(January 24th, 2013, 13:18)Tasunke Wrote: Well I can't well tell the players that I promise to not mention the thingy on the lake thingy
I was kind of joking that they are secret. The players will know about their own as soon as the open their saves
Merovech's Mapmaking Guidelines:
0. Player Requests: The player's requests take precedence, even if they contradict the following guidelines.
1. Balance: The map must be balanced, both in regards to land quality and availability and in regards to special civilization features. A map may be wonderfully unique and surprising, but, if it is unbalanced, the game will suffer and the player's enjoyment will not be as high as it could be.
2. Identity and Enjoyment: The map should be interesting to play at all levels, from city placement and management to the border-created interactions between civilizations, and should include varied terrain. Flavor should enhance the inherent pleasure resulting from the underlying tile arrangements. The map should not be exceedingly lush, but it is better to err on the lush side than on the poor side when placing terrain.
3. Feel (Avoiding Gimmicks): The map should not be overwhelmed or dominated by the mapmaker's flavor. Embellishment of the map through the use of special improvements, barbarian units, and abnormal terrain can enhance the identity and enjoyment of the map, but should take a backseat to the more normal aspects of the map. The game should usually not revolve around the flavor, but merely be accented by it.
4. Realism: Where possible, the terrain of the map should be realistic. Jungles on desert tiles, or even next to desert tiles, should therefore have a very specific reason for existing. Rivers should run downhill or across level ground into bodies of water. Irrigated terrain should have a higher grassland to plains ratio than dry terrain. Mountain chains should cast rain shadows. Islands, mountains, and peninsulas should follow logical plate tectonics.
Hey, does anyone know what a barbarian unit with UNITAI_RESERVE will change to another UNITAI like actual AI civilizations will do when they prep for war, since the barbs are always at war? I kind of just want the units to fortify/mill around unless approached (they're on an island; otherwise, I'd just give them the held or rooted promotions).
Merovech's Mapmaking Guidelines:
0. Player Requests: The player's requests take precedence, even if they contradict the following guidelines.
1. Balance: The map must be balanced, both in regards to land quality and availability and in regards to special civilization features. A map may be wonderfully unique and surprising, but, if it is unbalanced, the game will suffer and the player's enjoyment will not be as high as it could be.
2. Identity and Enjoyment: The map should be interesting to play at all levels, from city placement and management to the border-created interactions between civilizations, and should include varied terrain. Flavor should enhance the inherent pleasure resulting from the underlying tile arrangements. The map should not be exceedingly lush, but it is better to err on the lush side than on the poor side when placing terrain.
3. Feel (Avoiding Gimmicks): The map should not be overwhelmed or dominated by the mapmaker's flavor. Embellishment of the map through the use of special improvements, barbarian units, and abnormal terrain can enhance the identity and enjoyment of the map, but should take a backseat to the more normal aspects of the map. The game should usually not revolve around the flavor, but merely be accented by it.
4. Realism: Where possible, the terrain of the map should be realistic. Jungles on desert tiles, or even next to desert tiles, should therefore have a very specific reason for existing. Rivers should run downhill or across level ground into bodies of water. Irrigated terrain should have a higher grassland to plains ratio than dry terrain. Mountain chains should cast rain shadows. Islands, mountains, and peninsulas should follow logical plate tectonics.
All future maps made by me will be large or smaller, and I'll think twice before making another non-mirrored map. Seriously, I've probably put 30 hours into this thing, if not more, and I still ahven't finished, nor run the modified version of it through novice's tool.
Merovech's Mapmaking Guidelines:
0. Player Requests: The player's requests take precedence, even if they contradict the following guidelines.
1. Balance: The map must be balanced, both in regards to land quality and availability and in regards to special civilization features. A map may be wonderfully unique and surprising, but, if it is unbalanced, the game will suffer and the player's enjoyment will not be as high as it could be.
2. Identity and Enjoyment: The map should be interesting to play at all levels, from city placement and management to the border-created interactions between civilizations, and should include varied terrain. Flavor should enhance the inherent pleasure resulting from the underlying tile arrangements. The map should not be exceedingly lush, but it is better to err on the lush side than on the poor side when placing terrain.
3. Feel (Avoiding Gimmicks): The map should not be overwhelmed or dominated by the mapmaker's flavor. Embellishment of the map through the use of special improvements, barbarian units, and abnormal terrain can enhance the identity and enjoyment of the map, but should take a backseat to the more normal aspects of the map. The game should usually not revolve around the flavor, but merely be accented by it.
4. Realism: Where possible, the terrain of the map should be realistic. Jungles on desert tiles, or even next to desert tiles, should therefore have a very specific reason for existing. Rivers should run downhill or across level ground into bodies of water. Irrigated terrain should have a higher grassland to plains ratio than dry terrain. Mountain chains should cast rain shadows. Islands, mountains, and peninsulas should follow logical plate tectonics.
(January 28th, 2013, 01:43)Merovech Wrote: All future maps made by me will be large or smaller, and I'll think twice before making another non-mirrored map. Seriously, I've probably put 30 hours into this thing, if not more, and I still ahven't finished, nor run the modified version of it through novice's tool.
I hear that, nosebleeds abounded when I was making the EitBPB map, it's a terror.
If only you and me and dead people know hex, then only deaf people know hex.
I have not yet balanced the dungeons/graveyards/goblin forts, etc. Everything else should be balanced (well, I didn't really balance the astronomy/flyers-only islands, but that'll depend more on who gets astronomy/flyers first). According to Novice's tool, the civs are reasonably balanced; however, that does not take into account location of resources in regards to other resources. The Hell terrain area can be reached by flying units and through the portal, and can be exited via flying units and through the Maelstroms. Trade routes with cities there are possible with astronomy (which is why there is the whole ice opening; originally, I had it completely enclosed by mountains).
Questions I still have: Are the mana resources balanced? Since everyone has equal (if not easy) access to their own source of metamagic mana, I figured that it shouldn't matter too much. Are the guardians for the mana islands balanced? Does anyone have a super starting city site w/moving that the others do not or a super-powerful second city site that the others do not? Is the main continent large enough?
Thanks,
Merovech
Merovech's Mapmaking Guidelines:
0. Player Requests: The player's requests take precedence, even if they contradict the following guidelines.
1. Balance: The map must be balanced, both in regards to land quality and availability and in regards to special civilization features. A map may be wonderfully unique and surprising, but, if it is unbalanced, the game will suffer and the player's enjoyment will not be as high as it could be.
2. Identity and Enjoyment: The map should be interesting to play at all levels, from city placement and management to the border-created interactions between civilizations, and should include varied terrain. Flavor should enhance the inherent pleasure resulting from the underlying tile arrangements. The map should not be exceedingly lush, but it is better to err on the lush side than on the poor side when placing terrain.
3. Feel (Avoiding Gimmicks): The map should not be overwhelmed or dominated by the mapmaker's flavor. Embellishment of the map through the use of special improvements, barbarian units, and abnormal terrain can enhance the identity and enjoyment of the map, but should take a backseat to the more normal aspects of the map. The game should usually not revolve around the flavor, but merely be accented by it.
4. Realism: Where possible, the terrain of the map should be realistic. Jungles on desert tiles, or even next to desert tiles, should therefore have a very specific reason for existing. Rivers should run downhill or across level ground into bodies of water. Irrigated terrain should have a higher grassland to plains ratio than dry terrain. Mountain chains should cast rain shadows. Islands, mountains, and peninsulas should follow logical plate tectonics.
1. The vamps can't reach their Ancient Tower on turn 1; everyone else can. Vamps also can't settle on iron plains hill first turn.
2. Vamps can get all 6 (visible) resources and only 2 coast by settling south (but still coastal). Iron plains hill gives 3 resources, is not coastal, 0 coast tiles.
3. Elves have to SIP to get all 5 visible resources, giving 4 coast tiles. Iron plains hill gives 5 resources, is coastal, 9 coast tiles.
4. Illians can get 6 resources by moving NW. 2 coast tiles, but not coastal. Iron plains hill gives 3 resources, is coastal, 4 coast tiles.
5. Balseraphs must SIP to get all 5 resources, but get 5 coast tiles. Iron plains hill gives 4 resources, is coastal, 4 coast tiles.
6. Sidar can SIP or move N to get 5 resources. 5 and 4 coast tiles, respectively. Iron plains hill gives 4 resources, is not coastal, 2 coast tiles, 1 lake.
(January 28th, 2013, 16:07)Merovech Wrote: I have not yet balanced the dungeons/graveyards/goblin forts, etc.
Goblin forts had 7 archers in them. One more gets added each time you enter and leave world builder, I think.
(January 28th, 2013, 16:07)Merovech Wrote: Are the mana resources balanced? Since everyone has equal (if not easy) access to their own source of metamagic mana, I figured that it shouldn't matter too much.
Yeah, I guess my instinct is that it won't matter much. The mana islands are pretty well guarded, so they won't come into play until fairly late in the game.
(January 28th, 2013, 16:07)Merovech Wrote: Is the main continent large enough?
I think it's plenty big. It looks like they should be on their 4th ring of cities before they're bumping into each other.
