To all those that find Mediterranean "boring", predictable, etc, etc.
It's the BEST map type ever made, period.
Why?
1. You most always have an option! Sea, Land and Mixed.
For example, I normally make 1 zillion boats in Stone, and just abandon them in Tool - if killed, oh well, they paid for themselves - else great, I keed saving. You can have all the sea to yourselves, thanks...
Some people (especially Assyrian) will simply make a dozen boats and use the wood for Archery ranges and CA... with devastating effects on the booming enemy.
2. You NEVER know where the damn gold will be! Near? Far? It will be there... but where? By the Sea? In clusters of 2 mines? Defensable? Not defensable?...
Quite unpredictable, especially in Huge / Gigantic.
3. Enemy is often NOT symetrical when playing 1x1. This is great, don't take anything for granted.
4. The nice waterways are great hiding spots for fishing in emergencies. Forests are plentiful. Elevations are better distributed. Aestethically pleasing also.
5. There's always more than one winning strategy for these, while team games are mostly won by gangs of 2x1, forward building in the pocket is also used, etc.
Walling in these maps is also becoming a form of art ...
With so much going for them, Mediterranean maps are really awesome.
Now the worst:
I would give an ex-equo to Small Islands (Large) and Narrows (any size).
In narrows, especially, most your whole land is at the mercy of boats. All the key resources are hard to pick without a very strong naval protection.
So, boat wars, ship wars, vessel wars....
This is your idea of a varied and interesting game?... Well, sure not mine ...
I hate these maps because they do not leave you any tactical options whatsoever.
But certainly others disagree and they have their reasons, right?...