Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Mega Game II sign ups will start May 1, and there will be a target of 60 players. Dr. P has informed me that he may not have time to make a tile map. So I have used RanDom to generate some, and Gandalf has made some. The two best from each of our efforts will be posted for viewing.

Let me know which map looks like the best one. The two trophy named maps are my creation.

http://www.mediafire.com/?dpzz4myzgd1

http://www.dom3minions.com/RandomMap...test900_03.jpg

http://www.mediafire.com/?s20tnnm0zbz

http://www.dom3minions.com/RandomMap...test900_11.jpg

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Of course anyone wanting to make a better one can feel free.

The earliest date the game will start is May 15. There will be a sign up starting May 1, and the 1st 60 players will be taken. I will also take alternates, in case some players do not get their pretender selections in by the deadline.

Hopefully we can muster 60 again this summer for another Epic Game.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

I like most the test900_11 map from gandalf, as the land goes around a sea in the middle, with a bridge in the midle.

Then the Trophy4 is also nice, but i would connect the seas together in a ring and make a bridge at the bottom of the map, so that there are nice possibilites for multfront wars.

The other maps are more ore less big parts of land and water around them.

and btw. thumbnails would be a good thing, as watching 30MB pictures load is not very entertaining http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/yawn.gif

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

I like the 11 map as well.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

OMG another mega game!

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

All 4 are viable for a megagame but trophy and test900_11 look the best to me, I would pick 11 if I had to choose.

I like the sea nations being all together in a giant central ocean, hopefully stops them just sitting there and building up while carnage goes on amongst the land nations.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Here are smaller images of the maps:

test900_03:
http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/5...humbed0.th.jpg

test900_11:
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/6...humbce9.th.jpg

Trophy:
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/8...ophygr8.th.jpg

Trophy4:
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/2...phy4rd0.th.jpg

BTW, Gandalf has more 900 prov maps on http://www.dom3minions.com/RandomMaps/test900/

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Thanks Ich.

I viewed 25 of Gandalf's maps and chose 2. Regrettably, I did not think it wise to post 50 maps up for vote. The 4 I picked
had unique land or water areas, which is the reason they made the cut.

If Velusion, Dr. P, or any map expert makes a better one before the game starts, I will be thrilled to use it. But when Dr. P told me his map may not be done, I wanted to have a fall back map that was at least "pretty good, if not good." And I started on this map quest about 2 weeks ago, with Gandalf's help.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Does the map "test900_11" have a land bridge in the middle? If so then I choose that one.

The only problem with Gandalf's maps are the province borders being hard to see?

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Not sure, i need to get rgb file from gandalf. And i asked him to send me that one. It does not look to me like the bridge of land connects-though it could be made to do so. But the graphics for the province cannot be changed by any method
known to me. But i am graphically challenged.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Are any of these maps wraparound?

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

no. Dr. P was going to make a wraparound-and maybe he still might-but he told me he may not have time to complete it. So these are my ace-in-the-hole just in case no one else makes a better map.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

How many provinces are these maps?

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

900 provinces. 60 nations.

Likely be 7 water nations. So roughly 105 water provinces.

LA Ermor and LA Ryleh are banned due to issues with unit cap and them being the biggest of the free spawn nations.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

I got the rgb file from gandalf on 900-11. Only 97 water provinces, and it would be hard to start a water race in the water provinces along the top of the map, as they do not connect.

And there is no land bridge in the middle, but the one towards the top does connect in 900-11.

Trophy4 has 107 water provinces, and could better accommodate 7 water races.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

I don't think it would be very difficult to graphically make one of the maps wraparound, at least left-right. But that would require quite a lot of province editing afterwards. WOuld probably take a joined effort where different people were responsible for different continents or some such.

I'm fine with t4 as well.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Any chance of making this a server game? The last I read it was going to be PBEM. I'd love to play, but I only play server games.

T4 is a nice map though.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

You can download all the RGB files from http://www.dom3minions.com/RandomMaps/test900/

I suppose Trophy4 is the easiest map to be made wrap-around, followed by test900_11. Maybe only left-right for test900_11. Google "image tiling" for tips how to touch up the images for wrap-around. New connections for the neighbors table would need to be done by hand, I think, or did somebody write a program for that, too?

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

On the other hand, I don't want to play a server game for two main reasons: 1) it's harder to check a server game to remind yourself when a turn is due (you basically have to load the game to do so, as opposed to just adding a website to your favourites) and 2) if I need a temp sub (and I probably will at some point) I have to give him my permanent, unchangeable nation password for the whole game, whereas with llamaserver it's easy to switch a nation's email for a brief period.

Very strong vote for llamaserver here.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

The game, for better or worse, will be played on Llamaserver.

My apologies to those that cannot play PBEM games(: I am hosting the game and I am very familiar with all of the nuances of Llamaserver, as both of my Epic Heroes Games were hosted on it.

I also feel the security issues are ironclad on Llamaserver(not that there has ever been any problems that i have seen on other servers). And should some bug occur or something malicious, llamabeast(and llamabeast alone) has the ability to look at a turn file. Though that would be rare and it has never happened in either of the other 2 games i hosted.

Llamabeast said he is also making a special status page for the game so anyone can view the scores without logging into the game.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Dr. P has said he can probably make the T4 map an east/west wraparound in time for the game's earliest start date(may 15).

I am hoping to start the game between May 15-June 1. Earlier being better. If anyone wants to guarantee that they play on a east/west wraparound map, they can undertake that effort.

As an incentive, since it is time consuming task and benefits everyone, the person that does it will get to choose his race(though la ermor and la ryleh are not in the game). KO will also get to choose his race if it is a race he wants to see in action for design purposes. Of course i just removed any incentive KO may have had to fool with the map.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Just give me some backward nation with ugly sprites http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Players will select a number of races they want to play, plus
some they do not want to play. Based on those, a lottery of sorts will be used to determine race selection.

Most players should get to play one of the nations they select, and no one will have to play one of the races they select to not play.

If you have no developer's interest in a particular race, you will be in the same boat as everyone else for race selection.

No one will be guaranteed any race except the mapmaker if he gets the map done on time(and it looks good!). We will not use an ugly map!

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

*looks carefully*

I'd go with test900_11 map; besides the water provinces being a nice clump, there are also a lot of land choke points.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Xietor:

We should really choose nation for KO that really needs some work done. Hmm... MA Man?

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Yup. MA Man to KO... I think that it is about as strong and versatile as MA Ulm.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Is there a sign up thread yet?

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Sign ups start may 1.

I am leaning t4 because it can, i think, better accommodate 7 water races. But I have not started the tedious process of fixing 60 starting locations for t4 yet either.

The map will be coded for 60 random starting spots, and the final map file will be posted for all to see. Llamabeast will download the final version of the map and when he starts the game, I will have no control over who starts where. Completely random.

It will be luck.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

You keep saying 7 water races, but without LA R'lyeh aren't there only six?

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

that is right. LA Atlantis starts on land, and there is no la oceania. Maybe 900-11 would work fine. I need to start looking hard at both maps and see how the 60 starting spots pan out.

Now let me see if dr p has already started on t4 or not.

* I think MA Man is ok, but i would reduce the resource cost
of the KOA, and give the Wardens a shield and a good 1h weapon. A KOA commander is also needed to lead KOAs.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

They all look interesting. I'd say 11 if I had to choose one though.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

I think having the water broken up keeps one powerful water race from having too big a base. I have seen this issue in other mp games where 1 water race owns a huge connected clump of water.

Makes taking it from them more difficult, whereas if the water is broken up a bit it forces them to go on land at some point.

Do we really want 1 water race to own 100 provinces and 6 capitals without ever having to dry off? For that reason I tend to favor t4(of course i will be playing a land race).

Any thoughts on this issue? If 900-11 is used, all 6 water races will start in the 1 big fetus shaped body of water. The land bridge in the middle of the map does not extend all the way across.

I am, however, willing to follow the majority. Otherwise i would not have posted various maps for vote.


* one other issue, and it may be the deciding factor, is I cannot open the map file of 900-11 with dominions map editor
due to the format in which gandalf used to make the map. But we are working on this technical issue. I will need to be able to edit the map we use to set starting locations, and review everything.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

LA Atlantis and Marignon must start in a coastal province. Apparently this overrides starting positions (did in my current MP game). So you'll have to specify starting provinces for these nations, lest they end up anywhere along the coast.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Ok thanks KO.

That will be preclude me from playing either of those races, but I like the MA anyway.

*More musings on MA Man. I think i would have to take a sleeping Phoenix, for flaming arrows, arrow fend, or a sleeping ML with f4, for flaming arrows and a foot into d magic(and banefire), and pray i could get orb lightning before i got rushed).

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

As MA Mam you should take a N2W2 Bull and aim for bog beasts. Set dom to 3 and flat scales. If you start asleep you will probably get bog beasts when you wake up. Dump the rest of the points. Now we're kicking! It should not be impossible to get a good start with if you are neighboring four others. One of them is bound to be surprised when you attack him. If you go for two at once they will be even more surprised, both of them! Then it's just a cakewalk.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

is there a 900 prov version of the faerun map?

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

KO: Hahahah http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

I will support the use of the T4 map for the reasons mentioned by Xietor. It looks quite balanced. Especially if it was a wrap around map.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

yeah, T4 seems to be the best of the 4 there, 1 question thou, are mountains passable in it?

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Mountains are not passable on my maps normally, but exceptions must be made if I can not get enough land starting spots with 4 adjacent provinces. Typically, I like 3 for water and 4 for land.

In Eh II, Dr. P made the map, and was unable to have the mountains block passage and get enough decent starting spots.

But I prefer the mountains to block passage. I also typically edit out all waste provinces, and give all provinces with a unique symbol the "many magic sites" tag. Such as a volcano.

I will know much more this weekend when i begin editing the map to add starting positions.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

If you eliminate waste provinces, you also eliminate the casting of the rather nice "Hidden in Sand" spell, which can only be successfully cast in a waste.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

Hmm, new spells(:

Maybe I will leave the waste in. I had the RanDom setting for 2 percent anyway, so they are few and far between as it is.

Re: Mega Game II-vote for map
 

I have decided we are going to use t4 map. Gandalf gets credit for producing the most popular map of the voters, but Dr. P is going to start work making the map a wraparound and a decision had to be made.

There were 2 primary reasons for it, the first being i could not edit gandalf's map(due to my own ignorance i am sure) on the dominions map editor. While I could manually adjust terrain etc using wordpad and the map file, for 900 provinces that is a bit much.

Second: I really did not want to see a repeat of Mega Age I game, or another game I am in, where one of the few water races becomes a world power, through clams, globals etc without ever coming on land to fight.

900-11 ran the risk of the winning water race having 6 capitals and 100 provinces without ever having faced the turmoil that the land races must face. You will see what I mean as 15 land races will be dead by turn 30, and likely all of the 6 water races will still be there expanding against indies.

That is what occurred in Mega Age I, and on t4 the water races still likely avoid the early rushes facing the land nations, but if they want a dominant position, they will have to go on land and fight for it. Though large bodies of water exist in t4 as well.

I have placed the 6 water nations, and la Marignon and La Atlantis. While the map will not have a north/south wrap,
there will be 2 provinces that connect via wormhole/magical means. One of these provinces is on the south border, and one is on the north.

Dr. P has said he will do significant work on the map, and he will in return be the only player that gets to select his own race. He has made his selection: Niefelheim