yes they are way too small. I am fond of the "Big Huge" maps for Rise of Nations" Lots of room for expansion and places for specials.

Additionally I feel that there are not enough decent places for settling either. almost no 5,x tiles...

They already said this was an issue with memory. They could have bigger maps if they went 64 bit, but then they would have to shove all of the 32 bit players to the side. (Honestly I wish they did make it 64 bit)

You can have bigger maps now via modding, but they take forever to load and the turns get very slow mid to late game. I've made a few 4 times the size of the largest default map. 

I hate agreeing with DLC, but that sounds like a good option. Until the backlash whining starts over 'but you said the game was going to be free' of course. You know people, it WILL happen, sadly. 

Some very good answers.  A few thoughts:

If memory is the limitation, does that mean 64-bit is required?  What about those among us who have 32-bit, but more than 2 GB RAM?  Can the FE engine use that, instead, when generating huge maps?

If the issue is providing maps that not everyone can play--and I know how problematic that would be upon a game's release, still experiencing a version of that with my mods for another game--why not provide these as separate downloads, not in the regular download/box?  Or user mods?  I certainly wouldn't mind testing out a map two or four times the size of the current large one.  It would be nice to see cities reach their final level of development, and tech trees completed.

If this is true--not your information, but that FE utilizes memory in the same way and to the same extent as WoM--it begs the question why much larger maps aren't currently available.

Frankly, I dread the arrival of one-tile-cities.  I just love the way cities work now, the way you can use them to control land, allow fast travel, and the way they envelop resources.  I would say that of the unusual FE mechanics, the large cities are by far my favorite.

I fully expect to hate Beta 4.

Then what is the point of large maps

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

There are more ways that one to make a map 'large'.

- Instead of that linear expansion, the map could develop more in depth.
- Perhaps, change of terrain spells, or changing terrain random events....or quests.
- Maybe an ancient 'ways' (Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time), connecting different points on the map (could be in the form of a quest)?
- Maybe instead of having the map larger, make the zones smaller. Cities have 9 sqs (I believe) minimum between them. Adjust their ability to expand and reduce the sqs to 6 or even 5. Makes for fuller empires.
- Maybe have different technologies or magics that allow you to build floating cities...or flying cities...(wouldn't that be a shame if someone cancelled that spell)

Hopefully Stardock plans to expand this game beyond the linear and into the fantastic!!

Hopefully Stardock doesn't go 1-tile cities. That'll be a step backwards in the 4x community. They just need to figure out how to do expand-cities properly, and I know it's just going to ROCK.

I still don't think that larger maps will use up too much memory. Even some of the most advanced games can run well. I run mount and blade warband with floris pack, with all kinds of enhanced graphics and run battles with 500 or more soldiers on the battlefield, if any of you are familiar with that then you will know what I mean. Does this game really require so much memory> I have 16gb of ram, a nvidia 580, an overclocked i7 920 (to 4ghz) I can't see this game killing my system by having larger maps.

yes those soldiers are all different, what are you talking about>> You have both male and female, tons of different armor types, weapon types, archers, swordsman, men with shields, axes, pikes, all different kinds of armors and colored armors. They also have varying levels so each level of soldier looks different and has a different weapon. They all also have different faces, etc. Plus also different kinds of horses, etc. If you do not know about the game, you shouldn't comment. This is all done in first person or third person. Then you have quests and relations between factions and lords, characters to level up, diplomacy to keep track of, there is so much. To top that all off I am using mods which add even more content and hi definition graphics and tons more quests and ways to interact with the game world, etc.

Also, as I said, I played WOM with super huge maps with no trouble, I understand it may not have had all the different things FE has, but I don't see that being too much of an issue.

_