The “manual” initial troop distribution mode could use some work.

[zen330]

Not sure what change(s) should be made exactly, but when one player can wait until the end of the 24 initial staring position timer (after his opponent moves, possibly via starting the game late at night where he is), see where he has set his troops (a possible issue in and of itself) via the Snapshots feature, and then overwhelm him by placing his initial troops plus his four reinforcements adjacent to him it’s a recipe for quick and easy wins by the second player.

Or similarly if the initial attack fails somewhat badly in such a scenario it is a likely easy win for the second player.

Maybe the snapshots feature should be disabled for the initial placement, or maybe the starting player should start out with less initial reinforcements than his opponent?

Could easily be other/better working ideas out there, if someone wants to contribute them and/or offer a new thread with a poll I will happily link it (someone should DM me if this happens).

[AugustineGreen]

The imbalance in the initial placement phase stems from the second player having a significant advantage in information (Snapshots) and time, leading to unfair and quick victories. The most effective and simplest solution is to disable Snapshots during the initial placement phase, or even better, have both players place their pieces simultaneously and hide information until the geometry dash is complete. These changes will eliminate the waiting game to exploit advantages, ensure fairness, increase tactical depth, and help match outcomes reflect skill rather than flaws in the mechanics.

[Kevi]

If someone misses the initial placement his troops are automatically distributed evenly and he loses the chance to place them manually.

[zen330]

The imbalance in the initial placement phase stems from the second player having a significant advantage in information (Snapshots) and time, leading to unfair and quick victories. The most effective and simplest solution is to disable Snapshots during the initial placement phase, or even better, have both players place their pieces simultaneously and hide information until the geometry dash is complete. These changes will eliminate the waiting game to exploit advantages, ensure fairness, increase tactical depth, and help match outcomes reflect skill rather than flaws in the mechanics.

That seems like a correct assessment and a good suggestion to me, letting the second player both see the first player’s placement and have the first move advantage afterwards seems very suboptimal indeed, and what you suggest seems like it should fix the issue.