When I see a DLC map show up in the ranked que, I immedietely turn off the game. and reque until i get a standard map. If you’re not going to make the DLC maps publicly avaialble for practice sake, im not playing it.
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I…actually agree.
I own the DLC and don’t dodge for any reason. And I’ve been outspoken against dodging for any reason in the past. But you’ve convinced me of a good one. Maps that aren’t available to everyone should not be in the ranked queue. Fullstop.
Wonder if maps could be available to all players, doesnt matter if they have the dlc or not. Its already half way there with how you interact with them on ranked. And them not being used at all for the ranked pool would defeat the purpose of bringing new competitive maps in the first place and just repeating the initial ones would get repetitive faster.
Whilst I am not in your position - if you are good at the game I doubt it matters massively whether you have 'practiced’ on the map or not. I have never practiced on any map and just play ranked - if you play those maps tens of times on ranked does that not count as practice?
It is fairly easy to adapt play - or do you just have one God you always play with and have some exact method per map?
See it in a positive light: you didn’t pay for DLC yet but you get to play those different maps for free. Also, please bear in mind that when you quit out it is extremely annoying for other players (whether they own DLC or not) - if it’s a 4v4 and some people have waited a few minutes each you are just wasting potentially 7 times 3 mins or whatever of people’s time plus your own time.. just because you didn’t practice on a map?
I really can’t agree with this outlook over a map - where most maps are more or less just a place to build with a bunch of resources on them
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I do think it matters. I’ve noticed that the DLC maps, in particular, feel noticeably slower when I play Hades. The starting huntables are almost always pheasants, which are frustratingly slow to herd. Even if I’m extremely clean, herding around 14 huntables can take close to a full minute on some DLC maps, whereas on certain standard maps it can be done in 20 seconds or less. That difference alone can decide whether I’m able to grab extra cows while still playing efficiently.
On top of that, the DLC maps tend to be far more open than the standard maps, which I’m not a fan of. Tree lines are consistently just a bit farther away than on regular maps, and those extra walking distances add up quickly in the early game.
This directly affects my timings—especially when I’m trying to hit a very fast second TC—and it’s a big reason why I dislike the DLC maps. Even when wood isn’t the primary issue, the slow huntables at the start still impact how many goats I can secure overall. It ends up feeling like I’m playing at a disadvantage. You could argue that the difference isn’t massive, but at a competitive level every small edge matters, and these inefficiencies compound.
In team games, especially 2v2s, the issue feels even more pronounced. Tree lines often feel even farther away, and gold is rarely positioned near wood. While this can happen on standard maps too, the key difference is that wood is usually much closer, which smooths out early-game decisions. That consistency is largely missing on the DLC maps.
To me, this feels like a design miss—not in terms of geography or visual theme, but in the spacing and distances between key resources, which keeps these maps from feeling truly standard or competitive. I’m a big fan of maps like Nile Shallows, Ghost Lake, and Elysium, along with a few others. But when a DLC map shows up, I honestly dread it. I don’t think there’s a single one I genuinely enjoy. They don’t need massive changes—just adherence to the standard map format. Otherwise, they inevitably end up suiting non-Greek pantheons a bit more, at least in my opinion.
Some maps I can get a 2nd TC as early as 4:20. and some as early as 4:50. It does make a huge difference when someone is knowingly trying to deny the 2nd TC. I
I suppose I play in the ‘fun but competitive’ category so give or take a few seconds here or there isn’t that important to me .. a poor versus a good decision militarily can cost the game - it’s not always about having those extra 100, 200 or even 1000 resources - the way I see it
Whilst I appreciate some of the things you are saying.. I still find that most starting points are very similar. I never herd the wild animals, if they attack then it’s never an issue, otherwise just put your gather point somewhere in the middle. Herding them inwards with your scout seems like too much effort - I’m not sure even if the ‘pros’ use that or not. And if you kill them by herding you are losing food, and losing time exploring with your scout.. and wasting your own time..
For me, your whole map approach isn’t really what I go in for as I say. But each to their own I suppose. But yeah obviously I don’t think they will ever allow the maps to play unless you own the DLC.. as that’s obviously a big part of the package and sales point when someone is buying DLC.. I mean.. it’s not a big part really but implicitly it kind of is.. makes up the whole DLC purchase package decision.
What I’m trying to say is I think most games .. like 95% of games unless you are talking super top few hundred players, will be decided by general playing ability.. not a few seconds saved here and there on a map you are not so familiar with. And besides, both teams are playing on the same map, so all we are really referring to here is, as you said right at the start, how familiar you are with playing on that map
When you get a 3v3 random and someone is really not that great versus someone who is pretty good.. These things essentially are irrelevant anyway