Description:
Rhineland is designed with the philosophy of fun over form. It promotes a mixture of both land and naval action to achieve victory through the use of mountain ranges in partitioning territory into defensible pockets and a web of sea channels that provide limited naval access throughout much of the map. Rhineland features some panama and thermopylae situations where segments of the map are accessible through passage of only one or two tiles. Every new map offers the player a unique array of strategic challenges where a single tile could be the difference between obscurity and world domination.
The map script also boasts a completely new terrain generator designed to select terrain based on the concept of prevailing winds. This means that that tiles on one side of an elevated landmass (i.e. mountains) will capture moisture that the opposite side is denied. Thus you will find terrain on one side of a mountain range often bearing desert while the opposite side may grassland.
Included with this post are screenshots for each landmass option to this post. Because I am unable to generate images from the WorldBuilder program, I am limited to providing in game screenshots. To permit an adequate presentation, the showcased maps were generated for a game with 6 players and 12 city-states, i.e. the default settings for a size small map.
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Map Settings:
There are five custom settings in Rhineland: Landmass, Civ Density, Axial Tilt, Tile Set, and Ice Caps. The first two alter the map significantly, the third and fifth are of minor impact, and the fourth is purely cosmetic.
LANDMASS:
There are three different landmasses that you can select to play on. These affect the distribution of sea tiles, making each a different stategic experience.
Great Lakes: This was the original prototype for the Rhineland map. Instead of channels, the map features two or three seas or lakes. Of the three map types this one contains the most deep ocean tiles, so it's a good choice if you're fond of blue sea navies. At the same time it has the largest contiguous landmass so Great Lakes may also appeal to you if you prefer to focus on land-based warfare.
Rhineland: The default map type. Though designed with land combat in mind though the map's waterways are arranged in such a way that their control can play a significant role in providing support or transportation.
Bayou: A large sponge-like map made up of many thin tendrils of land that may or may not be sectioned off entirely by mountains. Controlling the long, twisting waterways is required to safely hop from landmass to landmass.
CIV DENSITY:
This setting basically determines map size and thus how quickly you can expect to encounter opposing civilisations. On "Congested" maps, you can expect to encounter opponents fairly quickly and this is a good setting if you want a game that will quickly force you in to combat. Sparse maps by contrast offer players much more room to expand before knocking on one's doorstep, making it the choice for players who want to build up a small empire before dealing with warfare or diplomacy.
Rhineland automatically scales the size map according to several factors, most importantly to the number of civs and city-states assigned in the setup screen. Thus the player's early game experience will be roughly uniform regardless of the number of opponents he faces. The standard "Map Size" setting at the top of the screen has been disabled for purposes of determining map dimensions. Civ Density is the core setting that will determine whether you will have a bounty of territory to which to expand or be forced to defend whatever scraps you can grab a hold of.
AXIAL TILT:
Axial tilt determines the randomness of terrain placement. A strong axial tilt will result in "fantasy" terrain where you might find snow at the equator and desert at the poles. The default "Earthlike" setting will provide enough variation make terrain changes appear organic but keep terrain placement realistic.
TILE SET:
For the sake of simplicity and ease of tile identification, Rhineland maps feature uniform tile sets which determine the cosmetic appearance of your map. This setting allows you to specify which tileset you'd like to use.
ICE CAPS:
None: Ice is completely ignored and will not generate on maps.
Strategic: Glaciers will be spread throughout the seas, though with diminishing frequency with proximity to the equator. Many glaciers may be broken up, allowing ships to navigate around them.
Firaxis: Traditional style of ice caps from Firaxis maps such as Terra or Continents.
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Notes:
Rhineland originated as a map script I made last year for Civilization IV. The core mechanic that makes this map script interesting is in running the fractals intended to determine the placement of mountains and ocean tiles through a solar filter. This creates long, contiguous strands, as opposed to a fractal's "clouds", that simulate the appearance or ranges or river beds. Although the results can be very random and some maps generated will be more enjoyable than others, the overall result is a very organic, and very strategic arrangement of territory.
I found the map tremendous fun to play in Civ4 where it made stacks of doom manageable with a little strategic foresight and bodies of water were neither impenetrable barriers at the start of the game nor a coup de grace at its end. Of course, Civ5 isn't Civ4. Stacks of Doom are gone altogether and water has a new dynamic. Nevertheless I think the map's particular novelty remains strong and might be of interest. Of the two, this latter script is the more polished and sophisticated though if there is demand, I might later fix up the Civ4 version for public release.
As for the terrain generator, I think the result turned out pretty well. It isn't the prettiest script I've ever written but it produces varied and organic looking terrain with minimal direct influence from a random generator, such as a fractal. If there is sufficient interest from other map scripters, I could separate the terrain generator into an include file and make it fully compatible with the Firaxis version. That way you would be able to plug it in to any of the existing map scripts with minimal fuss.
I hope you enjoy the map and please feel free to provide feedback. I've spent a lot more time working on the map than I have actually playing Civ5 so if you think of tweak that would make the map more enjoyable I would be happy to have the benefit of your experience. If you want a change made, though, remember to let me know what map settings you used so that I can replicate them and see specifically what you're talking about. Screenshots are also helpful.
-- -- -- -- --
Version History:
v1.00 (2010-NOV-03)
v1.01 (2010-NOV-17)
- Fixed the bug that would crash the map when random settings were selected
- Generally increased landmass and ocean coverage for better naval access
- Added option to include glacial ice
- Various tweaks
Rhineland is designed with the philosophy of fun over form. It promotes a mixture of both land and naval action to achieve victory through the use of mountain ranges in partitioning territory into defensible pockets and a web of sea channels that provide limited naval access throughout much of the map. Rhineland features some panama and thermopylae situations where segments of the map are accessible through passage of only one or two tiles. Every new map offers the player a unique array of strategic challenges where a single tile could be the difference between obscurity and world domination.
The map script also boasts a completely new terrain generator designed to select terrain based on the concept of prevailing winds. This means that that tiles on one side of an elevated landmass (i.e. mountains) will capture moisture that the opposite side is denied. Thus you will find terrain on one side of a mountain range often bearing desert while the opposite side may grassland.
Included with this post are screenshots for each landmass option to this post. Because I am unable to generate images from the WorldBuilder program, I am limited to providing in game screenshots. To permit an adequate presentation, the showcased maps were generated for a game with 6 players and 12 city-states, i.e. the default settings for a size small map.
-- -- -- -- --
Map Settings:
There are five custom settings in Rhineland: Landmass, Civ Density, Axial Tilt, Tile Set, and Ice Caps. The first two alter the map significantly, the third and fifth are of minor impact, and the fourth is purely cosmetic.
LANDMASS:
There are three different landmasses that you can select to play on. These affect the distribution of sea tiles, making each a different stategic experience.
Great Lakes: This was the original prototype for the Rhineland map. Instead of channels, the map features two or three seas or lakes. Of the three map types this one contains the most deep ocean tiles, so it's a good choice if you're fond of blue sea navies. At the same time it has the largest contiguous landmass so Great Lakes may also appeal to you if you prefer to focus on land-based warfare.
Rhineland: The default map type. Though designed with land combat in mind though the map's waterways are arranged in such a way that their control can play a significant role in providing support or transportation.
Bayou: A large sponge-like map made up of many thin tendrils of land that may or may not be sectioned off entirely by mountains. Controlling the long, twisting waterways is required to safely hop from landmass to landmass.
CIV DENSITY:
This setting basically determines map size and thus how quickly you can expect to encounter opposing civilisations. On "Congested" maps, you can expect to encounter opponents fairly quickly and this is a good setting if you want a game that will quickly force you in to combat. Sparse maps by contrast offer players much more room to expand before knocking on one's doorstep, making it the choice for players who want to build up a small empire before dealing with warfare or diplomacy.
Rhineland automatically scales the size map according to several factors, most importantly to the number of civs and city-states assigned in the setup screen. Thus the player's early game experience will be roughly uniform regardless of the number of opponents he faces. The standard "Map Size" setting at the top of the screen has been disabled for purposes of determining map dimensions. Civ Density is the core setting that will determine whether you will have a bounty of territory to which to expand or be forced to defend whatever scraps you can grab a hold of.
AXIAL TILT:
Axial tilt determines the randomness of terrain placement. A strong axial tilt will result in "fantasy" terrain where you might find snow at the equator and desert at the poles. The default "Earthlike" setting will provide enough variation make terrain changes appear organic but keep terrain placement realistic.
TILE SET:
For the sake of simplicity and ease of tile identification, Rhineland maps feature uniform tile sets which determine the cosmetic appearance of your map. This setting allows you to specify which tileset you'd like to use.
ICE CAPS:
None: Ice is completely ignored and will not generate on maps.
Strategic: Glaciers will be spread throughout the seas, though with diminishing frequency with proximity to the equator. Many glaciers may be broken up, allowing ships to navigate around them.
Firaxis: Traditional style of ice caps from Firaxis maps such as Terra or Continents.
-- -- -- -- --
Notes:
Rhineland originated as a map script I made last year for Civilization IV. The core mechanic that makes this map script interesting is in running the fractals intended to determine the placement of mountains and ocean tiles through a solar filter. This creates long, contiguous strands, as opposed to a fractal's "clouds", that simulate the appearance or ranges or river beds. Although the results can be very random and some maps generated will be more enjoyable than others, the overall result is a very organic, and very strategic arrangement of territory.
I found the map tremendous fun to play in Civ4 where it made stacks of doom manageable with a little strategic foresight and bodies of water were neither impenetrable barriers at the start of the game nor a coup de grace at its end. Of course, Civ5 isn't Civ4. Stacks of Doom are gone altogether and water has a new dynamic. Nevertheless I think the map's particular novelty remains strong and might be of interest. Of the two, this latter script is the more polished and sophisticated though if there is demand, I might later fix up the Civ4 version for public release.
As for the terrain generator, I think the result turned out pretty well. It isn't the prettiest script I've ever written but it produces varied and organic looking terrain with minimal direct influence from a random generator, such as a fractal. If there is sufficient interest from other map scripters, I could separate the terrain generator into an include file and make it fully compatible with the Firaxis version. That way you would be able to plug it in to any of the existing map scripts with minimal fuss.
I hope you enjoy the map and please feel free to provide feedback. I've spent a lot more time working on the map than I have actually playing Civ5 so if you think of tweak that would make the map more enjoyable I would be happy to have the benefit of your experience. If you want a change made, though, remember to let me know what map settings you used so that I can replicate them and see specifically what you're talking about. Screenshots are also helpful.
-- -- -- -- --
Version History:
v1.00 (2010-NOV-03)
v1.01 (2010-NOV-17)
- Fixed the bug that would crash the map when random settings were selected
- Generally increased landmass and ocean coverage for better naval access
- Added option to include glacial ice
- Various tweaks
