Map making question

[Eressil3]

I would like to try to make a map. Since I'm still a beginner, I wonder what makes a map a good one, gameplay wise ?

[Gandalf Parker]

Basically one that doesnt trap anyone in a bad spot. For me I like to see one or two large continents (no small land masses large enough to start on but not large enough to continue expanding). And 2 or 3 large oceans (same with water, none large enough to start in but just barely and then you are stuck for awhile)

Other than that I like lots of choke points. Small pieces of land connecting continents, small water ways connecting oceans, but neither large enough for anyone to start at.

Variety is nice. Each terrain scattered in various places around the map. But no terrain in chunks big enough for someone to get stuck in it. Certain nations would do very well and others very badly if they landed in farmland surrouinded by farmland, or mountains surrounded by mountains, or swamp, etc. I prefer the terrain zones to be small enough that someone wont land in it and find all of their capital provinces to be the same thing.

[llamabeast]

Interesting connectivities too, I'd say. Choke points and so on. The really interesting maps, like Cradle of Dominions, have many more choke points (bridges, ports, mountain passes etc) than randomly generated maps.

[Gandalf Parker]

Actually my random ones can be alot of fun for chokepoint players. Such as this one
http://www.dom3minions.com/RandomMaps/MegaMap.jpg
http://www.dom3minions.com/RandomMaps/MegaMap.zip
or this one
http://www.dom3minions.com/RandomMaps/TriMega.jpg
http://www.dom3minions.com/RandomMaps/TriMega.zip

[llamabeast]

But Gandalf! They're just too big for ordinary mortals!

[Gandalf Parker]

Well they can be made smaller http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif
They were generated with the games map maker. I figure people can do smaller ones for themselves