List of common map imbalances to watch out for. (By Smackcakes)

This topic largely refers to the 2 base infantry counter maps which we see a lot of. These maps are usually fair but you need to watch out for some of the following issues, before you consider them for A-Rank.

Balance issue 1: High Funds.

If any map has higher that 3k starting funds treat it with extreme suspicion. Too often now have we seen these maps turn out to be unfair (the most recent being pheasant). Read carefully through the FTA expanded topic in design maps for more details on this. And watch out in particular for the early recon/APC from the BM side.

Balance issue 2: Advantage Distribution.

The infantry counter is basically meant to give BM an advantage on whichever side of the map the infantry is on. What you need to do is make sure that both sides of the map are roughly equal in terms of advantage. If the infantry is on a base which is much further forward, or has many more cities near by then this can cause STA. This is also covered in the FTA expanded topic under primary and secondary bases.

Note: A lot of the time BM will get to the neutral base before OS. This gives them a slight advantage but it is normally acceptable, and sometimes preferable (see issue 3). It is nice if OS can get to an airport or something first on their side to compensate. If BM can get to a base and an airport first then it might be worth leaving a comment, to see if the distribution can be improved, I'll leave this up to you.

Balance issue number 3: Infantry is on the wrong base to oppose a recon.

This is a tricky one to spot but very serious. It arises when the BM infantry is on the wrong base to get to the closest neutral base first (so watch out for this). Occasionally this gives OS FTA by allowing them to interrupt BMs capture with a recon, while BMs recon would arrive the day after OS finishes the capture.

This happens because BM gets their recon second, so the first OS infantry will be a day ahead of it. OS gets their recon first, so it will be a day ahead of BMs first built infantry. The predeployed infantry is meant to counter this... but it can't if it is on the wrong base.

Balance issue 4: Expansion is dependent on transports.

This was the issue with Whirly. Sometimes OS will still beat a predeployed BM infantry to certain key points because they can afford the first transport, this makes the infantry counter somewhat negligible. It depends on the map and not all transport maps are unfair... but if you see transports are going to be important then treat the map with suspicion.

I hope you guys will find this helpful. If any of you have something further to add then feel free to bring it up. If you are unsure if a map is unfair or has one of these issues then you can post it here and get a second opinion and we can play test it if necessary.