Allow map makers to set the amount of health on the units that you start the game out with.

+1 for this, good for scenario maps.

More options and customizability?  +1 I say.

yeah pistos, terrain creation

Also, another thing I would like is to change the amount of credits each player starts out with to not involve the first income phase of the game. So if I set the game to start with 100 credits and each opponent controls 6 bases I only want each player to start with 100 credits and not 700 credits on the first turn.

when playing with map editor some ideas floated into my mind and I just thought I'd like to share them with everyone and see what the public thinks of them. I think one of the ideas were mentioned before in a past thread but it's lost somewhere in the pile of old forgotten threads.

New City Tile: Metropolis
Serves the same function as normal bases but gives 2x the set income per base per turn.

New City Tile: Base Camp // Outpost
Does not generate income. Does not build any units. Only constructs Defense Structures that have 0 movement (stationary). Defense Units are mentioned by Bert.

"Bunker Types:

Fortified coast cannon - 600 credits - Destroyer firepower with a range of 4.

AntiAir Cannon - 450 Credits - Low Defence value - Firepower of Two airdefences (with one attack)

Anti Tank Cannon - Somewhere between normal and heavy tank. Values still to be decided."

Another suggestion:
Maybe it is possible for the Creator of the map to 'lock' a published map. What means people CAN play it, but can NOT copy and alter it. So he can keep control over the design. If he doesn't care, he can 'unlock' it.

In the end any kind of "lock" would be futile as anyone could just reproduce it from scratch if they really wanted to.

Yes true, but it would be more difficult and who's really gonna do all that kind of work? Besides, when a map is 'locked', it is more a sign to other people that the author doesn't want it to be copied. We all need some basic respect.

Another suggestion:
A comments field would help, where the creator can explain something about the map.

I'd suggest, instead, that the "name" field be blank (instead of saying 'copy of map') so that the person changing it is encouraged to come up with a new name - and that there be an attribution that is automatically added and can't be erased. Something like "based on XXX map by USERNAME"

I'm not sure we should be preventing copying.  This starts to feel like closed source vs. open source software.   It also seems uncertain whether forcing attribution is a good or a bad idea.  After all, someone could make a Copy of your wickedawesome map, make trash of it, then someone seeing the trash map might think, "gee, the original author must be off his rocker to make a map that looks and plays anything as bad as this one".  But at the moment, I am in favour of voluntary, if not also forced attribution.

I favour the open source idea where everyone can alter the map and improve it (or make crap of it :-D ). This leads to general improvements of maps. What I would like to have is to provide information who made the original map where a copy is bases upon, which bonchon already suggested.

I would like to be able to create bigger maps than 30x30, since there are already bigger maps like fortress and lakes. 40x40 would be great

I think forcing attribution is a good idea. If you got a crap map, I would like to go to the previous author and look at his version, or find out who came up with the general idea in the first place and/or check out any other projects of that person.

preventing copying is pointless. might be a few min work, but if you want a copy you'll get one and indeed, keeping maps open source will eventually lead to better quality maps.

Would be good if the map editor could count!

Initial 20x20 does not mean 25x25!!

btw: I agree that normal account users should not be able to start games on user made maps, but publish they should be able to.

look at it this way, basic user make the maps, we pros use them. good deal no?

if they are luckly we w invite them

Suggested for map editor:  ability to define default unit types allowed for a given map.

For example, in some maps Hovercraft or Battleship significantly alters play, and the map creator may wish to "suggest" those unit types are excluded from the map, as a default.  Adding such units could still be done at game creation, but would be intentional.  Such an option would likely become more useful if additional unit types are added (e.g. coastal cannon), which might be considered undesirable for some map types.

+1 for radrx's idea there.

indeed.

I think most people dont bother even looking at which units are allowed when creating a map, so most of the times the creators layout would be respected

+1 for the map maker to be able to set suggested units, which become the default states (on or off) of the unit checkboxen on games created with the map.

We are planing for the creator to be able to include a description with each map so that he/she can include instructions, suggestions, anything really alongside the actual map.

cool, tx!

For MoJoe's suggestion re starting credits - maybe if the starting credits box could accept a negative value = easy hack for this?

ie 7 bases, 100 credit per base, -600 starting credit ... means you start with your 100

(maybe it already does this - haven't checked)

Another suggestion: there is no easy way to save a link to favorite maps of others. So maybe there could be something like a 'favorites' tab?