Large map = better!

[PrimerX]

There is a lot of good mods coming out and this game is going to rock. One thing that has bugged me is that ever since playing on the large map by Re Berengario I (in Anno Domini), I simply can not go back to the cluttered vanilla map. I tried playing DarthMod today and its all good except the map. Even with simple AI improvement the large map vastly improves the game play. I'm just hoping more modders out there adapt these larger maps. Vanilla is WAY to small for an epic game.

[smayo76]

/agree

[Candelarius]

I actually like the vanilla map, but, that's just me.

But, this is also the wrong forum for this topic...

[Flavius_Maximus]

As far as i know, all the LARGE maps out there get destroyed when the farms are built everywhere. The bigger scale stretches the grainfield graphics. The effects are horrible. What was once a beautiful lush green carpeted playing surface with very easy visibility of units and resources markers, become a crappy playing surface where you can't see squat.

Conversely, on the regular map, the grainfields do not stretch and remain small enough of a feature not to interfere very much at all with seeing everything important to gameplay.

Another thing about LARGE maps is on even my machine which is fairly fast these huge maps often don't scroll very well over the most graphic intensive areas like the Alps or over in the Americas for some odd reason.

What is needed on the LARGE maps is some optimizations to get rid of the huge ugly grainfields and the sticky areas. Though i realize that adjusting graphics modes and game settings can solves those issues. Still, i bet there is a lot of work that could be done to smooth this using editing software on this huge map graphic files.

I will say this though. There's no way to put close to 200 regions/cities on the regular map. Too packed.

I'd like to see a medium increase in map size and several of the empty expances filled with additional regions/cities.

I'm having great fun on the regular map with "Ultimate Ai .03 and several other of the very latest mods that go well together. I'm restarting a campaign right now with all the same mods as last campaign plus their updates.

I've seen total war with extended distances modded into all unit moves that create a fantastic threat matrix now. I see a ship land and a fully loaded army get out and immedietely siege an inland city. Last Campaign went to maybe 50 turns. At that stage there were 14 Kingdoms at war and i was ranked 6th militarily. Great fun not being a cakewalk on VH/VH. HRE, Egypt and Venice were becoming huge.

The LARGE maps look like their time will come in a few weeks after they get everything smoothed out and especially - in my opinion - they increase the possible move distances of all units can make each turn. I meen alot. Like Iin Ultimate AI .03. The AI really loves the extra distances. Believe me, it's a much better game in terms of surprises and challenge now. The inherant advantages of the human player have been reduced significantly under the new far moving units modification implimentation. Land and sea both. The AI has no trouble using everything it's got.

[Havoc04]

/Agree Flavius_Maximus

And not only that im a bit of a eye candy freak and i tried that Big map that has been posted..Nice and big..Great except it didnt look like real contients, no curvy coastlines etc.. It seemed as though i was playing in Civ2 or something...Ugly

Big Map/Clean textures/Nice coastlines,Continents.....Youll have my vote then

[the_mango55]

I don't like large maps honestly, the normal map is plenty big for me.

And no way would I want 200 provinces in a map.

[userfriendly]

I for one do not like large maps. I do not think it is terribly realistic for a crusading army to take 20 years to walk to the holy lands from Paris. Besides movement speed I am not crazy about the speed decrease of the computer running it (you can comment along the lines of *buy a new computer* if you send me a paypal for $5 usd. email buyanewcomputer at russiananimation.com). It is not even the turn speed but rather scroll speed that bugs me

Mostly the 1st one though.

[hammi]

I'm a bit on the fence regarding the big maps.

Without more cities they are nice, no more siege fests.

They are good fun with balanced added provinces, some factions really perform way better with few extra provinces.

On the other hand, the AI is so easy to defeat on battles that to have enjoyable game you have to restrain your expansion by house rules, on vanilla map and on bigger map too.

Still, with bigger maps you reach the boring point of becaming invicible way quicker, have zillion cities to micro, n+1 million agents to watch over and thousand familimy members.

The UI quite frankly sucks big time at that point. User interface has never been good in the series, imho.


I think once we get decent VnV systems out there, I think I'll get most enjoyment of the small scale warfare of Vanilla ( or bigger map without additional regions ), taking care each and every agent and family member, nurturing every city and castle.

I have Spurius' Extended installed and I like it, didn't even spot the graphics everyone complains. But I think I still like Vanilla a bit better.

EDIT - Good point about the speeds too. That really started to get quite a lot on my nerves, even though I have semidecent computer.

[IceTorque]

As far as i know, all the LARGE maps out there get destroyed when the farms are built everywhere. The bigger scale stretches the grainfield graphics.

Rubbish.

Another thing about LARGE maps is on even my machine which is fairly fast these huge maps often don't scroll very well over the most graphic intensive areas like the Alps or over in the Americas for some odd reason.

The only slow down I get is from smaller maps that have settlements and too many units too close together, I get smoother scrolling on large maps.

And not only that im a bit of a eye candy freak and i tried that Big map that has been posted..Nice and big..Great except it didnt look like real contients, no curvy coastlines etc.. It seemed as though i was playing in Civ2 or something...Ugly

This happens when a smaller map is enlarged, no doubt BigMap will only get better.

I don't like large maps honestly, the normal map is plenty big for me.

And no way would I want 200 provinces in a map.

I dislike the siege fest type of gameplay from small maps, but I agree that adding too many regions can ruin the game.

I for one do not like large maps. I do not think it is terribly realistic for a crusading army to take 20 years to walk to the holy lands from Paris. Besides movement speed I am not crazy about the speed decrease of the computer running it (you can comment along the lines of *buy a new computer* if you send me a paypal for $5 usd. email buyanewcomputer at russiananimation.com). It is not even the turn speed but rather scroll speed that bugs me

The large maps I have created all have increased movement points to not only compensate for the larger scale but to also reduce the "20 years to walk to the holy lands from Paris" syndrome.

I'm a bit on the fence regarding the big maps.

Without more cities they are nice, no more siege fests.

I agree, to double the maps scale then fill it with regions imo negates any gameplay improvements from a large map.

On the other hand, the AI is so easy to defeat on battles that to have enjoyable game you have to restrain your expansion by house rules, on vanilla map and on bigger map too.

This is entirely on how the game is set up, and has nothing to do with map size.

Still, with bigger maps you reach the boring point of becaming invicible way quicker, have zillion cities to micro, n+1 million agents to watch over and thousand familimy members.

Again game set up, too many regions for example.

The UI quite frankly sucks big time at that point. User interface has never been good in the series, imho.

Agreed, it's best to reduce rebel/pirate spawn rates as much as possible as scrolling over a giant map each turn searching for these little buggers is not fun.

Large maps are better for me because it gives the game world a better sense of scale and realism, it increases the strategic side of the game and forces the player to take more chances by venturing further away from friendly settlements which vastly increases the chance a marauding army will be cut off and destroyed. Last but by no means least it reduces siege battles.

Like big maps or hate em, aint it great to have a choice.

[derdrakken]

Large maps are better for me because it gives the game world a better sense of scale and realism, it increases the strategic side of the game and forces the player to take more chances by venturing further away from friendly settlements which vastly increases the chance a marauding army will be cut off and destroyed. Last but by no means least it reduces siege battles.

Like big maps or hate em, aint it great to have a choice.

Amen! dd

[vikrant]

moved to gathering

[Flavius_Maximus]

It's not rubbish since many have had the same opinion about the ugly grainfields.

The AI in Battles has the same powerful units as we do. Or better or worse, but just depending on what they are building or picking up as mercs.

So difficulty is never "easy" in battles.

The improvements in just the past week have impoved the battles quite a lot, if you include our mods an CA's new 1.1 patch.

I have really only two house rules now.

1] Never start a war. Unless it is obvious a faction is threatening to take over all of the gameworld and it becomes nessessary for survival to face that menace. One exception that i know of is to drive the Moors (Islam) back out of Spain at the beginning of the Campaign because traditionally, that presence of Islam there threaten all of Europe.

2] Never listen to the Pope's request to betray someone.