What maps do people want? Advice?

[Maraxus]

4 land-neighbours is a good average.

I think conections are interesting, when they create good border-situations and good expand-sittuations at the same time. Therefor it's interesting to add connections to diffrent regions of the map. Or in other words: A province can have a lot of neigbours, if those neigbours have only few connections among each other.

[Gandalf Parker]

Small unwrapped maps are easy enough for people to generate for themselves. So any combination of...
A) large or more (the game defines large as 20 prov per player)
B) satellite photo
C) fantasy maps (not my cup of tea to use known maps from other sources but some like it)
D) hex or other "fair grids"
E) balanced for multiplay
F) wrapped
G) themed scenarios
H) Creative (multiple layers, etc)

As to programs....
Using map generators from other games seems like a good idea. Dig up any X4 games you have from the last decade and see if they have a map editor.

And you might look at this directory
http://www.dom3minions.com/RandomMaps/projects/GIMP/
Those were created using a random generation script in the free GIMP paint program. GIMP is powerful, but not the funnest to learn

And here is a link to a Dom2 generator that is still running. Feel free to use any of these as a base for a new map. There is a new batch of maps generated every day.
http://tinyurl.com/2ofqzy
I hope to finish something like that for Dom3 one day.

[jutetrea]

idea: Map covered with movement restricted provinces, except a road system of plains (with a graphical representation of a road.)

Similar idea: A full wasteland/swamp map with a series of fat farms spread about. Start, waste, waste, farms, waste, waste, farm, frontline (or middle). Make few enough that holding onto the good provinces is worthwhile. No chokepoints, but a large army would have difficulty crossing vast wasteland. Think desert/oasis.

I'd like to see a smaller verion of one of the maps that has the cavern/dungeon system. A few provinces that have a long connection to a subset of provinces to the side and off the map.

[Sombre]

I'd like warparound maps that are relatively balanced and have a good number of provinces that are just 'normal' - not forest, swamp, farm, mountain etc.

[Juzza]

Yes, because in dominions 3 we are all looking for normal things kidding

I like small maps!!!!

[DrPraetorious]

I'd like maps which are both artistic (unusual looking, pretty to look at, etc.) as well as reasonably balanced or at least balanceable, and *wrap around*.

Given that we're going to spend many, many hours staring thoughtfully at this thing as we play the game, I don't want ounderstate the importance of a map that looks good.

But wrap around (more than symmetry) is key to making a big map well balanced. Smaller maps you can just place players around the rim by hand, it's not a big deal.

[Kristoffer O]

I think there is a need for wrap around maps in the MP community. Starting position along one edge of the map is often more unbalancing than a position with rich or poor provinces.