Pangea, Huge Map, reduced to 5 Enemy Civs.....

[lokblaze]

Ok, so I'm confused here. Some games I just don't want to instantly have to fight over land. So, I figured I would throw on the largest map size, huge. Playing on Pangea. Only 5 enemy Civilizations to contend with. 18 City States. I figured the game would have us spread out to give us some room. So game one I run this setting on turn 5, literally, I run into another great civilization, the Zulu. 5 turns later I run into ANOTHER great civ, forget which one. Both have their capitals so close to me that I can damn near park an archer on my border and hit theirs. Ok not literally. But they were less than 15 hexes away, both of them and from each other. Plus I had already run into FIVE city states by the 50th turn or so, if that. That is acting more like I'm on a tiny map. So I figured, ok just a bad start, let's reboot the game.

Round 2. Same settings. Reduced the number of City States to 10 to add a different flavor and importance to them for allies and add a little more room perhaps. On the 3rd turn, yes 3rd, I run into Japan. Their capital is literally 11 hexes away. On the 15th to 20th turn I run into a 2nd great civilization but at least they are a respectable distance away, about 25ish tiles. Can't quite tell as a lot of unexplored area between me and them. But again, I'm on a huge map with only 5 other enemy great powers. How in the heck am I running into multiple great civilizations before I'm even at turn 50?

Guess my only option is to go to war with Japan since they are so close and already planted their 2nd city towards me and an area I wanted to expand to. Figure 4 or 5 archers and a couple warriors should be enough to overrun them quickly early game. But what gives? How does the game create a huge map and essentially put 3 of 6 civs, so far, in an area so close that not even to turn 35 you're bumping into each other?

Just went back in the game, turn 43 I"m meeting a THIRD great civilization. Lol.

 

[Abaxial]

I always play with one less opponent than is standard in the hope of having some initial breathing space. Doesn't akways work, like starting at the end of a small peninsula and finding Russia at the base!

 

[Linklite]

A huge map has 128x80 hexes.

That means that on a west-east basis, you'll have an average of about 25 tiles between you and a neighbour. On a north-south basis, you'll have an average of 16 tiles between you and a neighbour.

Except, that's assuming that all the map is land, but it's not. Let's say the surrounding sea is 5 hexes deep, you lose 10 hexes on all sides. That's 118x70 so 24 tiles and 14 respectively. Worse, you get mountains, other islands, lakes and other non-spawnable areas that will only act to constrain where you can spawn and therefore push your spawn points closer together.

While having another civ with 15 tiles is not normal, it's certainly not going very rare either.

 

[MrRadar]

OP, you can try maps with more land, such as Inland Sea or Seven Seas. You’re likely to have more than enough land just for yourself on standard size maps and without removing AI opponents. I remember my first try on Inland Sea. The first contact I made was on t92 or so, and not for the lack of trying. I was placed center top, above the sea, with free lands on both sides up to the edges of the map. All AIs got placed bottom and lower sides of the map. It was the loneliest game I’ve ever had on standard settings.

 

[Noble Zarkon]

I just don't want to instantly have to fight over land. So, I figured I would throw on the largest map size, huge. Playing on Pangea

The whole point of Pangaea is to have everyone together on one piece of land so less then optimum choice if you want space, Seven Seas or Highlands would be my choice personally.

 

[Equilin]

Inland Sea is a great map if you want more land

 

[Kotofei]

Run those settings in Spectator mode a few times.

I do the opposite, crowd the map because I DON'T want the game to be all about spamming cities, but sometimes I still have a roomy start.