What are your favorite game settings?

[Woody1]

I'm just curious what people like to set their game parameters to in a single player game, and why.

I like small maps, marathon speed, 18 players, no tech-trading, and fractal land. (The other settings I don't really care what they're set to.)

I like small maps with lots of nations, because it allows for lots of interaction and quick wars. You can be the most powerful civ with only 5 or 6 cities, so micro-management is never an issue. (MM is usually my biggest complaint about Civ, especially in the late game.)

The marathon speed allows me to keep older units functional for a long time, without them getting outdated because of the tech race.

No tech trading also helps with stopping tech from evolving very fast. And since I hate trading away my own tech, I like to prevent the computer players from doing it too! I haven't tried the BTS setting for preventing players from trading tech that they didn't discover, but maybe I'll try that as a compromise.

I usually pick fractal maps, simply because they give interesting continent shapes, IMO. Some of the other map types don't work too well on small maps.

[Itachi]

For me I usually pick huge maps, normal game speed, terra world/continents, anywhere between 10-18 civs and noble through prince difficulties.

I like large maps because for some reason I feel cramped in anything smaller than a large world.

I use normal game speed because the large world generally makes things move slow enough for me. I occasionally pick epic when I want a bit of a longer game.

I like terra maps because I like the Pangaea feel of the game with the added bonus of discovering a new world in the age of sail. I pick continents when I want to stretch out a bit more.

[s.bernbaum]

I like to play on the fractal maps also. That way, I usually get more than one land mass, although sometimes only one, plus a few islands. I like not knowing what is there until I explore it.

Mostly, I use temperate climate, although now and then I'll let it be random.

I like to set the leader, country, sea level, map size, and number of AI players random. I find it more interesting to see what luck throws my way.

I have played on normal speed for the most part but probably will have a go at marathon and epic at some point, so see if I like them. I have played two or three games at quick but I'm not big on that.

I have time victory turned off but all the rest turned on and decide which type of victory to go for after I see which leader I have gotten.

Currently, I am playing at Noble level but will move up one level soon.