makes sense....  i'm not a modder (except for a tiny bit, a while back with the const set in Oblivion).  Having their own 'space' makes it easier to keep from stepping on others toes...  sounds like 'new' patch is not worth restarting the game... is fine by me.

Is there any way to get the Dom3 manual in a e-format (PDF, word, etc.) to read on the PC?  All I can find is the turtotial.  Web search doesn't find anything....

,

... that you joy may be full!   thanks louist..

Actually there is only ONE province between Ghostwes and I.  I liked starting in the corner...  but I also don't want to start out boxed in, either...with GW between me and the rest of the map....  .. perhaps I am misinformed?  Pleas, might a neutral person take a look at the set up, and make sure we all are spread out somewhat evenly?  Appreciated greatly.  BTW, GW, thank you for kind comment. 

You haven't been able to scout yet have you or see dominion candles or province names? How can you know you really are this close? I suspect you have been doing some under the table diplomacy!

no no, you are free to give up whatever information you desire

As you noted, it's not always wise, but it's your call.

Are you sure it's 2 provinces on the map and not just in number?

Anyway, if that's the case I have no issues restarting.  With a different map

Indeed I had one made for an 8 player game which 'should' have starts correctly assigned.

Well, your discussion was fine, I've approached players about trades as well.  We didn't stipulate anything for how communication should be held, so I think it's best to just leave it up to each player to decide how they want to conduct it.

I'm in the shrap chat right now for anyone who want's to pop in there, I made a dotm room even

Restarting is fine, but we'll need to make sure everyone is on board with it, and have wonderloss explain what happened with the map.

http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/showthread.php?t=43144&highlight=land+legends

Is another one, though I've not vetted it for 8 starts.  But it is bigger with 16+ land per player at 8 players.

I only brought up mods because the other guy asked how the best modders could get banned when they were adding to the value of the game. But I agree that nation mods dont mean much. They dont tend to sell games. Banning rude people from the sales forum probably does.And those people now have a forum with no nicety-nice rules so Im sure they are happier also.

Besides, the guy who does CBM wasnt banned. Nor other wildly popular mods such as SingleNation, or Banners,

But no I dont much use Shrapnel forums either for general hanging out. Altho I do like them better than the invision one

That doesnt work as well. The game has terrain preferences for many nations. Sometimes it assigns the only opwn swamp then needs another. Reding the game.log if one was created using -dd would explain what happened. Dom3 really does try to space them apart. Closing off most of the provinces then leaving some open just tends to mess it up. Specially assigning a start works better but its not done in the map editor (like marking nostart can be) its done by editing the .map file.

#specstart 1 123

would assign Early Ermor to start specifically in the province 123

 http://www.dom3minions.com/docs/map_qref.txt

http://www.dom3minions.com/docs/nations.txt

Joe, god of Abysia, is willing to do battle anywhere, anytime, on any map.  If we restart 1,000 times, he will sit in our capital researching the basics of evocation each time without even the slightest sense of deja vu.

So what are we going to do? If their are terrain preferences we don't readily know there is a possibility that this will happen again.

We can try a new map,this one I actually got used to,but if the group wants to have a do-over better now than later.

On a different note we seem to know 2 pretenders that are starting out cozy....

Joe, very funny.. thanks.

About discussions, diplomacy.  After I died in the elementalist game, and before the announcement of this new game, i discussed diplomacy with several people.  They told me the only 'rule' about diplomacy was that you did not come into the game with a pre set alliance.  I agree. I discussed gem trades with several players in our game.  The nation starts give some indication of gems available out of the gate.  I thought it was OK.  After discussing gem trades with Ghostwes, I suggested we consider other areas of possible cooperation... and the location came up.   Perhaps I am too trusting? 

I apologize if I trespassed some diplomacy rule that is commonly understood in the Dom3 MP community but not stated in the manual. 

I am OK with whatever house rules the players wish to adopt.  If the desire of the players is to only allow communication outside the game between players who have met in the game. - I am OK with that.  Please note that the in game message mechanism is just the same as email... so I really don't see a difference, but I will abide by this, and any other house rules that exist.  Please just help me, (and other newbs) to actually know what these house rules are. 

I still prefer a neutral person to view our start up map... and see if it does distribute the startup locations fairly well apart.  No startup is likely to be totally fair, nor even.  However, if most players want to continue on the current map - I will remain amenable to this, as well

- Respectfully requested.

Edit: re: following question re: curre3nt map.  I have no problem with the current map - just a concern about the start up positions.  Whatever the majority wants is fine by me.