Caias Jupiter,
why don't you go to future map suggestions thread on the GOTM forum:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=41892
and explain why the map is interesting.
Ok.
Also, if you are so interested why don't you join the ongoing games?
I'm one of those people for whom civing can be a complete time suck (like Ian Banks, apparently
). So I've tried to create a scenario that is over in 2 or 3 hours but still provides some key elements of the civing experience (using the talented works of the many unit artists out there, and through reading various threads).
To do this I focused primarily on tactics and trade-offs. Rather than the usual exploration and strategical civilization development theme, Ape Island is meant to give each player (speaking for the sudden death game here) the same start and provide one central objective: move your headquarters to Ape Island and you win.
The trade-offs are much the same as in a regular game of civ, only concentrated. This is done by boosting the rewards for certain discoveries, primarily cash, but also some units. In addition, each civ gets a leader who can perform a one time bribe on the key objective (to win the game) but, if killed, loses you the game. So the trade-off is to keep him or disband him.
So you can win by getting enough cash, and you can earn cash by taking your opponents cities, by killing barb boats and by researching the right techs (and micromanagement), or you can win by military tactics.
I have been promoting the scenario a bit on here "if you are so interested" because I am looking for feedback on how well I achieved the objective, and potential improvements. For example, I could get the even start, in terms of total trade, total production and total potential production or trade because I ran into a key civ problem. Sir Sushi requires less beakers than anyone else. I couldn't shake this, so ended up reducing the populations of his cities slightly, but it doesn't make much difference.
Of course, in sudden death play (4 human players), who play more than one game, the strategies that will arise to win the game could address Sir Sushi's advantage. In fact, the subsequent 4-player game sequence promises to be interesting (consider a game with the same 4 players each having played 4 times).
In any case, as far as scenario's go, it's nothing like John Ellis's "Colonization" or some of the other scenarios out there, but from a game mechanics perspective, with some improvements it could be interesting some civers.
