Just like the title says, the detonation game mode is completely unbalanced on the Eastern Mining Station map. So is Combat Reconnaisance.
Eastern mining station is the map where one side spawns behind a massive asteroid. Its first beacon is located just in front, between two asteroids with some non-descript structure protruding from the leftmost asteroid. Another beacon is located to the left, behind another huge asteroid. The last beacon is located down and to the right, intermingled with a few asteroids and some basic structures. The other team spawns relatively out in the open, and can monitor the approaches of two of its beacons from spawn. Their “B” beacon is hidden off to their right behind a couple of medium sized asteroids.
I just came from being absolutely rolled in a T3 match. I never made it past our first beacon. As a credit to the other team, they did a great job suppressing us and keeping us ineffective. I would like to state, however that since my team was unable to fire on ships approaching our spawn (behind huge asteroid) we were never able to properly manuever. We were boxed in almost immediately and could not move to defend, much less attempt to get the EMP. We lost our stations just as fast as the game was able to spawn EMP bombs.
Upon reflection, Eastern Mining Station is probably the worst map as far as balance. I had once thought that honor should go to Ice Reef, but I’ve made up my mind. Eastern Mining Station should only be used on small - medium sized Domination and Capture the Beacon matches.
That’s what I thought initially but since this is a team game, what your team does affects the outcome to a large degree. Most people don’t do well working with open space. You can collect statistics on that map, I did to a small extent and if memory serves, team spawned in open space loses a match more than 2x more often.
I have to say, though… Of all the times I’ve flown in that map… I must’ve won 2-3 matches when I spawned on the asteroid side of the map and over 30 when spawning on the open. If it’s unbalanced, I just don’t see it, at all.
In all honesty, it can go either way, you just have to be quick on your feet.
For Detonation, yes, it’s mildly unbalanced. I mean, you spawn either fully covered with not a care in the world or you’re boned to hell if they have more than 2 Imperial LRFs.
In Combat Recon, however… If you spawn in the open and can drag your team to that huge asteroid at the front… you’re safe and the game is, mostly, guaranteed a win. Provided your team doesn’t screw up that much.
In Beacon matches, it’s fairly balanced… The Beacons are fairly visible and accessible to both sides equally.
I must’ve won 2-3 matches when I spawned on the asteroid side of the map and over 30 when spawning on the open. If it’s unbalanced, I just don’t see it, at all.
The only fail that can happen on the open side, is when team or captain arent going to the big ´roid.
I never venture close to that roid when captain. It’s a death trap in Jericho LRF cross-fire with enemy cov ops just spawning a few k away to suicide nuke you.
I went to that big roid as capt and hero-won the game engaging their cap on the other side of the roid in the last few seconds… The problem on that map is ‘i dont want to get away from my spawn, me big scaredy cat’. The end. Look at what happens and you’ll notice it. EVENTUALLY the fight happens only in the middle with neither of the teams fully engaging a different area.
And even there they only peek over the fence and back off.
In domination, asteroid side team has better approaches to the flank beacons. not true for the open side team who suffer a longer travel time to RHS beacon (to stay within cover) and low quality cluster cover on the LHS beacon approach.