MegaZurg wrote: ↑16 August 2025, 12:31
Could you add me to alpha testers or some kind of wait list to join alpha. Would be glad to help.
I can still add testers, but they would need to find the phrase I mentioned in a post on page 40 and PM it to me.
SilentNSly wrote: ↑16 August 2025, 07:45
Is there a way to see all the pre-made maps for different player counts? I am wondering if any might be slightly unbalanced.
I was playing on pre-made map C and felt that having two 3-resource planets two hexes away from my home system might be slightly advantageous.
You may want to create a suggestion about this in the bug report system so players can discuss and vote on it. Just be sure to mention the player count in the suggestion title, because "map C" is different for 3 players compared to 4 players etc. A/B/C is just used for convenience to separate the 3 premade maps for every player count and combination. The hyperlane 4-player maps are also likely different from the non-hyperlane 4-player maps.
In case you do create a suggestion, I wanted to give some general context for anyone who is interested. Map balancing is a bit complex.
- I have made a few change(s) to premade maps for (hopefully) better balance, but there are so many factors, it may be impossible to fully make something fair.
- Even if a map were "perfectly" balanced, one risk is that it could grow boring over time. Map building and map import are supported to hopefully help with this.
- In your example, 3-resource planets help all factions, but there may be more factors depending on the situation. Just as examples, Mentak or L1z1x might LOVE a yellow tech planet in their slice, even more than high resources. Other factions might not care. Muaat might be very interested in a supernova near their home, while other factions might view that as a negative. A faction might start with a 5/0 home planet, but no influence, so they want influence to help get command tokens.
- In general, the premade maps on BGA were examples in the rules, and/or inspired by generated slices or maps. However, this approach for map building may not always produce completely balanced slices for everyone, see above. Of course, this is also why some people like Milty draft because they can draft a slice...etc. etc.
- TI4 is a game where balance is ultimately enforced by players. In a 3-player map someone might manage a 1v2 with an especially good starting setup, but with more players, it can be VERY hard to win if other players identify you as a threat too early. So, map unbalance may even be a normal part of the game. "I had bad luck with my starting slice, can you cut me some slack while I catch up?" "Hacan has a really good starting slice. We need to keep them in check early or they will run away with the game." etc.
IN CONCLUSION: There are so many factors, so many personalities, and so many preferences on how to play, that there will probably never be a perfect map layout. If something is especially good or bad it can be considered for an adjustment, though, and that is where creating a suggestion is a good idea.
Really hyped to play TI4 on BGA even if it is just base game. Pass and play will make games so much more doable with having young kids. 