I have really enjoyed FFH2, Thanks from me!
I wanted a map that would allow me to play epic games, with fair starts, many civs, and balanced for multiplay, so i made one using the worldbuilder. This is a 16 civ huge pangea type with many chokepoints(ice cream for your inner child) good naval accessibility and as small as i could make it to limit late game lagginess while still givin me good epic gameplay. All resources are placed to provide incentive to grow and every civ's homeland has the same amount for multiplay fairness and so i could try out the different civs with the same map conditions for a good comparison.
Some gameplay details:
Lanun Bannor Hippus Grigori
Sheaim Amurite Malakim Elohim
Balseraphs Luichuirp Khazad Calabim
All these civs start with a 3 city homeland and a barb city blocking the chokepoint that leads to the rest of the continent. They are grouped in the manner I listed them above, so looking at that will tell you whom will be your neighbors, and allow you to consider strategy...I wanted to try a Amurite ashen veil deity lvl game, but with Bannor and goodie Luichuirp as my neighbors I was condemned to constant war...ooof.
Ljosalfar, Kuriotates, Doviello, and Clan of embers start with 4 city spots in their homelands, but they each have two chokepoints to guard, this seems to balance the starts very well. Special consideration had to be givin to the Kuriotates start to allow them to take advantage of their huge city ability, so their land is bigger, and they are the only civ to start with two cities. In repeated testing they play well in comparison with other civs, the extra barb spawns they get from having more landspace seems enough to counter the second city.
Special Features: All the city spots outside of a civ's homeland have preplaced barb cities on them, and many different preplaced barbarian guardians to make conquest fun, slow down ai expansion, and improve gameplay of the map. Acheron and his hoard await your conquest, and the 4 one city islands at the cardinal points around the pangea each have a barbarian king to be conquered...yes 4 orthus's axes for collecting, though I have never gotten more than one in all my playtesting.
I suggest raging barbs for this map, as it helps to balance the starts, and turning it off will only help the civs that have 4 city spots in their homelands, the other 12 civs should be able to scout out their homeland with their starting units and wont have to deal with barb spawns at all.
My technical knowhow is limited to using the worldbuilder, so there are a few things that are a little funky, like havin a small far away portion of the map start out revealed, and having diplomatic relations at start with another civ or two, but i consider these like those little notes you find on new clothes sometimes "the imperfections in this fabric are an integral part of its appeal".
I'd like to have this map as more of a scenario, be able to choose different leaders for the civs, if anyone with special skillz wants to make it better Please do!
Lastly,this map lends itself well to teamplay, and its good for evaluating how different civ/religion combinations perform givin the same starts and same access to resources.
I hope you enjoy it!