MapFinder Settings

[Spoonwood]

What settings do you usually set MapFinder for?

I usually set it for at least one cow on grassland, and at least one river square. Then I look at the maps later, load it up, move the worker to the cow, then move the settler if necessary, plant, and look at the fat X. Unless I really want an early SGL, or a free settler, or want an island to myself, or something else I really want, I then pretty much know if I like the start or not. So, what do you do?

 

[Bartleby]

Pretty much the same. For a milkrun I'll specify a high domination limit and for a 20k I'll specify a coastal tile.

 

[Tone]

I'm afraid that I do no different. Cow and river is enough to gain a solid start with potential to break current best dates.

@Bartleby: For 20K I used to specify coastal but now I don't bother. I found that there are a fair number of suitable saves that get ignored by this setting where the settler is just one tile from the coast. I now just scroll through the screenies looking for anything with a chance of a coastal start. I've even played out some promising non-coasal starts that have worked out well.

 

[Spoonwood]

There's one exception for me. I don't think I've completed one, but once or twice I tried an 80% tiny archipelago map and then I made it freshwater instead of a river. My tiny Cheiftain 100k also started on a lake instead of a river, but I think I had a river nearby. The times I've put in more requirments it seems like I don't get enough maps. I also sort of feel that I might have missed a good map which had a few extra food bonuses, or a luxury in the fat X of the capital, but not in the inital 9 tiles that I can see. Even when I play non-agricultural, I'll use the at least one river and cow setting, and then check to see if I have a second food bonus after I've planted for 5 fpt. If not, then I'll probably abandon it, unless maybe it's a 20k and I have a slew of hills.

 

[Spoonwood]

I've started thinking these requirements a bit stringent. I've recently submitted some decent 20k games where I didn't have any cows, but had at least 2 grassland wheats. Archphoenix's 20k Chieftain games, I believe, also have wheats (one grassland in one game, two plain wheats in another) instead of cows. Kuningas's 81k game also has a lake instead of a river (though it has a cow). Though in some games having a river instead of a lake can mean getting the Republic slingshot instead of missing it. I guess it's most important to have a a start with fresh water and at least one food bonus WITH enough shields and commerce soon enough to come.

 

[bluejay]

Since Mapfinder can only look at the 3x3 area, it can't predict the number of shields in the full city footprint. Correct?

Does anybody put anything into the search criteria about shields?

(I keep thinking about Civ but real life keeps interfering...)

 

[Spoonwood]

Since Mapfinder can only look at the 3x3 area, it can't predict the number of shields in the full city footprint. Correct?

I believe so also.

 

[gmaharriet]

Sorry for bumping an old thread, but it seemed like a good place to ask a question, since I know many HOF players use Mapfinder. I asked this question in the Mapfinder thread over a week ago, but nobody has replied.

I haven't played Civ for about 3 years, but want to now. I tried installing Mapfinder on my new machine with Windows7 and it tries to open the "Conquests" file and gets stuck. Not the C3C Saves file, but the Conquest mods. I'm sure I have it pointed to the right directory, the regular C3C. I loved this utility before.

Have any of you been able to get it to work with Windows7?

 

[Spoonwood]

I have, but I think I had to change something in the MapFinder Settings. Maybe post a screenshot of what you're doing? It never hurts to triple check.

 

[gmaharriet]

I have, but I think I had to change something in the MapFinder Settings. Maybe post a screenshot of what you're doing? It never hurts to triple check.

There will be 2 shots, because the file pathname is too long to fit in just one.

 

[Spoonwood]

I'd suggest going with the settings Puppetteer suggests. I think I have civ III installed under users public. My MapFinder looks like this:

 

[gmaharriet]

A further question then...

Is "Users/Public Games" where you installed Civ to? I noticed that's where Puppeteer recommends. If so, I'll need to uninstall and reinstall Civ3.

Thank you for your help. It's rather confusing on Win7.

 

[RFHolloway]

I suspect thats where the files end up when you "install this game for all users"

 

[gmaharriet]

My game installed to the x86 Program Files. I followed the instructions in the Technical Support forum to check "Run as Administrator" and the game runs fine. I installed MapStat as admin also, but have to retrieve the save file manually each turn.

I can't get MapFinder to work, but it's installed under the x86 Program Files. It will come up, but looks for the save file under the Conquests folder with the modded Conquests. It's showing a conflict with a .dll file. Incidentally, I can't run CA2 either.

My regular save files, as well as the Auto Saves, are found under the x86 Program Files similarly to where they were under WinXP.

I'll reinstall Civ to Public Files\Games if that's what's working for other folks. Thanks.

Edit: I finally got it to work by changing MapFinder's location. It runs much slower than it used to on my old XP machine. I'm still curious what directory other folks have Civ installed in.

 

[Spoonwood]

I have it installed at c:users\public\games\civ 3. I recall I had some problems before I did that also.

 

[Donny Brook]

It runs much slower than it used to on my old XP machine.

When Vista first came out, you actually had to pay MORE to have XP installed on a new machine. So the state-of-the-art OS was one price, but if you wanted the old out-of-date lousy XP, you actually had to pay extra. I work for a $30 billion company with > 25,000 employees and we still use XP. I suspect that Microsoft will relent and continue to support it well beyond the threatened deadline date.

 

[AnthonyIII]

Hey! I've been running MapFinder lately but seem to be getting much more maps than I want. I'd like a very good 20K start on Deity, and it's only my second try on Deity - so it must be pretty good. My settings now are in the picture below. As I said I get way to many maps and MapFinder also saves other food bonuses as cows when I only want cows. So could some tell me exactly what settings I need for MapFiner to look for maps that have: At least 2 cows on grassland. River. At least one hill. One or two coastal squares. Maybe luxury.

I hope someone can clarify this for me!

 

[Calis]

Spoonwood and Automated Teller are the experts when it comes to 20K. They wil sure reply soon.

But from my point of view you have too many things you want. I would go with at least two cattle, minimum 3-4 hills, and some river. Then you get a bunch of maps and can select, what you like.

 

[AnthonyIII]

Thanks for the quick response, Calis! Will try to lower my settings and await the respones of Spoonwood and Automated Teller. But could you explain or understand why MF saves maps without a single cow, but for exampel wheat? Have you experienced that?
Edit:But my problem is that even though my settings request a lot, I still get for exampel 100 mas out of 300 - and the maps that are getting saved doesn't have the food/terrain requested. Is this because I request too much?

 

[CKS]

I think you are asking for (a luxury) or (forest + coast + hill ...)