing out every aspect of the gameplay.
Name: Iron Curtain Creator: [player]RjBeals[/player] and [player]the.killing.44[/player]
Stamps: Description: The Soviet Union and its constituent Warsaw Pact nations formed the basis of the feared Iron Curtain. This map takes that large region and turns it into a 96 territory map colored in shades of iron. Its construction is very clean, and the gameplay fairly open with a minimum of impassables. Recreating a symbol of oppression never was so much fun.
Present Development: Reborn under the care of .44, and already off to the races on improving the title among other things.
Name: Long Island Creators: [player]sailorseal[/player] and [player]LED ZEPPELINER[/player]
Stamps: Description: A long thin block of territories surrounded by boats forking off at the end is the basic design of the map. A medium to small map with very few bonuses will give a new challenge to any player that decides to take it.
Present Development: Working on ironing out gameplay elements as well as adding a unique flavor to the map's look.
Name: Mexico Creators: [player]fumandomuerte[/player] and [player]MrBenn[/player]
Stamps: Description: This map just oozes the flavor of the country it is representing. It's a classic map with ports similar to the Philippines map, and its color scheme is straight off the Mexican flag itself. The vibrant colors and Mexican theme definitely contribute to the appeal of this map.
Present Development: Back from a two month vacation, the map is once again making progress. All feedback has been encouraged.
Name: Monsters! Creator: [player]dolomite13[/player]
Stamps: Description: This map makes you think just to look at it. A highly complex game play style with a fun and lovable theme, MONSTERS! It is essentially Monsters vs. Wizards in a fight for power stones, monsters, wizards and points.
Present Development: Temporarily on vacation due to a mapmaker true vacation, should be back going shortly.
Name: New Zealand Creator: [player]Reggie Mac[/player] and [player]LED ZEPPELINER[/player]
Stamps: Description: This is a map of New Zealand, complete with some surrounding islands. The graphics are clean and simple, and the gameplay is totally classic.
Present Development: Updated, and awaiting comments to help out the gameplay.
Name: Rose City Creator: [player]lostatlimbo[/player]
Stamps: Description: lostatlimbo has a very creative premise for this map: highlight all the unique features of Portland and turn them into gameplay features. That coupled with a bright and borderline garish color scheme creates a different map that likely will break the "limited appeal" problem that other city maps have run into.
Present Development: Getting closer to a latched-down gameplay.
Name: Route 66 Creator: [player]oaktown[/player]
Stamps: Description: Route 66, nothing says USA like this good old-fashioned road. Look at it, and you see a miniature USA. There are no territories out on the open road, just lots of different routes. From Chicago to LA, branching out all of the country. Players have to scramble for routes from sea to shining sea bringing a sense of home for players all across America. The fun isn't just reserved for them however, as any player will enjoy this new map created by the recently retired from C.A. [player]oaktown[/player] himself.
Present Development: In the Foundry, and utterly silent since the move.
Name: Switzerland Creator: [player]Kaplowitz[/player] and [player]Wcaclimbing[/player]
Stamps: Description: Switzerland is famed for its bank accounts, neutrality in war, and sweeping mountains. So have a hostile takeover on this average-sized map of the country. Graphics are simple and the gameplay matches, with only classic continents and impassables.
Present Development: Still getting lots of graphical tweak feedback.
Name: Trafalgar Creator: [player]Cairnswk[/player]
Stamps: Description: The Battle of Trafalgar was a turning point in Europe during Napoleon's reign With unorthodox naval tactics, Admiral Nelson destroyed the French/Spanish fleet with no ships lost. This map strives to depict that pivotal battle, with cannon bombardments, boarding parties, and bonuses requiring most, but not all, of ships to be held. A clever model depiction and a solid color scheme help to make the map a bird's eye view of naval warfare at its height.
Present Development: Back on the job, and gameplay stamped. Now to get that graphics one...
Name: Treasure Map Creator: [player]LED ZEPPELINER[/player]
Stamps: Description: A colorful take on a classic nautical "Treasure Map" featuring skull and cross bones with a few classic sailing ships thrown in. An objective style game play with a island hopping setting gives the player the feel they are hunting for a treasure. Arrr!
Present Development: Recently updated and clamoring for a Gameplay stamp.
Name: Vancouver Creator: [player]Shakeycat[/player]
Stamps: Description: This is a map of the greater Vancouver area. It has mostly classic gameplay, with attack routes between ports and special bonuses for holding various transportation modes, i.e. train lines.
Present Development: Recently stamped for Gameplay.
Name: WWII: The Invasion of Poland Creator: [player]samuelc812[/player]
Stamps: Description: Sporting the colors of World War II, this starting positions map has many special features keeping you always interested such as planes, tanks and bonuses for commanders. Take a look at this map and you just might learn something.
Present Development: Under the final review before hitting the Forge, with a laundry list of small tweaks to get done.
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Name: Conquer Club National Bank Creators: [player]lzrman[/player] and [player]a.sub[/player]
Stamps: [Preliminary Review]
Description: (Alarm goes off)
You are breaking in to Conquer Club's National Bank, they have made the map, all you need to do is get the money and get out. Objective: Get 6 money carts and the get-away car to win. The only problem: there are other players standing in your way.
A unique style of gameplay forces players to break their way into a bank with all of the territories named after members of the crack team who made the map. Sneaking your way past alarms, searching for carts of money, this map has many thrills to come.
Present Development: On a short vacation.
Name: Judea Creator: [player]Len44[/player]
Stamps: [Preliminary Review]
Description: Finally someone will do it, make the un-makeable map, Israel (Judea)! With a strictly historical shape and a well done earthy feel this map has quickly gained support.[player]Len44[/player] didn't stop there, he has not only started a great map but as spiced it up with a few complex game play features in a style of his own.
Present Development: Silent.
Name: World Cities Creator: [player]sully800[/player]
Stamps: [Preliminary Review]
Description: For those who loved Classic, maybe this will fill the void left in your heart. A typical image of the world (Moved 40* to the left) with cities instead of countries. With a well done graphical style and interesting game play to boot, this looks like a great map.
Present Development: Updated with a new terrain-based look.
In A Look Back, we look at either a recently quenched map or a mapmaker who has contributed to CC but hasn't done so recently. It's a great retrospective that is certain to be an interesting feature as time goes on.
This week, we reminisce with Tisha, the maker of the map Puget Sound.
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How old are you/what gender are you/where do you live? Answer specifically, vaguely, or not at all. How did you find out about Conquer Club? What is your favorite map currently up for live play? Why that one? What interested you in mapmaking? What ended up being the most rewarding part of making this map? This map was quenched before the Stamp system came into existence. What major differences were there in the system between now and then? It's been nearly 2 years since you last worked on a map in the Foundry. Why the long wait? What project are you working on right now? Provide links if you can. Native Tribes of North America , with maybe a Native Tribes of South America to follow...depending on how things go.
In the Spotlight, we typically cover a staff-selected map and mapmaker in an interview. Mapmaker motivations, inspirations, and the like have been covered, with plenty of surprises in between.
This week, we interview sully800.
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How old are you/what gender are you/where do you live? Answer specifically, vaguely, or not at all. How did you find out about Conquer Club? What is your favorite map currently up for live play? Why that one? What interested you in mapmaking? What kind of feedback do you like getting the most? What "keeps you going" through getting a map through the Foundry? What advice do you have for people who are starting on their first maps? How did you decide what graphics styles to go with? How much time do you spend on each update? How much of that time do you enjoy? How would you feel to be the first current hunter to quench a map? Were there any suggestions that you absolutely loved? Or any that you really hated? What do you think of the Foundry process in general?
The section where we ask what YOU think. We've typically run polls and published additional responses to the questions asked, but new and different ways are certain to show up soon.
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This issue we asked which part of the Foundry you liked most. [Editor's Note: I take it everyone despises my starting editorial introducing the issue, based on the number of votes for it] The resounding victor was WCA's Tablet, the graphically-focused portion of the Newsletter. In a triple tie for 2nd were the Editorial, Spotlight, and the bread-and-butter Maps in Development. Apparently the poll garnering this data wasn't very popular, as only 1 vote came in for the Community Perspective.the.killing.44 wrote: The interviews in general or the Editorial, I'm on the ropes. I think I'd say Editorial just because it's the one option that is a single one I like. Though the Tablet is sweet
tlane wrote: I voted for maps in development, just because it gives you in overview of what is happening with most of the maps. Then agian it gets a bit repetitive some times.
sailorseal wrote: Spotlight FTW!
bryguy wrote: I like WCA's Tablet the most, as it gives one the chance to try out their skills with making things.
AndyDufresne wrote: Spotlight Interviews for me----though I see and work with most of you daily, it's always more interesting to read a sit down chat.
Hello again everyone!
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First off, thanks for voting for WCA's Tablet as the best part of the newsletter in our most recent Community Perspectives poll. That really means a lot to me and I'll work hard to continue to provide quality content for you guys in each issue.PS:
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Plasagna - Oaktown
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Wrap up We would like to thank you all for taking the time to read and enjoy our newsletter.
See you next time!
gimil - Graphics
InkL0sed - Formatting Editor, Proofreading Editor
sailorseal - Maps In Development Editor
TaCktiX - Senior Editor, Editorial Editor, Perspectives Editor, Spotlight Editor, A Look Back Editor
wcaclimbing - Graphics, WCA's Tablet
