For me it would be a random single star huge map. I don't like multi-star maps because it takes too long get around.

Hi!

Last week I used my own map: single star, ~140 planets, at least 2/3 of them habitable, 4 teams of 2 players, all AI unfair researchers, me Advent.

Reason for such a big map: I wanted to give AI enough "room" to develop good tech before we'd start serious wars. Reason for teams: AIs don't surrender, if their team mate is stil alive.

When I ended playing after almost 10 hours of game time (more of real time, game was so slow it likely took 2-3 seconds of real time for one game second), I held ~70% of the map, but then I quit, because only one AI (and it's ally without planets) of the opposite teams remained active.

I had quite a good time with that game. Had barely managed to keep my Advent ally alive. His start was exceptionally unlucky: he started as a direct neighbour of a Vasari's HW on one side, and with a single branch of 4 habitable planets (and 3 un-habitable), before he ran into the other neighbour, without a single line to the planets-rich core. He lost all starting colonies before I literarily "crushed" through a human AI to cripple his Vasari AI neighbour.

BR,  Iztok

There is one thing. It might be by design or otherwise, and I dont know if it's the case on any size map, but it always seems that every planetary systems created, they always are split in half with only 2 point to cross over to the other side with the sun and pirate base the only connection through, I would have found interesting a more open planetary system. No example comes to mind, but se4 maps or something like that, I mean in terms of connections between the planets (stars for se4).

Anyway, this game just rocks, just waiting for paypal to receive my deposit for the expansion.

30 Galaxies 30000 planets, an insane amount of pirates to kill

By the end of it, I was like wow... you can't even see the end of the list of planets that has income much less plus the trade port amounts also

Ya for my map I played 8 hours a day for like 3 weeks at least to complete it

Hey look, the Milky Way! The Vasari should be running from the center of the galaxy any minute now....

Hi!

I used the map designer that comes with the game. I had to play quite a bit with its settings to get a grip of what does what. Could save some time if I'd read the manual first (you know, the un-famous RTFM ).

Anyaway, the map def is saved in the Galaxy folder as an editable text file, I've used that to change starting planet's cluster settings for another game. I've put them amids other planets in the solar system (not on the very edge), and made sure each player "starts" with an asteroid, an ice and a volcanic planet.

BR,  Iztok