Please read the TA Map Review Guide for an explanation of how maps are reviewed here.

	Map Name: Toxic Sludge Designer: Rex222 Map Score: 85 Max Players: 6 RAM Used: 32MB Map Size: 9 x 13 Start Positions: 9 Map Traversing: 9 Terrain Use: 10 Realism: 10 Resources: 10 Strategy: 9 The Elements: 9 AI Choice: 10 Logical Object Use: 9 Map Schemas: 0
Rex222 did a fabulous job with this map! The extreme gravity causing the traversable crustaceous acid and shorter firing range for ballistic weapons works well on this smallish map. It's probably the only map of this size that Berthas can be used on. The custom SLUDGE AI profile that's built into this map is very tough, even with the high gravity slowing it down a bit. Parts of the acid channel is thick enough to drive over. Of course, the more watery areas will ruin vehicles over time. But the most coolest part about this map is that the metal areas allow for the extraction of metal (as usual), while the acid areas do not. And the custom sections and realistic graphics only add to what is a very good map. The walls should have been voided though to prevent climbing units from just marching into your cool fort. NOTE: This map requires the TAMEChpi2000 files in order to play.
	Map Name: S Island Designer: ThePyro Map Score: 72 Max Players: 7 RAM Used: 64MB Map Size: 20 x 20 Start Positions: 7 Map Traversing: 8 Terrain Use: 9 Realism: 9 Resources: 8 Strategy: 9 The Elements: 8 AI Choice: 6 Logical Object Use: 8 Map Schemas: 0
ThePyro did a great job on this map. I liked the s-curve shape of the shorelines and the various ways I could attack the enemy. I didn't much care for some of the start positions, so "trial and error" eventually got me in the area I wanted to be at start time. There are cool places to hide from Bertha fire and there are decent metal deposits found near those areas. The default SEABATTLE AI has trouble with this map because resources are spread a bit thin, so use your favorite SEABATTLE AI for this map if you have one.
	Map Name: Low Tide Designer: Ryan Bennitt Map Score: 71 Max Players: 10 RAM Used: 64MB Map Size: 6 x 12 Start Positions: 8 Map Traversing: 8 Terrain Use: 10 Realism: 8 Resources: 8 Strategy: 9 The Elements: 7 AI Choice: 4 Logical Object Use: 9 Map Schemas: 0
I don't know the reason for Ryan Bennitt not saving this Martian creation in UFO format (and gain us a savings of 12MB on our drives). But I do know that I like this map. A lot! It's a welcome for those needing help slowing down an enemy's incoming ground rush or those just wanting a different challenge with terrain in TA. The water is too shallow to build on. But it makes for a great obstacle. Ground units travel slower through the Martian river. I think a better suited AI besides Cavedog's DEFAULT AI could have been used here, though. And I'm not sure what the terrain's metal value of 15 was for. Normally, dirt gets a metal value of only 1. POV-Ray was used to render the terrain for this map. NOTE: This map is now in UFO format so that it loads faster.
	Map Name: Big Hill, Little Hill Designer: AndrewAce3158 Map Score: 71 Max Players: 10 RAM Used: 64MB Map Size: 9 x 9 Start Positions: 10 Map Traversing: 10 Terrain Use: 6 Realism: 5 Resources: 8 Strategy: 7 The Elements: 8 AI Choice: 9 Logical Object Use: 8 Map Schemas: 0
Overall, AndrewAce3158 did a pretty good job with this map. I'm not a big fan of hills that occupy a quarter of a map. Especially when the hills are not to scale. It just never looks right. The rendered terrain looks a bit hazed as if looking through an atmosphere of some kind. I did like the trees, though, and the random placement of foliage. Travel is easy on this map. The hills only slightly slow down your units. And they do not cause traffic problems. If anything, they are wasted areas on the map. I found the custom BIGHILL,LITTLEHILL AI to be very hostile, yet low-budget. For only Level 1 ground units are built on this map. But on a 9 x 9 green map with very little metal, that's about all that can be built effectively. HINT: Build plenty of Windmills.
	Map Name: Blazters Beach Designer: NERDsFist Map Score: 70 Max Players: 6 RAM Used: 16MB Map Size: 10 x 10 Start Positions: 8 Map Traversing: 8 Terrain Use: 9 Realism: 9 Resources: 8 Strategy: 9 The Elements: 6 AI Choice: 6 Logical Object Use: 7 Map Schemas: 0
NERDsFist did a nice job with this map, though there are some minor problems. The grass gives out a slight amount of metal if you plop an extractor on it. There's a height issue where a few blades of grass are below sea level. The wind and water current is a bit weak. The custom BEACH AI defends well. But doesn't come at you. It won't get Big Berthas firing until the 01:00:00 mark, if you let it live that long. The AI profile will build AI Nuclear Silos if you have them installed. But it never builds up enough resources to launch a nuke. It's still a fun map to play on. Multiplayer games can be very brutal on this 10 x 10 sized map. Be sure to give other AI's you may have a go on this map for some surprising twists.
	Map Name: RKWDesertBattle Designer: Bob Wrenn Map Score: 69 Max Players: 4 RAM Used: 64MB Map Size: 16 x 16 Start Positions: 5 Map Traversing: 9 Terrain Use: 9 Realism: 8 Resources: 8 Strategy: 9 The Elements: 7 AI Choice: 5 Logical Object Use: 9 Map Schemas: 0
Bob Wrenn did a good job with this map. It made me feel like I was in a desert. The starting positions were few, though. And a couple of them placed the AI in areas where the Commander would spend time patroling over hills where it couldn't build factories. I liked the use of the desert terrain and sand areas. I really liked the pockets of water. Resources are nicely balanced. Though I didn't care much for the huge palm trees that weren't to scale and weren't reclaimable. Winds are good on this map. Dirt does give out metal, though it's not that noticeable. The included RKWDESERTFOX AI is a fairly aggressive one. It works best when three of them are allied against you in skirmish games. Use your favorite desert AI for this map and see how well it performs. NOTE: This map requires the TAMEChpi2000 files in order to play.
	Map Name: Evad River Confluence Designer: Cavedog Map Score: 66 Max Players: 10 RAM Used: 24MB Map Size: 11 x 10 Start Positions: 6 Map Traversing: 8 Terrain Use: 9 Realism: 8 Resources: 7 Strategy: 8 The Elements: 7 AI Choice: 6 Logical Object Use: 7 Map Schemas: 0
Evad River Confluence is an original map included in the game from Cavedog. It's basically a three-player map. But it can be a six-player map once the start positions are figured out by your allies. Just watch out for the low amount of metal to be claimed. What little terrain there is here was done very well. Though there is a problem with one of the metal deposits not working because it's located on a hill slope. Surprisingly, there is no river current and the wind is not that strong. The river is good at preventing ground units from reaching your base, so a better strategy will have to be used. The AIRBATTLE AI tries its best to do some harm. But it still wastes time building ground units as well as ships that don't maneuver well in the river. The best thing to do is not play against the computer unless you can find a decent AIRBATTLE AI that can survive on a low-metal map such as this one. In a few games, it seemed the better player was the one that got his Big Bertha up first while shooting down any aircraft coming near it. It would have been nice if there were some metal deposits in the river. Expect to use Moho Metal Makers, if you live that long, to finance your global conquest. And be sure to reclaim as much debris as you can during play.
	Map Name: Green Waters Designer: Red Knight Map Score: 65 Max Players: 5 RAM Used: 32MB Map Size: 20 x 20 Start Positions: 3 Map Traversing: 8 Terrain Use: 9 Realism: 8 Resources: 5 Strategy: 8 The Elements: 7 AI Choice: 7 Logical Object Use: 8 Map Schemas: 2
The starting positions are not the greatest on this map from Red Knight. Two of the starting positions place the Commander inside a tree. A human would simply reclaim the tree and begin building his base. An AI is going to be stuck for awhile before it can break free and begin building. Though this map is rather large, the islands are fairly close together and make for pretty short games. An aggressive AI will certainly send its Commander to an enemy-occupied island in an effort to claim any metal deposits that may be left. Cavedog's SEABATTLE AI is super easy to knock out because of its nano-stalling and lack of interest in starting a fight. I'd like the map better if the smaller islands had some metal. But as they are, they're just for looks because you can't build on them very well. The upper part of the map will never be visited or used because there is nothing but water there. I like the placement of metal deposits around the islands. But a few of them don't work because they're placed on steep slopes. This map has more than one schema. But their settings are the same. So it's really just a network schema that this map uses. This map is better used for strategic multiplayer games rather than stupid AI wars that end quickly. If you really want to play a skirmish game though, be sure to use your favorite SEABATTLE AI. I like the features used on this map. There are thermal vents to be used and trees that have to be cleared to make room for Hovercraft Plants.
	Map Name: Mission to Mars Designer: Sacker Map Score: 64 Max Players: 4 RAM Used: 32MB Map Size: 12 x 12 Start Positions: 7 Map Traversing: 9 Terrain Use: 8 Realism: 9 Resources: 8 Strategy: 7 The Elements: 7 AI Choice: 2 Logical Object Use: 7 Map Schemas: 0
This map from Sacker is one of the best unfinished maps I've ever come across. It depicts a Martian volcano just inland from a coastline. Since both the lava and water on this map is at the save level, it was rather clever how Sacker used map voiding to prevent units from traversing the lava but still allow them to enter the sea. This is definitely a map for multiplayer use unless you have a custom DEFAULT AI of your own you like to fight. Tidal Generators will produce lots of energy as will Windmills. Metal Extractors will find traces of metal in the hardened lava. This map isn't optimized, which would have decreased its RAM requirement by 2MB. There are one or two tiny areas of the map that were voided by mistake. But they don't cause much of a problem. Even with these unfinished issues, it's still a pretty cool map to game on.
	Map Name: Melted Core Sea Designer: Armoured Fish Map Score: 51 Max Players: 10 RAM Used: 64MB Map Size: 8 x 8 Start Positions: 7 Map Traversing: 4 Terrain Use: 7 Realism: 7 Resources: 5 Strategy: 6 The Elements: 6 AI Choice: 4 Logical Object Use: 5 Map Schemas: 0
Melted Core Sea is a metal map that is hard to extract metal from. This Core world, from Armoured Fish, has been melted and its water has been cleansed. It's nice that players can see the deep end of the map. But unfortunately, Commanders can't visit or build in areas that have a depth of 100 or more below sea level. The slopes on this map prevent much building as well. Even on dry land. This makes for some mad map grabbing as Commanders play musical chairs at game start to find buildable spots for their bases. Though the terrain looks real enough, its shadows darken some areas enough to make seeing what your walking on impossible. And units look funny being all lit up when they're supposed to be in pitch-dark shade. Base building is very slow going in this setting for sure. The AI has an even harder time trying to build its fleet (yes, Cavedog's SeaBattle AI is your opponent) with the few flat areas it can place Metal Extractors on. One should stick to playing multiplayer games only on this map. Good players will eventually memorize where Metal Extractors and Shipyards can be built. Don't be surprised by Commanders D-Gunning each other instead of base building.
	Map Name: Atlantian Conquest Designer: Datanut Map Score: 40 Max Players: 8 RAM Used: 64MB Map Size: 32 x 32 Start Positions: 4 Map Traversing: 3 Terrain Use: 4 Realism: 3 Resources: 5 Strategy: 7 The Elements: 5 AI Choice: 3 Logical Object Use: 6 Map Schemas: 0
I couldn't wait to try this map out since I'm a fan of metal maps with water and multiple levels. But I was disappointed by this work from Datanut. I don't much care for the starting positions on this map. Player 1 and player 2 are next to each other near the North West area of the map instead of on opposite ends of the map. For some reason, only 8 players are allowed. There's plenty of room for two more on this huge map. Getting from one area of the map to another on ground is a process. If you like maze maps, this one is for you. The AI doesn't pathfind on this map very well, so don't expect any huge ground assault. I'm guessing (from the terrain) that this is some sort of metallic Atlantian city or world. The clear water is a nice effect. But I don't like the looks of the darkish metal layer at sea level. Better artwork should be used there. The green, blue, and red brick sections look out of place with their 8-bit color appearance. And the harbors have an awful perspective. The ramps have problems with perspective as well. The shadows don't jive in parts of the map. What degree and angle is this planet's star at, exactly? The tiny grass areas contain tree resources. The flowers are fake and can't be reclaimed. So I'm guessing this world has some air. It does. And it's strong at times. The water has a very strong current. The terrain's metal value has been cut in half (probably because it's not genuine Core metal, but Atlantian instead). You'll need to build more Metal Extractors to get your metal levels high. Some strategy is possible on this map (if you're playing a ground war) because there are so many bottlenecks and barriers. The included ATLANTIAN CONQUEST AI does poorly on this map. It builds Metal Makers first which drain its energy and nearly halt its building of much more needed units. Don't be surprised if you find the AI playing SIM CITY when you reach its base.
	Map Name: Manhatten Designer: The Renegade Map Score: 39 Max Players: 10 RAM Used: 32MB Map Size: 20 x 20 Start Positions: 4 Map Traversing: 7 Terrain Use: 4 Realism: 4 Resources: 5 Strategy: 5 The Elements: 5 AI Choice: 2 Logical Object Use: 3 Map Schemas: 0
This map, by The Renegade, is a good start for someone making a map of Manhattan. A minor gripe of mine is that the map's name is spelled "Manhatten". Oh, well. Starting points are a bit odd. Water levels are low so that tanks can drive around on the water surface. Not good. Resources are high from both wind and water. Not much metal here considering that Manhattan has been over-built on for years. Where the hell are the buildings? Didn't this guy ever see 5th Element or the new Time Machine movie? The URBAN AI will head straight for the sea and slowly start to build a base of some kind. It's better to play this map for multiplayer games only unless you feel like bothering to make a custom AI of your own to use.
	Map Name: Death Valley Designer: C_A_P Map Score: 33 Max Players: 4 RAM Used: 32MB Map Size: 13 x 13 Start Positions: 7 Map Traversing: 6 Terrain Use: 2 Realism: 2 Resources: 5 Strategy: 5 The Elements: 2 AI Choice: 3 Logical Object Use: 1 Map Schemas: 0
C_A_P from Merciless Creations came up with this one. It's a custom map made using Bryce (note the skull used from Bryce's library). Visually, Death Valley is an ugly map. The viewing camera was placed at 90° which doesn't match TA's 63.44° playing angle. I can handle units appearing as though they're leaning on one side while traversing the sand. But what I can't handle are the horrid desert hill features created for this map. They're rendered at a 45° angle which doesn't match the terrain angle at all. Extractors get metal regardless if they're placed on deposits or not (a big no-no in my book). Computer players use the DEFAULT AI on this map unless you have the DEATH VALLEY AI installed (that's right, it doesn't come with the map). The DEATH VALLEY AI rushes you quickly with Fleas. And then more Fleas. Will someone please tell me why there are ramps in the two larger ponds? I'm guessing this map was released as a trial or test map and was never actually finished. It happens.
	Map Name: Bronze Age v1 Designer: Emperor Dracula Map Score: 32 Max Players: 10 RAM Used: 64MB Map Size: 14 x 13 Start Positions: 6 Map Traversing: 6 Terrain Use: 3 Realism: 1 Resources: 5 Strategy: 5 The Elements: 2 AI Choice: 4 Logical Object Use: 0 Map Schemas: 0
Emperor Dracula's map has got to be one of the worst made maps I've ever seen. Though his thought counts, he could've at least tried to make a decent map of Earth for TA. Being more of a "What if?" map rather than a realistic one, I could handle the metal coating on the planet. But this map looks way worse than if a simple RISK! board was used. Height maps are off and the water is very poorly done. Starting positions seem all right (heh, I found something good about this map!). Water puts out a (yikes!) 75 energy value. This is definitely a DOUN (download once, use never) map in my opinion. Oh, I forgot to mention the cliffs and shorelines on this map are mechanically horrific. TAMEC (you remember them, don't you?) gave Bronze Age v1 a rating of all 10's of course.
	Map Name: CP Impact Crater v4 Designer: KaneTheMediocre Map Score: 31 Max Players: 9 RAM Used: 64MB Map Size: 32 x 32 Start Positions: 7 Map Traversing: 5 Terrain Use: 0 Realism: 3 Resources: 3 Strategy: 4 The Elements: 2 AI Choice: 4 Logical Object Use: 3 Map Schemas: 0
KaneTheMediocre had the right idea for mixing grass with metal. But there have been other such maps made that were much more successful in handling both terrain types. Grass should never give out metal. There are all kinds of heightmap problems with this map (I don't like seeing my Commander go underwater when he's supposed to be walking on grass plains). Maybe version 5 will get it right?
	Map Name: Block Designer: Okram Map Score: 27 Max Players: 10 RAM Used: 32MB Map Size: 12 x 12 Start Positions: 4 Map Traversing: 5 Terrain Use: 2 Realism: 1 Resources: 4 Strategy: 4 The Elements: 2 AI Choice: 4 Logical Object Use: 1 Map Schemas: 0
I'm not sure what Okram was thinking while making this map. The scale is way off. The correct perspective and heightmaps of the buildings and obstacles on this map are non-existent. And what is the deal with the giant parking lot and huge yellow lines in the road? Any future maps made using these block sections will be doomed to failure as well. Whatever urban maps you have, hang on to them. All of them are better than this one.

<-- Back