Theorycraft - Diplomacy Maps

[Aqo]

Please answer the following questions:

1. How often do you play diplomacy maps, if at all?
2. Why do you play/not play diplomacy maps?
# Those who do not play diplomacy maps, skip all of the following questions.
3. What is the minimum you expect from diplomacy maps?
4. What features make you want to play the diplomacy map you just played again later?
5. What is, in your opinion, the best diplomacy map?
5B. Why do you consider that map the best of 'em?
6. What would cause you to leave a diplomacy map in the middle/early game?
7. How many player slots should there be in a diplomacy map?
8. What aspect of the diplo map do you find the most important (may be a follow-up to 5B)?

[Hotshot]

A lotta' questions there! You really wanna know a lot, lol. Lets get started then ey. btw, I mostly/only play diplomacy against AI's.

1. How often do you play diplomacy maps, if at all?
Whenever me and my mates wanna break from playing each other or are bored.

2. Why do you play/not play diplomacy maps?
Bordem or for something different.

3. What is the minimum you expect from diplomacy maps?
To be able to win! :D

4. What features make you want to play the diplomacy map you just played again later?
Trying different stratagies, I guess.

5. What is, in your opinion, the best diplomacy map?
Can't really say.

5B. Why do you consider that map the best of 'em?
Same as above.

6. What would cause you to leave a diplomacy map in the middle/early game?
If me and my ally(s) were losing badly, lol.

7. How many player slots should there be in a diplomacy map?
Any amount is fine.

8. What aspect of the diplo map do you find the most important (may be a follow-up to 5B)?
The position of your base to your allies base. They need to be fairly close to be effective.

[Ocendo]

1. I use to play Diplomacys A LOT.

2. They gave me a rush. The main way I played them was make teams in game. I liked not knowing who was all allied to the guy im about to attack. If one of my allies are allied to him, theres a conflict. It just adds something extra into it all that spices everything up right.
3. To be able to get this rush and of course balance.

4. Having it different every time. Hell a lot of times i'll use the same start up strategy, but then my strategy and others most of the time will conflict. Then I have to decide if I want to ally them, attack them, offer them an alliance etc.. It keeps me on the edge.

5. When I played it was Gold 7.7 I guess...though there were some other good ones.

5b. Why? Well it was no where near perfectly balanced, but it was a quick game, it had a lot of strategic points. It's nice and big, gives good room for flanking. Well spaced, and I love the Europe Terrain. I really only like Jungle\Badlands for my terrain in diplo's.

6. Nothing. I fight till the end. I will always try, and even when im getting my ass kicked I will try and compromise..it worked a lot of the time infact. I remember one game, I got my ass kicked but I got the guy to ally and he could have my capital. I eventually came back mid-late game and saved them many times.

7. 7. Why seven? It's an odd number. Why not even teams? Because then it will become a 4v4 or 3v3 and that just is boring. I want to be allied to several people, my allies be allied to different people. So when I attack someone, there is a bit of confusion. People asking for help, etc.. It keeps you on the edge not knowing if your ally could attack you. Seven always leaves one person up for grabs. Good number.

8. Terrain by far. A game can be imbalanced, but if you can use your tactics right many times you can be the underdog and kick some serious ass. Holding out in spain while you also drop secretly in upper france. Then as they try and overwhelm your Choke point in spain, you can take them from behind and push them out of france and belgium and then you gotta worry about the choke points with germany and italy.

[DoomGaze]

1. How often do you play diplomacy maps, if at all?

I tried it once.

2. Why do you play/not play diplomacy maps?

Well, I really don't understand it. Perhaps if I played it more, I would understand the concepts and skills, but I'm too lazy to attempt to learn it at all. To me, it seems like LotR maps, and I really don't have interest in such games. I'm just into the more fast-paced UMS maps, or at least those that have an amusing concept for the gameplay.

I hope that you don't mind my participation in this 'survey,' dispite my lack of background concerning Diplomacy maps.

[Aqo]

Thanks for the comments, I'll put this all in consideration for the map I'm currently making.