At what map setting/opponent # does the "expansionistic" trait start to become good?

[Chemical Ollie]

After I got my new computer, which can stand up to the computing power of dealing with a huge map in modern ages (2.56 GHz, 512 MB RDRAM), I have started to like the expansionist trait more. I've learned some dirty tricks from reading Aeson's post, like using the luxury slider early on to eliminate the need for military police on emperor level, thus being able to build 2-3 extra scouts instead of warriors.

[joncnunn]

On Standard yup.

On Tiny maps, building 1 scout in adition to the one you start with is all you'll need.

On larger maps, you may be able to use more scouts, but as I mentioned, don't have your capital concentrate on them, spread them out as a scout-warrior build instead of warrior-warrior for the first few new cities.

On any size and layout of the map, Hopefully your capital is in good terraign where it can use a granery and be a settler factory. (Chop down some forest to speed it along.)

I play on Emperor level on Tiny random maps as random civs with random barbs, in my current game, it happened to be a long windy pangena with lots of pensulas as England with the Settler in the middle of grassland with a Wheat tile on the coast; non barbs. (EXCELENT for the Expansionist traight.) While I didn't get any extra settlers from the goodie huts, I received 3 free techs + 25 gold from them, was the civ that made the final connection connecting everybody, and successfuly discovered Writing and Polytheism first via the one beaker tactic. (And have an excelent shot at finishing Monarchy first via the one beaker tactic.)

Contienants + Standard size : Build a Scout as first build for the first city, and perhaps the first build of the second city if your not along a coast. Standard won't justify the 3rd unless your on a Pangena. With Cultural related starts on, if your India you proably get every hut on the landmass, as England or Russia , the amount you get depends on where the other country is, as any of the American civs, you should get a goody hut, but don't count on more. If you turn off culturaly related stops, then chances are you split the landmass goody huts with the other Expansionist civ on the landmass.

Quite acceptable on balance on contienants unless there happened to be a lot of tough terraign on a 3 civ landmass.

Originally posted by Artifex
So 3 scouts max? Hmm.

Anyway, I'm mainly curious about minimum map settings for expansionist to be worth it.

It's viability on continents, standard map is dubious at best. What do you think?