Map Specific Strategy
I have listed here a few of my favourite maps, and strategies to use on them, due to the terrain involved. I am afraid I havem't played the IX maps enough to get a good analysis on them, but I know a few good map strats for the default classic maps. If anyone has any good map strats, send them to me, cause I'd like to have more information in this area without having to do all the work :)
There are a few I dont play, but for the most part, I am good at the ones I do play, and know the terrain and strategies within the maps quite well. Behold my collection:
Ground Zero
This is my favorite because there is so much scrap available to those who take it. Quickly make two scavengers for the purposes of scavenging on this map, and you can blast up the tech tree as they go around grabbing the huge amounts of scrap balls. The high cliffs are extremely good for archers and howitzers and the wide, but constraining terrain limits movement enough so that just making 10 tanks and sending them in will get you killed. Not having a scrap pool at home also stresses importance of a wide defense array in this map. Bumps and terrain emplacements everywhere make this fun to dogfight in.
Dark Green-Nuclear Waste
7 Scrap Pools
Generous Scrap on ground
Large Map
Big Chill
Next fave map. This map has a great tangle of pathways making it easy to fight defensive structures on the top and bottom scrap pools. There is no ground scrap, so try to grab as many pools as you can before getting turrets up, or scavenging the ground for scrap balls. If you can get your tank up on the ridges above the base, you can either shell it, or snipe from it, either way one must watch their back on this. One Scion Blink can take you across the map from your base to theirs. The uphill battle improves defense at the base when fighting against the AI tanks.
Ice World-Bane
7 Scrap Pools
No Scrap on ground
Small Map
Desert Quarry
This is a hot map, being the middle strip the hot zone. Three scrap pools leave a lot up for grabs to a commander who can grab the middle and fortify it first, but three scrap pools are hard to hold on this map. If you can get em, the game is yours, but beware the many corners in which ISDF can corner, the many hills one can fly over to reach somewhere safely (or drop a solar flare). Turrets are easy to snipe here because the middle is very close to either base and the ridges are easily accessible. Try to focus on getting defensive structures in the middle and you can secure scrap easier than turrets can.
Desert World-Arrakis :)
7 Scrap Pools
Adequate Scrap on ground
Small Map
Patton's Proving Ground
The ridges are the main weakness in this map. The four entrances to your base is the next biggest weakness. Again, the middle holds three pools and can be a hot spot, but with the map size, it is hard to protect them all due to the large distances. The cliffs are very easy to drive on, so sniping and mortaring from above are very common ont his map. Check your radar to make sure nobody tries to sneak up on your base, and remember to protect the pool in your base, as it is close to the cliffs.
Desert World-Arrakis :)
7 Scrap Pools
Adequate Scrap on ground
Large Map
A Bridge too Far
The main point of this map is all in the middle. Try to bust the enemy's side of the bridge immediately so they cannot deploy turrets or scavengers on the island. Also controlling the island gives you radar contact of the water around it, letting you know if enemies are coming through on the radar map. The sides are lenient ant can be protected by gun towers easily, and this is an otherwise all-around average map.
Terran World-Achilles
7 Scrap Pools
Generous Scrap on ground
Medium Map
River Wars
What I like about this map is its rigidity and total fairness on both sides. What I dont like is the 6 pools. This leaves each side with 3, so battles never tend to happen because people never really try to fight for more than 3, knowing more are on the other side of the river. This is, however, a good map to skirmish on, and it is hard to maneuver units due to the lack of land-bridges. It is hard to move over a bridge with many tanks, especially when the other side is guarded. Remember to guard all your scavengers in this map, because when the fighting eventually happens, you don't want to lose an extractor.
Metal World-Core
6 Scrap Pools
Generous Scrap on ground
Medium Map
Abyss
The middle extractor is hard to get a scavenger to, and even harder to protect. The four columns overlooking the middle can be helpful to a scion player, because a Gun Spire can reach straight to the bottom. There is not enough room to make bunkers and Towers, so by guarding the pools, your Towers can fire into the canyon on advancing tanks. The distance is great between all the pools, beware, and getting out of the canyon is tough without a blink displacer. The map is also open for smooth combat, and is the only IX map I am really familiar with.
Lusch Green World-IX Created
7 Scrap Pools
Little Scrap on ground
Large Map
The Rocks
Scion-dominated map with two bases extremely close to one another, between them a canyon wall. There are two ways in (three for scion) to the enemy base, both canyons with Scrap Pools in them, and on ein each base. The reason Scions dominate in this is because of the ablility of archers to fire into the enemy base with ease, and the domination of scion archers from the cliffs above. Blink also allows easy access to the enemy base. ISDF cant use its range well enough in this map due to the many twists and turns of the canyons, but turret ambushes are easy to set up. Overall an OK map.
Desert World-Arrakis :)
7 Scrap Pools
Little Scrap on ground
Small Map
Click the nuke to go home
