The widest part of the map at the front line is 566 meters. Which is very close to Essen Steelworks and General Mud. Steppes is about 600m but much of that area is blocked off.
For comparison:
Crossroads is approx 242m
Rails and Metal is 250m
Redball is 309m
I'll start with the disclaimer that I haven't played the map yet, so make of this what you want, but looking at the numbers and the layout I have an idea why the map might feel narrow:
As you write in your starting post, in particular early game players tend to focus on resources over VPs.
So, everything relevant will happen between the two fuel points and their distance - according to you - is basically the width of a 2v2 map.
I guess what happens is that the game starts by two players per team going to each of the fuels. Whoever secures the fuel for their side plonks a MG or bunker on the VP next to it and forgets about those parts of the map for the most of the rest of the match. So, all the action is basically happening on a relatively narrow strip.
Steppes has an even closer distance of the fuel points, true. Difference though is that the northern half of the map not only contains two VPs but also two muni points and several other territory points that you can't simply semi-secure with a bunker and a mine...
Also, none of the other territory point seems to really act as a cut-off. Well, ok, I rephrase that:
For example if we look at the fuel in the north-west: For the southern team C1 acts kind of like a cut-off, but if the team loses this point for an extended amount of time they probably have lost anyways, so it is not actually a cut-off from a resource perspective (might still work for a "close the pocket", but otherwise...).
For the northern team C6 is the intended cut-off, right? Now, the problem is that if the northern team attacks that fuel straight up (or from the center), they will have control over C6 anyways. It only would be an endangered cut-off if they indeed flanked around the North-western corner and basically attack the fuel from the VP.
So, basically you are better off with concentrating your forces in the center and attack the resource points from the center outwards. This way you will have no issues with cut-offs, have automatically control over the munitions, can help each other more easily and potentially even pressure the cut-offs C1&C2 if the opposing team gives up the center and concentrates on the VPs in the corners.
TLDR: Simply having VPs in the corners is probably too little incentive for players to commit a lot of forces to those areas so everybody will clash in the strip between the fuels.
Germany
VonIvan
Burmie
Burmie
VonIvan
Insane DevM
Relic Entertainment
