A big city is divided by civil war: each quarter is loyal only to his lord.
The environment is made of cluttered buildings and streets; there are also lakes and woods scattered, a public garden and a poor suburb (favelas).
Sneak thru the buildings to reach enemy centers, or bulldoze their whole quarters for fun...
Climate is chosen at random: temperate (40%), tropical (20%), nordic (20%) or desertic (20%).
RECOMMENDED SETTINGS:
- Start at Feudal age, since feudal buildings are provided.
- Map size appropriate to number of players (tiny 2, small 3, medium 4...) or slightly bigger.
The City by Bultro is an interesting Random Map script which take players into a city on the brink of a civil war.
Theme: 5
The theme of this Random Map is that every player's base forms part of one giant city. On the brink of civil war it is up to the player to decide whether to form alliances or conqueror the entire city and become the ruler of the entire city. While there are plenty of Random Map scripts that are set in cities and towns, this one is a completely novel theme which sets every player in the same city. This is something I have not seen before. The Random Map fits its theme well and provides player with a aesthetically pleasing designs and an enjoyable playability factor.
Visual Appeal: 4
The Visual appeal of this scenario is quite decent. Bultro is an experience Random Map Scripter and has used this experience to design a nice random map which creates a busy city with plenty of eye-candy. The city itself is quite realistic. It covers almost the entire map and is busy with plenty of houses and gardens filling up the space. Many other buildings fill in the gaps such as blacksmiths, archery ranges and barracks. Sometimes there will be a lake in the middle of the city and there is always a royal garden full of gold and the slums which is a part on the outskirts of the city full of yurts rather than houses. The use of terrains is good and there is some nice blending of it. Roads are used effectively and connect the city together. There are some times when buildings are put together that don't look quite right and spoil the visuals sometimes. There is also a random chance of getting different styles such as winter, tropical and desert.
Playability: 4
I had mixed feelings about the playability of this file. On one hand its novelty theme creates a unique playing experience which is highly enjoyable. Starting off in a giant city with plenty of buildings allows you to build up soldiers and villager quickly without needing to build additional houses. This needs to happen as your base practically overlaps with the next player. The first to build and attack with certainly have the advantage. On the other hand random layout of the houses can cause some issues with pathfinding and the visual aspects. In one game I discovered that pavilions had blocked my gates and the close quarter of the buildings makes it hard to build farms for food. There is also a lack of resources in your selected bases, especially gold, but more of that can be found in the royal gardens.
Additional Comments:
Overall this is a unique random map which create a unique playing experience.