After my theoretical defense of DS's settlement (I still haven't gotten a chance to test it out), I'm not exactly super impressed by his decisions. For example, why go workboat first if you aren't going to use it?
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.
Yeah...missing Polytheism hurt him but his land is solid and he's got such great micro skills I believe he is the "too early to have a favorite favorite".
Im thinking the game leaders will be OH-Rusten-Krill. Followed by whoever wins the Commodore/Gavagai island who can then eat the superdeath/ Dark Savant island.
2metra was originally between Krill and GKC, on GKC's side of the land bridge IIRC.
Rusten and Borsche had two whole large islands to themselves in isolated starts. I joined those up to make a new continent and put 2metra's civ on it. I think Borsche's civ was originally a bit further south but I moved it north to give the new civ more room.
(November 4th, 2019, 17:21)The Black Sword Wrote: I've been playing out various people's starts btw and I think there's a fair number of variations to find the best one.
Thoughts on best start? Or what ones have you tried
