Guide [Issue 33] Terrain Intelligence: Small Maps

[Kevred 1,586]

 

 

 

 

Maps. Whether for arcade style killing, clan wars, eating chicken or miserably failing parkour stunts, they're an essential part of the gameplay. Ranging from tiny Islands to gigantic Montes, maps can be found in various shapes, sizes, styles, and chicken densities. As you probably have already guessed, this article is on said maps. More precisely, the different sizes of maps. 

 

Maps are roughly defined into three categories: small maps such as Sandbox, medium ones, and of course, the large ones. There is and always will be the random ones in the middle, the ones that don’t belong to any of the categories. As such, it’s probable you see a map which has been classed as “small”, even though you think it’s rather medium. It’s inevitable, so kindly do not complain about it.

 

 

List of small maps

Wave

Duality

Duel

Combe

Island

Sandbox

Ping-Pong 

Hill

*Please note that I did not judge the maps exclusively on their size. Gameplay and total area of play were also taken into account. For example, Gravity was not featured on the list as it consist of multiple levels, and Courage, being theoretically smaller than Wave, comprises much more props, obstacles, and paths then the latter.

 

 

Small maps are, generally speaking, the most popular class of maps. Due to its cramped size, gameplay is quick and active. There is hardly a distinction between “defender” and “attacker”, therefore players must be ready to switch roles at any time. 

 

If you were to take an in-depth look at the wiki, you’d notice that the small maps class is also, coincidentally, the smallest group of maps. Ironically, they’re fairly popular when compared to the medium and large ones, being small and easy to navigate. Think about it the number of large maps and medium ones that you’ve never played in your whole career. Quite astonishing, no?

 

When it comes to drugs (omitting Repair and mines), Double Armor is often the best choice. You can come to this conclusion by proceeding by elimination: Double Power requires peek-a-boo tactics to unlock its full potential, and unless you’re using a short-range turret, using it in a map like Island is risky. If in fact you are using short-rangers, then Double Power would be equally good, if not better.

 

Nitro isn't that simple though. With the recent update, it can now make your turret turn faster, a distinctive advantage when charging into a mass of enemies, something that happens often on small maps. However, the faster travel speed is near useless. As such, the drug is useful at ½. Not the best.

 

Consequently, Double Armor is best, giving you that extra health to survive in the dangerous plains of Combe, or the treacherous routes of Sandbox. Take a Mammoth, put a Twins on it, get a DA and you've got yourself a winning one-man team.

 

 The small maps class is divided into two sub-classes: The “Combe” style, and the circular ones. Let me explain, nugs and nuglets. (copyright Fen 2014)

 

 

 

Think for about 5.7 seconds about the small maps. Notice something peculiar? Many of them are entirely or partly constituted of a main, circular pathway going around the map. Sceptical? See for yourself.

 

 

Duality: 

Duel: 

Island: 

Ping-Pong: 

Sandbox: 

 

 

This particularity, along with the fact that the routes are narrow, means mines are especially effective. In CTFs, a Hornet can easily swoop the flag and place a mine on its flight path. The map being small, the road will, by definition, be smaller. As such, the pursuers will have less space to dodge the mine, and more than likely will go ka-boom. Even if they do manage to avoid it, the valuable time they spent doing it is more than enough for the capper to reach his base, which is quite close. Morale: no mines=no join small map battle.

 

Therefore, one of the most effective ways of playing in a small map battles like Island CTF is to constantly switch roles. Go for the flag when a mine is available, and stay at base as defender when it’s recharging. 

 

 

 

 

Enter here Combe, Wave, and Hill. 

 

Combe: 

Wave: 

Hill: 

 

As you can see, they use the same texture, common props, a relatively same gameplay, and a similar organization. In fact, they're so alike that the distracted tanker would think these three pictures are from the same map. Did the devs get lazy when creating these? The world may never know. 

 

In contrast to the other sub-class, mines have little to no use here. Technically having no pathways at all, the only “mineable” locations are the openings into both teams’ bases in Combe, and the small route through the middle ruins in Wave. Problem is, the openings are rather large, and most experienced players know the openings are a mine hotspot, and will do everything in their power to avoid tripping it.

 

Something to keep in mind is that when you are going down the slopes present in these three maps, you are completely exposed and vulnerable to any enemy long-ranges on higher ground. The angle of the slope prevents you from shooting back, so I recommend you make sure the coast is clear before going for that flag.

 

 

EDIT: UPDATED AS OF APRIL 24TH, 2015:

 

Technique for Ricochet to use in Hill, by @magnaboy

 

 

Kevred,my dear friend,how are you doiiinng.

Great article,but you forgot a thingy about Ricochet,how OP it is in Hill...

You can simply camp in your base and bounce all shots against this billboard,from any angle(even standing at the left/right edge) and simply dominate scared players/big Mammoth standing on flag while doing nothing but pressing space.

This technique has been in TO since the beginning but lost it's popularity due to Ricochet's nerf in the big rebalance....

~.~ mangoman

 

 

 

 

 

 

Most of you reason like this: “light hull=big map, heavy hull=small map”. That is only partly true. When used correctly, light hulls can do wonders for your team’s score in circular maps. Wasp's unmatched speed enables it to zip around the battlefield, and it makes an excellent flag-catcher. In addition, most of the small maps have little to no slopes to flip the Wasp with, which is always good.

 

Contrastingly, Wasp is a big no-no in Combe style maps. The fast speed plus the sloped hills will often result in flying through the air, and when a railgun beam hits you in mid-air, you got to be lucky to land back on your tracks. In addition, the open space means less cover, something that Wasps heavily rely upon.

 

 

Wasp's cousin, Hornet, is an equally good choice in circular maps. Still enough speed, and an extra bit of health. Do note that Hornet is larger, making it slightly more prone to tripping mines.

 

In Combe & co, Hornet is better than Wasp, being more stable, but it's still risky. But as they say, no pain no gain.

 

 

 

 

These two versatile medium hulls are usually a good choice anywhere, and small circular maps aren’t an exception. The speed still allows you to travel the map relatively fast, and that extra health gives you a higher chance of survival. In addition, the small size of the map means the limited speed is less of a hindrance.

 

In Combe & co, medium hulls are, generally, speaking, the best choice. Being a lot more stable then Wasp and Hornet, they’re still quick enough to travel the length of the map with relative ease.

 

 

In circular maps, it performs decently. However, just like Hornet, its large size makes it an easy target for mines. On the other hand, it does not need to fear from Shafts, which are usually dangerous due to its, once again, large size.

 

 

 

Probably not the best in circular maps, their overly exaggerated fatness making avoiding inconspicuous mines a tough job. Plus, these maps offer a lot of cover and obstacles, making it difficult for a Mammoth to fight against, say, a peek-a-boo'ing XP. One strategy for Heavies would be to rely on ambush, although a medium hull could do that almost equally as well.

 

Performs generally similarly to Mediums in maps like Combe, except for the fact that the slow speed gives the enemy more chances of hitting you when going down a slope, but that’s balanced with more health.

 

Titan's strong power comes in handy in small maps, where often you'll get into a standstill with your own allies. In maps like Combe, if you time it right, you can even push enemies off the ledge!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite what many of you might think, close-rangers aren't always the best in small maps. True, Isida can do ravages in Island.  But a Freeze/Dictator duelling an XP (Hornet/Railgun) in Ping-Pong doesn’t do well (trust me, I'm talking from experience). Furthermore, the cramped space in maps like Duality restricts Freezes to circle their enemy, a tactic essential to their effectiveness. 

 

Firebird and Freeze perform well in Hill, Wave, and Combe. A common tactic for close-rangers is to wait behind a hill as such:

Not too bad for a beginner, eh?

 

The enemy is unable to hit you unless they throw themselves right in front of your gun. The open area also gives full liberty to Freeze’s circling of death.

 

 

However, Isida fares much better than his cousins, the limited space available preventing enemies from shaking off your beam too easily. With the short distance and the (usual) abundance of enemies, an Isida in a small map is a force to be reckoned with. Do note that if it performs amazingly when on the offensive, same cannot be said for the defensive (healing your allies). You'll probably be killed before you have the chance to heal a noticeable amount of health.

 

 

 

Good in Combe, Wave and Hill, the contrary in the rest. the open space in those three maps assures Twins its full potential, as there are no cover to hide or peek-a-boo behind. The contrary is said for the circular ones. Abundance of obstacles and elevations makes Twins a sitting duck when pitted against Smokies, Rails, Thunders or even Ricos.

 

 

Again, the profuseness of vertical walls in circular maps gives Ricochet a distinct advantage. Performs decently in Combe and co, but loses its bouncing ability. Thus, Twins would be better in that case.

 

 

Le small-map player par excellence. His middle name is "small map". Not really. With a Double-Power on, he can one-shot at least half of the enemy team (unless you're having a 4v4 Mammoth fight). As if that wasn't enough, the numerous walls in circular maps seem like as if they were placed there expressly for Hammer to hide behind when he's recharging. Also, the three-shot-then-charge particularity isn't much of a disadvantage any more, as you can find enemies in abundance.

 

In Combe and co., it is still very good. Even though there is no cover, it can still act like a Firebird and charge t straight into the heat of battle. Plus, you can use its high knock-back force to flip enemies when thy're flying in the air, in Hill and Wave.

 

 

 

 Railgun and Smoky, due to the high quantity of walls, barriers and other props, perform quite well when using the peek-a-boo tactic, or when shooting on-the-run (hit-and-run). Sandbox XPs are fairly popular, and it is not rare to find one in the top few of the RU servers.

 

 

Thunder will need to watch out when playing in smalls, as to not damage itself. In Combe, Wave and Hill it is powerless against ramming enemies. In brief, its destructive power can be put to better use in larger maps.

 

 

Shaft is near useless in circular maps, with no open spaces.  Though it’s still possible for it to camp at the end of one of the “corridors” (the paths lining the sides of the map) of Sandbox and snipe any enemies that turn ‘round the corner.

 

In Combe, it is classic to see a Shaft camping near his flag, poking his barrel out of the small opening in the walls. It’s quite hard to avoid its beam, except if you manage to speed down the slope when he’s pointing it somewhere else. 

In Wave, it can be used atop of one the hills, but it’s extremely risky, as the user is completely exposed. Not recommended.

 

In Hill, no Shaft. No explication needed.

 

 

Maybe not such a wise choice. The long warm-up time makes it quite hard to fight against a peek-a-boo Railgun, Smoky, Thunder or even Ricochet. The map is small, and removes Vulcan's advantage of long range. Additionally, Vulcan's slow turning speed when shooting renders it near useless in dogfights, something small maps are renowned for.

 

 

DM: Usually ruled by the close-rangers, who can find prey in abundance, the reduced size in their favor. They are unstoppable when fully drugged. Paints that protect against those are useful.

 

TDM: In small maps, skill tends to make a greater difference in the outcome of the battle. With the limited amount of players, every tanker counts. As such, modifications of turrets are more important then in Large, or even Medium maps. Joining the team with the most high-rankers is usually a good strategy to adopt.

 

CTF (not available on Duel): Requires a fast tank in circular maps, preferably equipped with lots of mines. In Combe, Medium hulls can do the job just fine, when Light Hulls often flip before capturing the flag.

 

CP (not available on Duel): Bears a resemblance to Gold rushes. As in other maps, mass-killers like Firebird or Thunder have an advantage. Otherwise, similar to TDM.

 

 

 

Island, Ping Pong: Close-ranger hotspots. Paints that protect against those will definitely come in handy, e.g. Marine, Lava, Storm. Alien, Jaguar, Electra, Loam, Irbis, Inferno, Lumberjack, etc.

 

Wave: Often played by XP/BP, as such paints like Forester, Tundra, Digital, etc, are recommended.

 

Sandbox: Very popular map. Freeze, Firebird and Isida can be shrugged-off with easily 'mineable' pathways, and Shafts are a very rare sight. As for Thunder, the small size of Sandbox makes it easier to ram him. Consequently, paints with protection against Smoky, Railgun, Twins and Ricochet are more than welcome.

 

Duality/Duel: Extremely rare. As their name suggests, they are pretty much only use for 1v1 or 2v2 duels, and usually paints are forbidden in those.

 

Combe: Mostly played by close-rangers and Shafts. Rarely Twins and Ricochet, and almost never Smoky, Thunder or Railgun. Paints like Storm, Lead, etc., are useful.

 

Hill: Popular with all sorts of weapons (besides Shaft). There is often a Freeze in both teams, and paints that help you cope with those will make it easier to capture flags.

 

 

As this article comes to an end, I'd like to hope that it'll help you pocket an extra bit of crystals. Drive safe, eat well and see you on the battlefield!

 

---

 

Sources

 

Map views: http://en.tankiforum.com/index.php?showtopic=211476

 

Title and undertitle pictures: Kevred ©2015

 

Turret and Hull pictures: en.tankiwiki.com

 

Beautiful Freeze-Behind-Hill picture: amazing, exceptional and humble artist Kevred

 

"Overly large helping of the credit": MM2

 

Ideas: Creativity. Inc Bureau, 007 Street of Imagination, Republic of Invention, Middle of Nowhere

 

 

Edited July 30, 2017 by Hexed

[beaku 2,656]

Good article. It really helped me since I usually play small maps. :)

[liverpoolaum 811]

good article

[jazz20 1,181]

The fact that small maps are the most popular is probably one of the main reasons why Shaft is probably The Least Used/Favorite turret for most players.

[snipe3000 678]

Wow, that was very interesting to read. I personally like the turret reviews and hull reviews.

[Darren4Turbo 4,913]

Good article @Kevred  :D

[T3chio 18]

Good job! i loved the humor you twisted throughout this article

[Shadow11_tanker 28]

Great job Kevred

I really liked your humor in this!  :D

[FatalError 336]

Good job.

[shipof123 4]

totally random but now suck my is a cuss word in tanki

[thunderousrailgunner 1,934]

Sources Was Really Funny "Middle Of Nowhere"  :P  :P

[Kevred 1,586]

Good job! i loved the humor you twisted throughout this article

 

Great job Kevred

I really liked your humor in this!  :D

Yes, a bit of humor never harms. Except when you're the servant of an evil king.

[darrenisawesome 4]

love that picture of the the freeze in hill<3

[WatchOutBehindYou 1]

Very good and well written article. Hopefully i can use some tips to be better at XP battles. :lol:

[Kevred 1,586]

love that picture of the the freeze in hill<3

Yes, took me quite some time to fill up the tank with green (I did not know how to make the width of the brush larger, and it was stuck at minimal size)

[HUGHIY 568]

Hm...is Boombox considered different to Sandbox in size?

[Kevred 1,586]

Hm...is Boombox considered different to Sandbox in size?

Wait, let me go quote...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Please note that I did not judge the maps exclusively on their size. Gameplay and total area of play were also taken into account. For example, Gravity was not featured on the list as it consist of multiple levels, and Courage, being theoretically smaller than Wave, comprises much more props, obstacles, and paths then the latter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[M1Abhrahams 49]

Beautiful Freeze-Behind-Hill picture: amazing, exceptional and humble artist Kevred

 

 

Ahem!

[StarArsenal 0]

Pretty Good. Could come in handy.

[Kevred 1,586]

 

Beautiful Freeze-Behind-Hill picture: amazing, exceptional and humble artist Kevred

 

 

Ahem!

 

That humble ok. if no humble you'd get a paragraph of adjectives ok

[r_Nishanth0 19]

Nice article i Liked it. :lol:

[Redscout1 0]

why on one of the maps u guys put an huge hill for. It does not fit the map perfectly

 

[Kevred 1,586]

why on one of the maps u guys put an huge hill for. It does not fit the map perfectly

Remove the hill from the map, and get a big flat boring piece of yellow square :P

[LazerTanker 3]

Thanks a lot for posting this know that i have the upper hand in fights of knowing what tanks are best i think that i can get a few more crystles i think i can enjoy the game more  :D Thanks kevred for posting this :lol:

[DarkShadow916 304]

Great job Kev love your articles :D