Starting Positions

I was wondering if there is a way to get rid of the default starting positions for the earth map? I would think that this would improve game play, never knowing where a civilization will start.... So that leads me to a question, how does the game decide where the civilizations start on a generated world? Would it be possible to use that for the earth map? Or, at least randomize which civilization gets the default starting positions?

Start a CIV game using EARTH make one move, save the game. Start TerraForm, load the saved game. On the TerraForm menu select Options come down to and click on Set to 4000bc . Now save the game and restart CIV using the saved game. CIV seems to interpret the date Turn 0 / year 4000bc as signal that the map is complete and that it is time to place the various countries settlers in its normal random fashion. This also allows for any MAP to be used in a new game.

* I failed to mention that when the date in the SVE file is at 4000bc the game starts at the selection of Difficulty Level, Level of Competition, Pick your tribe…, Your Name…, so that it is an entirely new game with the same map.

Cool, sounds like a plan. I'll definitely have a look. Thanks Dack, terraform really comes in handy...