I've downloaded and played your scenario. It's great. I have some critiques/observations from my game as the Merfolk:
Despotism has such disastrous corruption that the cities on the main island are all nearly worthless. For some reason, that doesn't stop the Buteos and Humans from making tons of cities on that island while I'm still struggling. I edited your scenario and changed Despotism to have Problematic corruption. MUCH better. Actually, to make it more like Civ 2, I think Despotism, Monarchy, and Stygian Despotism should all have Nuisance corruption. I haven't looked at the other governments.
From my game as the Elves:
Removing the Clear Forest ability from the Elves is devestating. The Elves are the weakest race (they're too close to the Stygians on the main island and the Elf island is too small). When I played the Civ 2 Midgard, I did well as the Elves for two reasons. I used a diplomat to buy a Stygian city that had a Dragon in it (ok that doesn't work for this game) and also because I was able to clear forests on the Elf island. I could clear forests, then irrigate them and make them actually useful.
The underground land tiles near the Goblins need to have Tunnels already built, like in the Civ 2 scenario.
The Stygian units shouldn't be able to fight without causing a war. In the Civ 2 scenario, the Stygians couldn't communicate with anyone. That seems impossible to do in Civ 3. To reproduce that effect in Civ 3, it seems best to just make them always start wars with their units, like normal.
It would be awesome if the Haunted Forest terrain had the little eyes like it did in Civ 2. That would make it look creepier.
Despotism has such disastrous corruption that the cities on the main island are all nearly worthless. For some reason, that doesn't stop the Buteos and Humans from making tons of cities on that island while I'm still struggling. I edited your scenario and changed Despotism to have Problematic corruption. MUCH better. Actually, to make it more like Civ 2, I think Despotism, Monarchy, and Stygian Despotism should all have Nuisance corruption. I haven't looked at the other governments.
From my game as the Elves:
Removing the Clear Forest ability from the Elves is devestating. The Elves are the weakest race (they're too close to the Stygians on the main island and the Elf island is too small). When I played the Civ 2 Midgard, I did well as the Elves for two reasons. I used a diplomat to buy a Stygian city that had a Dragon in it (ok that doesn't work for this game) and also because I was able to clear forests on the Elf island. I could clear forests, then irrigate them and make them actually useful.
The underground land tiles near the Goblins need to have Tunnels already built, like in the Civ 2 scenario.
The Stygian units shouldn't be able to fight without causing a war. In the Civ 2 scenario, the Stygians couldn't communicate with anyone. That seems impossible to do in Civ 3. To reproduce that effect in Civ 3, it seems best to just make them always start wars with their units, like normal.
It would be awesome if the Haunted Forest terrain had the little eyes like it did in Civ 2. That would make it look creepier.