Funny thing about maps

[Mandemon]

We all agree to a degree that maps in XCOM are kinda small, in sense that you rarely spend 2+ hours looking for enemies. This is often used how "small" maps are compared to the original semi-random maps.

Buuut...

Funny thing is, that in the original game, the maps were 50*50 tiles, AKA 2500 tiles in size. Exception to this rule were base missions, which were 60*60 tiles, AKA 3600. For this comparison, we are ignoring the height, which in both games is 4 (minus base missions in original, which were 3)

Information was checked from here:

http://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Battlescape_Map_Generation#UFO

Now, here is the funny thing:

Most of the maps in XCOM: Enemy Unknown are bigger than that.

You can see maps in XCOM here:

http://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Maps_(EU2012).

Now, notice how most abduction maps clock around 6000-12 000, UFO sites 15 000-20 000, with smallest map, The Fallen Highway, being 3320 tiles in total, still larger than average OG map.

http://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php?title=Demolition_(EU2012)

Now, despite being bigger than in original, why do we feel that the maps are "smaller", despite clear proof that this is not the case?

Is it because our troops move faster now? Because we engage the enemy faster and that they call re-informecements, causing the battles to usually only happen in one place, rather than all over the place as 14+ XCOM soldiers attack 1 sectoid here and there?

Do the maps in the new game feel smaller because there is less blind stumbling around and more trying to outsmart the enemy?

PS.

This is about map sizes, not about number of maps. More maps would be nice :)

[Bindal]

I think the reason is
1 - we move faster, soldiers themselves (they can walk further without notable sacrifices - meaning they still can shoot no problem most of the time) as well as with the squad-amount (less people means you move the same guys more often and hence have them progress faster)
2 - Enemies spawn at some pre-set locations and in small squads instead of basically anywhere on their own
3 - we can now take some shortcuts like jumping over fences or through windows
4 - no need to hunt 30 minutes for THAT ONE FLOATER, that decided to do the dishes the whole mission.
5 - a good bunch of maps are build semi-linear (meaning that you have one obvious path you should go and doing so causes you to run into most, if not all enemies. You obviously don't HAVE to do that and some maps are more arena-like, anyway)


For #4, that happened in a LP (not mine) at around the 7:30 mark:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Col8kVZUfkk&feature=player_detailpage&list=PLD91BACF0E36EE427#t=452

[Mandemon]

One thing could also be that our soldiers can now turn their heads and look around, rather than stare straight forward, making you see more map and forcing you to run around aimlessly less.

[leandrombraz]

I like the size of the maps, it would be a pain in the a-ss to find and get to the enemies if it was too big. The only thing I dislike about maps is the UFO missions. Even if the outside area change, the UFOs are pretty much the same, so once you are in the ship, it feel like it's all the same map. I hope they add more types of UFOs in the DLC. I know they will fall/land in different areas, but would be nice to have UFOs with different interior

anyway, the size is okay to me. Good to know that it's bigger than the original, even if it give the impression of being smaller..

[Milk]

Originally posted by Mandemon:

One thing could also be that our soldiers can now turn their heads and look around, rather than stare straight forward, making you see more map and forcing you to run around aimlessly less.

Night battles, can't forget about those (silly ethereals floating at the top, sniping my men while I fumble through the dark.

[Nanban Jim]

They feel small because I know real weapon ranges. Obliterates suspension of disbelief for me.
Oh well, I just use it as a model and tell myself each "soldier" is representative of an entire squad or platoon, and then the ranges start to make sense...

[hghwolf]

Actually what is shown to you ingame and you play through has no conenction to the actual battle at all besides the results. At least that`s the only way to resolve some of the more glaring breaks from sense that the game has...

[Bisen]

I like the size of most maps. I think some of the alien supply ship missions are too big. It's annoying when you're trying to find the last group of aliens, and they seem to warp from one side of the ship to the other side, quite frequently.