carcophony maps

glpeas | carcophony | BlindGiRl | BlindGiRl2

carcophony links

videos
maps
tech postmortem
reviews

map 1 - "new town"

History/Trivia - This simple map was the obvious choice for our first map - a simple junction set up with long roads so players could see what was happening. And yet, the lack of nodes caused the most problems from a development point of view, trying to make the curved roads perfectly circular.

Unique gameplay - This map is as simple as it comes. Therapeutically so. No surprises. It's a gradual ramping up of difficulty as the cars are released onto the map quicker. And as the rotation speeds up, hold on for as long as you can!

Tactics - The ambulance times are very tight on this map, but are always possible. To be sure of achieving each ambulance bonus multiplier, keep the shortest routes (the centre spokes) clear.

Got a better tactic? - let us know at twitter.com/glpeas

map 2 - "spaghetti junction"

History/Trivia - Originally the idea for this map on paper seemed like it should be the hardest, but playtesters easily coped with principle of roads crossing over other roads.
The name, spaghetti junction, is taken from a particularly messy looking junction on the outskirts of Birmingham, UK.

Unique gameplay - After a few waves, no entry signs are introduced, blocking 4 on the outer roads. This in effect makes the map more deterministic, Arguably with less routes to worry about this makes the map easier, but the increasing pace of spawning cars and rotation will easily negate any advantage.

Tactics - Once the 4 roads are closed, the map becomes a knot of routes - topologically, an unbroken ring. In that scenario, turning all lights to create a clockwise (or anti-clockwise) flow get cars moving.

Got a better tactic? - let us know at twitter.com/glpeas

map 3 - "ring road"

History/Trivia - Map 3 was the original design for the game, and for a long time it was the only map. There is still some reverence attached to this map, which is why it can still be seen in the background on the main menus.

Unique gameplay - In this map, roads are closed with each ambulance, making the road layout different on every wave.

Tactics - With so many junctions, not all roads are required to keep the game going. Therefore this is arguably the best map to bury a car or two away, so they can score highly when they exit...

Got a better tactic? - let us know at twitter.com/glpeas

map 4 - "cross roads"

History/Trivia - This map was originally named "new town", after the town of Milton Keynes, UK, a town built for scratch and famously comprised of a grid of horizontal and vertical roads. The name was later used instead by map 1.

Unique gameplay - This is the only map where entry junctions control 2 entry queues, meaning you can't just leave them to pour traffic into the map. Constant management is required.

Tactics - This map is very, very tight for space, and not conducive to streaks. Although releasing unbroken chains of car colours scores highly, such a tactic on this map could really clog up the roads...

Got a better tactic? - let us know at twitter.com/glpeas

map 5 - "magic roundabout"

History/Trivia - Magic roundabout is loosely based upon the 5 linked mini-roundabout setup, found in Swindon. We struggled with this map for a long time, since it was always so complicated, but inspiration to block off roads from the outset one day made it click into place.

Unique gameplay - This is the only map where roads are blocked from the outset. Essentially the initial layout is a simple circle. However, wave by wave, those no entry signs will clear, making the map less deterministic and more difficult.

Tactics - We really wish we knew! This map is pure evil :)

Got a better tactic? - let us know at twitter.com/glpeas

carcophony is now available FREE, for iPhones/iPads on the App Store - find it [here]