Interesting map settings

[[NWO]_Valis]

Ok, what are your interesting map settings?

I mean, what settings are worth to try out if you are looking for a nice game. It can be any game but please write a comment to it. Is it tought, interesting[what is interesting], a rushers nightmare or the contrary? Is it a nation specific, leader specific, interesting when against X,Y opponent, etc.

Lets start with me.

A nice builder-late game conqueror:
- Custom continents
- One continent per team
- map size - huge or large
Additional rules: - raging barbs; - no tech traiding; - time and altar victory turned off; - aggresive AI; - always war [optional]
The rest is up to you.

Group each player in teams of 2.[I usually add few more players than it is recomended by the game] You with a AI as you were playing in a pernament alliance. Remember that you can order the AI to reserch anything you want via the diplo menu.

This gives you a nice starting struggle against the barbs [you usually have to defend the AI from them to not lose your ally], then a little time off to build in peace and quiet. If the enemy teams find you, then war or no war you are pretty safe on your big island. Reaching T3/4 you start cleansing the continents one by one. Excellent for a Kuriotaes or Calabim. Good for starters to test a civilisation. Not for rushers of course.

Note: If you do not bind your self with the AI then usually even if 'one continent per team' is on you get an AI on your continent [probably cause I add additional players and it has to fit them somewhere] and you get a T1/2 war for that continent, so it can be interesting too.


And do YOU have a good recipe for an interesting/challanging/rewarding game?

 

[OctopusOverload]

Long-game on next-gen map featuring epic battles and unpredecented gameplay!

Allright, I'll cut down on the hype . Using these settings I ran a game lasting two weeks (What can I say, I'm a turtler!) as Varn Gosam, eventually winning a Tower of Mastery victory.

Landmasses (Custom mapscript: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=213375)
Huge
Temperate
Low Sea Level
Ancient starting age
Normal speed (I recommend Epic)

Additional rules: No barbs (I blame the wolves, this is usually off), Time & Altar victory turned off, agressive AI, random personalities (makes the game more random and fun!)

Use 14 opponents, and dont neglect your navies! Using the custom mapscript options I got 5 continents of different shapes and sizes with 4-5 tiles of ocean in between. If you start out on a smaller continent, you can start up coastal colonies on neighbouring continents. City states is essential in the early and middle part of the game considering the distance to capital modifiers.

 

[vorshlumpf]

For me, always turned on:
Aggressive AI
Raging Barbs
No tech trading
All victories
Huge map size
Marathon speed
16 civs in total (leaving space for Hyborem/Basium)

I used to be hooked on Fantasy Realm maps (usually with high sea level). Everyone can attack everyone. I love terraforming and this map just gives the "post-Age of Ice" feel. There is also no hiding from the barbarians (and, since the size is huge with no oceans, there is a lot of empty space for barb spawning and barb cities).

Now I'm hooked on fractal maps (low sea level), though I'm not as attached to them as I used to be with Fantasy Realm.

 

[attackdrone]

My personal favorite map to play when I'm going Elohim/Order.

Size: Huge
Speed: Epic
Type: Pangaea
Water: Low
Climate: Arid
Shoreline: Natural
Barbarians: Raging
Civilizations: 16
Tech Trading: Off
All Victories except Altar and Time.

 

[kenken244]

i hate fantasy realm because i have to constantly go through and remove hte hell recources that pop up where they arent supposted to as soon as i start the game

 

[Dark Russell]

I have altered the xml files to give me the best map for me:

Civ: Any
Size: Huge (altered to 36x24)
Speed: Epic (GP and build times slightly altered)
Type: Fractal
Water: Low (xml altered to -25 tiles almost ensures interesting pangaea)
Climate: Normal
Barbarians: Raging
Civilizations: 16
Difficulty: Monarch (animals every 10 tiles, barbs every 15, barb cities every 25, altered a few other settings)
Require Complete Kills: On
All Victories: On

 

[Bringa]

Russell, care to post those xmls? I get the best feeling for a map setting by playing it myself.

 

[Dark Russell]

I'll try to remember when I get home tonight. I'll have to alter the difficulties one as I have altered goodie hut results that require...ah hell, I'll just bundle the whole thing and post it. I was planning on releasing the "altered goodie hut results mod" that I have integrated into my "Breath of Pestilence mod" soon anyways.

Edit: Got home too late. It will have to be tomorrow, sorry.

 

[Sarisin]

For me, always turned on:
Aggressive AI
Raging Barbs
No tech trading
All victories
Huge map size
Marathon speed
16 civs in total (leaving space for Hyborem/Basium)

I used to be hooked on Fantasy Realm maps (usually with high sea level). Everyone can attack everyone. I love terraforming and this map just gives the "post-Age of Ice" feel. There is also no hiding from the barbarians (and, since the size is huge with no oceans, there is a lot of empty space for barb spawning and barb cities).

Now I'm hooked on fractal maps (low sea level), though I'm not as attached to them as I used to be with Fantasy Realm.

Your specs are almost identical to mine, except I allow tech trading and go with the default on civs - I think that means only 10 in total. I think that is more of a challenge with the raging barb option as the map doesn't fill up as fast. Of course, it may be less of a challenge with the AggAI option selected.

I'm also still not sold on Marathon speed and play most of the games at Epic. I just feel the counter moves too fast in Marathon games as mentioned in another thread.

I love the Fantasy Realm map, but I wish just once I could find Gems NOT on a jungle tile.

 

[Dark Russell]

Ok, this is for Bringa. Here is the Breath of Pestilence goodie mod (for lack of a better name) with the altered xml files for my current map settings.

Let me know what you think and if it is enough (unlikely) to post in the main forum.

Cheers!

 

[Bringa]

I'm not quite clear on what I have to do, even after reading your readme. Do I have to overwrite the 022h xmls with the xmls you provide?

 

[Dark Russell]

After reading the readme file I wrote, I can understand why your confused. I was really tired when I put that .zip together and I hastily wrote that readme. The answer in clear and simple terms is yes, you do have to overwrite the current files in the FfH 0.22d (you can try 0.22h) to get the settings to work (remembering that huge map, fractal, monarch are the settings that are changed). Please back up your current xml files in case you need or want to go back to them.

Cheers.

 

[Grey Fox]

For me its usually these settings;

Size: Small/Standard/Large - depending on what kind of game I want
Speed: Quick or Epic these days, depending on how much I want to dedicate myself to this game. Quick is nice, cause a Small map with Quick speed can be played in one evening.
Type: Pangaea
Water: usually high, I like it when there isn't room for many cities
Climate: Random, or Rocky, sometimes Arid for those nice floodplains
Shoreline: Usually Random
Raging Barbarians and Aggressive AI
Civilizations: standard, +a few, or 16. All AI's on random.

Tech Trading: On - I haven't played much with this off, since I think that disables the AI more then it disables me. On the other hand, tech trading is a big reason I can keep up to date on Immortal which I've recently moved up to.

All victories On. I haven't really thought about it, but I usually quit a game when either me or the AI wins. Or when it gets boring. AI has never won with Altar yet, but I think one of the AI might in my current Immortal game, although I haven't gotten far yet for a warning, and neither have the AI.

And yea, I usually leave put on Permanent Alliances in case there is a chance for one.

I think I'd play fractal if it allowed me to specify it as pangaea every time.

 

[Caradoc]

By 'fantasy' map do you mean that 'fantasy_realm' setting that randomizes the terrains, or is there something else? I've been using 'smartmap_ffh' with good results.

size: 64x64
sea: low
18 isles
65% ocean
somewhat round, some fragments
med-rare coast crossings

The result of lowering the sea level and adding fragments is to connect the isles so that you get something like a snaky pangaea but with good sized starting areas that are connected by narrow strips. This gives you a chance to develop some before confronting your neighbors and gives you the option of putting cities at the choke points to repel invaders.

 

[Omega Red]

Personally I use this script...

http://forums.civfanatics.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=3943

I then play a lakes map with about 40% water, large lakes, and extra grasslands. Makes a map that is heavily divided by lakes and can make for interesting canal cities that link the lakes together. Also, the lakes work as barriers that you can expand within to limit barbarians. Finally, the lakes make really interesting choke points for some really fun strategy.

I like this map style because it reminds me of my home in northern Ontario. The land there is also divided by lakes of various shapes and sizes.

 

[Micky Onimusha]

Has anyone messed about with "Hub" maps? I actually gave one a try and quite liked it. Each civ has their own little area and they're all connected in the centre, but it's also possible (and viable) to make sea invasions as well. I quite like the concept, allows an early builder set-up and in the future opens up sea and land invasions.

 

[Loderunner]

I just started playing this mod, so I'm still getting a feel for it. Right now I'm just keeping things simple by usually playing Charadon. I've been having some fun with:

Map Type: Highlands
Size: Small
Number of Civs: 5
Ridgelines, Thin peaks, Seas
Speed: Epic

The thin peaks allows for decent grassland cities that you can turn into commerce centers and hilly production specialized cities. The seas create interesting choke points and the possibility of navel engagements (not on all maps). On some of these settings, I've seen a nearly complete separation of civs by a large sea.

Also, I've attempted to play a no settler game house rule option, where I can only expand by conquering barb or rival cities. It typically doesn't quite turn out right, but on some maps it may be viable.

 

[Pandemonis]

I posted that elsewhere, but reposting here 'cause it's mroe appropriate. Thats the game Im thinking to start this week-end:

Leader: Einion Logos of the Elohim,
Other Civ: Sheiam, Calabim, Doviello, Balseraph, Svartlafar, Clan

Map Type: Large, Shuffle.
Victories: Conquest, Mastery.
Special Rules: Raging Barbarians, Permanent Alliances, No Tech Trading,
Speed: Epic.

The idea is to have more space to widen your civilization, mroe barbs in the beginnign and animals staying longer. Then trying to build up as quickly as possible before all Evilness turns against me. Try to stop Apocalypse. Eventually, probably mourn the goodies.

Any suggestions on Map Scripts to use ? Also, I just thought, with only me as a Good civ, isn't it actually going to slow down the AC, since the AI will be less likely to declare war against each other ?