Map Ideas: "Resource Dash" "The Pit" "Folding Galaxy" "Starbase Desert" etc.

from Stardock Forums
I'd love to see some map options along the lines of suggestions to let people choose their placement on the map (corner or central, etcl). Please add others:

"Resource Dash": All the resources are in the dead center sector of the galaxy. This will only result in a fun game, of course, if the AI knows to fight for them.

"Resource Desert": Like it sounds -- no resources!

"Starbase Dash": Same idea as the centralized resources only put starbases there -- allowing no other starbases to be built!

"Starbase Desert": Yep, no starbases at all.

"The Pit": All Civs start with one good planet in the same centralized sector! Ouch!

"Planet Dash": All the awesome planets are in the center sector.

"Planet Desert": You start with a few good planets ... and all the rest are positively useless except to extend your range, etc.

"Folding Galaxy": You can go 'off' the map on the edges and come out the other side. Think Asteroids here.

Man, these would be fun to try! :CONGRAT:
636 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
I think "Starbase Desert" should have three or four resources in every sector, just to frustrate people :)

For "Starbase Dash," what purpose would there be in building starbases there? Unless there were some good planets in the sector of course, or you could arrance for all your trade routes to go through the center of the map.

"The Pit" I hope you're planing on a really short game! If one civ doesn't gain military ascendency and take over, then the player with the highest culture will swallow the other civs up pretty quickly.
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Interesting ideas... care if I add some?

More specifically, I'd like to see some spatial "terrain" so there's something other than just empty space out there. Like...

Asteroid fields - Penalize movement while moving through this stuff, maybe even "dense" fields that prevent movement. Possibly even allow ships to hide in them?

Nebulae - Same as asteroids but with defense penalties

Radiation fields - Inflict gradual damage to any ships within

Fixed Wormholes
Galactic Civilizations IV
Reply #3 from Stardock Forums Top
"For "Starbase Dash," what purpose would there be in building starbases there?"

No, the starbases are *already* there, you see. They start off not being owned by anybody. The first constructor to claim them gets them!

""The Pit" I hope you're planing on a really short game! If one civ doesn't gain military ascendency and take over, then the player with the highest culture will swallow the other civs up pretty quickly."

It would interesting to see. Early defenses are rather powerful as long as the defending ship is 'at home.' And how would you get culture enough to dominate that sector when *all* civs' home planets are in that sector?

Daveman: Some nice ideas!
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
"Blind Date": You start the game automatically aligned with a Civ., and the alliance can't be broken until you're the only last two left standing.

"The Bachelor": 5 lonely AI civs all seem to want to be your best friend, and you start the game having to choose one -- but 4 of them are actually armed with a hidden ability to wreck your econ half way into the game (think: Marrying the wrong woman!). Will you choose the right civ to form an alliance with or with this be intergalactic divorce hell?
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
"Vegas": Capturing resources generates income -- your *only* source of income! No way to 'turtle' on this map!
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
"Neutral Zone" Three races on one side of the map, three on the other... and no planets in the middle to extend range.

"Boxing Match" (Huge or Gigantic galaxy only) Each race starts in a Cluster, with a large "empty space" region around each cluster preventing initial interaction at all.

(I also like the "terrain" ideas... reasons not to go straight from "here" to "there"! Plus some potential tactical considerations.)

"Here there be Dragons": Space Monsters start on the map, but remain confined to certain regions.
More dangerous, but controllable: Monsters roam the map, but tend to remain outside "guarded" (patrolled or actively sensor'd) regions. (Ala Barbarians in Civ... they only arise in "uncontrolled" areas, so as civilization expands, the barbarians are pushed back and eventually eliminated.)

"Collapse of the Empire": One Civ (The Drengin? I-League?) is ancient and starfaring already, but has run out of resources and money. The other civs start on the borders, with plentiful resources. The Empire is a match for any one "barbarian", but not all 5... (Could play either side, as a barbarian or the Empire.)

"Galactic Latecomers": All good planets (Class 15+) are already controlled by minor powers, and they've been around for awhile.
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
"
Asteroid fields - Penalize movement while moving through this stuff, maybe even "dense" fields that prevent movement. Possibly even allow ships to hide in them?

Nebulae - Same as asteroids but with defense penalties

Radiation fields - Inflict gradual damage to any ships within

Fixed Wormholes
"
Nice, but didn't you watch the old Star Trek series?

ION STORMS

Chekov: "Captin, Captin an Ion Storm!"
Kirk: "It's OK Chekov, it's just the screensaver."
;p
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
"Charlie's Angels"

3 Civs start allied and will *not* break the alliance. In fact, the only civ they won't allow to join is, well, yours! So no alliance victory for you...

Can you defeat Charlie's Angels?
Reply #10 from Stardock Forums Top
Ah, I should say that, of course, you could still get an alliance victory if you get the other 2 non-allied civs to join with you in an alliance (or even 1 of them) to destroy the others. In fact, that's your best bet for winning here.
Reply #11 from Stardock Forums Top
So the real question becomes: Is there a map editor?
With such a tool, you could make all these fairly easily.
Of course, you'd know the map, but just pool them on the net and share someone else's scenario (like civfanatics and apolyton scenario pages).