Looking for a new map type - my 'continents' games always end the same

[Sherlock]

So I end up on a continent with three or four other Civs. I'm doing real well. Could conquer them if I wanted to but the cost isn't really worth the benefit.

Then one of the two Civ's on another continent become runaway Civ's and shoot past me. They've got almost a whole continent to themselves and lots of potential city sites.

Getting tired of this and looking for another map type to play. I'm a middling player.

Any suggestions welcome.

 

[Vargas1]

It depends what you're looking for - if you like peaceful play with room to expand, Lakes is a good map script. It can actually be fairly difficult, since the AI civs will have lots of room to expand also, and because there tend to be a lot of barbarians that don't get wiped out immediately. But you can do an entirely peaceful lakes game without ever being boxed in.

On the other end of the spectrum, I like Island Plates or Small Continents but they do often start feeling cramped (meaning you may need early war). But I like the exploration potential of finding new islands or places to build colonies.

If you want a 'race to the New World' feel, Terra can be a lot of fun. But it definitely feels cramped at first (unless you cheese it with Maori or Norway). So you will almost certainly have some early warfare, while trying to build out and get to the New World before others.

 

[Sherlock]

Tried small continents last night, lots of fun so far.

 

[Scrum Lord]

You might also like Seven Seas which as more land then the "normal" base game map types like Continents and Pangea but not as much land as Lakes or Highlands.

 

[DrCron]

The map type really varies the play style. For example, according to my experience:

- Archipelago is good if you prefer a peaceful game. Also easier since the AI can't adapt to the more naval gameplay.
- Pagaea if you prefer a faster game. Pretty good for snowballing domination if you play a CIV with a strong land UU.
- Fractal is usually easier to defend, since the AI will not know how to move an attacking army through the valleys.
- 6-armed snowflake if you want a very aggressive game with everyone fighting each other.

You can also try maps that are especially good for the civ you are playing (archipelago for Portugal, Highlands for Inca...), to make the most out of their unique abilities.

 

[frutiemax]

I'm currently making a map script if you want to experiment, PM me.

 

[Odofakyodo]

I'll throw my vote in here for Terra and add to what Vargas1 said. If you like the Continents experience in general, but want to eliminate the chance of an AI completely overrunning the other continent, I highly suggest trying the Terra map. It's like Continents, but everyone starts on the same continent. This leaves the other continents untouched by Civs without Cartography, so around the Renaissance Era there is a rush to discover and settle the New World. I find this map to be an enjoyable and unique experience because it leaves some of the exploration and expansion that is so fun about the early game for the mid-game. There's a strong incentive for you to build a navy for that mid-game push, but you can't ignore a land army because everyone is stuffed in the same continent at the start. Thus, you have to balance pushing the top and bottom of the tech tree. If you're afraid of being too cramped at the start, you can try a slightly larger map with the same number of Civs - e.g. 6 Civs on an 8-Civ map.