I didn't get a reply from gtAngel, so I sent him another message this turn by email. The trade screen has always been unreliable.
This turn, he had moved his scout NE to the hill my scout was on. I went ahead and did the reverse, putting my scout where his had been.
Graveyards are awesome! They can't spawn a civilization killing superbarb and don't pin my unit in place for 3 turns for a wild animal to eat him. They give either skeletons, spectres, gold, or a free tech, and the scout can run away if I do get a hostile result. I have no idea why gtAngel passed this one by, but it could be a huge boost worth 10-30 turns of research at my current pace.
So far, my super-scout found one and it gave gold. My eastern scout found another, but I waited to open it because agriculture was about to finish at the time and I wanted to scout the coastline anyway. I'll open it soon now that the "worst" freebie I can get will be Ancient Chants, and it could be Calendar or Animal Husbandry.
The pink marker is also where I'm considering placing my second city at.
Long term and medium term, it's a terrible site. Short term, it has commerce and production and some food.
The first ring can have an oasis, 2 commerce resources, 2 plains farms and 2 mines, which will help my civ's growth curve more than anywhere else I see. This city also won't require anything more than Calendar and Mining, which I need for my capital anyway. The other potential issue is distance maintenance, but I can check that first and make sure it's worthwhile.
Unfortunately, it is quite distant(10 east, 5 south) from my capital and my units have to walk past a bear den to get there. On the other hand, I have a super-scout with sentry and that might be enough to make it work.
I doubt my opponents would place their second city so far away, and I'll be the first to hook up gems and the first to get a decent tech rate. Is it crazy and reckless? But then, I'm the guy who put 8 settlers on a boat and sent it into the fog.
Surprisingly, I think I actually enjoy having a tricky commerce situation like this. Finding unusual solutions to difficult situations is fun.
Active in:
FFH-20: Jonas Endain of the Clan of Embers
EITB Pitboss 1: Clan/Elohim/Calabim with Mardoc and Thoth
(February 15th, 2013, 23:16)Ellimist Wrote: Surprisingly, I think I actually enjoy having a tricky commerce situation like this. Finding unusual solutions to difficult situations fun.
Phew.
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.
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.
(February 15th, 2013, 23:38)Merovech Wrote: The map is pretty well balanced, I think.
Yeah, I'm pretty optimistic that it is, and haven't noticed anything in-game yet that bothers me. From what I could tell, the lurkers had plenty of time to review it and you used novice's balance tool.
There's no way that a map can be perfectly balanced without being mirrored, and even that creates an imbalance. On a mirrored map, exploration is magnified and it's not that hard to pinpoint the location of everyone else.
I know I've mentioned the lack of early commerce several times, but that's mostly because it is the current challenge that needs to be solved. None of the other challenges can really be addressed until I figure that one out, and the player that has the best solution for it will be the one that ends up in front.
Active in:
FFH-20: Jonas Endain of the Clan of Embers
EITB Pitboss 1: Clan/Elohim/Calabim with Mardoc and Thoth
(February 6th, 2013, 03:40)Ellimist Wrote: If possible, use the Tower of Divination for Commune with Nature and upgrade four cultists to druids. Research Mind Stapling and switch to Ashen Veil.
Won't the druids disband if you switch to AV? They need neutral alignment and FotL.
"Gentlemen. You can't fight in here. This is the War Room!"
- Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
Druids need a neutral alignment, but they don't need FotL, last time I checked.
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.
Creating druids does require a neutral alignment, but they won't abandon a civ if the alignment changes.
You may be thinking of high priests, which require a specific religion and will disband if it changes. Druids upgraded from priests will have access to the high priest spells for that religion(summon kraken for OO).
I plan to remain neutral for a long time, partly for building the Altar and partly for Druids.
Active in:
FFH-20: Jonas Endain of the Clan of Embers
EITB Pitboss 1: Clan/Elohim/Calabim with Mardoc and Thoth
(February 17th, 2013, 16:07)Ellimist Wrote: Creating druids does require a neutral alignment, but they won't abandon a civ if the alignment changes.
Cool. Never knew that (I don't build druids all too often). This is actually pretty useful to know.
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.
