Japan starting bias

[Sascha77]

I've started numerous games as Japan now (Island Map) and it seems they're geared towards starting near (but not necessarily *on*) the coast, near Tundra/Snowy tiles and in more or less flat terrain. I have yet to roll a start where there are mountains anywhere near me and within short-/medium-term settling distance. And I usually only have one or two hill-tiles in my immediate vicinity, meaning my first two or three cities will always have production-trouble.

Which is kinda odd, considering the fact that Japan in real life is anything but flat country and even has a friggin' mountain as one of its national symbols.

Is it just me getting unlucky starts here or is Japan meant to start without any mountains/hills near it? This is kind of a bummer, since mountains are so much more useful and powerful now in Civ VI.

S.

 

[bcaiko]

I've played several games as Japan, and never started near tundra - even on a cold/wet map.

And I never started on the coast, either (in fact, in my latest game I'm very far from the coastline). Hard to say from our small sample size, but it seems to me that Japan has no starting bias.

Hojo should have a starting bias for coast, though.

 

[Kwami]

I'm not at home, so I can't check myself, but I suspect that you can find the start biases in the game files. Anyone else able to look?

 

[Lesser Ajax]

I dunno if there's more coded in somewhere, but according to the Civilizations.xml file, these are the start biases per civ.

Spoiler :

<!-- Start Bias Lower is First -->
<StartBiasResources>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_SCYTHIA" ResourceType="RESOURCE_HORSES" Tier="2"/>
</StartBiasResources>
<StartBiasFeatures>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_BRAZIL" FeatureType="FEATURE_JUNGLE" Tier="2"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_EGYPT" FeatureType="FEATURE_FLOODPLAINS" Tier="2"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_KONGO" FeatureType="FEATURE_JUNGLE" Tier="2"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_KONGO" FeatureType="FEATURE_FOREST" Tier="2"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_NORWAY" FeatureType="FEATURE_FOREST" Tier="5"/>
</StartBiasFeatures>
<StartBiasTerrains>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_ENGLAND" TerrainType="TERRAIN_COAST" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_GREECE" TerrainType="TERRAIN_DESERT_HILLS" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_GREECE" TerrainType="TERRAIN_GRASS_HILLS" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_GREECE" TerrainType="TERRAIN_PLAINS_HILLS" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_GREECE" TerrainType="TERRAIN_TUNDRA_HILLS" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_NORWAY" TerrainType="TERRAIN_COAST" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_RUSSIA" TerrainType="TERRAIN_TUNDRA" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_RUSSIA" TerrainType="TERRAIN_TUNDRA_HILLS" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_SCYTHIA" TerrainType="TERRAIN_GRASS" Tier="5"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_SCYTHIA" TerrainType="TERRAIN_PLAINS" Tier="5"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_SPAIN" TerrainType="TERRAIN_COAST" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_LISBON" TerrainType="TERRAIN_COAST" Tier="1"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_NAN_MADOL" TerrainType="TERRAIN_COAST" Tier="1"/>
</StartBiasTerrains>
<StartBiasRivers>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_EGYPT" Tier="5"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_FRANCE" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_SUMERIA" Tier="3"/>
</StartBiasRivers>

It does indeed appear that Japan has no inherent bias.
On the plus side, this seems like it'll be pretty easy to mod?

 

[Sascha77]

I've played several games as Japan, and never started near tundra - even on a cold/wet map.

And I never started on the coast, either (in fact, in my latest game I'm very far from the coastline). Hard to say from our small sample size, but it seems to me that Japan has no starting bias.

Weird. Well, perhaps the fact that I never tried Japan on anything but island maps has something to do with it. But on that map, all the 5 or 6 starts that I've tried yielded similar results: Started at the top or bottom of the map, with half of my island covered in tundra and snow. No mountains, very little hills and always near or on the coast. Oh, and I was also always placed on an isolated island with no other civ but myself on it (which feels appropriate for Japan).

S.

 

[SammyKhalifa]

"CIVILIZATION_NAN_MADOL"

 

[Kwami]

I dunno if there's more coded in somewhere, but according to the Civilizations.xml file, these are the start biases per civ.

Spoiler :

<!-- Start Bias Lower is First -->
<StartBiasResources>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_SCYTHIA" ResourceType="RESOURCE_HORSES" Tier="2"/>
</StartBiasResources>
<StartBiasFeatures>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_BRAZIL" FeatureType="FEATURE_JUNGLE" Tier="2"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_EGYPT" FeatureType="FEATURE_FLOODPLAINS" Tier="2"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_KONGO" FeatureType="FEATURE_JUNGLE" Tier="2"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_KONGO" FeatureType="FEATURE_FOREST" Tier="2"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_NORWAY" FeatureType="FEATURE_FOREST" Tier="5"/>
</StartBiasFeatures>
<StartBiasTerrains>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_ENGLAND" TerrainType="TERRAIN_COAST" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_GREECE" TerrainType="TERRAIN_DESERT_HILLS" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_GREECE" TerrainType="TERRAIN_GRASS_HILLS" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_GREECE" TerrainType="TERRAIN_PLAINS_HILLS" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_GREECE" TerrainType="TERRAIN_TUNDRA_HILLS" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_NORWAY" TerrainType="TERRAIN_COAST" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_RUSSIA" TerrainType="TERRAIN_TUNDRA" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_RUSSIA" TerrainType="TERRAIN_TUNDRA_HILLS" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_SCYTHIA" TerrainType="TERRAIN_GRASS" Tier="5"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_SCYTHIA" TerrainType="TERRAIN_PLAINS" Tier="5"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_SPAIN" TerrainType="TERRAIN_COAST" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_LISBON" TerrainType="TERRAIN_COAST" Tier="1"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_NAN_MADOL" TerrainType="TERRAIN_COAST" Tier="1"/>
</StartBiasTerrains>
<StartBiasRivers>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_EGYPT" Tier="5"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_FRANCE" Tier="3"/>
<Row CivilizationType="CIVILIZATION_SUMERIA" Tier="3"/>
</StartBiasRivers>

It does indeed appear that Japan has no inherent bias.
On the plus side, this seems like it'll be pretty easy to mod?

Thanks!

Also, why does Greece get a hill bias? Nerf!

 

[Sascha77]

Also, why does Greece get a hill bias? Nerf!

Have you ever been to Greece?

S.

 

[Kwami]

Have you ever been to Greece?

S.

No, but the start biases clearly don't cover everything. There's no desert bias for Arabia, for instance. Hills are powerful in this iteration. Greece doesn't need that extra help.

 

[Sebmono]

"CIVILIZATION_NAN_MADOL"

Uh, yeah, that stood out to me as well and it took me on a bit of a rabbit hole trip down wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nan_Madol