Rant about Starting Positions

from GalCiv3 Forums

since I installed the Intrigue upgrade ive noticed that the game starts me right on top of several AI players.  in my recent game, I used a huge, tight galaxy with 6 AI and no minor races.  my start position was a tight group of stars in the northwest quadrant, i'd say maybe 20% of the entire stars were in this one cluster.  by turn 6 I discovered the home  worlds of two of the 6 AI.  so 42% of the races in the galaxy started in the same cluster of maybe 20% of all stars in the galaxy.  by the time I completed my first colony ship, the 4 other habitable planets in this little cluster were already claimed by the AI.

 

seems the start positions balancing is way off.  its almost like the game placing the recommended 15 AI players for a huge map and then deleting AI from furthest to the player first, until it reaches the prescribed number of AI chosen in the setup screen.

29,319 views 8 replies
Reply #1 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I think that the map needs to be evenly spaced out.  most likely the next game you play wouldn't be as bad considering randomization could't keep doing the same thing.

Reply #2 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Noticed this do since i like to play large maps with only a dozen or so players. Ends up half the galaxy is empty and AI is just on top of eachother. Takes around a half dozen restarts to get a map that is at least even.

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Reply #3 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

I've been seeing this a lot as well, as of a couple updates ago.  

Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top

its not just my last game that I saw this in. its been every game since I installed the Intrigue upgrade.

Reply #5 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

For the life of me i cannot seem to find what defines this in the xml. All the places it could/should be i either am missing it or its somewhere else.

 

Does anyone know what file this setting is in?

 

Reply #6 from Stardock.net Forums Top

Yep, my friend and I have been seeing this regularly with 3.04.  We like to play coop (team 1) vs AI (no assigned teams) and invariably one of us is nicely located with available planets nearby and the other is located surrounded by the AI players and no available planets. :(

pat----

Reply #7 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Quoting goxwerd, reply 5

For the life of me i cannot seem to find what defines this in the xml. All the places it could/should be i either am missing it or its somewhere else.

 

Does anyone know what file this setting is in?

 
End of goxwerd's quote

GalCiv3MapDefs

Look for...

<PlayerStartSpacingWideMod></PlayerStartSpacingWideMod>

<PlayerStartSpacingNarrowMod></PlayerStartSpacingNarrowMod>

Reply #8 from GalCiv3 Forums Top

Yeah. Generally need about a 100 turns to even begin to fend off warmongering AIs, including the 50 turns where no one declares war on you bonus. Best games I've played, I made it to about turn 100 before I met up with other AIs and had saved the 50 benefit to use. Gave me a fighting chance to fend off their massive wave attacks and then crank up the war machine to push them back and seize a few of their systems.

luceo non uro