Map Trading

[xerxes jones]

I've only played a couple of games, but it seems that by the Middle Ages there is no need to trade maps anymore. Other civs keep asking if I want to trade, sometimes I trade anyway, but it has no effect.
New cities and resources and other stuff just show up all over the world map without me needing to trade.
It's too bad. If I had to trade maps to find new resources and stuff, that would be much better. Instead all I have to do is check the map after I discover gunpowder and I can see every deposit of saltpeter, and where I need to go to get it.
I'm playing 1.07 version. Maybe they changed this for newer games. They should anyway.
That's all I have to say. Just a newbie gripe.

 

[Ginger_Ale]

This hasn't changed for Vanilla civ (no expansion packs) and Play the World (expansion #1). I agree with you - trading maps to find new resources and/or cities would add a bit to the game. It would make maps a bit more important.

However, in Conquests (final expansion #2), Map Trading was pushed back to Navigation, and contact trading to Printing Press. This was made because usually you would know the world map by 1000 BC, and obviously, that wasn't the way history went. However, higher difficulty levels are now harder because you can't use contacts/map to trade early on.

If Conquests (C3C) had used your model, I think pushing map trading back wouldn't be necessary, but map trading still would be important.

 

[Tomoyo]

Ginger_Ale, you forgot his welcome... Welcome to CFC, xerxes jones!

Trading maps updates your knowledge of their terrain improvements.

 

[Angel of Death]

Maps are kind of pointless in the middle ages cause there is no use for them but the ai is stupid and u cangeta little bit of gold out of them.but there still pretty pointless same with explorers.

 

[IbnSina]

Map trading does have a very small beneficial effect. Any trade with the AI improves their attitude toward you. Having a regular 20-turn trade in effect is the best thing, but trading a map from time to time keeps them happy with you for one turn. If the AIs don't do any trades at all with you for more than 20 turns, their attitude toward you sours. For that reason, I never let them go away empty-handed. If an AI wants to talk to me, I always talk, and do at least a little map trade just to make them happy for one turn. (Oh, but I don't ever do that on the turn that I plan to get Map Making and do the first big cash-generating map trade. I save that for an in-turn trade, so they don't resell the map I just sold them.)

Welcome to CFC!

 

[Roso]

First welcome, xerxes jones!

Mayby world map is not very useful, but I can't agree it's useless. As Tomoyo said (wrote) it's sometimes needed to know new improvements for example when you bombard. Other thing world map could be used is as a sorse of gold. As you may have seen when you are trying to buy science the AI always wants it. It reduses the gold you should give a bit. If your is much better than AI's you would reduse more. Sometimes when you need some money you could exchange it. There are some turns in which I exchange mine for the others' and even if you have to pay to the first AI you'll be given more from the others. So you'll get better world map and more money.