Apep's FfH Maps

[Apepis]

Download Broken Lands map:
Broken Lands
Download Frozen Sea 2 maps pack:
Frozen Sea

I got some time lately and made three maps, which follow the same theme: lands trapped in partly frozen oceans. Usually, center of the map is the hottest place in the world ("center" is marked by the presence of Acheron the Red Dragon, and - khem - it does not nessesrily lie right in the middle). Borders are cold. What lies between is best siuted for colonization, as it's mostly a nice, temperate area. I tried to make climate and landshape look realistic (at least belivable) so chains of high mountains tend to trap hot, wet air on one of their sides, causing heavy rains. Those areas are good for vegetation (sometimes too good, if there's a jungle). Rivers are plentifull, but in some areas lakes are more common.

I tried to balance all my maps, so every civ starts in a place, where it can grow safely. It's impossible to make various, realistic and perfectly balanced map, but I made my best.

Depending on map, resources can be spread across the land, or concentrated in few areas. Usually, it'a mix: basic resources (mainly health) are quite common, while luxurious ones are harder to get, but easier to monopolize (as they are close to each other).

All maps were tested with Fall from heaven 0.32 with and without Fall further. In both cases they worked fine.

First map is called "Frozen Sea". It's Standard size, flat, with 10 civs:

- Amurites

- Malakim

- Kuriotates

- Elohim

- Calabim

- Sheaim

- Svartalfar

- Ljosalfar

- Khazad

- Doviello

Options:

Raging Barbs, New Random Seed on Reload, wildlands

Religious and Altar Victory are disabled.

"Frozen Sea" comes in two variations. One you could call "earth-style" map with all civs starting on one continent, with a smaller, uninhabited continent and some islands to provide middle-game exploration and colonization (if you don't colonize it soon, it's possible that Hyborem will spawn right there). Early game is quite crowded and wars break out relatively quickly.

The second variation of "Frozen Sea" is single-continent map (pangaea style), with some islands. Settings are the same, and - actually - many areas of the world look similar. Starting positions of players are different, though. Civs have more space, and before conflict escalates, can grow significantly (this also means that conflicts end sooner, as it's easier to point out the favorites). You are free to choose, which version to play.

===

Second map is called "Broken Lands". It's an archipelago map, with hot islands in the center, and cold ones on the borders. It's Huge, Flat, with 14 civs:

- Amurites

- Luchuirp

- Malakim

- Kuriotates

- Elohim

- Calabim

- Sheaim

- Svartalfar

- Ljosalfar

- Lanun

- Khazad

- Sidar

- Grigori

- Balseraphs

 

[Broken Hawk]

Cool. Thanks for the time and effort you put into them.

 

[JDexter]

Screenshots would be nice...

 

[Demus]

Screenshots would be nice...

found at the download link .

look like nice maps. i'm gonna try them out, even though water maps usually aren't my favourites

 

[Fenham Dave]

Hey Apepis

I tried the frozen sea Pangaea map and loved it. I played the Khazad and had a laugh as the only non Fellowship civ. Still thats pangaea for you.

Anyway as I said I loved it, my only complaint would be that the map was a little copper, iron and mithril heavy. I didnt have to go to war for any of them, they were already being mined by the time I discovered the appropriate techs.

First rate map though, keep up the good work, I'm off to try the broken lands map.

 

[Apepis]

my only complaint would be that the map was a little copper, iron and mithril heavy. I didnt have to go to war for any of them, they were already being mined by the time I discovered the appropriate techs.

Well, Khazad have to have some advantage, eh? But that's true, on both Frozen Seas resources are plentifull. It was intended so, but if it's too easy - tell me.

BTW, more maps coming soon

 

[MondSemmel]

I've played your maps a few times (Frozen Sea with more land as Sheaim and as Ljosalfar; Broken Lands as Calabim). One thing I noticed was that the Svartalfar and the Khazad did rather poorly due to their starting locations on Frozen Sea - basically, northwest of the Svartalfar/north of the Khazad is a jungle containing Barbatos (so expanding there is rather no-no) which cuts the Khazad off. In addition, to the northeast of the Svartalfar are the Ljosalfar who not only have amazing territory (which makes them insane on this map - too many forests probably) but also have the Creative trait - as a result, the Khazad and the Svartalfar are basically boxed.
The Ljosalfar start so close to Yggdrassil that settling one's capital there is basically a turn 3-4 win , but that's probably mainly a player issue. Actually, if I hadn't done that, it's possible that the Svartalfar would have settled there instead...

I don't know whether this is intentional, but the starting settlers didn't have the starting settler promotion (+2 movement, +3 vision).

I liked Frozen Sea so far, but I'm not sure how balanced the map is. Sheaim, for example, have a 100% plains start with relatively few ressources while the Kuriotates can claim tons of ressources with their super cities in the grassland inland area.
Broken Lands suffered from AI stupidity, as expected - the AI does rather poorly in situations where it's landlocked with a single other civ on a small continent - or like in my situation on a continent with two other civs (Calabim, Malakim, Khazad) - the Khazad built 0 cities and the Malakim two while I settled 4 on the best land area and went to another island, too. All islands with two civs on them had them warring without a single civ dieing.

I hope the criticism is somewhat useful - otherwise I really enjoyed the maps, especially because they were small enough to be playable yet big enough for lots of civs (actually I think 1-2 civs less would make the remaining civs stronger due to more room to expand). Thanks a lot!

EDIT: And yes, there were two many metals - as far as I know, they are supposed to be strategic ressources, so limiting the amount of metals can make the game more interesting due to having to fight for them etc.

 

[Apepis]

MondSemmel - your criticism definitely is usefull. Thx.

To the northeast of the Svartalfar are the Ljosalfar who not only have amazing territory (which makes them insane on this map - too many forests probably)

True - a balance issue. On the other hand, Svartalfar sometimes kick the Ljosalfar off the Yggdrasil and get the advantage overthe forested lands.

I don't know whether this is intentional, but the starting settlers didn't have the starting settler promotion (+2 movement, +3 vision).

Intentional.

I liked Frozen Sea so far, but I'm not sure how balanced the map is.

Try also the version with more water. Starting locations of most civs were changed, and that makes abig difference.

Broken Lands suffered from AI stupidity, as expected - the AI does rather poorly in situations where it's landlocked with a single other civ on a small continent

Ehm, yes, you are right. AI is doing poorly on that map, which - of course - lowers it's payability. I can't do much with that, except complete redesign ofthe map itself. It's not going to happen, but, well, you still can try a higher difficulty level.

Anyways, I'm waiting on your opinions

 

[arkham4269]

...but where do these go? Download them all into Publicmaps?

 

[MondSemmel]

...but where do these go? Download them all into Publicmaps?

You just put them in your Civ4\BTS\Publicmaps\ folder and then load them as (custom) scenarios (custom if you want to change game options etc., which I always suggest).
Apparently, though, you cannot put the maps in subordners in Publicmaps, so you can't make a Publicmaps\FFH Maps\ folder because you won't be able to load them via (custom) scenarios anymore. There might be a way around this, but I'm not aware of any. Right now, simply put the maps directly into \Publicmaps\.

 

[frenzyslave]

...but where do these go? Download them all into Publicmaps?

Make a PublicMaps (note spelling) folder in your Fall from Heaven 2032 and/or Fall Further 041 main folder (i.e. Beyond the Sword/mods/Fall from Heaven 2032). Then stick the downloaded maps there.

The difference here is that when you play ffh (and/or FF if its in PublicMaps there too), you can play the map - but not when you are playing another mod or pure bts. Saves crashes (resource doesnt exist etc blab).