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MAP VISUALIZATION
As everyone knows, customizing a map will change the way the map looks. 3 billion will make the land less random, while 5 billion will put desert right next to arctic in many cases. So we will already know how the map is going to be generated just by these settings. Everyone also knows that if you click on a dark area or on a water mass or land mass, next to the coordinates will be a number designating it as such. This is all common knowledge. But the question is, how is it useful rather than just telling you if there is a water mass or land mass there? As we all know, exploration is key in the very beginning turns of the game, no matter what setting you play. The decision of whether or not to go left or to go right, to go up or to go down, can be the difference between finding your opponent early on, or allowing him those precious extra turns to gain more ground. Up might lead to a hutless alcove forcing you to turn around and go back over the exact same terrain you came over, while choosing to go down could lead to a nice river filled with huts and on the path to your opponent. In my opinion the decision making in the very first turns of the game are what set the good players apart from the bad players.
So then, back to the basic question, how does that number tell us where to move, and when to move? Lets take a small map for demonstration. Lets say we start out on the map with land all around us. We build our first city and we now have a warrior to move, but which way? First, click on the land, usually it will be 1. If it is not 1, then your job is that much easier. 1 is the designation of the main land mass (in most cases), and 1 is also the designation of the main water mass (in 99.9% of the time). The land mass number we won't worry about because it is the same as the water mass. We want to know exactly where the main water mass is located. The reason for this is because it is impenatrable. There is no way around it and it determines whether you're on an island or a continent. Water masses designated as 2, 3, 11, etc. will always have a way through them or around them. 63 is always a lake or a really small water mass, maybe no more than 6 squares. This is key knowledge.
Ex. 1
You start the game with land all around you, but you are north of the equator. You have just 1 ocean square in your view to the left of you. The rest is land in every direction. Click on the ocean square. If it is 1, then you're going to explore to the east. Don't bother going up, and don't bother going straight down for right now. Leave it black. Those 2 areas are what I call claimed territory. They're areas where your opponent will not be and therefore there is no need to explore at this moment. If you go to the left you'll hit a solid wall of water. You may have just saved yourself 5, maybe 10 turns by going right first instead of exploring the other two areas. Go south east, and go straight east in exploring. But do not explore to the left of your city for now. Keep in mind this is only true on a small map where you'll know for sure they can't be. On a medium map you use the same principles, the difference is that you take into account the amount of space between you and the bottom or top of the map and that the main ocean mass may go for a long ways in both directions. In most cases though you'll be able to tell if there is sufficient land to harbor an opponent.
Ex2.
This time we'll talk using a medium map. Medium maps are more complicated and require knowing the other land masses. First click on your own land mass. To make things easier we'll say it's land mass 2. That means you'll actually be able to tell where the coastline is. Your start position puts you next to a water mass designated 19. First click around and determine 3 things:
1. How close is the next nearest land mass? How big is it?
2. Click around a ways out, do you see 2 a long ways out into the unexplored area? HOw far out? Can you determine the coastline of your continent? HOw far does it extend in each direction, and what is your position with respect to the equator? North or south?
3. How big is water mass 19?
Now you've gone ahead and answered these questions. There is no land mass near you, 2 extends a long long ways around the world (good news for you, you're on the main land mass), you determine that the coastline is goes a ways to the east, but even further to the west. You are situated south of the equator and water mass 19 goes a long ways to the west. Now, the questions is, north, south, east, or west? Obviously not south because that territory is claimed. You know the land to the east hits water mass 1 which means that is possibly claimed territory as well. At this point you need to answer another question: How many players are in this game? If there are alot of players, you could very well have an opponent to your east, but more likely northeast. However you are assured there are opponents to your west, but how far out is water mass 19? The next thing you need to determine is:
1. How much land is to the south of 19, and how much land is to the north of 19?
2. Go ahead and begin determining its coastline.
We'll say in this case you are very lucky. There is much more land south of 19 than there is north of 19. Now we know where to go. We're going to send the first horseman west, the second horseman is going to go north east to confirm the claimed terrirtory.
If you use these ideas on a small map, I guarantee you will claim half the map and be on your opponent with in the first 5-10 turns of the game or even sooner. If you use this on a medium map you will definitely have an edge over everyone else and be able to claim much more land than and huts.
As everyone knows, customizing a map will change the way the map looks. 3 billion will make the land less random, while 5 billion will put desert right next to arctic in many cases. So we will already know how the map is going to be generated just by these settings. Everyone also knows that if you click on a dark area or on a water mass or land mass, next to the coordinates will be a number designating it as such. This is all common knowledge. But the question is, how is it useful rather than just telling you if there is a water mass or land mass there? As we all know, exploration is key in the very beginning turns of the game, no matter what setting you play. The decision of whether or not to go left or to go right, to go up or to go down, can be the difference between finding your opponent early on, or allowing him those precious extra turns to gain more ground. Up might lead to a hutless alcove forcing you to turn around and go back over the exact same terrain you came over, while choosing to go down could lead to a nice river filled with huts and on the path to your opponent. In my opinion the decision making in the very first turns of the game are what set the good players apart from the bad players.
So then, back to the basic question, how does that number tell us where to move, and when to move? Lets take a small map for demonstration. Lets say we start out on the map with land all around us. We build our first city and we now have a warrior to move, but which way? First, click on the land, usually it will be 1. If it is not 1, then your job is that much easier. 1 is the designation of the main land mass (in most cases), and 1 is also the designation of the main water mass (in 99.9% of the time). The land mass number we won't worry about because it is the same as the water mass. We want to know exactly where the main water mass is located. The reason for this is because it is impenatrable. There is no way around it and it determines whether you're on an island or a continent. Water masses designated as 2, 3, 11, etc. will always have a way through them or around them. 63 is always a lake or a really small water mass, maybe no more than 6 squares. This is key knowledge.
Ex. 1
You start the game with land all around you, but you are north of the equator. You have just 1 ocean square in your view to the left of you. The rest is land in every direction. Click on the ocean square. If it is 1, then you're going to explore to the east. Don't bother going up, and don't bother going straight down for right now. Leave it black. Those 2 areas are what I call claimed territory. They're areas where your opponent will not be and therefore there is no need to explore at this moment. If you go to the left you'll hit a solid wall of water. You may have just saved yourself 5, maybe 10 turns by going right first instead of exploring the other two areas. Go south east, and go straight east in exploring. But do not explore to the left of your city for now. Keep in mind this is only true on a small map where you'll know for sure they can't be. On a medium map you use the same principles, the difference is that you take into account the amount of space between you and the bottom or top of the map and that the main ocean mass may go for a long ways in both directions. In most cases though you'll be able to tell if there is sufficient land to harbor an opponent.
Ex2.
This time we'll talk using a medium map. Medium maps are more complicated and require knowing the other land masses. First click on your own land mass. To make things easier we'll say it's land mass 2. That means you'll actually be able to tell where the coastline is. Your start position puts you next to a water mass designated 19. First click around and determine 3 things:
1. How close is the next nearest land mass? How big is it?
2. Click around a ways out, do you see 2 a long ways out into the unexplored area? HOw far out? Can you determine the coastline of your continent? HOw far does it extend in each direction, and what is your position with respect to the equator? North or south?
3. How big is water mass 19?
Now you've gone ahead and answered these questions. There is no land mass near you, 2 extends a long long ways around the world (good news for you, you're on the main land mass), you determine that the coastline is goes a ways to the east, but even further to the west. You are situated south of the equator and water mass 19 goes a long ways to the west. Now, the questions is, north, south, east, or west? Obviously not south because that territory is claimed. You know the land to the east hits water mass 1 which means that is possibly claimed territory as well. At this point you need to answer another question: How many players are in this game? If there are alot of players, you could very well have an opponent to your east, but more likely northeast. However you are assured there are opponents to your west, but how far out is water mass 19? The next thing you need to determine is:
1. How much land is to the south of 19, and how much land is to the north of 19?
2. Go ahead and begin determining its coastline.
We'll say in this case you are very lucky. There is much more land south of 19 than there is north of 19. Now we know where to go. We're going to send the first horseman west, the second horseman is going to go north east to confirm the claimed terrirtory.
If you use these ideas on a small map, I guarantee you will claim half the map and be on your opponent with in the first 5-10 turns of the game or even sooner. If you use this on a medium map you will definitely have an edge over everyone else and be able to claim much more land than and huts.
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