With Update 1.0, an entire smorgasbord of elements, from maps and graphics to music and much more, are being completely revamped and Fjords is no different. After receiving a huge redesign, here’s a sneak peek at the improved summertime map and rationale behind the changes.
Imbalances
- The CQC Club: Almost all battles took place at close quarters (marked on the image as zones 1–4). As a result, tanks which are less suited to brawling had little to offer to their teammates.
- Where’s the Camo?: A lack of hiding spots limited your influence on the course of the battle (marked as zones 5 & 6).
- Shoot Straight: A lack of obvious positions to shoot directly across the map. In the city (zone 8), the street planning and blocks were difficult to orient and caused issues in search for the aforementioned positons. In addition to this, zone 7 was available to light tanks, but getting to this position was difficult and used by very few tankers.
- The Monotony of Fjords: The map was perceived to be a corridor with heavy tanks taking zone 1 (and rarely making it to zone 4) and medium tanks duking it out in zones 2–4. There was no room for maneuvering light tanks save for the field in zone 9, and their effectiveness was extremely limited for this position.
- Rain Down on Me: From zone 10, artillery could rain down on zone 1. However, fire support wasn’t possible from zone 11.
In addition to visual enhancements, we tried to fix imbalances where lights and TDs could be left out in the cold in terms of their impact on the battle. The majority of clashes took part at close range meaning those that weren’t fit to scrap were at a disadvantage. On top of that, a lack of hiding spots and positions to shoot from afar across the map made it hard for the aforementioned tank classes. Alongside this, Fjords had a perception of being a corridor map which allowed little influence for light tanks on either side.
For artillery spawning in the east, their natural position on the map resulted in them being ineffective when laying down support fire on the southern bottleneck when compared to their adversaries.
You can see below a comparison between the two minimaps (new on the left, old on the right) and notice a significant difference with the redesign:
Now you’ve seen it with your own eyes, let’s get straight to the improvements...
Changes
- We levelled the central field and added cover and vegetation around the edges for camouflage. As a result, tanks fighting from a distance will be more effective and light tanks will be able to scout more efficiently.
- Added easy entry to the central hill. Both teams can use this to tip the scales in their favor. In addition, we decided to develop this position to give it more importance in battle.
- Capturing the central hill is risky but the juice can be worth the squeeze. By taking the hill, it gives control of the center of the map and allows for allied support.
- Changes were made to the structure and layout of the city. Now it will be easier to navigate and allow for certain maneuvers.
- Artillery locations are now more balanced—no longer will arties be able to fire from the safe space (zone 10 on the old map) at the heavy tanks located in zone 1 of the old map.
- Tweaks to the terrain across the map make it possible to choose various angles of attack. These routes are viable for all classes, allowing them to move more freely.
Remember how we noted that Fjords was perceived to be a corridor map? Well to improve the map’s gameplay, vehicles that provide fire from a distance will now have more influence in the end result and light tanks can carry out their duties more effectively.
A new addition to the map is the central hill. By controlling this point, the pendulum can swing in either teams favour as it can be used as a locale to lay down support fire. With these additions, the bottleneck brawling will become less widely seen and open up the battle to all tanks.
Artillery positions have become more balanced meaning that teams spawning in the west can no longer take advantage of raining pain from above from the safe haven in the north.
You can check out the improved Fjords, along with plenty of other maps in stunning HD, right now by joining the Beta. After experiencing it, make sure to leave your feedback on the forums to help us improve further!