I like the random aspects of the maps. They often create challenges and bounties that make the game enjoyable. However, once in a while, I miss having more quantitative control over resources. For example, my hometown is in a valley. North and South are escarpments, East is rolling hills and West is a very large lake. Imagining the city and towns were gone, the entire valley would be filled with trees and fertile land (as it used to be underwater). I would enjoy being able to have options available to possibly recreate a facsimile of my home before people. I imagine this would lead into a map creatorā¦ which may not fit with the devās dream, and I understand that. The system they have created is VERY GOOD. I just ask to have a little more control over resource disbursement and maybe terrain layout. Obviously, the current options are great and should definitely stay. Thoughts anyone?
I think the maps are a little too random in how they generate terrain and how resources tie in to the layout of said terrain. In a game like Endless Legend or Transport Fever or even Tropico, you can specify via sliders the general quantity and distribution of terrain features and resources via specific sliders, and those are all far more complex maps than what FF offers. Iāve spent no less than a significant amount of my total playtime in FF just flatout rejecting the map given to meāI only do long plays on huge maps so I need to either love the map given or feel like I had a hand in creating it. Given that FFās maps are not handcrafted at all, it feels like the aforementioned gamesā process of generating maps would make even more sense in FF.
As a new player, I also think the maps are definitely too randomized in the sense that the majority of the maps I roll feel more or less unplayable. Iāve spent literal hours re-rolling maps and I have yet to find a single map that has every resource available in a reasonably close proximity. Every time I find one that has a decent pool of resources, half of them are infinite, making them irrelevant for early game progression. Personally, I find this system to be nonsensical.
Itās a very tedious experience to continuously have to restart over and over after exploring the map to find no accessible early game nodes. Iām sure there are ways to exploit the game to generate a ton of gold and buy every resource needed to get to T4 butā¦why design a city builder like that? Having no access to early game resource nodes means a massive portion of the buildings and techs are completely useless until after reaching T4 and unlocking deep mines. It feels very poorly thought out and creates a frustrating experience. Why not just have every node start out accessible with limited resources and then have the T4 technology unlock the ability to make a node infinite?
Itās one of those gaming experiences that feels like the devs want the game to be played a very specific way and, as the player, itās just not making sense. Am I really intended to build mines on the other side of the map at the beginning of the game and have to dodge around raider outposts to get to them? Before I can even make soldiers? And wait literal years (in game) for the cart to go back and forth to accumulate a tiny amount of resources? Itās just not clicking for me.
Love the general feel of the game but having to endlessly restart is starting to kill the experience.
I will say the maps generally look very nice though. The terrain generation is pretty decent aside from the occasional lake taking up half the map.
Well, if you need every resources available in a reasonably close proximity you are bound to reroll many times.
You certainly dont need that in order to be able to play.
I agree with OP Iāve always wanted to play on a map that was flat-ish and covered in dense forest, not just patches here and there.
An abundance of trees gives ample logs, but adds difficultly in clearing all of them for the space to build a town. I can see it leading to fun organic layouts. Logs are ridiculously easy to come by from early game on, and are cheap to buy in trade in any biome, so having an abundance of them availible isnāt going to break anything.
The descriptions on the map options, outside of Idealic Valley, clearly say not all resources will be accessible. Your explanation of what you want is reminiscent to me of Command and Conquer or Civ where everything is provided immediately to get a good start. The world works differently as FF is trying to portray. I understand what you are saying, and maybe a āBountiful Startā starting option is something the Devās can consider for people who want something more accessible.
In my experience, Iāve rolled a densely wooded map or two and it really becomes a challenge in the early game to get anything done with so many trees to cut and rocks to mine before anything goes up. Even bounty provides itās challenges.
I agree with many of the posts.
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I spend way too much time getting the initial world generated with a reasonable starting area and resource distribution. Like others have said, itās also frustrating to develop a town over a decade or two only to find that some necessary resource is not present. I realize that some biomes do not contain all resources, but that shouldnāt include core resources needed to build your town.
(Wood, stone, clay, sand, iron. Gold and coal can be generated without resource nodes.) -
The distribution of resources should be evened out. Iāve had builds with overabundance of certain resources and few if any of others. (yes, I know some biomes have missing resources)
Unless specifically excluded by the selected biome, there should be at least a few of every necessary resource, including both normal and deep mines. -
While as a player it would be nice to be able to just improve a normal mine to a deep mine, I think in this case it is āworking as intendedā. If normal mines could be upgraded to deep, then players would just develop the nearest mine and never need to explore and establish added mine sites or remote locations.
Suggestion:
Would it be possible when starting a new game to be able to see the entire map before placing your town? Being able to scout the entire map in detail once generated might alleviate many of the āfalse startsā that can be so frustrating. The ability should include being able to zoom in/out and see everything, including all resources and enemies. The player can then make a more informed decision whether to proceed or re-roll. This could alleviate some of the frustration when starting a new town.