Dean McCullough |
Posted on 05/05/07 @ 01:21 PM
Playability: 3.2
Generally quite fun and playable. This (obviously) depicts The whole of Europe, from Britan to Russia to North Africa. The map really is not that good shapewise, so you'll just have to ignore that. This map has some interesting gists to it that make it more fun to play than a random map. On one side of the sea it is covered with fishes (compleltely) and on the other side it isn't. Gold and stone are clumped together in huge amounts in Mountain ranges. Each player starts as a different country... Player 3 is Britan, 1 is Frnace, 8 is Russia just to give examples. And as always, any map shaped on an actual landmass tends to be more fun than just a random map. :-D It really isn't amazingly special, but it is interesting enough to play, preferably on MP because of the big map size, 50 pop cap slows things down.
Balance: 3.2
All civs have equal opportunities to win, and different advantages are played out on location... Things contrast alot. For example, Britan has an abundance of every resource, but has a very small area and will have to send colonies overseas eventually. Russia has lots of wood, land, and gold/stone, but has to go a long way for food. I guess you could say random maps are the same way, but due to the shape of the landmass, this defenitely isn't the case.
Creativity: 3.3
^^As explained in the last 2 paragraphs, this has plenty of little gists to keep the creativity a notch above average. For exmp, contrasting advantages for each civilization, gold/stone acessed via mountains, and fish are big in the atlantic. Not to mention it's a map of Europe... While there are a few of these already, this one is somewhat bigger than most. Problem is, it's not very accurate. You'll just have to get over it. :-P
Map Design: 2.3
I give some props because this is an enormous map with 8 players, and I know how bad the lag could get, so I'll just give this a below average score. The map is an eyesore in most parts... Not really a whole lot other than resources, and quite blank as it is. Could have, should have been better.
Story/Instructions: 3.1
Multiplayer maps don't really need a whole lot in the storyline, and this one gave enough. There WERE aftermath messages, hints, and instructions, as well as a bit in history. Plenty enough as it is.
It's decent, take a peek if you want, but it's nothing all too special.[Edited on 05/05/07 @ 01:22 PM]
|