Great Lakes
Great Lakes sits between Saguenay to the north, Great Plains to the west, Carolina to the south and New England to the east. Its large lake changes shoreline access and can affect crossings, fishing and travel between bases.
Map character
Scout the generated shoreline to learn whether the lake is open to fishing, whether units can cross and where the safe land route runs. Water access can differ between layouts, so locate a Dock site and nearby Hunts and mines before committing workers or ships.
What to scout
Compare a lake economy with the inland resources that actually spawned. Protect a Dock or fleet from land approaches leading to the shore, and avoid sending the whole army around the lake without checking the opposite bank. Use the lake as an opportunity only when access can be defended.
Scout the shoreline before investing in water
The lake can affect crossings, fishing, and the distance between bases, but access differs by generated layout. Locate safe Hunts and mines, check whether a Dock can reach useful water, and identify the land route that keeps reinforcements connected. Do not commit workers or ships until the actual shoreline is revealed.
Use the lake only when the generated water is accessible
The large lake can affect shoreline, crossings, and travel between neighboring map regions. Scout whether it is open to fishing and where land routes cross before investing in a Dock or ships. Check nearby Hunts and mines as well; an isolated water economy may be difficult to protect if the opponent controls the shoreline.
Shoreline access shapes the route
The large lake changes how armies and workers reach the opposite shoreline. A crossing that is safe for land units may still expose gatherers to attacks from the bank, while a Dock or fishing plan depends on the actual water access in the generated map. Scout the coast before committing to ships, then keep land reinforcements close enough to protect a landing or a forward Trading Post. The map’s neighboring regions are New England, Carolina, Saguenay and Great Plains.