Map showcase: Hedjaz news - Knights and Barbarians mod for Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties

Unfortunately, no extra content, though I guess this rather lenghty Friday Update should make me get away with it. We're recently finished our series on the five Prologue civs, and while new civs are certainly the most obvious part of the mod, and very important, don't underestimate the maps! Most maps for Knights and Barbarians are created by AOE_Fan, and it is with some help from him that I can now announce a new series of Friday Updates, this time one that tells you all about some of the more interesting maps K&B has in store.

That's right, today we'll be showcasing a map called Hedjaz. The name may not sound familiar to everybody, but Hedjaz is one of the regions that make up the Arabian Peninsula. To be more precise, it is the westernmost area of the Arabian peninsula, and borders the Red Sea to the west, the desert of Nejd to the east, the surprisingly fertile area of Tihamah on the south, and the populated areas (one would almost come to think of them as a peculiarity) around the river Jordan to the north. Today Hedjaz (also spelled Hejaz, al-Hejaz or Hijaz) is mostly located in Saudi Arabia, though the most northern parts of the region are located in Jordan.

The westernmost part of the Hedjaz map, featuring a bit of Red Sea

If we follow the region (and the map) from west to east, the first thing we encounter is the Red Sea coast. The Red Sea is a major shipping route today, and due to a lack of fishing quota (or the means to enforce them), sealife is unfortunately lacking, but in the Middle Ages the Red Sea still abounded in fish, and so does the sea featuring in our map. Hedjaz isn't by any means a naval map, though each player starts with a Homecity Water Flag, so even players located further east can take advantage of the sea. Naval invasions are well possible on Hedjaz, and may be effective against enemy players located near the sea, though they are unlikely to impress players placed further inland. The map isn't very rich in resources, and fishing is of great importance to those lucky (or unlucky) enough to be placed near the sea, so while naval invasions may be of dubious use, keeping a navy to destroy your enemies' Fishing Boats and defend your own is advisable, and your economy will suffer if you lose naval superiority.

Just inland, some palm trees form a minor forest

Players starting near the sea have the advantage where wood gathering is concerned. Sure, there are some trees in the desert, but the long forest that runs along the coast of the Red Sea is a far more steady source of income. Don't count on it too much though, as the strip of trees is only thin, and the density of the forest leaves a thing or two to be desired. As would seem obvious, your enemy will be aware of all this wood, and see the ability to raid your Peasants as they're felling palms. As the wood isn't dense, Outposts probably won't suffice in defending your Peasants, unless you wish to build a new one every two minutes, so you'll have to rely on units to safeguard your economy. That is, if you allow the enemy time to build up a raiding party.

Camels and Trade Routes are just some features of the middle of Hedjaz

...and this is what a dry river looks like

To the middle of the map, the number of huntable animals starts to increase, giving one the ability to do some more tactical resource gathering. While some may dislike the taste of it, Camels are what one has to make do with where food is concerned, and the occasional Arabian Leopard may provide the coin you want. Moreover, Trade Routes provide whatever resource one might desire, and he who fears these resources cannot be defended from raids is wrong, as wadis provide natural choke points. There are only few points where the wadis can be crossed, and as they run parallel to the sea, they provide the perfect opportunity for a turtle, given that one manages to attain the needed resources.

Crude oil, black and sticky

Even further inland, bordering on the vast deserts of Nejd is the most eastern part of the map, which is an almost complete desert. This may sound bad, but it isn't really, as you may find some Oil Wells in this area, which can provide a plentiful resource of coin. Oil Wells? Yes. In these days where oil has to come from hundreds of meters underneath the ground, we're often quick to forget the days that oil gathering was so much easier, and the wells where it was up for grabs. Sure, gathering oil was a filthy business, but apart from the fact that it burned like hell, it also provided for one of the most useful military inventions of the Middle Ages, naphta. The economy of players placed inland will rely almost solely on Oil Wells, as trees are more scarce, and animals are not plentiful either. Bear in mind though that the Trade Route is still close, and building and maintaining a Trade Socket is certainly easier for these players than it is for those placed near the sea. Also, the wide deserts available in the east of the map allow for a larger base, or even multiple bases, to make your position as well defendable as possible.

Date trees are present in the desert areas of the map

Acacia trees are present in the more fertile areas of the map

Yeah, there isn't a lot more to tell about those trees, apart from the fact that I think those acacias are quite neat looking (if I may say so, having textured them myself). What I'm instead going to tell you something about, this time more elaborate than in later updates, is Free-for-All. FFA has always been an issue with maps, and the problems it causes on peculiarly shaped maps can sometimes be described as a nightmare. Or well, that's the level of hatred AOE_Fan has developed for it. On the other hand, I guess it's some kind of love-hatred relationship, because he still manages to spend an awful lot of time on them, and truth be told, the results are often wonderful. Maps that seem like they aren't possibly going to work with FFA somehow do work. All praise be to Matti. I'm ashamed to say I haven't played a lot on Hedjaz yet, and I haven't played a single FFA game on it, so I guess that at this time, I'll just let the master explain it himself:

The starting places change depending if it's FFA or Team game. In Team games and in 2-4 player FFA games , players are placed in line in opposite direction of wadis (the short side). In 5-8 player FFA game, some players are placed near the sea and the other between 2. wadi and trade route in direction of wadis (the long side)

When players are placed in opposide direction of wadis, there is no special strategy. But in 5-8 player FFA, there are many interesting variations.

I've not gone into much detail about the possible strategies on this map, as that's not my strong point, but I can tell you the possibilities are nigh on endless. Hedjaz certainly is going to be one of the most interesting maps in K&B, one that offers a totally different gameplay experience on different spots of the map. It may be a short while until you can actually play it, but I'm sure you'll enjoy this map as much as Matti has enjoyed making it, and I have enjoyed writing about it.
- Quoted from peugeot407