[PB60] Map-making thread

[Tarkeel]

I figured I'd just generate a tiny donut with 6 players and take the first one that rolls. That should fit what the players want, right?

[Tarkeel]

Joking aside, here are the two concepts I'm thinking of running with:

Concept A; which I like best but might be quite similar to PB58:


Concept B; slightly different, closer to PBEM23:



If there aren't any clear obejctions I'll keep focusing on A, which is actually based on one of my early misconceptions of what the PB58 map looked like. What I have in mind is that two players each share a "plate" and will be each others main competitors, with smaller arms connecting out to other players. P3 will have P4 as their main rival, and P2 and P6 as their lesser rivals. I've made a mock-up of how the player-blocks might look:


Ignore the terrain for now, that's just to signal the different parts: Plains is what each player can expect to rightfully claim, about 60-70 tiles. Grass is the slightly lusher middle area where they meet, while the tundra is connection to other blocks.

While making the mock-up I figured that the green connectors probably needs to be more straight between grass areas; alternately that the black connectors should go as a continuation from the capital spine. That will make it so each player in addition to their plate-rival also has a close-rival, but with a smaller, more stable border. I think this is the variant I prefer right now.

For starting areas I was thinking something similar to PB59, with a 5x7, with two main settling options:

• Settle in place on a coastal plainshill, that has a forested plainshill available to push out a workboat, and a small lake with inner-ring whales
  
• Move to an inland jungled bananas, that has either forested grassland deer or lake-wet plains corn/wheat (all of which are 5f1h)
  

I plan to make the starts mirrored in base terrain, but swapping around some equal yield resources so that they are slightly different.

Lastly, because I've said that the map concept is based on PB58 and some players won't be able to read my musings on the map, I intend to make the following available in the tech-thread:

Map Musings

• The main contact points against neighbors were long, slender landbridges with jungle, making for stable early borders
  
• Having a large backline against the centre-spine to expand into, making early wars less profitable
  
• Meeting along the spine opened up more contacts, but there are still relatively few east-west passages
  
• Everyone had easy early access to copper, the main defensive resource, while ivory was early and secure
  
• Iron and horses, the offensive resources, were only available later on, limiting early rushes
  

Any and all feedback is very welcome!

[Tarkeel]

Early thoughts on strategic resources:

• Stone: Possibly on the island visible on the diagonal from the start.
  
• Marble: medium distant, possible near the entrance to a choke-point
  
• Copper: close distance, further "out" on the spur
  
• Iron: Jungled at capital?
  
• Horses: Medium distant, towards center and away from choke-points
  
• Ivory: Possibly skip alltogether?
  
• Oil: Safe water-deposit at capital lake, one or two exposed land sources?
  
• Coal/Aluminum: Probably at hills close to the capital
  
• Uranium: On starting hill?
  

For luxuries, I'm thinking that each plate gets one set of metal resources, so that silver and gold are available close to the starts, with gems in the middle. Everyone gets whales at the capital, and two or three calendar happies or wines. Furs will either be in astro-land or not used at all.

[Commodore]

I'd make those "arms" fatter, best if there could be maneuvering past a city or two there.

[Krill]

Looks like PBEM13.

Also please don't make a map of penises.

[Commodore]

Also please don't make a map of penises.

Krill...

...I know doctors hate seeing doctors, but I think you need to see a urologist.

[Tarkeel]

Well, there weren't any vehement protests over my plans, so I'll go ahead and continue to use this as a development log.

I'd make those "arms" fatter, best if there could be maneuvering past a city or two there.

Definitely; the "skinny middle" arm was just a trace of where it might go, and I think that one will go more north-south than it does now. I'm also feeling more for the "capital"-arm curving around and connecting to your next neighbor. I was afraid of going too high on the tile count, but it seems like that won't be a problem.

Looks like PBEM13.

Also please don't make a map of penises.

I went to have a look at how that played out, but the imagelinks had rotted. Thanks for the heads-up though. Also, I did not see that at all, and the finished map should be less phallic I hope.

[Tarkeel]

Here is a sample start, inspired by PB58 and 59 as promised:


I'm thinking that the terrain will be mirrored for all 6 starts: 2 each will have plains corn, plains wheat and grassforest deer. This should make both agriculture and hunting civs viable, leading to more variety. I'll also alternate between clams and crabs in each pair, so that no start is identical, but they will all have the same yields. The starts will also split between spices and wines.

Unrevealed resources are coal (hill N of sugar), iron (jungle E of sugar), uranium (grass SE of sugar), oil (SE of whales).

My thoughts on the starts, spoilered so you can form your own opinion:

A: Settle in place: Perfect for workboat opening, will be more commerce-oriented start with 5 lakes, 4 coasts and 5 river tiles. Slightly lower production, could possibly turn the forest 2S into a hill?
B: Settle on sugar: More immediate food (sugar+corn/wheat/game) and production (5 hills), can work
C: Settle on spices: Can work all of the good tiles, but won't be able to build lighthouse or workboat to take full advantage; don't expect anyone to settle here
I don't think anyone will settle elsewhere, although both east and west of the spices are possibilities.

The island stone is a 4-tile island where they can decide between settling one very good (moai?) city on the stone, or two cities lesser cities on each end.

Question: Is the food availability too stingy?
Question: Should the southern edge be grasslands instead of plains?

[Commodore]

I like it personally, but I think you might get some pushback on that food level; nothing even 5-food for the capital is a little rough compared to the RB norm. Either way I'd make that south edge more grassy, personally.

[Tarkeel]

You can get 5f1h, but you need to sacrifice for it, but then you also pick up 3f at the capital. I'm leaning very hard on making the three southmost tiles grass, and one of the workable tiles a hill. The deer/hunting start would actually be slightly better unimproved, so they might get the short stick on something else to compensate.