Hyper random little game?

[Ginger()]

Well Totestra is really weird and reminiscent of the tectonics map in how it tries to emulate a climates? The maps are huge, and also have large contiguous biomes like this
   
This is with Tiny size, and Standard world size (totestra has a second gearbox for this   ), with "Breakup Pangeas" and "Start Anywhere"

[RefSteel]

Huh, I think I have an older version of Totestra than Ginger; I don't have separate menus for map size and world size. Ginger's definitely right that you want a Tiny-sized map if you're doing Totestra; otherwise it's just land and land for days. Annnd ... I can roll a map for you guys if you're serious about this (and if you're willing to use my outdated version of Totestra; I don't have time to find and install the new one right now) - but I'd like to be sure: Randoming a Totestra map will create hilariously unbalanced starts. All of you actually want a random map, no checking for strategic resources, no checking for proximity to neighbors, no checking to see if one person's surrounded by jungle/desert/mountain-ranges and another is surrounded by food and ancient happy resources, and so on? Because if so, sure, I can send one to Ramk whenever. A few other things to decide though: Nominal world size Standard? (I can change that in Worldbuilder easily.) Monarch difficulty? Normal barbs, No Vassal States, No Tech Trading, True AI Diplo, scores and city counts visible? Some other option I'm missing?

[superdeath]

idk about the rest, but so long as we all get copper/horse/iron im fine.

[Ginger()]

Well, I guess my question is, why Totestra specifically if it has this notorious imbalance? Maybe a random fractal map is better? Or BnS/MnS? In real time FFA we use a script called CandIfixed that produces some nice, if naval-biased, maps

I think all the settings you listed are fine, I prefer higher maintenance than Monarch for slightly longer games but either way is ok.

[Commodore]

Tiny Totestra with standard world size was my thought, yes. I love the natural vast landforms and the challenge of those climate bands tbh.

[RefSteel]

idk about the rest, but so long as we all get copper/horse/iron im fine.

Maybe a newer version of Totestra has a "balanced strategic resources" option?  I dunno.  If this is what everyone wants, I don't have time to look into it right now, so hopefully another map roller will. I think it would be a good idea for everyone involved with this to be explicit about their "so long as" assumptions though; if you're expecting anything from balanced starting spots on plains hills to literally any food resources within five tiles of your capital (yes, I saw this on a full-of-resources Tostetra map I rolled - also the six-tiles-away food were a couple of fish in different directions and two different plains cows; there were double (jungled) gems and a herd of plains elephants at and around the start though, and I think some Calendar luxuries...) a map script rolled at random is entirely capable of disappointing you, so please make your expectations clear. (I think this may be part of the reason you haven't gotten any map-rolling volunteers. No one wants to roll a map for you, with no creative input of their own, and then find out everyone involved hates it and regrets signing up for the game!)

Well, I guess my question is, why Totestra specifically if it has this notorious imbalance? Maybe a random fractal map is better? Or BnS/MnS? In real time FFA we use a script called CandIfixed that produces some nice, if naval-biased, maps

The problem isn't Totestra; it's randomly-rolled maps.  It's possible Candlfixed is better about this, as is Torusland (created by SevenSpirits, and about as unnatural-looking as it's possible for a map to get) but that wasn't how the game was billed.  The advantage of Totestra is, as Commdore said, it looks really beautiful and world-like.  As with any mapscript though, if you just random it, even with balanced strategics, you run the risk of someone ending up on the equivalent of Depression Island.  (See PB42, on a BnS map that had a lot more balancing work done than "none at all" but where for various reasons, the hopeless nature of Lewwyn's land wasn't noticed until it was too late.)

Tiny Totestra with standard world size was my thought, yes. I love the natural vast landforms and the challenge of those climate bands tbh.

I hear that.  I tried for something like the same feeling on a small scale in the map I made (from scratch, not a script) for PB49, but that involved a lot of balancing work for which I don't have time now.

[Amicalola]

I think I would prefer a Torusland (or Mirror land could be fun!), but to be honest I'm mostly up for anything, including Totestra. I'm planning to take this game pretty casually too.

[superdeath]

I'm planning to take this game pretty casually too.

Amica, playing a game casually?

[Gavagai]

I much prefer a natural-looking map to a "balanced" one. I think there is a long rant of mine somewhere in the archives of the forum about how "balanced" maps are a fool's quest because they do not create balanced games.

[Mjmd]

I was vaguely thinking of rolling a map; mainly to avoid urge to ded lurk and then actually having to do micro. But am unfamiliar with settings on this script.



I played around with the new world rules and Pangaea rules, but in short I hated all of them I rolled (and I rolled 6-7). I would recommend a different script. This seems to produce starts with 1 food resource and I can tell within 30 seconds of looking at who would win the game because usually there is just some random connected island landmass that would give someone a huge land advantage.

Also, no one has produced a voting spreadsheet so I just checked a bunch of random boxes. I'm willing to roll a bunch of other random map scripts and see which random map I like the look of best, but I have very little world editor experience so anything that needs done there I just wouldn't.

Edit: I can and would add missing resources.

Edit x2: I did find a map script I like and have a couple of maps, but be warned I claim no responsibility if you want me to do.