What resource amount option do you start games with?

[Smokeybear]

I always start with abundant, myself- I think I played my first few games on 'standard', back when the game was young- until I figured out 'abundant' meant you weren't always deathly crippled for happiness in every game. I can't even imagine how awful 'sparse' must be, for anyone but the truly masochistic CiV player.

I tried 'Legendary' one time, but didn't really see what it was on about- seemed about the same as abundant, to me... ::shrug::. Haven't messed with it much.

Does anybody have a good idea what Legendary and Strategic Balance resource settings mean, as far as your starting point goes?

 

[Proximus]

I always choose standard. I'd choose abundant but it usually inhibits my ability to trade.

 

[CivOasis]

Sparse. Actually, I play with a mod that gives an even less abundant setting.
Legendary is like abundant, for the capital only.
Strategic balance has something to do with continents and ... balance... IIRC.

 

[Ddude97]

I play with abundant because I prefer to use units that require strategic resources, especially in the late game.

 

[eris]

I normally use standard, but I have developed a fondness for legendary, not so much for the amount of resources but for the tendency to clump resources which give the capitol a sort of flavor or focus.

 

[Steelyglint]

I use abundant. But if the AI had the same happiness as humans, I'd use randoms.

 

[hix]

Strategic balance gives you a 6-iron and 4-horse guarantee for your capital (along with at least 2 lux). Eliminates so many frustrations for me, especially the strategic resources. Very minor downside is that AI is guaranteed strats as well, but as I play on Deity mostly, they are going to expand enough to get that anyway.

 

[Mesix]

I play with standard most of the time and legendary start for OCC games.

 

[ForzaFiori]

I go back and forth between abundant and standard, depending on whether I want to be a war-monger. If I'm gonna be eating other civs anyway, not having as many resources at my start doesn't bother me as much.

Strategic balance (to me) seems to take a standard amount of resources and distribute them more evenly. I've rarely been without a strat. resource on strat. balance, or if I am, its usually somewhere nearby I could expand into, as opposed to standard, where sometimes the only coal is stuck at the capital of another civ.

 

[corovanrobber]

Used to pick legendary start and understood it leads to decrease the number of resources outside of capital which is rich on them of course. Recently switched from standart to abundant one and saw very few changes. Is there some formula to calc the difference between standart, abundant and sparse resources settings?

 

[Hamburger]

I like "sparse" as it often requires war over resources. It also makes guarding resources more of a priority. If you lose your only iron mine you can be severely weakened.