Here's a map. Can't promise that it's balanced, but at least it's pretty. The forum wouldn't allow me to attach a file over 200kB, so here's a Google Drive link. What are your thoughts, anonymous lurking friend of Erebus?
EitB PBEM 54 Map Edit: The final version. Now to get the damn thing working.
Edit: Starts have been updated. See post #4.
In the next five spoilers are the players' various starts.
Player 1
Player 2
Player 3 (already altered. See note.)
I've changed the plains 1SW of the rice to a grassland.
Player 4
Player 5
In this next spoiler are my thoughts on the map, hidden so they don't influence you if you decide to look over the map.
This is a randomly rolled Tiny map script that I changed to a Small, so if a player picks Kuriotates, they'll get 3, rather than 2, cities. I'll leave you to guess the script. This map seems huge for a Tiny.
The most salient feature is the large amount of desert. I've buffed it with rivers, and I still can't decide if the deserts are too strong because of the floodplains or too weak because of the desert hills. Sidenote: Because I was drawing the rivers by hand, I may have missed turning a desert into a floodplains. I tried to triple check.
The map left pretty much the entire ocean empty, so I've added Astro islands, although they are not intended to be especially strong. I also added some islands in reach of Players 2 and 5, although 5 might not need them.
There weren't many luxuries spawned by the script, so pretty much all that you see were put in by hand. In general, I tried to give each civ access to 2 "good" luxuries and a third that would require a tech detour. I also liberally salted the tundra and desert with metals and luxuries.
Yeah. These needed a balance pass. Here they are again. I've typed some thoughts to help me think through them. In post #2, I've updated the link to the map.
Player 1
2 Agri resources. 5f1h each, plus a 4f tile that requires Fishing and a boat. 3 river grassland tiles.
Player 2
2 Agri resources. 6f each. A 4f2h tile that requires Hunting, which DaveV says is an uncomfortable tech. 6 grassland tiles.
Player 3
2 Agri resources. 6f and 5f. 5f Fishing tile. 4 river grassland tiles.
Player 4
2 Agri resources. 5f and 4f. A 4f2h AH resource. 4 river grassland tiles. Even after weakening this start, it might still be too good. This player's neighborhood also might need to be tuned down.
Player 5
2 Agri resources 5f each. A 3f2h AH resources. 1 river grassland. 1 floodplains. Germanjoey's tool tells me this player's neighborhood is the weakest, but I'm doubtful. There's so many floodplains.
Another spoiler for general thoughts about the map in case Bob comes in to sticky the thread.
I'll probably keep on making small tweaks until the players yank the map from my grubby little paws. Since last time, I've strengthened the land around Player 2 slightly, as well as Player 3. Player 1 is in the middle and could grab a huge amount of land, so I've upped the quality of the neighbors' area.
A Kuriotates player would probably be screwed, and I don't really know what to do about it. I upped the map size already, so they'd get 3 cities, but on a map with this many dead tiles (peaks, deserts, tundra), I think the civs with more flexibility would do better. That said, I think the dead tiles are this map's best feature. It enables the map to be pretty large (like 17+ tiles between capitals), without getting ridiculous. Unfortunately, after the map was rolled and editied, Cairo wrote this in the new BtS PB thread:
(January 22nd, 2021, 00:04)Mr. Cairo Wrote:
(January 21st, 2021, 23:40)Elkad Wrote: Well one solution would be to make it big, and then space the food out so you couldn't pack cities in...
Vast swaths of plains and desert.
Mapmaking nightmare though.
uh... no. I for one would not play anything like that at all.
Well... here's hoping he thinks it's lush enough.
Edit: I'm also considering editing the map after the pick phase to replace dwarf and elf players' horses with the appropriate mounted units (pig/deer). Is this crazy? Otherwise, I'd feel obligated to put pig and deer at every start in case the player picked one.
If you'll indulge some questions from someone who's never played any of the FFH games:
(January 22nd, 2021, 11:08)naufragar Wrote: A Kuriotates player would probably be screwed, and I don't really know what to do about it.
Why would the starts affect them more than everyone else?
(January 22nd, 2021, 11:08)naufragar Wrote: Edit: I'm also considering editing the map after the pick phase to replace dwarf and elf players' horses with the appropriate mounted units (pig/deer). Is this crazy? Otherwise, I'd feel obligated to put pig and deer at every start in case the player picked one.
I think it's fair to consider horses as "the mounted unit resource" and then change it to what fits, as long as it's not visible in the starting shots.
The Kuriotates' gimmick is that they can only build a few cities (3 on Small, Standard; 2 on Duel, Tiny). To compensate for the limit, their cities can work tiles out to a radius of 3 tiles rather than the normal 2. I've included here a diagram using Player 1's start. I chose Player 1 for convenience, but it turns out Player 1 will have the option for the Kuriotates among his civs. (I've generated the list. I'll randomize the players to match positions when the starting screenshots go out.)
So, the Kurios want lots of resources packed together so their cities can be super-productive. As you can see above, the map script generated a lot of low-value tiles, like peaks and desert hills. Each dead tile that a Kurio city has in its BFC is worse, relatively, to a dead tile in another civ's empire, since presumably, the other players can work more tiles overall.
I've stated publicly that I just edited a random map and players should see the unappetizing/water tiles in their starting screenshots (but not intruding on their capital BFCs), so hopefully players can accurately judge the strength of the Kurios in the pick phase.
And now that I'm actually drawing out the crosses, I'm second-guessing bumping the Kurios up to 3 cities. But no, I'll stay strong.
Tarkeel, that's a good point. Removed the corn. (Compensated with another resource further away.) Will update the map poster later.
I think the starts are in a decent place, so once the players let me know what they're doing for pick method, I'll release 'em, so let me know, anybody, if you spot a fatal flaw.
Well, I'm an idiot. I forgot about the FFH starting settler bonus. With this bonus a few of the players are able to see potential city spots that I forgot to account for. Gonna tweak some more. (For those new to FFH, your first settler gets +2 movement and +3 vision.)
In the meantime, random.org says:
There were 5 items in your list. Here they are in random order:
I didn't realize until posting that Cairo drew Malakim with the heavy desert start. Well, at least I can put aside my worry that the desert area is too crippling. I feel a little bad for Mack. The Clan of Embers draw on Immortal difficulty seems terrible.
Gonna tweak some more. (For those new to FFH, your first settler gets +2 movement and +3 vision.)
here's hoping he thinks it's lush enough.
