How often do you regenerate maps?

[robbyextreme]

I used to do it constantly, until I got that perfect start with several food resources and a gold/flood plains second city. But this was counter productive anyway, CivIV is all about adapting to situations. So now I only regenerate if I start with a gold in my BFC. I remember watching someones Civ walkthrough and he said having gold in your first city is like playing a level below. Which makes perfect sense.

Anyway, you guys? I really wonder how some people can play emperor++ and deal with crappy starts.

 

[KeloGBites]

I only regen if A)There is NO food resource. B) The only resources are calendar/wine. Otherwise I deal with it. I wouldn't say Gold is a whole level below, but it is definitely..formidable. 4 grassland cows or something would be like playing a level below

 

[BibiTref]

Never. I'm so honest I consider the blue circles to be cheating. I am playing right now and learned a trick for if gold is too good for you: just build on it. Play on!

 

[Fabio GP addict]

Never. I'm so honest I consider the blue circles to be cheating. I am playing right now and learned a trick for if gold is too good for you: just build on it. Play on!

Ohh yeahh man, I am with you ! Never regenerated a map, I always try to manage with my starting position, you often find out that just behind the corner there are plenty of resources that balance the horrible start.

My last game was surrounded by the jungle , the expansion is extremely slow but if you can handle with it, you end up in a beautiful grassland empire, with farms just on food resources and still 45 in your BFC !

 

[Wacky]

Never, I find it more challenging trying to make something of it

 

[kaltorak]

I regenerate a lot. But not for getting the perfect start, but a start that will lead to more interesting games.

In my experience, each time I start with a commerce powerfull capital, my game is about teching and peace and at the end, boring. But if it has good production instead, I build faster, and have less to build, and end up warring and having a great game.

So I usually regenerate until I have good food and hills.

 

[zyphyr]

The start has to be obviously bad before I will consider it - a tiny good patch in a sea of tundra, or something else equally problematic.

 

[Scoottr]

I found myself wasting hours starting and stopping games because I was going for a good start....finally decided I would just play what I get unless it is an ice start or i am completely isolated. Usually though I end up getting some good stuff in the BFC once they get revealed. Capital sites typically have some good stuff, just can't see it.

 

[Iranon]

I hardly ever regenerate, because I can't win reliably even with starts that seemed ridiculously good. Having gold (or even multiple gems which in my opinion is better) in my BFC certainly doesn't feel like a whole level lower.

 

[nephrahim]

Like the above, I pretty much only regenerate if I land in a sea of tundra or desert without a river in sight.

If playing with Gold, or gems, or whatever is like a whole level lower... why don't you just play a level lower? The randomness of maps is what makes replaying fun, you never know what your first city will look like.

 

[sabo]

No matter how many times I regenerate I never get the "perfect" start, as long as their is some food and a resource in range, I'll go with that. Ivory, Gold, Gems, Incense, and Dye are nice ones for me.

 

[karadoc]

I always play the map I'm given. Sometimes it's a good start, sometimes not. That's just how the cookie crumbles. I try to do the best I can with what I'm given.

 

[Navarre]

Everytime I can see tundra or ice all around, which happens more often that one could think. I'm not too fond of big chunks of desert either. Ice or tundra on a side and desert on the other side is even worse and far from unheard of.

Usually, the more resources in my initial BFC, the more wary I am. Coastal starts with crabs are usually a good sign you're stucked somewhere you wouldn't go on purpose.

 

[Galadrion]

About the only time I'll regenerate is when the startup has left me stuck in the Arctic/Antarctic Circle. Trying to make a go of it with nothing but ice (land and sea) sucks...

 

[Antilogic]

I regenerate when it looks too much like my last game. I want to play something different.

 

[binhthuy71]

The answer to the question, "Win or lose, did I play the game to the best of my ability?" has kept me playing Civ since 1991. If I'm winning six out of ten games then I figure that I'm playing at the right level. If I think that I know why I lost the four then that's even better.

The things I mentioned are what makes playing Civ fun for me. If regenerating the map, or staying at a level where you win every game, or giving yourself a brace of Gunships in 1000 BC makes the game fun for you then by all means do it. Life can be enough of a struggle so why struggle with a game?

 

[BibiTref]

Also of note: when the AIs get horrible starts they play it as best they can. Who wants to admit to being worse than the AI?

 

[binhthuy71]

Also of note: when the AIs get horrible starts they play it as best they can. Who wants to admit to being worse than the AI?

Me, sometimes.

 

[Badtz Maru]

Funny, I do cheat-like things like disabling victory conditions that make it easier for the AI to beat me at my usual play style, choosing raging barbarians and building the Great Wall early knowing this, and reloading autosaves when I make bad mistakes, but I have never regenerated a map. If I have a bad start, I just play it out and hope my second city makes up for my capital.

 

[Antilogic]

Also of note: when the AIs get horrible starts they play it as best they can. Who wants to admit to being worse than the AI?

Speaking of which, my last game had a ridiculous and a terrible AI capital. One had two corn, cows, a seafood, and iron. The other had some late-game strategic resources like aluminum and oil, and a Silk.