Does anyone else feel the large maps aren't really large?

yes they are way too small. I am fond of the "Big Huge" maps for Rise of Nations" Lots of room for expansion and places for specials.

Additionally I feel that there are not enough decent places for settling either. almost no 5,x tiles...

I agree with both of you, as the so-called large maps feel fairly small to me, and the medium feels like everyone is each other's pockets

harpo

They already said this was an issue with memory. They could have bigger maps if they went 64 bit, but then they would have to shove all of the 32 bit players to the side. (Honestly I wish they did make it 64 bit)

So what you're saying is they can't provide larger maps for 64-bit users, while leaving 32-bit users with the current maps?  Because that would seem a reasonable solution.  "Sure, we have very large, 64-bit maps.  But if your system can't handle them, you'll crash."  I'm not sure why this is an either/or issue that can only include maps playable by both sets of users.

You can have bigger maps now via modding, but they take forever to load and the turns get very slow mid to late game. I've made a few 4 times the size of the largest default map. 

This sentence right here is why Stardock can't implement such a thing fresh out of the box.  No matter how you try to explain it, you'd basically be creating content that only a certain number of players can use, which as far as 32-bit players are concerned is cheating them out of their money.  I'm pretty sure Frogboy has already commented about that conundrum, and at one point had a poll to see how many players would be interested in paying a dollar more for 64-bit implementation.  As far as I'm concerned, this is the best possible route you can take with this: everything out of the box able to work for both 32- and 64-bit computers, with a trivially priced DLC available to optimize the game for 64-bit machines.  This way, 32-bit users don't feel cheated, and 64-bit users get their shiny toys too.

I hate agreeing with DLC, but that sounds like a good option. Until the backlash whining starts over 'but you said the game was going to be free' of course. You know people, it WILL happen, sadly. 

I understand your pains here but have heard explanation from the stardockians that larger maps will eat up your memory rather quickly.

I think this is more an issue with the game mechanics, making the game world seem alot smaller per game tile, instead of the maps actually being small.
Think about it, and make some clever comments I cannot come up with because I hurt atm

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

Some very good answers.  A few thoughts:

If memory is the limitation, does that mean 64-bit is required?  What about those among us who have 32-bit, but more than 2 GB RAM?  Can the FE engine use that, instead, when generating huge maps?

If the issue is providing maps that not everyone can play--and I know how problematic that would be upon a game's release, still experiencing a version of that with my mods for another game--why not provide these as separate downloads, not in the regular download/box?  Or user mods?  I certainly wouldn't mind testing out a map two or four times the size of the current large one.  It would be nice to see cities reach their final level of development, and tech trees completed.

This is just simply not true. I have a decent system but it isn't top of the line. I played the original Elemental with the map generator that was made by someone and I set it to the highest settings it could go. I played 800 turns on that map with absolutely no problems, no slow down. I can see problems with a real weak system but anyone with a decent amount of ram and a decent video card would most likely be fine.

If this is true--not your information, but that FE utilizes memory in the same way and to the same extent as WoM--it begs the question why much larger maps aren't currently available.

it probably doesnt

Let me give you an advice, await beta 4 and see what 1 tile cities do to the terrain, while I in concept hate to see another 1 tiled city game, making this game lose alot of its charm it might help you guys

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

Frankly, I dread the arrival of one-tile-cities.  I just love the way cities work now, the way you can use them to control land, allow fast travel, and the way they envelop resources.  I would say that of the unusual FE mechanics, the large cities are by far my favorite.

I fully expect to hate Beta 4.

I wish there was a way to make distance between 2 cities would scale with the map size. That way we can do away with city spam on large maps. 

Then what is the point of large maps

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

I'm actully looking forward to the one tile cities. For one the map will seem larger. It will look better than the ugly city sprawls we have now. And it won't feel like I and playing in an urban environment.

There are more ways that one to make a map 'large'.

- Instead of that linear expansion, the map could develop more in depth.
- Perhaps, change of terrain spells, or changing terrain random events....or quests.
- Maybe an ancient 'ways' (Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time), connecting different points on the map (could be in the form of a quest)?
- Maybe instead of having the map larger, make the zones smaller. Cities have 9 sqs (I believe) minimum between them. Adjust their ability to expand and reduce the sqs to 6 or even 5. Makes for fuller empires.
- Maybe have different technologies or magics that allow you to build floating cities...or flying cities...(wouldn't that be a shame if someone cancelled that spell)

Hopefully Stardock plans to expand this game beyond the linear and into the fantastic!!

Hopefully Stardock doesn't go 1-tile cities. That'll be a step backwards in the 4x community. They just need to figure out how to do expand-cities properly, and I know it's just going to ROCK.

Actually, the current minimum distance between cities is 8 tiles; BUT  see Frogboy's Reply #13, to your Discussion thread on  "1-tile Cities"  !!           Some great News there !   

I still don't think that larger maps will use up too much memory. Even some of the most advanced games can run well. I run mount and blade warband with floris pack, with all kinds of enhanced graphics and run battles with 500 or more soldiers on the battlefield, if any of you are familiar with that then you will know what I mean. Does this game really require so much memory> I have 16gb of ram, a nvidia 580, an overclocked i7 920 (to 4ghz) I can't see this game killing my system by having larger maps.

Are those soldiers all different?  Try customizing all those soldiers and having to have the game hold all the different combinations in memory at the same time and then see if you want bigger maps on 2 or 4GB pf RAM.

yes those soldiers are all different, what are you talking about>> You have both male and female, tons of different armor types, weapon types, archers, swordsman, men with shields, axes, pikes, all different kinds of armors and colored armors. They also have varying levels so each level of soldier looks different and has a different weapon. They all also have different faces, etc. Plus also different kinds of horses, etc. If you do not know about the game, you shouldn't comment. This is all done in first person or third person. Then you have quests and relations between factions and lords, characters to level up, diplomacy to keep track of, there is so much. To top that all off I am using mods which add even more content and hi definition graphics and tons more quests and ways to interact with the game world, etc.

Also, as I said, I played WOM with super huge maps with no trouble, I understand it may not have had all the different things FE has, but I don't see that being too much of an issue.

Okay then, is the game 64-bit (meaning higher possible allowed memory usage)?  If not, I'm not sure what to say.

_

Just to have more area in between the 2 cities. More monsters, quests, goodie huts.

It will also be a different mechanic with border towns. Instead of having one massive army in the capital which is a couple of turns away, you may need to leave smaller armies in each individual town to protect from invasions ans spawns.