We’ve got a pretty good amount of civs right now, I think it’s a great time to expand on some aspects of the game that haven’t been tweaked as much.
What if we had some new map features, to change up how the game is played a bit more? Here’s a few ideas:
Fog: Foggy maps or terrain would have reduced LOS on all units. All units and buildings would have -50% LOS, with a minimum of 2. To make the start a bit less painful, you’d start with a bit more of the map revealed and in fog of war. This game mode would weaken archers quite a bit, since they’d have shorter LOS than range.
Swamp: Swampy maps would have large areas that have capped maximum speed, and are not traversable to siege. Infantry and Archers would move normally, but cavalry would travel more slowly, reducing their effectiveness.
Old Growth Forest: Old Growth would be a much larger, 2x2 tile tree type, that would grow deep inside the woods. They would not be cuttable by siege, and would need to be chopped down by villagers. They would restrict how people move through forests without being as permanent as cliffs. They would include trees like Redwoods, Sequoias, Sitka Spruce, or Eucalyptus.
You could combine all these to make a map called Ancient Lands. It would feature long ‘fingers’ of forest, with Old Growth in the middle, stretching from the edges of the map. In the center is a foggy, swampy mess, with Gold in the dead center.
Water Maps
Water Maps are also somewhat sadly lacking. My opinion is that one of the main flaws of water maps is the fact there’s no terrain features on the water, and you can’t build anything, either, which makes water fights way simpler. There’s loads of possibilities here!
Currents: Currents would be special water types that would slowly drag ships in a certain direction. If they move with the current, they could exceed their maximum speed, while if they move against it, they’ll move much more slowly. There could be different speeds of current, some so fast that ships couldn’t fight past it at all, which could lead to ships being forced into the rocks.
Rocky Shoreline: Rocks would damage ships that collide with them. They should be relatively rare, but a major threat that people would need to watch out for, especially if a current leads into them. On the other hand, you could trap an enemy against them, which could be great for tactics!
Islets: There should be more little outcroppings scattered across the ocean, where towers or castles could be constructed.
Reefs: Sort of like walls for islands, these should provide protection from the water. They wouldn’t damage anything, but they’d offer protection from coastal bombardment.
Whirlpools: A combination of Rocks and Currents, these would pull in from all sides and crush any ships that fall in against the bottom.
Combining all these factors, I imagine a map called Whirlpool. It is two islands, mostly separated from each other by reefs, with one major opening in the middle - but with a massive whirlpool there, too. There should also be smaller openings along the edges to get through, but with islets near them for defensive buildings.