one question about out "Start in the Old World" works: if the largest continent has more than 60% of the land, the script sets all civs to start there and that's it.
however: when the largest continent is less than 60%, the script will start considering other, smaller continents as "Old World" , until it reaches 60%, when it stops and assigns starting spots.
I guess this is when my question comes into being, possibly linked with IronClown's "difficult" starts: is there a specific way in which the additional continents are chosen when the main one is less than 60% , or is it random?
for example, does it choose the second biggest one first, or does it choose the smallest, or does it choose the one that will bring the land count above 60% and as close to 60% as possible or what?
depending on the map layout and how this routine is carried out, I can see a couple possible issues arising. namely:
1) if it chooses the second biggest continent, you could end up with a single civ having a whole large-ish continent for themselves. however:
2) if it chooses the smallest/just enough to go above 60% , it seems to me that you could definitely have a civ start on a tiny tiny island, with a larger continent ( which would probably be more fair if associated with the isolated civ stranded on a tiny island ) considered New World and uninhabited.
judging from the maps I've generated lately, it seems to me that 2) is more likely. I've definitely had a map composed of main continent with 4/5 civs, a tiny island, a decent-sized island and a small island. 2 civs got stranded on the small island, whereas it would have seemed to be more fair to place them on the decent-sized island.
of course, I do see how this algorithm is very complicated and very hard to be made balanced. just wondering