Playing a small map is the most enjoyable choice?

[AdMech]

Your post has given me some things to think about, since I never really had the urge to try small. I play large maps almost exclusively - I like the epic scope, as others have said, and I want to feel like I'm really guiding a nation through history! My favorite part of the game is exploration-settlement-expansion, too, and large maps extend that.

And the game is fun mostly in early stages, when your decisions matter a lot. Later it gets pretty tedious, and on larger maps (imho) totally boring. I nearly never finish those games, once the whole continent is mine and enemies can't do a damn thing (or the enemy is too big on another continent and upcoming war would be a eternity of "destroying a few towns-getting kicked out of his motherland eventually-arriving there again to destroy what he has rebuilt in settling-spree-rinse repeat".

That's true, and the one problem with my approach to Civ. I love 20-30 hour games, where I can really get absorbed in the (virtual) world, but I almost never finish them once it's become clear that I'd have to tediously go through and raze every damn enemy city. (Although you can get them to capitulate on occasion.) Cultural or technology victories don't suffer from these problems, but I'm a hopeless warmonger due to a.) not being good at it (I subconsciously go for a "culture monster" every time) and b.) playing too many other strategy games exclusively about war... it's become ingrained in me.

 

[Charlesbusa]

I don't like small, its just not big enough. Its feels like I'm playing an Earth sized game in the space of Arizona.


Standard and bigger are what I like. And I add lots more AIs than the default. That way I'll have 2-3 really close neighbors that I can do an early rush on. Its soo much fun to raze(because its still pop1) an extremely close AI whose only warrior is out exploring!! I used to try and set it up so the barbs could have time to develop, but they always suck. So I just add a bunch more AIs.

Huge can be really fun, but only if I space it out over a month or so. I'll get burnt out to quickly if I spend more than a couple hours a day. 3-4 days a week. Nice and easy. Could never sit down for 20hrs straight...

 

[strangestranger]

I play standard, myself.
Tough I always add 1-2 AIs to spice up the diplomatic game.
Larger map get tedious with loads of units in the lategame.
While small maps make for too short games to my taste.

 

[szcott]

I play Huge marathon on Highlands Emporer with large lakes. This gives you 100% of map(minus the lakes ) of playing area. Other map types probably have 50-60% as ocean. I love the micro management and epic feel. I used to like the initial exploring phase because it lasted awhile before you bumbed up against other AI's but now Ive determined that the AI gets too big an advantage with all the explorers so I now turn off goody huts to level the playing field a little. Barbs can be devestating on this map type so I always make it a point to build the Great wall. I use the large lakes only to make sea food resorces available.

 

[Eerdna]

I love huge marathon games, i feel after a while that i am in a mini-earth with true politics, economy and science. after a while i forget that the civ has a name and i call it as MY people or MY country or some like that... i like to feel the game, i really get into it. in smaller maps that wont happen as in the first turns everything is over