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Mongolian/Kazakhstan Highland Steppe

After looking at some maps, besides Uzbekistan, most of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan still looks pretty much like the vanilla map preset seems to be better off. Kyrgyzstan also is very mountainous, so maybe that could make for a nice map. Maybe around a lake would fit there as well, like Yssykköl or Songköl (both lakes located in Kyrgyzstan) to have a nice variety of large mountains and a nice lake. Kyrgyzstan also has some nice rivers.

Just some ideas though - Don't mean to stress you about the map or anything! I'll be looking forward to your future maps!

Super all right then I will create a desert biome map with your specifications.
I'll have a look around to see what's available and use it too
But it might be a while before I've finished the map.

I'm not sure, but I think the temperature is adjusted to the respective biomes and can perhaps be changed in the file, but I don't know enough about that.

Desert biome, from what I've seen, seems too hot and too dry for a steppe map. The eurasian/mongol steppe has a cold climate, I don't know if you can adjust the temperature of a custom map. All the other settings however seem too wet to really be steppes, also...
So maybe something around Gobi/Inner Mongolia or southern Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan/Kyrgyzstan/Tajikistan/Turkmenistan would fit a desert biome setting?

Also, for a populated map - I don't know how willing you are to add workshop assets into your own custom map, but there's a mod on the workshop that adds nomad assets such as yurts, combine that with some of the horse mods out there and you could make some nice looking areas on the map that aren't just regular cities/towns/villages.

Good idea! With this biome settings? Or Desert?

Any chance of you making another steppe-based map? One that's populated, perhaps?

I downloaded so many maps that I wanted to write a short little review of all the ones that I find suitable for playing (if time allows it) to provide myself and others a better idea what to expect... I will share my opinion of what I think is worth playing both functionally and esthetically... I know opinions are subjective so please don't burn me at the stake for my sins.

It a nice looking map with plenty of resources. It is great for naval trade, as the river channels go all over the place. There are plenty of custom houses, although most of them connect to Western borders. It has plenty of space to build, it has a nice view. There is so many ways you can go with this map, the possibilities are limitless.

You are absolutely right, I also agree with you. I exported a height map of Kazakhstan near Mongolia. There are very large lakes there. I changed a few parts. The large body of water to the south is actually a large lake. But you can see it as you want as a lake or sea. Unfortunately I can't create a visual difference.

The thing most special about Central Asia is that there is no ocean in any direction near. It is the place on planet Earth that is most far away from any coast. Why make ocean all around a fictional Central Asian steppe map? If there would be an ocean next to it, it would not be a steppe.

Cool.