Europa II [1.0] is submitted for review.

[SCIkick]

New map: Europa II [1.0] by SCIkick.
Map editor link: Europa II [1.0]

[SCIkick]

Made some changes and additions:

1. Added more income sites in empty areas. Increase income at existing sites.
2. Added some more ruins.
3. Added a few more cities to weaker starting areas.
4. Named most ruins after historical sites (Stonehendge, Petra, Ararat, Transylvania, Pompeii, etc...)
5. Named the 4 temples to match history
6. Added some more unit productions to some cities, including sea units

Hopefully these changes make the map even more fun, while being balanced.

Thanks!
SCIkick

Posts: 56
Joined: Sat Aug 28, 2010 12:03 am

[KGB]

The historical names are a very nice addition. Now if only you could apply a spell checker

Interestingly, I can't find 4 temples. I only see Roman, Greek, Christian and that's it. The mini-map in the map editor doesn't show a 4th one either (I looked for 10 minutes because I wanted to see the name).

KGB

[SCIkick]

The Temples are 2 Strength temples . . . The Coliseum in Rome and The Acropolis in Athens.

Jerusalem has the First Temple of course... The Fourth is close by in Alexandria, it's the legendary Library that was said to have lost much knowledge of history. (Grants the UL ruin knowledge bonus).

[KGB]

The library of Alexandria is the one I couldn't find but I see it now.

It makes me think that you should have done the rest of the 7 wonders of the ancient world (Hanging Gardens, Colossus of Rhodes etc) as Temples giving you 9 in all (Coliseum + First Temple).

KGB

[Jeremy]

I've enjoyed the couple of games I've played on this map. Interesting topography, and the history is nice. One challenge in a free-for-all is that the Ottomans pretty much always get attacked by the Egyptians. Although I don't know how one could solve that.

[Jeremy]

I've enjoyed the couple of games I've played on this map. Interesting topography, and the history is nice. One challenge in a free-for-all is that the Ottomans pretty much always get attacked by the Egyptians. Although I don't know how one could solve that.

[KGB]

The bigger problem is the Egyptians are too good on this map in FFA and even team mode.

On turn 1 with a Barbarian you can capture the city to the north and enter the water in the best boat. On turn 2 you land in the Holy Land taking the city by the sea thanks to the huge boat movement. On turn 3 you own all 4 cities in the race track there if they aren't overly well defended. After that it's only a couple more turns till you own everything on the nearby islands especially when you make Serpents in that city you capture on turn 1.

What makes it so unfair is these cities can't be attacked by anyone because of the corner position so they only need 1 man in them at most allowing 100% of your armies to go on the offensive against the Italians/Greece and eventually Spain.

Compare that to Russia or Sweden who take 5-6 turns to get their 3rd city much less their 4th and 5th cities and they are surrounded by enemies.

KGB

[zillusion]

I really enjoy playing on this maps, but I wish the 1v1 positions were designated in a way that assures a somewhat balance game. If you get Egypt and the other player gets Rome, Berlin or something else central, it's nearly impossible to win.

[KGB]

Posting a list of suggestions for SCIKick based on a 75 turn 8 player FFA game on this map. All are minor and won't involve rewriting the map of Europe but should help game play.

1) Swap Istanbul / Bursa for Turkey. Technically the city is both sides of the strait so this is accurate. But by starting the player on the other side it will let that player get the 2 cities of Ankara/Konya earlier. This helps threaten the Egyptian player to prevent him from getting all that area to the S/W too easily since normally Istanbul goes North. Now he should go south too. It also helps Russia a bit as well as it delays a southern invasion by a turn or 2.
2) Surround the city of Venice with Swamp so that you have to pass through swamp on either side to attack the city (ie no direct road to it). It is after all a city on the water. The map hardly has any swamp in the middle area and this is a logical place for some. Helps keep the Rome player from coming that way too fast or the Turkey player from going that way (tho by moving Turkey start that will help too) since you would have to pass through 2 swamp squares (one each side of the city) or more depending on how much swamp you add there.
3) Move Switzerland 1 square to the right. Then surround it with 1 snow square on all sides (other than the mountains) and then 1 hills around that snow to represent how hard it is to get there. I would also replace the mountain square diagonally on the lower right of the L2 ruin with a snow or hills square. It is possible in real life to get into Switzerland from Italy. This would then give another N/S route for armies to move through the mountains into Switzerland.
4) Help Russia. Change the port next to Perm to a bridge. Change the ford between Perm and Pechora to a bridge(leave the ford from Pechora to Arkangel). That will help Russia get those 2 cities faster. Right now it takes 10 turns to get from Moscow to Pechora at the very least. Then another 3 to vector armies to Moscow. By turn 13 the game may be almost over esp in team games. Russia needs to get those 2 cities much earlier as most sides will have 2x the cities Russia does by turn 10-13.
5) Add a port on one of the 2 rivers going past Crimea. That port at Crimea is the ONLY one there. Those 2 rivers are useless now and it makes it VERY hard for anything to happen in that area since owning Crimea locks up everything. In our game I stuffed a lot of men in there and Russia could do nothing since he had no water access to move around me while I could keep landing men and pushing into Russia. I'd put it at the end of the River that's to the right of Crimea and that ends between Moscow and Kiev.
6) Help Scandinavia. Change the port next to Sogneford to a ford so that you can cross there easier to move toward Trondheim. You can put a port on the left side of the city so there is still boat access there. I would also change a couple the snow squares along that path to Trondheim to Hills so that hill bonus units (Giants/Dwarves) can use that path better. Also add a L2 ruin someplace in Scandinavia. It can either be Beowulfs Barrow or Grendels Home.
7) I would also add the Temple of Upsalla, just to the NE of Stockholm next to the river (so Serpents can bless too) on the Stockholm side. I'd make this a move temple. That gives Northern Europe at least 1 temple and helps the Scandinavia player a slight bit by getting move bless.
8) Remove some of the roads between Beirut/Amman/Damascus/Aleppo. I call that the 'racetrack' because you can capture all 4 cities SO fast esp with the Move temple right there (Egypt captures Beirut on turn 2 if on turn 1 they buy the best boat for their armies so it gets captured REALLY fast). I would suggest having no roads to Damascus like there are none for Jerusalem and then move Damascus 3-4 squares to the right so it takes a bit longer to reach it.

It would be nice to have another strength temple somewhere in Northern Europe to balance out the 2 in Southern Europe. There must be some historical site that can be used for that purpose, ideally one that Germany/England/Scandinavia would fight for control of and is slightly off the beaten path.

KGB