Operation Uranus - Kalach (?vs?)

[cephalos]

On 19th November Soviet forces begun counterattack, nicknamed Operation Uranus. In a few days they encircled nearly 250.000 Axis soliders in Stalingrad and nearby area. Two soviet armies, who lead offensive met themselves in Kalach over Don river.




This is going to be very original map. Soviet forces are going to advance from two sides of map, while Axis is holding central position. The main objectives are:
- Soviets: meet south and north forces and encircle Axis.
- Axis: hold the road as long as possible and try to halt Operation Uranus.




This is how the map is going to look. All VPs will be placed along road ( light gray) and in town of Kalach ( dark grey)


Startegy:
- Axis can easilly annihilate alone Soviet players, but this will cause them to lost on second flank. Holding Kalach is way to win.
- Soviets must capture bridges between both bases and hold them, to have possibility to support each other. Those bridges can be destroyed. Again Kalach is key to victory - the bridge in Kalach is indestructible.


I don't know how big the map is going to be, because I don't know how many players it's going to field. It's up to you, EF fans 

[IJoe]

"Go! Go! Go!" (c) 
Finally, the prayers have been answered: a map with a strong historically-based fabula, while a multi-player one! 
Great Idea! Looking forward to try it out when it's ready.
If any help is needed on history detail, russian language etc., - feel free to PM. I wish, I could be more helpful, but I'm not into mapping, really. 
I voted 3x3, because I'd like to see some decent-scaled battle there.

[pariah]

I dunno... Seems to me more like a campaign level, rather than a skirmish/multiplayer map.

[cephalos]

@ IJoe - if I'll need help, I'll ask 
@ pariah - don't worry, it might look quite strange, but believe me, I've made a lot of maps like this ( well those were fun maps) and I promise - it will be balanced.

[pariah]

Well, O.K., if you know what you're doing. But it just seems really imbalanced to me to have 1 team surrounded by the other team...

[cephalos]

They aren't surrounded. I dunno where you found that?
The point is that it may look different than other maps, but in fact it's normal map, just distances between HQ are varied.

[pariah]

This is going to be very original map. Soviet forces are going to advance from two sides of map, while Axis is holding central position. The main objectives are:
- Soviets: meet south and north forces and encircle Axis.
- Axis: hold the road as long as possible and try to halt Operation Uranus.

Doesn't that imply that the Axis are surrounded by the Soviets?

[BurroDiablo]

3v3 I put. I love town-in-the-middle maps like this, having the town as a strategic point so all the fighting converges on it.

[cephalos]

This is going to be very original map. Soviet forces are going to advance from two sides of map, while Axis is holding central position. The main objectives are:
- Soviets: meet south and north forces and encircle Axis.
- Axis: hold the road as long as possible and try to halt Operation Uranus.

Doesn't that imply that the Axis are surrounded by the Soviets?

Oh, I think we have misundertanding here. Encircled forces I've written about are German 6th Army in Stalingrad. Operation Uranus was launched by two Soviet armies - from north and south. They blitzed Romanians on north and Germans on south and finally met in the middle - in Kalach.
Germans are encircled in Stalingrad, and this map shows what happens west of it. It's just a normal map. I wrote "main objectives" just for climate and to show what's the battle about.

[pariah]

Oh, O.K., so it will have each team on each side of the map? So why did you say it's "going to be very original"?

[cephalos]

You see, most of maps are made in this way:
---------------------------------------
T                                             T
E                                             E
A                                             A
M                                             M

1                                              2
----------------------------------------


while my map is:

-------------------------------
TEAM 1


                                  TEAM 2   


TEAM 1
--------------------------------

.... or something similiar to this 

[pariah]

O.K., cool, thanks for clearing that up. And as for number of players... I have no idea.

3v3 obviously wouldn't work, since it will be uneven on 1 side.

[cephalos]

I have similiar problem. 2v2 looks good, but it would be small battle. 4v4 - too hard to find 8 players  while 3v3 will need a lot of balancing, because one of players will be alone, while second team won't have problems like this.

[pariah]

Yeah... So i think your only options are 2v2 and 4v4.

[cephalos]

well, not exactly. I can still make northern player this alone guy, while making his position easier to defend - due to river, maybe some forests and trenches. I can also make river really hard to cross north of town. there are plenty ways to balance that