v1.8.0 Grostok

[dcm1]

Grostok feels constrained. The map is just too small for how heavy and dense it is. There are no good flanking routes. The grid pattern makes combat too predictable. Vehicles mostly go either North-South or East-West, there are few if any cut across paths. Infantry gets very easily poached when crossing roads. The asset load outs dont make sense on most layers. They're too much and too condensed for such a small map. The main bases are in bad spots and also too close. Even though you can easily get into the heart of the city, you never truly feel like you're in the heart of the city. The city itself feels strange and disenfranchised. Not organic, not natural, like it was designed by an algorithm or AI.

Grostok itself, feels like it was the central city section carved out from a much larger 4km map. Like the city portion of shijia or burning sands. But what makes those maps fun is the approach to the city portion itself. There's room to breathe. Vehicles can duel on the outskirts, while infantry hides in sheltered urban areas. Unfortunately you cant just remove the heart of a map, without keeping the supporting elements that make the map fun.

Grostok should be expanded to a 2km size atleast. Keep the city portion, just add more space around the periphery. Main bases need to be spread further apart. Add more flanking routes. Allow vehicles room to operate. Give infantry more transport vehicles to get into and out of the city. Maybe add a trans heli. On insurgent layers give opfor easier and more sheltered access to the city from their main. Plz no cas.

[Smol Shrum]

Honestly, removing some assets would help.

[dcm1]

Originally Posted by Smol Shrum

Honestly, removing some assets would help.

The problem is not the amount of assets, but how constrained they are. They are truly no good flanking routes for vehicles to take. Grostok would be so much better if it was bigger. Like shijia.

Speaking of shijia. The last time I enjoyed playing it; was when the battle moved to the heart of the city at B10/B11/C10/C11. Tanks were on the outskirts of the city, scared to enter, dueling each other, firing shells through and over the city center, trying to score a kill on their opponents. APCs flanked, and would occasionally prod and poke, looking for an opening in the city that they could take to out maneuver their rivals. And infantry was hunkering down in the middle of it all, trying not to get caught in the crossfire, looking for lulls in the action to move and take the objectives. It was glorious.

Grostok gives me those same vibes. Like the map can be so much more than it actually is. If you devs aint gonna expand grostok, then atleast turn it into a light vehicle only map. Nothing stronger than an armored car. Only AAS should have anything heavy like tanks and ifvs. But keep them limited, so infantry dont get fucked too hard.

[waldov]

Without heavy assets the RUS side is even more doomed on INS. Maybe you've had a different experience but the few times I've played it the Militia has consistently given the Russians a good thrashing on that particular layer.

Peer conventional army+urban defense advantage+unlimited tickets+initiative (knowing where caches will be) = massacre.

While I agree an expanded area would vastly increase the playability/fun of the map and it's tendency to revolve into a battle of bloody, unavoidable chokepoints. Nullifying any Russian firepower advantage on Insurgency layer would only further break the map.

Sidenote: my best experience on Shija have centered around battles around the city like you described. Would love to see more of that type of dynamic in maps.