The Flat-earth option is fun, do others use it?

[tobyr]

I would like to hear from others who have played with the flat earth option. I have gotten used to it, and like it a lot. (ToT has this option, I assume civ2 does also.)

This option makes the map much easier to understand early in the game (obviously my spatial relation sense isn't all that great). It also seems to me that it is a little easier to keep track of the multiple attacks going on in the late game because the map is simpler.

A flat earth means that some parts of the world are VERRY far from each other, but this does not seem to create unusual difficulties in the game.

The flat earth does not have polar regions (at least in the fantasy game). The edges of the each map are either:
- ocean or impassible terrain, and need not be explored
- a thin strip of land without specials, and need not be explored
- normal land with normal occurence of special terrain, (may be quite sizeable), can be treated as normal.

I guess I do not care for the way polar terrain is treated in the normal, global map. The long strip of polar land is of course unnatural, and the efforts involved in searching and securing it do not seem terribly interesting to me. It's nice to look at all those special polar squares that mostly cannot be incorporated in a city, but so what?

- toby


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toby robison
criticalpaths@mindspring.com

[Neon Deon]

Tobyr,

I too like to use flat maps but only on sectional maps. IE: The Med, Europe etc.
AS for the strip of land at the poles being
too long well think of it this way. Take an
orange. Paint the top of it white. Peel the skin of the orange in one piece enough so u hit the white part when u do it. Lay it out
flat and what do u have a thin long strip of
white at the top

[The Mad Monk]

I play 'flat world' in some fantsy games--it seems appropriate, somehow. I believe the Europe map and other small scale maps use as a matter of course (it would be really silly, otherwise...).
Anyone try a 'ringworld map'? Here's the concept: your civ is stuck on an incomplete ringworld orbiting a far-off star, and only one (or possibly four) sections are livable. The map is as long and thin as you can get it (something like 250x40)(or is it 40x250?), and a flatworld. The one time I tried this, it seemed that the AIs really liked it. As did the barbarians. Gah.

[Neon Deon]

Ok once more. This time more detail. Peel the Northern hemisphere only. Then stretch it out. A strip of white at the top. The Unnatural part is taking a 3d object and forcing it into 2d. However, when you consider that the North and South Poles are mostly impassable anyway(except maybee for air traffic and Nuclear subs[North Pole only]), then, it is the only way you can make the earth round in a 2d world. To me more unnatural would be playing a world map in flat mode. Ie: In order to travel from Hawaii to Japan i have to go east instead of west.

But hay u can do some wild things with flat maps! Like 250 x 40 custom map. Trade route from one side to the other would be pretty kewl

[Black Bart]

well that's the price you pay when putting a 3d world on a flat map. Yes the poles will be all screwed up. But they aren't a big part of the game anyways. I think you can play with no poles, so there aren't any goodie huts up there. Which is unrealistic anyways.

I think I'll try a flat map, my next game and see if I like it. I played on one a long time ago I think, on the North america map. But I like to use my navy a lot. So maybe i'll try a mediterranean map.

[tobyr]

Neon Deon,
If I paint a spot white, on top of an orange, please note that all the PARTS of the white spot are very close to each other. After the map is laid out in a 2-dimensional projection (that is, after the orange is peeled), the PARTS of each pole are now mostly very far apart, which is quite unnatural.

- toby




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toby robison
criticalpaths@mindspring.com

[Black Bart]

I'm playing a flat world right now. The Mediterranean to Persia map- Rivers(here at apolyton). That is a interesting map. Difficult terrain that really restricted my trade. There sure will be a few nukes flying before I can finally take down the persians (I put most civs in their repectable positions). I always conquer every civ too. Their civs aren't connected by railroads yet. This is why I actually do better in warfare at the higher levels. My howitzers utilize their railroads quite well.