The board

This page explains the playing field: the grid, elevation, water, and why every map is fair.

The grid

Every match is fought on a square grid of cells. The default size depends on how many players are in the match:

• 2 players → 32×32 (1,024 cells) — the long-shipped default.
• 3 players → 48×48 (2,304 cells).
• 4 players → 48×48 (2,304 cells).

You can override the board size when creating a match to 32×32 or 48×48. The 64×64 size is temporarily disabled — terrain generation is unreliable (follow-up issue #26) — so the supported override set is 32 and 48 until that fix lands.

Every cell is one of two terrain types: land or water. Troops, cities, pipes, and combat all live on land. Water is impassable: nothing flows across it, nothing lands on it.

Elevation shading

Land cells are shaded by elevation, from dark green at the lowest ground to bright green at the peaks. Elevation is not decoration — it drives pipe flow:

• Downhill pipes (toward lower cells) get a bonus: the steeper the drop, the faster the flow.
• Flat pipes (equal elevation) flow steadily at the base rate.
• Uphill pipes (toward higher cells) pay a handicap: the steeper the climb, the slower the flow.
• Steep uphill pipes (a climb of 7 or more elevation steps) stall — they move nothing, and render as hollow triangles on the board.

Reading elevation well is a real skill: a ridge between your cities and the front can force long detours, because steep uphill pipes stall entirely. See Pipes for the exact flow rates.

Terrain smoothing

Maps are generated fresh for each match, and the host can tune how rugged the terrain is with the terrain smoothing setting: each smoothing pass evens out adjacent-cell elevation differences, so more passes mean gentler hills and more viable cross-map routes for your pipe network. The default is 4 passes; the setting accepts 0–8, and 0 means no smoothing at all — the rawest terrain. Hosts adjust it when creating a match.

Water pools

Water appears as blue pools scattered across the map. Water never changes: it cannot be filled, crossed, piped through, or targeted by paratroopers. It shapes every supply line by existing — plan around it.

Fair maps, guaranteed

Maps are generated fresh for each match, but fairness is built in:

• Point symmetry: the terrain is mirrored through the center of the board, so both halves offer identical ground.
• Equal starts: each player begins with the same number of cities in symmetric positions.
• Guaranteed land routes: there is always a land path between the starting positions — no player is ever walled off by water.

No pre-made maps, no map voting, no home-field advantage: all commanders face the same terrain.

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