Hexes -> Hex-Tiled Maps

[Souron]

The idea:
Although hexes do not lend themselves to a round word, they do allow one possibility not possible with square tiles: hexagonal tiling. Much like a square map can be made to loop at both north-south and east-west, so a hex map can be made to connect opposite sides of a hexegon. This requires not only hexagonal tiles, but a hexagon shaped map. Square tiling is likened to a pseudo-torus, although unlike a torus square tiles are the same distance around at all parallels. A hex tiled map has no easy to conceive analogue. Nevertheless, I think it would be fun to play.

How it would work:
This image gives an idea of how this would work. The central 19 uniquely colored tiles represent the un-looped map. I also circled these in red. Each unique color represents a single tile on the map. The tiling causes the locations to loop, so that colors on the opposite edge of the map appear adjacent. I put in several red center dots to show how the tiling expands, but really only the adjacent tiles matter.

Notice that each tile is shifted slightly so it is not on the strict 0-60-120-180-240-300 degree lines. This is the result of the fact that the hex shaped map is made up of smaller hexes and the middle row must contain a hex directly above it, instead of being the dividing line between the two tiles. The effect gets smaller as the number of spots on the map increases.

Granted it is unlikely that civ 5 implements this behavior out of the box, but it is possible that this would not be a hard mod to make.

Here's an image for a larger map:

Features and benefits:
The map would be such that no square could be called the center, except under the hood. The perspective from every tile is identical. And there are no edges.

Unlike square tiling, however, the world from the perspective of any tile is approximately round (really hexagonal).

This has the game-play advantage that no civilization would have a safe front. Every direction can be a point of attack, unless blocked by terrain.

What do you guys think?

 

[Earthling]

First took a while to see what you were getting at - especially given some other rather good, recent posts, on how hex tiles could still make near-spherical maps. Better realism/actual world than in Civ4 actually.

But no, definitely not on this idea. I already loathe the "toroidal" map and would not play the equivalent in hex tiles.

 

[Double A]

I'm sorry, what?

 

[Souron]

I'm suggesting looping opposite sides of a hexagon shaped map.

 

[weekend_warrior]

My God man, what the hell are you talking about??

 

[squadbroken]

The red square represents the monument to Nyarlathotep

 

[Souron]

I added paragraph headers and changed the image slightly, so hopefully that helps.

 

[azzaman333]

While I hate torodial maps in Civ4, your suggestion would definitely would have use

 

[PPQ_Purple]

I personally newer saw any point to cylindrical/toroidal maps in civ.
I prefer things flat.

 

[~Homer~likeVF19]

This has the game-play advantage that no civilization would have a safe front. Every direction can be a point of attack, unless blocked by terrain.

I am disagree with this point. As Civ series movement in square tiled is not four directions, but eight directions. That means if you want to surround a city/unit, you need eight units to did it, and hexes only need six of them.
If you are telling safe front means north and south polar help you block your back, it seem not totally correct, cause these polar area are poor terrain is not a good place to build a city, also it nearly useless for military value.
Although now you can pass through the polar(probably you need some techs and only some units to pass through like civ 4 only sub can pass through ice) to another side but if using hex-tiled and place like this to round them, it cannot help you to save the distance between two tiled, because when you exploring the map, you already found the shortest route between two tiled, unless the number of tiled on two polar is shrink it. But from other posts, it seem there have a lot of problem that difficult to solve.
For my bad guessing if using hex-tiled, there probably a roll map, not a ball map

 

[Anders JJ]

This is great, I proposed this back in 2002, and I never understood why it didn't catch on.

 

[grant2004]

Still a bit confusing, but I belive I understand the OP. You want each of the six sides of a hexagonaly shaped map to wrap, as if toroidal wasn't confusing enough. This would be very very wierd, and I can't imagine a reason why a modder would selct this style for a map of anything. However It's so unique and unusual I'd try it at least once for a random game, who knows it might be fun.

 

[Drago Askani]

I am disagree with this point. As Civ series movement in square tiled is not four directions, but eight directions. That means if you want to surround a city/unit, you need eight units to did it, and hexes only need six of them.

Not very bright are you?

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[Tholish]

Yeah, that would be cool. Essentially the same effect as a spherical map. To demonstrate it you could sketch earth continent outlines on a hexagon.

 

[Souron]

I am disagree with this point. As Civ series movement in square tiled is not four directions, but eight directions. That means if you want to surround a city/unit, you need eight units to did it, and hexes only need six of them.
If you are telling safe front means north and south polar help you block your back, it seem not totally correct, cause these polar area are poor terrain is not a good place to build a city, also it nearly useless for military value.
Although now you can pass through the polar(probably you need some techs and only some units to pass through like civ 4 only sub can pass through ice) to another side but if using hex-tiled and place like this to round them, it cannot help you to save the distance between two tiled, because when you exploring the map, you already found the shortest route between two tiled, unless the number of tiled on two polar is shrink it. But from other posts, it seem there have a lot of problem that difficult to solve.
For my bad guessing if using hex-tiled, there probably a roll map, not a ball map

I'm talking about fronts, not the ability to encircle an individual unit. Previously, a civ that starts on or near a polar region would not have to worry about anyone attacking it from the direction of the pole. With this polar terrain, like desert terrain would now have something on the other side of it.

It is true that mountains and glaciers in the terrain can still effectively block off a front.

You're not correct that the route across polar terrain is necessarily the longest. A civ that starts at the for south of a given center may well find if faster to cross tundra or go around glaciers, rather than going though that center to reach a civ far north. It would be traveling a short distance south-east or south-west instead of a long distance north. In this the tiling is similar to a pseudo-toroid map, except the direction to travel.

Note though that this hex tiling does not model a sphere. With this kind of map it would make sense to have clumps of similar terrain, rather than east-west stripes.

 

[Osymandias]

[...]
What do you guys think?

Looks exactly like the maps in The Settlers I from 1994(?). It would be definitely chalenging to play on this configuration.

 

[~Homer~likeVF19]

Hmm... it seem my wording cannot clear what I wants to say. Try saying in other point of view. For this hex-tiled to place like you said, it is just a flat map looping, it cannot show a ball shape feature, that make there have no shortcut advantage to pass through polar.

 

[Souron]

It's not like a sphere.

It's analogous to pseudo-toroid maps, except that it loops in three directions instead of 2. And except that it has to be a regular hexagon shape, where as a pseudo-toroid map can be rectangular (and has to be to resemble a torus). On such a map, an attack can come from any side.

Besides, there would not be a pole unless you made the entire top and bottom sixths, together one third of the map, into a large polar region.

 

[Abaddon]

I have absolutely no idea what im looking at here...you lose me at the first sentance.. hexs can make a round world.. very nicely..

 

[Souron]

See one of the two sphere-earth threads for why they can't.

It's the second sentence that's most important, not the first.