Map needs playtesting!

[Beamup]

Here are two versions of a map I've created. One is for 8 civs, one for 16. I need playtesters, so I thought I'd upload it here and let people at it before I inflict it upon the world. Here's part of the readme telling what's up:

This map is basically a Huge Continents map (Raging barbarians, 80% land, temperate/normal/4 byo) with a special caldera region very rich in resources and very difficult to invade. There are two civ starting locations in that caldera, which leads to different starting positions playing very differently:
Player starts alone in the caldera: Kind of boring. You'll just be many times more powerful than the competition. Almost qualifies as cheating, but it could be what you're looking for if you want to try and get all the wonders and/or play a totally peaceful game on Deity.
Player starts with an AI civ in the caldera: Potentially interesting, particularly if you choose not to attack the other superpower. Creates a bipolar power structure that would be more interesting in the real world than in Civ.
One AI starts in the caldera: This is for those of you who want a major challenge. You'll be up against an ultrapowerful AI and at a major disadvantage. If you can win this at Deity, my hat is off to you.
Two AIs start in the caldera: Very interesting. There will be two superpowers, and you can try to play them off one another to give yourself a chance to compete. Lots of interesting diplomatic maneuvering possible here.
Nobody starts in the caldera: This leads to a race-to-the-center type game where it depends on who siezes the caldera first.

I'm mainly interested in playtesting of these various possibilities to see if that's how they really play out. I'd say more, but at the moment I'm a bit tight on time. Have at it, and please post your comments in this thread.

Each file has been renamed .zip so the file server will take them. Just rename them .bic and it should work.

http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads3/Beamup8.zip
http://www.civfanatics.net/uploads3/Beamup16.zip

 

[dojoboy]

Okay, but I'll have time-issues w/ the huge map. Question: I had problems saving a map. What is the secret, if any?

 

[Sid]

I'd do it, but I don't use Huge maps.

 

[DiamondzAndGunz]

I'll test it as soon as I have some spare time.

 

[DiamondzAndGunz]

First impressions: Crashed the game when I tried to load the 16 civ one. Then, I tried loading the 8, and as soon as I double clicked it, it crashed the game, and sort of "restarted" my computer, only not. All my apps quit, including the Finder, and then reloaded as if right after starting up.

Odd. Could this be a problem caused by the editor?

EDIT: Tried it a third time, and it worked.

 

[dojoboy]

I loaded and played Beamup8.bic for 40 turns or so, then saved for later. It performed fine.

 

[Beamup]

DnG - absolutely no clue what could cause that. I redownloaded the files and checked, they worked fine here. May be some transient thing, I guess.

Dojoboy - are you in the caldera area or outside? (It's pretty bloody obvious if you are, so if you haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary you aren't.) I'm trying to test different ones of the possibilities I listed above, so I'll try to do something different in my own testing.

 

[dojoboy]

I must be outside the caldera, because it appears normal. You've got me curious now.

 

[DiamondzAndGunz]

I seem to be outside of the caldera as well. So far, seems like a normal map.

 

[asabahi]

I, as Egypt, and Persia are on the caldra. I think you have the two files mixed up. I downloaded the 8 civ one and it is actually the 16 civ one. If you are outside the caldra it is going be tough to win but by domination.

 

[Beamup]

No, they're not mixed up. Either one could be played with 16 civs. However, the amounts of resources outside the caldera are different for each. In each case many people will have to go begging to the owners of the caldera before they can get resources. Other than that, they are identical.

 

[dojoboy]

Is there a negative to the caldera? Perhaps, little water and limited grasslands for population growth.

 

[Beamup]

Nope. The whole idea is to make the civs holding the caldera superpowers. If they turn out to be too powerful I may scale things back a bit, but we'll see.

 

[elpadrino87]

I've just downloaded them, although I kinda wish that the editor came out a little earlier; i had a week's vacation b/c of presidents day. Quick question though for anyone who knows or has an idea: you know how there can be two terrain tiles diagonally adjacent to each other, but still allow ships to pass between them, how do you do that in the editor?

 

[dojoboy]

Originally posted by elpadrino87
you know how there can be two terrain tiles diagonally adjacent to each other, but still allow ships to pass between them, how do you do that in the editor?

If there is any land stretching between the two land tiles, a ship cannot pass through. Its not like terrain/sea tiles in SMAC/X.

 

[elpadrino87]

I know that ships can't cross through a land strip, but I'm pretty sure that I've seen two land tiles that are diagonally adjacent, but still have a strip of water separating them like this:

x=land
0=water

x0
0x

and a ship could pass from the bottom 0 to the top 0. I just want to make sure that people understand(not that you wouldn't, Dojoboy :worshp:

 

[Beamup]

Every time I've seen a formation like that, ships could not pass. I certainly don't know of any way to let them pass in the editor.

 

[DiamondzAndGunz]

Yeesh. I've just discovered the civs that are in the caldera; the Aztecs and Japanese. Damnit, why didn't I end up there... . Ahh well. They have twice as many cities as I do already, which is pretty scary.

 

[Beamup]

Originally posted by DiamondzAndGunz
Yeesh. I've just discovered the civs that are in the caldera; the Aztecs and Japanese. Damnit, why didn't I end up there... . Ahh well. They have twice as many cities as I do already, which is pretty scary.

Just wait till you get a good look at their territory and compare one of their cities to one of yours!

*Maniacal laughter*

In all seriousness, be ready for a VERY uphill battle. It would probably help to arrange for the Aztecs and Japanese to be at each others' throats.

 

[DiamondzAndGunz]

Originally posted by Beamup
Just wait till you get a good look at their territory and compare one of their cities to one of yours!

Yes, I already have... that's how i discovered they each have twice as much cities/territory as I do, and I had to pay a big bucks for all those techs they have. I'm already sucking up to them, in hopes that I can get a cheap MPP later and trigger a series of wars that will force them against each other. Yech, too much planning. Anyway, I'm hoping for Diplo or Space Race.