When diving into the strategic depths of Civilization 6, tweaking your map settings can dramatically reshape your gameplay experience. Using the map search feature, I’ve embarked on a journey to understand how different settings can tweak the fabric of your world. Though my analysis is based on a handful of tests and lacks deep algorithmic insight, it sheds light on how temperature, rainfall, world age, and sea level settings can sculpt your Civ 6 adventures.
Temperature: Crafting the World’s Climate
Starting with temperature settings, the choice between hot and cold can significantly alter your landscape. Cold settings tend to favor tundra and snow, reducing desert tiles drastically—expect a tundra tile increase up to 250% and a desert reduction by up to 90%. On the flip side, hot settings dial up the desert expanses, while slashing tundra and snow tiles by 40-70%. It’s fascinating how temperature can so directly influence the terrain, affecting everything from flood plains to natural wonders.
Rainfall: Forests and Marshes Galore
Next, rainfall settings come into play, dictating the presence of woods, rainforests, and marsh tiles. Arid settings tend to thin out these features, while wet settings do the exact opposite, boosting marshes and forests significantly. Surprisingly, more rainfall doesn’t necessarily mean more rainforests than woods—a revelation that intrigued me. It opens up unique opportunities for civilizations like the Lady of the Reeds to thrive in wet and cold climates.
World Age: Shaping the Terrain
World Age affects the distribution of hills, mountains, and volcanoes. New World settings can increase hill tiles by up to 75% but have a mixed effect on mountains, sometimes even reducing their number contrary to expectations. However, it significantly boosts volcanic activity. Old World settings, conversely, tend to flatten hills and surprisingly, might increase mountain tiles, challenging common perceptions.
Sea Level: The Land-Water Balance
Lastly, adjusting the sea level modifies the land-water tile ratio in subtle but impactful ways. High sea levels slightly shrink landmasses by 7-12%, while low sea levels expand them by a similar margin. The most intriguing observation here is how non-Pangea maps like continents can undergo a complete overhaul with sea level adjustments, often looking entirely different from their original seed.
Conclusion
Tinkering with map settings in Civ 6 is more than just a pre-game ritual; it’s a strategic decision that can define your path to victory. Whether you’re maneuvering through a cold, tundra-rich landscape or navigating the arid expanses of a desert-dominated map, understanding these settings can give you the edge in crafting a world that aligns with your strategic ambitions. For those seeking to fine-tune their gameplay experience or challenge themselves in new terrains, mastering map settings is key.
