Mega non-random map

[Atreidi]

When will you finish the map?

[Twan]

Hum... Started to draw the terrains more than a week ago and less than a half is done. Also I'll try to make minimal distance between caps 5 provinces, so I have a lot of fronteers to change (and more natural barreers explaining the unpassable borders to add).

Then there is the map editor phase. Then the manual edition of the .map file (for start locations etc...). Then the longest step is testing the map and fix missing/wrong neighbours etc.

I think I can say map will be ready for the next megagame anyway.

[Zeldor]

I would rather expect 2 new land nations [machakas] added in a patch, not a water nation.

[Twan]

As I doubt a megagame will start before next spring, I think it's better to let space for one more, just in case (also a recent patch note say the unit cap will be higher, if it's really very high even LA rlyeh may be usable).

In worse case LA Atlantis can easily be modded to start underwater as all units are amphibious, and the free coastal spot used for one more land nation.

[Endoperez]

LA Atlantis gets much worse recruitment under water. No mages at all IIRC, and weak MA troops instead of ice armor guys.

[Twan]

Even if modded with #uwnation ?

[Twan]

Interesting results.

I was thinking many people prefered games with 15 or less provinces per player. As most agree for 17+ and many are for 20+, I guess I can add some provinces (to about 18,5 per player), which will help me to space more the capitols without too illogical unpassable borders.

About gateways, there won't be more than 4 or 5 for the whole map. As the idea seem popular one will link the three lakes, but with particularly strong guardians (several abominations or something like that -I'll use creatures with very high MR or mindless to avoid to see Rlyeh enslaving them).

For special sites, it's not really decided :
- I may completely avoid mages sites like Endo suggest and just use some gems or troops summoning sites as specials, or things like assassins guild in cities
- I may use as pre-set only some very common / not powerful mages sites (ie : animist hut, navigators and alchemist guild)
- another possibilty is to give pre-set positions to the best sites (powerful mages sites in "free cities", school bonus sites in regions looking special, all with some bonus garrisons), but with a command in the game mod to exclude them from random sites generation, it may be good for balance to avoid to have several very good sites in the same region (things like metal orders mages, academy of high magics, lore masters citadel, school bonus sites etc), and instead have one of them for 3 or 4 players, at about same distance from their capitols
- I may pre-set sites with or without making sure the province will have them (if I don't use #killfeatures, pre-set sites just have more chances to appear, but may be remplaced by random ones)