Map scripts and spawn locations

[Starwars]

How do people feel about this? I know they did revamp this somewhere along the line but if you ask me, I think there are still a *lot* of my games where I feel like it's pretty dang cramped. And then you'll have another game where there is like noone around at all. I mean, some randomization is fine but I would love it if all this seemed a bit more balanced.
Especially with the loyalty system in place, if you play on higher difficulties (where the AI gets multiple settlers) you can run out of room superfast.

How do you guys like the way this all works currently?

 

[pokiehl]

I love Civ 6, but the map generation is sorely lacking. Your points are valid - spawn locations + distance are not consistent, and that bug from a few patches ago where people started on top of each other and in snow was really inexcusable.

On top of that, we have fewer map scripts than in Civ 5 (how is there still no Terra map?), and the landmasses that, say, Continents, generates, are uninteresting and unattractive blobs. I never use the vanilla scripts because they're just not good IMO. I only play with YNAMP's Terra, or PerfectWorld6, or Detailed Worlds.

Ed Beach has made a few comments about changes to the map scripting - windier rivers, making mountain ranges align with continental divides, etc. So that's all well and good, but I hope there are even more substantive changes with the release of this expansion.

 

[gozpel]

Yeah they did get it wrong there. Ed Beach said all CIVs start near fertile lands, so why I end up in the Arctic or with 10 desert tiles around my Cap that often?

And also, why does almost every game start with a civ 8 tiles away from me, on Deity they forward settle me. Give me space!

 

[Starwars]

Yeah, I mean... I had some bad luck yesterday but I had a bunch of games where I started as Ghandi and a few of them I had one of the AI's starting Settler cities within the working tile radius of my capital. And when that happens it's like... yeah, I sent a delegation to Rome as soon as I met them but... a few turns later they turn up on my borders with like 5-6 warriors and a few slingers. And my capital was in fairly open plains. So that's just a game over without really being able to do anything about it. Aside from the first scout, I had just produced military units but it's just not enough when you start in a bad place.
And I might add, this was on a standard sized map where I had removed one other civ as well as lowered the sea level to try and get more room.

It's just... very annoying, lol.

And to clarify, I'm not one to search around for the perfect start location. I like it when you have rough land to work with at the start, the struggle can be fun. But like I said, I wouldn't have been able to save that game even if I had skipped the scout at the start and gone straight for military.

 

[Ferocitus]

Yeah, I mean... I had some bad luck yesterday but I had a bunch of games where I started as Ghandi and a few of them I had one of the AI's starting Settler cities within the working tile radius of my capital. And when that happens it's like... yeah, I sent a delegation to Rome as soon as I met them but... a few turns later they turn up on my borders with like 5-6 warriors and a few slingers. And my capital was in fairly open plains. So that's just a game over without really being able to do anything about it. Aside from the first scout, I had just produced military units but it's just not enough when you start in a bad place.
And I might add, this was on a standard sized map where I had removed one other civ as well as lowered the sea level to try and get more room.

It's just... very annoying, lol.

And to clarify, I'm not one to search around for the perfect start location. I like it when you have rough land to work with at the start, the struggle can be fun. But like I said, I wouldn't have been able to save that game even if I had skipped the scout at the start and gone straight for military.

Whether you try for a good start or not is irrelevant if you're playing for fun. The best start is the one that maximises your delight and joy!

Restarting, scum saving and exploit abuse is only relevant when claiming to be able to beat the game easily.
Quoting the number of restarts/saves would help others better assess the said claim and offer appropriate advice.

BTW, it might not be to your play taste and style, but Gedemon's largest Terra Maps are an absolute delight to play. And they usually have a few really good isthmus locations which I love.

 

[Starwars]

It was quite a lot of restarts yesterday, lol. Don't know how many, but it was all with Gandhi.

I mean, prior to that I had a lot of good games with different leaders going where I didn't have any starts with civs that were right up in my face. But the randomness of it kinda kills me. It's not as bad but sometimes the opposite thing happens where it's like... fire up a game with Genghis and get ready to kill everyone, only to find out that you have a huge landmass all to yourself.

I don't know. I can't stand to play Civ V nowadays but I never felt like I had problems like this with the starting locations. Maybe I'm misremembering. Bad starts? Sure, but not starts where other civ starting cities were within overlapping distance of my capital.

 

[Ferocitus]

I don't know. I can't stand to play Civ V nowadays but I never felt like I had problems like this with the starting locations. Maybe I'm misremembering. Bad starts? Sure, but not starts where other civ starting cities were within overlapping distance of my capital.

I mostly played the largest TSL maps from Gedemon in Civ 5. England's start was always a nightmare, but it was by far the best challenge at high levels and great fun (if you like that sort of thing).

 

[Starwars]

Maybe it's the curse of Ghandi and Continents. Just started up a new game, Continents, standard size, one less civ than normal, low sea level. On turn 10 (!) I had met 4 civilizations (and one citystate), three of which were like... very close.

EDIT: Alright, game after that was finally "normal". Another civ and citystates fairly closeby and then another civ further away. But not close enough to completely close off any settling from me.