Your Favourite Map Choice

[illusiondrmr]

Hello fellow addicts,

I would like to know, if i am the only one that hates playing on Pangaea maps or other maps(like inland sea) that don't consist of different continents(small or big) mainly for the following 2 reasons:

1. Unrealistic. (Always compared to earth ;p). However, some1 might say that earth used to be Pangaea before a big explosion resulted our 2 big Continents ;>

2. Unbalanced for some Civs. Naval civs don't have the chance to get their traits/naval units shine.

So, i play only on Continents and Fractal just to feel more "realistic" and "balanced" for every civil. Plus i think its harder for my favorite victory condition (Domination), so i enjoy the challenge more on Deity.

Your opinions ? I would like to see a poll on that, don't know if there is one already..

 

[tetley]

Tiny Islands, all the way. Pure and simple fun factor.

Hub for multiplayer.

 

[danaphanous]

I have been playing a new type every game. I like challenge maps a bit. You won't impress your friends, but it can be more fun settling in a harsh environment with large deserts or a lot of ice.

1. I've played Ice Age twice so far and love it. There's a narrow band along the equator that is normal terrain, but if you want to expand more than a couple cities north and south you're forced to do it into tundra and ice usually. I like this, I like scouring the terrain and making the best of otherwise difficult situations, for instance, icy areas with 5 fish and oil? Yes please! That's crazy early growth and all specialists filled in no time! Great city even though it looks bad--Just don't work more than the 6-7 useful tiles and sink some gold to help it along with buildings that have slots. there's also an arboreal map with mostly forested tundra and appropriate resources (many furs, deer, truffles, salt, etc). Celts and Iroquois rock on this map as you don't want to remove the forest and expose tundra anyway.

2. For a random map, my favorite is default mapscript is fractal. It's pretty and creative.

3. I've also greatly enjoyed small islands and small continents. Both tend to isolate groups of civs and produce a challenging atmosphere and an age of exploration that I very much enjoy. Of course, with Polynesia things get screwed up, he gets the best of both worlds.

4. Still trying them out, but the extended maps are all pretty cool. You can pick amazon basin for a heavy-jungle start. You can pick a desert map with occasional rivers and oases. I recently discovered (never knew this) that oases count as freshwater so you can farm all 6 hexes around them and get an early boost to desert hills and a flat 2 food for desert tiles quite early. It can allow you to keep growing with a food caravan in otherwise inhospitable areas. I now love seeing desert hills near oases as I know I can get a 2 food 2 production tile easy even though it looks bad. This map is Very challenging and kinda pretty looking. Morocco is super-OP though with their Kasbah spamming. :-/

5. Just checked this out but have yet to play a game: highlands. It is a crazy mapscript with massive hilly terrain and mountains with pockets of useful terrain. mountains cutting everywhere. Mostly hills. Again, Inca will be OP monsters with crazy growth and tons of free road-spam as there are many, many hills and a lot with 3-4 adjacent mountains. Carthage has a leg up too as there are pockets no one can enter but them--building roads is tricky though and must be done in shifts, but carthage can make far more efficient routes than anyone.

 

[illusiondrmr]

Tiny islands.. hm.. unrealistic ;P

Hah danaphanous you seem to have fun everywhere ;p. However, i tend NOT to use maps that will favor some civs.. I like however the challenging and exploring atmosphere you describing in small islands/continents maps ! ;>

 

[Gustavus Rex]

My top ten.

1. Shuffle - The real random!
2. Continents
3. Small Continents
4. Pangea
5. Ice Age
6. Sandstorm
7. Boreal
8. Continents Plus
9. Fractal
10. Large Islands

 

[NeoNio]

i read so much about small continets plus, but i was disappointed when i got the DLC

I play continets because i like naval warfare and i like the idea of foreign strange civs that you meet later in the game.

 

[Lukelbs]

I play Earth a lot. I think it's interesting to see things like Washington and Pocatello fighting over Russia.

 

[asura_]

I like Standard Continents maps, I don't like Pangea type maps

 

[joncnunn]

I like Large Islands the most. (standard map size)

 

[Silverman6083]

Normal? Fractal, Oceania, Sandstorm, Donut
Modded(aka the good ones)? Communitas, Tectonic
Modded map scripts are amazing.

 

[fallout3dc]

definitely continents. Otherwise, some civs have an advantage over other civs. Continents is solid for any civ you play as.

 

[n1ddeh]

My favorite is definitely continents. I love continents because as someone who loves war and building up my civilization it gives me land to do both. Pangaea is also good but it takes out the factor with naval battles.
Second in choice would be large islands with a low sea level. This is basically gives me small continents.

 

[XboxAddict77]

One word: Continents.

 

[KidHorn]

I like them all, but I probably play continents or pangea the most.

I'm currently playing Brazil and after getting satellites, I found there are no horses. What a pain. You can't upgrade Pikemen.

 

[danaphanous]

Tiny islands.. hm.. unrealistic ;P

Hah danaphanous you seem to have fun everywhere ;p. However, i tend NOT to use maps that will favor some civs.. I like however the challenging and exploring atmosphere you describing in small islands/continents maps ! ;>

I try, love the game but don't have any difficulties left to beat so I try to spice things up with interesting situations, civs, and maps.

btw, instead of never playing maps that give benefits to a single civ or 2 how about just disabling that AI from appearing? It seems a shame not to experience a really fun ice age or desert map just because of one possible AI that might do better on it. Just saying. For instance, if I played highlands, then I'd probably disable Inca, they are just too OP on it. Everyone else is pretty even though. Dido can cross mountains early but that's it. On a pure desert map, definately take morocco out.

If you can't disable a civ, just manually picking some opponents works too.

 

[Montezuma II]

Continents since day 1!

 

[householder]

Modded(aka the good ones)? Communitas, Tectonic
Modded map scripts are amazing.

I haven't tried Tectonics, but agree that Communitas is superior to the standard map scripts which come with the game.

 

[Resipsa]

Oceania, Small Continents, Sand Storm

 

[paralistalon]

I agree that Continents is the most balanced, but it does put a damper in civs that might want an early game world domination rush like the Huns, Mongols, Assyrians, China, etc. I frequently choose Archipelagio when I want an advantage, like if I want to play with a naval civ or just want to be isolated and not have to worry too much about being invaded.