Worst Starting Location Ever?

[Arkaeyn]

"Well, Elissa, this looks like the best location for our new city."

"Are you sure about that?"

"There's iron here. We're gonna need that. And clams. Everyone loves shellfish."

"I suppose you're right. What else other than that?"

"What...else? Uh, sand. Sand is a good resource, right? And water. Everyone likes water. Yep. Sand and water."

 

[Metal Alloy Man]

Why is it that in Rand deserts always seem to border water which leaves alot less inland deserts and some very crappy starting locations?

 

[Arkaeyn]

I don't know exactly for RAND, but a significant problem with any historically-based map is that regions in the Middle East and North Africa which are best represented a desert today were actually fertile grasslands and plains when the civilizations who made them famous lived there. The fertility led to overfarming and desertification. So much for the Fertile Crescent.

My guess is that there's something programmed into RAND to make Carthage spawn near desert, since they spawn that way in RFC. When that isn't entirely accurate.

 

[Metal Alloy Man]

That looks basically like every Carthage start I've ever rolled, you start in the middle of the desert by the sea with fertile land not too far away. However, it usually gets nabbed by other civs.

BOTTOMLINE: Carthage's spawn code needs moderate re-working!

 

[Arkaeyn]

Queen Elissa at least had no real choice with her spawn location. The AI actually CHOSE to build this city (which flipped to me, so I gave it to the first stooges who would take it. Babylonian Corinth!)

The only hammer-producing tile in range of this city is also in range of Athens. I guess if it built the Moai Statues it would be usable, but it doesn't have the hammers to do even that.

 

[Metal Alloy Man]

What about the two hills to the east? You just need to increase the culture level.

 

[civ_king]

What about the two hills to the east? You just need to increase the culture level.

too far away

 

[Metal Alloy Man]

Oops, I didn't notice they were three tiles away, for some reason I thought they were just two.

 

[-Perceval-]

Yes, carthage, babylon, egypt, arabia, mali and even turkish(who normally lived in a temperate weather) have very bad starting location with a lot of desert, especially arabia and turkish!