World parameters FreeCiv style

[Lord Maxwell]

I really, really, really like how you can customise a random world in FreeCiv. You can say that there should be half as many big continents as players total, and that each human should share his continent with 1 and only 1 ai fraction, and that there should be half again as many smaller islands (3-4 cities?) as big continents.

The way I would like this to work:

Deciding how many major landbodies there should be. This could either be a fixed number or a number based on num players. (Both options should exist!)

Deciding on how many civs share each major body, and if there should be empty major bodies to encourage early exploration. Also stating whether or not human controlled civs get to share starting continent.

Decision on the amount of smaller islands, and the size variation of those.

You might want to have two different mp setup pages, one basic and one advanced. The basic can look like SMAC for all I care, as long as there is an advanced one that is atleast as refined as FreeCivs setup. In multiplayer controlling the world parameters is essential to a good and fair game. We often have to restart smac mp games, as 2 players end up landing together on a small continent, when a more warlike player ends up the only human on a big continent with potential slaves all around...

[tniem]

I concur. The random map editor should be more advanced.

It would also be a good way to put yourself at a disadvantage for an even larger challenge.

[Brent]

let us have sliders for each feature. let us randomize the world size. let us set distances between landmasses. allow for randomness in alien worlds. allow for worlds with very little water coverage, or none.

[Adm.Naismith]

I see the needs for a balanced world in a multiplayer game. OTOH I only play single game and don't like to define too much parameters for land mass distribution et al.

I enjoy the world discover a lot, so the less I know about it from start, the better for me

So I simply would like a credible geological model of terrain distribution.

To better help AI job, I'm orienting my opinion on a model of "seeds layers", that AI can better use with some templates reference:
any map should be calculated with a layer of early, middle and later useful resources (think about wood, coal, oil), a layer of optimal road route, a layer of best city placement, a layer of military strategical point, a layer of rural (primitive tribe) population distribution.

The seeds distribution must assure a balanced unbalancing start of resources, population etc.

With a bunch of "LIFE like" simple rules the game should start its "pre-history" (not played introduction) with a nomadic phase of tribes aggregation, that should be seen (from every player limited point of view) as a starting "cut scene".

Into this phase "Civ 2 Huts/Civ 3 Minor Civ" will be founded, your tribe will meet others friendly tribes to share first bunch of discoveries (Civ 2 starting tech), surrounding terrain knowledge, early religion and myth development (also about far civ existance ), then you'll see founded your first city (automatically placed, as in SMAC, but following the tribes aggregation, see LIFE rules).

It's a bit slow as a game start, but (standard Earth apart) I think CIV 3 must add a bit of atmosphere to every different game.
Remembering the famous five W of journalism: is the dawn of a new civilization, Who it is, Where do it come from, What's mainly doing (fight, research, build, explore), Why and When. I want to know before fiddling with my follower citizen!

The little briefing at the start do the job in a very dry way, but it can be done a lot better IMHO. Just consider the leader/population mood:

- Are you alone in a little island: how can you be a warlike civilization before to be an axplorer?
- Are you short on natural resources: fight for them!
- Do you have plenty of a resources: trade it!
- Are you in a quite good position: build and research!

Mankind changed and adapted itself as it learned to change the nature and convert it to its needs, so I think that the map generation is a lot more than a lottery of terrain tiles distribution

My humble opinion, of course.

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Admiral Naismith AKA mcostant