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Even Large Maps Are Just Way Too Small

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Even Large Maps Are Just Way Too Small

from Elemental Forums

I only play on large maps and I've started a lot of games (because of patches, trying to learn the game, dissatisfaction with the map setup, etc.).  The conclusion is pretty clear: I run into the AI too soon (even with just 4 opponents) and my empire ends up being 3-4 cities at most before I have to start thinking about war.  This goes back to my earlier complaints about just how small this game feels overall (few cities, few units, small maps). 

Combine this with a hyper-aggressive AI (even on easy) and the game has a rushed, almost Starcraft feel to it.  Build up fast, build up units fast, and await the initial rush of AI attacks (usually from Kraxis, if they are in the game, and they seem to be in every game). 

The maps are also bare wastelands too often.  In my latest game (which I gather I'll have to abandon), I managed to "control" a large portion of the land area of my bizarre, thin continent, but it's completely empty -- and this is AFTER pushing the adventure line of tech to show more resources.  There were only 3 viable places to build new cities (and by viable, I mean simply in range of at least one resource).  I found a horrible location for a fourth when a shard was located pinned against the coast by forests (and that city is quite terrible). 

I have other map-related complaints:

1. Too much of the surface area is usually filled with forests, hills, or other things that slow movement.  It makes exploration tedious.

2. The shape of continents is counter-intuitive and nonsensical.  I should take screenshots of the game referenced above -- the portion of the land mass I control looks like a great worm with several bulges in it. 

A lot of this would simply be fixed by having an actual, large map -- not the smallish map that is posing as a large map now.  Considering how big galaxies could be in Gal Civ 2, I'm stunned that this is how Elemental turned out.

elemental
34,554 views 58 replies
Reply #51 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Vhorthex, reply 50

Quoting jscott991, reply 19CWG,

You really just highlighted the main problem I'm having with the game.  It is shocking to me that on the largest map size available, I can really only expect to have about 5 cities.

What? 5 Cities on a Large Map?

That makes no sense, in my Large map, I was able to build 10 cities before my borders met with another faction (including minor factions). take note that I don't have more than 4 or 5 opponents.

I had this opinion, but when I took a boat and went around the world.. my opinion changed a lot.
End of Vhorthex's quote

 

My first 1.05 large game I had 2 cities built when I ran into an AI, whom I beat while she had 3 cities. I have no idea how far it was to the next AI though.

Reply #52 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting lordkosc, reply 46
maps are quite larger than civ4, as frogboy had once posted:

 

Reduced 95%Original 600 x 430
End of lordkosc's quote

 

Tile counts only matter if all else is equal, which it isn't. Movement is different in this game, and the amount of territory a city can control is quite different as well. Since a single city can control more space when capped, and you can get army movement up to 4 or 5 spaces almost right from the start, and to 10+ if you want later, not counting using caravan routes, the large elemental world is effectively a fair amount smaller than the huge Civ 4 world.

Sins of a Solar Empire II
Reply #53 from Elemental Forums Top

Oh Also I noticed something in the current playthrough.

 

all those forest tiles? there useless for city building, I have a town build to cap two iron mines that are unable to grow because they can't expand into the woods, that has to be a bug right? I mean really? we can't clear portions of the forest to expand?

Reply #54 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Akitoscorpio, reply 55

all those forest tiles? there useless for city building, I have a town build to cap two iron mines that are unable to grow because they can't expand into the woods, that has to be a bug right? I mean really? we can't clear portions of the forest to expand?
End of Akitoscorpio's quote

Wow, in a world barely recuperating from a WORLD CATACLYSM, first thing you want to do is cut down the few trees that survived?

I think Domtar are hiring. (Logging company ;))

Reply #55 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Vhorthex, reply 56

Quoting Akitoscorpio, reply 55
all those forest tiles? there useless for city building, I have a town build to cap two iron mines that are unable to grow because they can't expand into the woods, that has to be a bug right? I mean really? we can't clear portions of the forest to expand?
Wow, in a world barely recuperating from a WORLD CATACLYSM, first thing you want to do is cut down the few trees that survived?

I think Domtar are hiring. (Logging company )
End of Vhorthex's quote

 

I think killing the guys who are walking blights on the earth is making up for a few dead tree's

or if your an emipire then...

Yes and?

Reply #56 from Elemental Forums Top

This little bit would only solve the Barren look of the game, but...

 

There was one point where some opponent was studying adventure immensely, and so all across the board are towers and dungeons and huts and..  I thought to myself, now thats cool! This looks like a real fantasy world. Then I realized that upon completion they would disappear. That said, I didn't even explore the places in order to add umph to the map.

 

Now the performance issue arises when considering additional objects to the map, but were there to be a substantial perf fix and things ran smoothly, I would be willing to argue for locations to remain on the map after their completion. Heck, these places could even become reinhabited (Think Icewind Dale 1 & 2).