[atul]

Yeah, I'd really advice adhering to old programmers' paradigm, KISS (Keep It Simple).

The more strange variations you do, the more confusing it gets. The more things game manager loads for his team, the more prejudiced it appears. And so on. It has been shown that 2:1 ratio with standard settings has given results that depend on organization and co-operation of the teams, and that's what this kind of game should strive towards.

Vet team should have some advantage early on thanks to the huge outnumbering factor. First picks on nations is one of those, at least they can make sure they're not overtaken by early expanders so early in the game it hasn't even begun yet. If noobs get all extra resources and stuff you should give vets something too, like extra gem income. Not much use early on but nice to have at some point. Just an example. But easiest, most straightforward way would be just play it straight and not juggle any freebies around.

Oh, and one thing. If someone who places teams on the map plays for either team, the other team should have a say in where they are placed. Just for it to appear fair. We had some issues with that before, to quote a guy with good points in his post.

Yet I must disagree with lower magic site freq than usual. It just drops down the variety in the game, as some nations do depend on high magic while others go for steel.

But, if it's still intended as noobs vs vets, keep it simple. Mod nations and other nonstandard settings just make the game bizarre, not better.