Hybrid idea (not sandboxed yet, probably not as good, but maybe worthwhile): What about 1W of the cow? Pre-border expansion it gets the cow, the deer, and 4 riverside grasslands to cottage (2 currently forested). After expansion, it picks up the gold, the ivory, and two more riverside graslands. In comparison, 1S of the gold has a maximum of 4 riverside grasslands post-border expansion.
Merovech's Mapmaking Guidelines:
0. Player Requests: The player's requests take precedence, even if they contradict the following guidelines.
1. Balance: The map must be balanced, both in regards to land quality and availability and in regards to special civilization features. A map may be wonderfully unique and surprising, but, if it is unbalanced, the game will suffer and the player's enjoyment will not be as high as it could be.
2. Identity and Enjoyment: The map should be interesting to play at all levels, from city placement and management to the border-created interactions between civilizations, and should include varied terrain. Flavor should enhance the inherent pleasure resulting from the underlying tile arrangements. The map should not be exceedingly lush, but it is better to err on the lush side than on the poor side when placing terrain.
3. Feel (Avoiding Gimmicks): The map should not be overwhelmed or dominated by the mapmaker's flavor. Embellishment of the map through the use of special improvements, barbarian units, and abnormal terrain can enhance the identity and enjoyment of the map, but should take a backseat to the more normal aspects of the map. The game should usually not revolve around the flavor, but merely be accented by it.
4. Realism: Where possible, the terrain of the map should be realistic. Jungles on desert tiles, or even next to desert tiles, should therefore have a very specific reason for existing. Rivers should run downhill or across level ground into bodies of water. Irrigated terrain should have a higher grassland to plains ratio than dry terrain. Mountain chains should cast rain shadows. Islands, mountains, and peninsulas should follow logical plate tectonics.
Unfortunately I only have the one I posted before we even picked. I stupidly made the (just a few) map edits only when I was close to founding the second city. Sorry.
SevenSpirits Wrote:Unfortunately I only have the one I posted before we even picked. I stupidly made the (just a few) map edits only when I was close to founding the second city. Sorry.
No worries buddy!
It'll give me something to work on this evening. The sims will have to go on hold for a bit but so be it.
Well, I play by gut instinct much more than by careful sandboxing, planning and micro (which is why I haven't been successful in my games so far ). And my gut instinct says that gold is too far away to be the 2nd city (4 Settler turns just to get to the spot and found it?). However, I would quite like it as the 3rd city
If we do not go for the gold (hmmm, Olympic naming themes?) for city #2, then we should definitely plan for it to be city #3. Our green-hued neighbors to the northwest may take the site away from us otherwise. The gold is pretty much equidistant from both capitals (especially given a little pre-settling movement) so I expect it is intended that we will compete to control it.
I would be strongly tempted to claim the gold with city #2, to ensure we control it. Maybe with the 1W of the cows site, or even 1E of the cows depending on how we want to place a city to control the ivory.
Of course, we need to keep circling the scout to see what is farther east and then southeast. There may be other high-priority sites. But early gold for boosted early research and happiness is hard to beat. We can plant cities to work riverside cottages later -- that land will still be there for the taking. The gold may not be.
If its contested, which it looks like it is, I think we should grab it with our first city
Merovech's Mapmaking Guidelines:
0. Player Requests: The player's requests take precedence, even if they contradict the following guidelines.
1. Balance: The map must be balanced, both in regards to land quality and availability and in regards to special civilization features. A map may be wonderfully unique and surprising, but, if it is unbalanced, the game will suffer and the player's enjoyment will not be as high as it could be.
2. Identity and Enjoyment: The map should be interesting to play at all levels, from city placement and management to the border-created interactions between civilizations, and should include varied terrain. Flavor should enhance the inherent pleasure resulting from the underlying tile arrangements. The map should not be exceedingly lush, but it is better to err on the lush side than on the poor side when placing terrain.
3. Feel (Avoiding Gimmicks): The map should not be overwhelmed or dominated by the mapmaker's flavor. Embellishment of the map through the use of special improvements, barbarian units, and abnormal terrain can enhance the identity and enjoyment of the map, but should take a backseat to the more normal aspects of the map. The game should usually not revolve around the flavor, but merely be accented by it.
4. Realism: Where possible, the terrain of the map should be realistic. Jungles on desert tiles, or even next to desert tiles, should therefore have a very specific reason for existing. Rivers should run downhill or across level ground into bodies of water. Irrigated terrain should have a higher grassland to plains ratio than dry terrain. Mountain chains should cast rain shadows. Islands, mountains, and peninsulas should follow logical plate tectonics.
The gold is very slightly closer to us, but since we moved NW before settling it was probably meant to be equidistant. This makes me curious as to what might be a similar distance in the direction of our other neighbor -- gems? silver?
). And my gut instinct says that gold is too far away to be the 2nd city (4 Settler turns just to get to the spot and found it?). However, I would quite like it as the 3rd city![[Image: Civ4ScreenShot0665.JPG]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yM5_IpnFKjE/UAXUG7aujcI/AAAAAAAADBo/VAVs8vgNJSg/s800/Civ4ScreenShot0665.JPG)
![[Image: t8_menagerie.JPG]](https://dl.dropbox.com/u/5826112/RBDemo1/t8_menagerie.JPG)