ESOC Maps Information Thread

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Italy Garja
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ESOC Maps Information Thread

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Post by Garja »

This thread is meant to provide various informations regarding the ESOC maps, including a quick reference sheet to compare them. It will be update periodically.

** Please do not use this thread to talk about map bugs or to report other balance issues. Use this thread instead. **

ESOC Maps reference sheet for 1v1:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/ ... sp=sharing

Adirondacks
[spoiler=spoiler]Image Image Image Image
Designed by Garja

The map depicts a mountainous region with a crescent shaped water body at the top.

The main feature of the map is the water body itself, having no shipment spawn point and being surrounded by cliffs for the most part. Docks can only be placed on the two (three in FFA mode) bays behind each player's base. This also means that no unit can be dropped over the mountain from ships. It is however possible to board units from cliff to ships.

The rest of the map is rather open, even though the upper part is obviously smaller due the above mentioned lake. Two natives posts (three in team and FFA) force players to navigate through different paths.

Resource-wise the map has plenty of food, not only because of the abundant hunts but also thanks to the fishable lake. There is also a fair number of silver mines but not as outstanding as the amount of hunts. Forests are plentiful and dense. They tend to block an otherwise fairly close rush distance.

The map naturally favors booming or fast teching play. For those civs that have both options available, the decision between the two strategies could be taken considering the placement of the starting resources. A safe second mine in the back may allow a safe age up, while an exposed second mine might suggest a wiser prolonged colonial play.

When it comes to expanding, players basically have two options. They can either move to the bottom part of the map, which is arguably safer due to the cover provided by the native post and a minor distance to the starting base, or they can go for the long term, moving to the top where the majority of the resources are placed.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/spoiler]
Arizona
[spoiler=spoiler]Image Image Image Image
Designed by Garja

Arizona is an arid region of badlands. In the middle there is a big mesa that divides teams.

In 1v1 and team the mesa is split in two by the trade route, allowing players to cross it horizontally. The trade route also virtually divides the map in half, while the 4 nat posts represent obstacles in an otherwise quite open map.

Overall, the map has a fair amount of resources, which are concentrated for a good part around players' bases. The only exception is wood, as forests are generally far from the TC and not so dense in the first place.

All these factors combined make the map suitable for any kind of strategy, with fast teching play probably easier to achieve for those civs that don't have to chop lot of wood early on. In any case, players need to venture out on the map fairly soon to secure further resources and, more often than not, contest the dominance over the trade route. Players will likely end up pivoting around the central mesa, especially since resources are usually not vertically symmetrical.

Apache cavalry might be a decent addition for civs that decide to stay in colonial and don't have a strong anticav unit.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/spoiler]
Arkansas
[spoiler=spoiler]Image Image Image Image
Designed by Garja

This map depicts a fordable stretch of the Buffalo River immersed in the forest of the Ozarks.

The map is structured on two levels. Below the river a woodland area covers about 2/3 of the map and hosts the bases of players as well as a short trade route. Above the river Cherokee natives have settled on a plateau.

There is a fair amount of each resource, with food being the most abundant one. Hunts however are not necessarily close to the TC so players are sometimes required to secure extra portions of the map if they don't want starve their colonies to death. The plateau at the top contains some extra resources that reward for the risk of moving away from the starting location. Cliffs could be actually exploited to secure this area.

Every strategy is possible on this map, depending upon the matchup and the placement of the additional resources. Often enough, these are relatively close to the town center and trees naturally shield them from the opponent attacks so booming hard becomes entirely possible. The starting resources should also allow for safe fortress-based strats most of times.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/spoiler]
Baja California
[spoiler=spoiler]Image Image Image Image
Designed by Garja

Baja California is an arid peninsula that belongs to the modern state of Mexico.

The map is rectangular with two sea stripes on the longer sides and a mountain range that cuts it longitudinally in the middle. Players start on the opposite sides, always connected by five mountain passes. A long trade route crosses all the map breaching through the middle pass.

All resources are widespread but not in the same amount. There are many silver mines, while hunts are rather small and scattered. Most of wood is concentrated in the middle, even tho deserts on the sides present modest patches of trees. The sea represent quite a source of food and coin, especially considering both sides.

Aside from the water, players have essentially two options to expand. One is to follow the shorter edge of the map, eventually crossing the mountain range. The other is to move sideways along the coast. In both cases a forward base placed in the central pass grants a significant control over the flow of the game.

For all these reasons, a prolonged colonial play seems the most attractive option, even though fast aging is definitely possible under some circumstances. Civs with good water play may want to turtle in the corner, exploiting the shortage of inland resources later on.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/spoiler]
Bengal
[spoiler=spoiler]Image Image Image Image
Designed by Garja

This map is located in the Bay of Bengal and depicts the Sundarbans natural region.

The battlefield is essentially a big swamp covered by mangrove forests. Each team starts on a different island and a vertical cliff at 12 o'clock creates a natural barrier, dividing the top part of the map. There are several minor islands to construct on, but sometimes placing a forward base is difficult due to the limited room. In general the map feels rather defensive at start, with layout features and starting resources granting a rather safe position early on. Eventually, expanding on the map could be problematic with a passive approach.

Resources are plentiful, especially wood and coin. Hunts are small but numerous. They're scattered all over the map and sometimes are difficult to spot. Water buffalos could provide a spike in the food income to use at the key moment.

The map is suitable mostly for colonial play, having no trade posts to fuel the shipment spam in a fast aging strategy. Map control becomes crucial later on, so an aggressive approach can definitely pay off. On the other hand, a well executed timing to break out from the base can also work.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/spoiler]
Bonnie Springs
[spoiler=spoiler]Image Image Image Image
Designed by Rikikipu

Bonnie Springs is an historical stopover along the Old Spanish Trail.

This map is quite unique as it features a number of neutral buildings representing the old Bonnie Springs ranch or, alternatively, a more recent Bonnie Spring s village. They don't provide experience points if destroyed (unless it's the RE patch version of the map). The village complex works as a natural obstacle, increasing the rush distance between players and also protecting a potential forward base. On the sides of the village there are two short trade routes. Upgrading one automatically upgrades the other one too.

The playable surface is actually not so large and players' bases are in fact quite close to the middle of the map. There is almost no space behind the TCs, so players must pay particular attention in securing the starting resources.

Speaking about resources, Bonnie Springs presents some interesting numbers. Hunts are rather abundant for the map size, while mines are on par with other ESOC maps. Trees, on the other hand, are notably scarce and players might end up battling for the wood eventually.

Considering all these aspects Bonnie Springs seems to push for no-compromise strategies. Both rushing or straight ffing seem viable, while booming play or delayed aging don't seem very appealing.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/spoiler]
Cascade Range
[spoiler=spoiler]Image Image Image Image
Designed by Garja

Cascade Range map consists in a valley nestled within the mountains that span the modern states of western North America.

The valley contains four native posts (two Nootka and two Klamath) as well as two lakes (only one in FFA) that combined create a bottleneck which separates players' bases.

The main feature of this map is perhaps the low amount of resources, at least for what concerns hunts and coin. Hunts are in fact few and small, while tin mines provide less coin than others types of mines. There are however many berry bushes that grant a large source of food for the later stages of the game. Fishable lakes may also be exploited in some creative strategy. Treasures are all of level one, so players will race to gather as many as possible.

The shortage of resources and the absence of TPs clearly favor aggressive colonial play. Players will likely battle for map control from the beginning while perhaps also spreading villagers all over the map to gather extra resources when they still can. After all, it is very possible to overlook a hunt or a mine in the corner and realize that the opponent was there when it's too late.

As mentioned the middle of the map is rather choked and thus some extra wall might come in handy to secure further resources. On the other hand, taking the native posts might also help holding the map control.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/spoiler]
Colorado
[spoiler=spoiler]Image Image Image Image
Designed by Rikikipu

The map depicts the mountainous region of the homonymous country.

The entire area is divided by two big cliffs that represent a natural barrier and limit unit movements. Three mountain passes ensure the connection between the two halves of the map. A tortuous trade route (actually two stretches that share the same upgrades) runs through these passes preventing walling abuse.

Each resource is present in a fair amount. A notable difference with other maps is the lack of a clear second mine and this generally forces players to venture out of the base earlier than usual. On the other hand , the cliffs partially mitigate this problem as they help securing one of the closest mines (together with a short wall if necessary).

The natural features of the map allow for any type of strategy. That said, passive strategies seem better for those civs that are food heavy, while civs that require more coin are tasked to a more proactive approach.

The game flow on this map can vary greatly upon the MU and the strategy chosen by the players. Generally the aggressive civs like to claim the center of the map and expand toward it, while the defensive civs seek for more resources behind the cliffs.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/spoiler]
Florida
[spoiler=spoiler]Image Image Image Image
Designed by Garja

Florida map portrays the southern part of the homonymous country and historical region.

The map is virtually divided in three parts: on the bottom right side we have the waters of the Florida strait; on the left top the swamps of the everglades region; between them a grassy strip of land that hosts a variety of plants and animals. The layout of the map also partially varies upon the trade route shape and native posts location. There are in fact three different variations in this regard.

Resources are plentiful. Not only hunts and mines are quite abundant, but also the sea contributes to the overall amount of food and coin sources, as it is rich of fish and whales. Florida is very likely the most economically oriented map in the set. On top of the astonishing amount of inland and sea resources, there is also a free market at start, two easily defendable TPs next to the base and a number of sheeps to herd.
However, map control is still a factor to consider. Not all resources are in fact necessarily close to the starting TC. In particular, additional mines and trees tend to place outside of the TC range.

If there is map where players can indulge on crazy boomy builds that's Florida. In particular civs with good water play could try to exploit the map characteristics to their full extent. All other type of strategies remain viable anyway, especially greedy fast aging play.

Both Seminole and Carib natives provide powerful upgrades for archer type units that could be used to top a well thought plan.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/spoiler]
High Plains
[spoiler=spoiler]Image Image Image Image
Designed by Garja

High Plains is the western part of the modern Great Plains. It is also the historical name of this same area.

This map is a remake of RE Great Plains and, very much like that, it is an open circular map. The major differences are the long transversal trade route with five posts and the cliffs that are spread all over the dry grass area. There is also a single bigger forest area in the northwest compared to the double sided green areas of GP.

For the rest, the two maps share the same features. Resource balance in particular follows the same logic, except that HP has better distribution and an overall bigger amount of mines and trees. As for hunts, they are very abundant and HP is in fact the map with the most hunts in the ESOC pool.

High Plains allows every type of strategy, even though rushing and containing the opponent appear rather hard tasks on such an open and resource-heavy map. For the same reasons the map seems more suitable for cav play (especially considering the nat techs) or in general for mobile armies. The trade route clearly represents a key strategic element, providing both an eco boost and map control.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/spoiler]
Hudson Bay
[spoiler=spoiler]Image Image Image Image
Designed by Garja

The map depicts the big bay in northeastern Canada and its surrounding area.

It is essentially a remake of the Saguenay map of the RE patch but it includes some notable improvements.
First of all, the layout looks more neat. The bay is wider, allowing for ships to navigate more freely. There are no awkward choke points caused by the random ponds or the native posts in the corners.
Second, the natives are split evenly between the two sides, with one Cree and one Huron settlement each.
Third, the map has two versions: winter and spring. In the cold season the map looks covered with snow and there is a rim of ice on the coast. In the warm season the map is covered by tundra vegetation and there are few isles in the bay.

In terms of resources, this map is rather generous. All types of resource are above the average of the ESOC maps, even without considering the sea. However, the hunt amount can vary significantly depending upon the version of the map and the specific spawn.

Hudson Bay is one of the most all-around maps in the pool when it comes to viable strategies. Even though booming or fast aging are the trendy options, rushing is also possible, especially considering the early boost that the big treasures can provide.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/spoiler]
Indonesia
[spoiler=spoiler]Image Image Image Image
Designed by Garja

The map depicts the islands of the historical East Indies and modern Indonesian archipelago.

The layout of the map always includes a main island, two midsized islands and two small isles. The main island contain players' starting bases and four native posts, as well as most of the resources. The two midsized island can host a secondary base as they also contain some extra resources. The small islands mostly serve as outposts. In the middle of the main island there is a choke point that sometimes forces armies to opt for side maneuvers.

However, it is likely that most of the action will take place on the water, since roughly half of the food and coin sources are there. Inland resources are still abundant but a water boom will clear overwhelm a land one in the long run.

This map is water-centered but aggressive land strategies are still possible to punish a greedy fish boom. If the opponent try to turtle while taking the sea it is probably wise to rush the sea or start your own fish boom.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________[/spoiler]
Kamchatka
[spoiler=spoiler][/spoiler]
Klondike
[spoiler=spoiler][/spoiler]
Manchac
[spoiler=spoiler][/spoiler]
Manchuria
[spoiler=spoiler][/spoiler]
Mendocino
[spoiler=spoiler][/spoiler]
Pampas Sierras
[spoiler=spoiler][/spoiler]
Tassili
[spoiler=spoiler][/spoiler]
Tibet
[spoiler=spoiler][/spoiler]
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

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Post by pecelot »

I can't open the spoilers, is it just me?
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

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Post by _DB_ »

pecelot wrote:I can't open the spoilers, is it just me?


same

This thread is a garja joke. -_-
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by macacoalbino »

Me neither...
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by NekoBerk »

pecelot wrote:I can't open the spoilers, is it just me?


I can't either
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by [Armag] diarouga »

Idk if you can but I can't open the spoilers.
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by Garja »

There is nothing in the spoilers atm.
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by pecelot »

:O baited
sorry then :(
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by Durokan »

Last time I went through the maps I collected these:

Adirondacks: Huron
Arizona: Apache / Navajo
Arkansas: Cherokee / Seminole
Baja California: Apache / Navajo
Bengal: Bhakti
Bonnie Springs: N/A
Cascade Range: Klamath / Nootka
Colorado: Comanche
High Plains: Comanche / Cheyenne
Hudson Bay: Cree / Huron
Indonesia: Jesuit / Sufi
Kamchatka: N/A
Klondike: Nootka
Manchac: Seminole
Manchuria: Shaolin / Zen
Mendocino: Zapotec / Mapuche
Pampas Sierras: Inca / Mapuche
Tassili: N/A
Tibet: Udasi / Shaolin

Apache: II
Aztec:
Bhakti: I
Carib:
Cherokee: I
Cheyenne: I
Comanche: II
Cree: I
Huron: II
Incas: I
Iroquois:
Jesuit: I
Klamath: I
Lakota:
Mapuche: II
Maya:
Navajo: II
Nootka: II
Seminole: II
Shaolin: II
Sufi: I
Tupi:
Udasi: I
Zapotec: I
Zen: I

N/A: III

Note, of the 3 that were not "removed" the following are missing: Carib, Maya, Tupi
In addition, we are missing: Aztec, Iroquois, Lakota.
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by yoqpasa »

Gran Chaco??
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

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Post by Rikikipu »

yoqpasa wrote:Gran Chaco??

ESOC leaks ? :shock:
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by pecelot »

Also has Florida been released already? I ahven't seen that map.
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by MCJim »

This thread should be on the left sidebar under community links!
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by Darwin_ »

This thread is very useful. Thanks garja. I am very excited for gran chaco, seems like a good area to represent with a map. :biggrin:
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

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Post by Garja »

pecelot wrote:Also has Florida been released already? I ahven't seen that map.

Not yet, but it's ready for next patch update.
There are also more maps in the making :smile:
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by iNcog »

Garja wrote:There is nothing in the spoilers atm.


i got rekt hard

this is awesome, stealing this
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20 Mar 2020, 21:46
I just hope DE is not going to implement all of the EP changes. Right now it is a big clusterfuck.
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by Garja »

I'm slowly updating the open post with map info for those interested.
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by zoom »

Great job G'. Thank you so much!
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by sdsanft »

This is very helpful. Thank you Garja + everyone else on the maps team for all your great work.
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by iNcog »

stick topic please
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Garja wrote: ā†‘
20 Mar 2020, 21:46
I just hope DE is not going to implement all of the EP changes. Right now it is a big clusterfuck.
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by rsy »

Awesome work Garja! Waiting for u to finish off the spoilers!
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by pecelot »

wow, I didn't know that the maps looks so differently in FFA! gotta check 'em out!
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by EAGLEMUT »

Indeed! Praise the G!
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by rsy »

Can we have a copy of this thread in the strategy section pls. Or at least the spreadsheet that garja made
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Re: ESOC maps information thread

Post by pecelot »

Is it really necessary? As of right now it's kept in the right place.

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