I had addresed (1) but it was in a post that looked like it was replying to meli.
My problem with it is that your start position is so much more than the 9 initial tiles. You may be on a tiny island surrounded by ocean. You may have only room for two or three cities. None of these things will be clear initially.
In all my 1 v 1 games now, I ask a third party to generate a map and check for obvious imbalance. This eliminates most of the flaws.
My problem with it is that your start position is so much more than the 9 initial tiles. You may be on a tiny island surrounded by ocean. You may have only room for two or three cities. None of these things will be clear initially.
In all my 1 v 1 games now, I ask a third party to generate a map and check for obvious imbalance. This eliminates most of the flaws.