Help! It's not fun!!

[Saxon]

Another opinion for you. I played only SP for a few years (Dom I, II and III) before stepping into MP. Single player can be a lot of fun, a huge amount of fun, but it is very different than MP. I would argue that MP is more fun, but it has drawbacks. So don�t feel you must play MP. Also, unless you don�t mind getting your butt handed to you on a platter, don�t enter MP until you have a solid understanding of the game. Others will disagree, but I don�t find sink or swim the best learning technique when you don�t know the basics.

Another thought. Despite your preference for large maps, your learning curve will peak faster in some smaller maps. If you are determined to enjoy (which many of us clearly encourage) run a series of two or three fast small maps with different nations. Devote 45 minutes to each. Play and try out new things. Then, when you move on to one of the big maps, you will have a stronger conceptual grasp of what is possible and will get more out of your game. Some folks might blanch at the idea of putting in two hours of �training� but if you really are into big maps, two hours of gaming is nothing to you. The big maps will consume hours�

Finally, I second the advice to boost magic sites to 70 and choose fast research.