Lord Apolon
Warlord
- Joined
- Apr 28, 2002
- Messages
- 131
I haven't seen either of these issues addressed, so perhaps we can do something about them (assuming they aren't intentional). First, Greenland in the current map is a worthless wasteland. Iceland is better, but still hardly worth settling. However, now that the Vikings are a civilization, this becomes something of a problem.
Iceland was an extremely important location in Norse history. Much surviving Norse literature comes from Iceland, including the famous sagas. Their governmental system, the Althing, was nearly unique in its time. The island has been continuously inhabited since around 874. Currently, according to Wikipedia, the island has the world's fifth most productive economy per capita.
But on this map, Iceland can never be very productive. Considering its importance, I would like to suggest that the island's geography be improved. I am no map-maker, so someone with an eye for balance will probably make better suggestions, but these are the specific changes that I have tried in the WB with good results (in order of decreasing significance)
1. Add at least one fish resource right around the island, maybe two. The fishing industry accounts for 40% of the island's export earnings in the modern day.
2. Change one or both of the mountains to hills, preferably grassland (Iceland is considered a temperate climate, believe it or not)
3. Add aluminum to.. somewhere. Aluminum is another important export for Iceland.
4. Sheep (may be overkill on the food resources. Balance department?).
5. Whales.
Also, because the island was settled so early, I feel that the ocean barrier between Iceland and England should be changed to coast. To prevent early American colonization, the strait between Greenland and Baffin island should probably be changed to ocean. I have tested these changes in the WB and the result has been that the island is eventually settled and becomes.. not great, but decent. However, those settlers are invariably the English (upsetting their other colonisation efforts as well). Thus, it would work better if the Vikings could make Iceland a priority area.. I don't know how that works in terms of the code, but it works for Spain and France, so if it could be done for the Vikings too, it would ensure that they get the island that has been a crown jewel for so long.
Onto the second, related topic: Greenland
Greenland was settled by the Norse in 985. This island, in the mod, is completely worthless. Instead, it should only be mostly worthless. The island at one time supported a Norse colony of about 6000, spread across two cities, one in the south and one on the west coast. (
The settlements collapsed around 1400.
Unlike the Iceland colony, the Greenland settlements had comparatively small significance, but nevertheless they are well-known, and had more resources than the current map gives them. Likewise, they were an important stepping-stone to the even more shortlived Viking settlement of Vinland (Newfoundland) in the New World.
Hence I make the following geographic suggestions. Balance concerns are welcome.
Cut out the southern ice so boats can reach the western and more habitable coast. As mentioned above, the Baffin strait should be made ocean to prevent early discovery of America.
The geographic details are harder, especially since the island is much less habitable now than 1000 years ago. In general I would suggest that the western coast should be made grassland and the southern interior be made tundra/tundra hills. The northern part, and the eastern coast, should remain glacier.
Possible resource choices:
1) Fish (definitely) or crabs (shrimp are the majority of the modern export economy)
2) Sheep or cows (the Vikings brought them over. Granted, they destroyed the ecology, according to Jared Diamond's Collapse. Nevertheless they did bring them)
3. This one sounds weird, but ivory, in the ice a few tiles north of the highest grassland. Walrus Ivory became Greenland's major export (according to Collapse) because it was available nowhere else in the West once the Crusades began and trade to the East became.. dangerous. Norse traders took great risks to get Greenland ivory from the walrus homelands north of West Settlement. But then again the Vikings could get war elephants.. so take that into consideration.
4. Maybe some rivers, to represent the fjords? Probably not as it would allow immigration.
Again, make it a colonize area for Scandinavia so England doesn't snag it all the time.
Of these two changes, the more important and beneficial would be the Iceland change, which was a major settlement and nowadays is an economic powerhouse. It would also improve the Vikings, who at least in my games have had a slow start. Plus it would be more historically accurate.
Thoughts?
Iceland was an extremely important location in Norse history. Much surviving Norse literature comes from Iceland, including the famous sagas. Their governmental system, the Althing, was nearly unique in its time. The island has been continuously inhabited since around 874. Currently, according to Wikipedia, the island has the world's fifth most productive economy per capita.
But on this map, Iceland can never be very productive. Considering its importance, I would like to suggest that the island's geography be improved. I am no map-maker, so someone with an eye for balance will probably make better suggestions, but these are the specific changes that I have tried in the WB with good results (in order of decreasing significance)
1. Add at least one fish resource right around the island, maybe two. The fishing industry accounts for 40% of the island's export earnings in the modern day.
2. Change one or both of the mountains to hills, preferably grassland (Iceland is considered a temperate climate, believe it or not)
3. Add aluminum to.. somewhere. Aluminum is another important export for Iceland.
4. Sheep (may be overkill on the food resources. Balance department?).
5. Whales.
Also, because the island was settled so early, I feel that the ocean barrier between Iceland and England should be changed to coast. To prevent early American colonization, the strait between Greenland and Baffin island should probably be changed to ocean. I have tested these changes in the WB and the result has been that the island is eventually settled and becomes.. not great, but decent. However, those settlers are invariably the English (upsetting their other colonisation efforts as well). Thus, it would work better if the Vikings could make Iceland a priority area.. I don't know how that works in terms of the code, but it works for Spain and France, so if it could be done for the Vikings too, it would ensure that they get the island that has been a crown jewel for so long.
Onto the second, related topic: Greenland
Greenland was settled by the Norse in 985. This island, in the mod, is completely worthless. Instead, it should only be mostly worthless. The island at one time supported a Norse colony of about 6000, spread across two cities, one in the south and one on the west coast. (
The settlements collapsed around 1400.
Unlike the Iceland colony, the Greenland settlements had comparatively small significance, but nevertheless they are well-known, and had more resources than the current map gives them. Likewise, they were an important stepping-stone to the even more shortlived Viking settlement of Vinland (Newfoundland) in the New World.
Hence I make the following geographic suggestions. Balance concerns are welcome.
Cut out the southern ice so boats can reach the western and more habitable coast. As mentioned above, the Baffin strait should be made ocean to prevent early discovery of America.
The geographic details are harder, especially since the island is much less habitable now than 1000 years ago. In general I would suggest that the western coast should be made grassland and the southern interior be made tundra/tundra hills. The northern part, and the eastern coast, should remain glacier.
Possible resource choices:
1) Fish (definitely) or crabs (shrimp are the majority of the modern export economy)
2) Sheep or cows (the Vikings brought them over. Granted, they destroyed the ecology, according to Jared Diamond's Collapse. Nevertheless they did bring them)
3. This one sounds weird, but ivory, in the ice a few tiles north of the highest grassland. Walrus Ivory became Greenland's major export (according to Collapse) because it was available nowhere else in the West once the Crusades began and trade to the East became.. dangerous. Norse traders took great risks to get Greenland ivory from the walrus homelands north of West Settlement. But then again the Vikings could get war elephants.. so take that into consideration.
4. Maybe some rivers, to represent the fjords? Probably not as it would allow immigration.
Again, make it a colonize area for Scandinavia so England doesn't snag it all the time.
Of these two changes, the more important and beneficial would be the Iceland change, which was a major settlement and nowadays is an economic powerhouse. It would also improve the Vikings, who at least in my games have had a slow start. Plus it would be more historically accurate.
Thoughts?
