WOW. This is a post I can sink my teeth into!
Broadly speaking, I'd say that 30km is a bit far to have straits. I'd like only much narrower straits than that, unless there's a gameplay reason to include them.
Cleanthes said:
Indonesian Island straits:
Malacca Strait, Jehor to Jambi province in the game (Malayan peninsula to Sumatra).
Width of strait = 15.6 kilometers and swimmable to fit athletes.
Although this one would only really matter in the mods, I think it's worth including.
Cleanthes said:
Bali Strait, Surabaja to Bali in the game.
Width of strait = 3.7 kilometers and swimmable by me, probably.
Obviously, it should be in.
Cleanthes said:
Sape Strait, Flores to Bali in the game
Width of strait = 14.8 kilometers
Seems reasonable to include it.
Cleanthes said:
Ombai Strait, Flores to Timor in the game.
Width of strait = 29.6 kilometers
That's a bit far in my book.
Cleanthes said:
Manipa Strait, Buru to Ceram in the game.
Width of strait = 22.2 kilometers
Doesn't make much difference, but I'd say no.
Cleanthes said:
Philippine Island straits:
Surigao Strait, Samar to Mindanao in the game
Width of strait = 27.8 kilometers
Seems too wide for me, although it would be nice in the mods... so maybe yes.
Cleanthes said:
San Bernardino Strait, Mindoro to Samar in the game (Luzon Island to Samar Island)
Width of strait = 3 kilometers
Gotta include that.
Cleanthes said:
Elsewhere in the Pacific:
Tsugaru Strait, Ezochi to Tohoku in the game (Honchu to Hokaido in Japan)
Width of strait = 18.5 kilometers
No, for gameplay reasons. Ezichi was quite isolated from the rest of Japan during most of this period.
Let me take this moment to include an obvious point that I've brought up in the bug report forum -
Kyushu/Kansai should be a strait, not a land connection.
Cleanthes said:
Hainan Strait, Hainan to Guangdong in the game
Width of strait = 24.1 kilometers
It's probably too far, although I'd perhaps include it just to give China a break.
Cleanthes said:
Cook Strait, Timaru to Taranaki in the game (North to South Island, NZ)
Width of strait = 22.2 kilometers
A bit far for my taste, not that it matters either way.
Cleanthes said:
Dampier Strait, Wewak to Raboul in the game (New Guinea to New Britain)
Width of strait = 24.1 kilometers
See above.
Cleanthes said:
Isla San Estaban Strait, Empalma to Ensenada in the game (Sonora to Baja via the islands forming the Sea of Cortez)
Width of strait = 12 kilometers
eh... seems sketchy. I have no good reason why.
Cleanthes said:
Atlantic Straits:
Strait of Belle Isle, Gander to Belle Isle in the game (Newfoundland to mainland Canada)
Width of strait = 16.7 kilometers
How easy is it to cross that on a raft? I'm inclined to guess it wouldn't be easy. Do you have any historical background here?
Cleanthes said:
Strait of Canso, Nova Scotia to Isle Royale in the game (The Canso causeway, nowadays)
Width of strait = 1.5 kilometers
Obviously should be in.
Cleanthes said:
Dominica Pass, Dominica to Guadaloupe in the game, I guess, although in reality, Dominca is in between Guadaloupe and Martinique so it would be ever so much better if provinces 148 and 149 switched names. In any case, these islands have the least separation in the Lesser Antilles:
Width of strait = 29.6 kilometers
Just leave them as independent islands, if you ask me.
Cleanthes said:
Aruba Pass, Curacao to Tocuvo in the game (Curacao to the mainland)
Width of strait = 27.8 kilometers
A bit wide for my taste. Totally changes the nature of the province, too.
Cleanthes said:
Strait of Magellan, Magallanes to Tierra del Fuego in the game
Width of strait = 2.5 kilometers
I suppose that's gotta be in, although the currents are notoriously treacherous there, right?
Cleanthes said:
Mediterranean Straits:
Corfu Channel, Corphu to Albania in the game
Width of strait = 5.6 kilometers
Good for gameplay, I think.
Cleanthes said:
Strait of Bonifacio, Corsica to Sardinia
Width of strait = 11.1 kilometers
I think it should be in, although the two islands were never owned by the same power since... gosh... the Romans? Is there any history of attacks across the gap?
Cleanthes said:
Rhodes Channel, Rhodes to Antalya in the game
Width of strait = 16 kilometers
I think it shouldn't be in, for gameplay reasons.
Cleanthes said:
Kithera Strait, Crete to Morea in the game (Crete to Kythira Island, separated from the mainland by the narrow -5km- Porthmos strait)
Width of strait = 7.4 kilometers
if this is in, you HAVE to make sea province 1008 border Morea. This has always bothered me, by the way: if you own Morea, you can't stay in friendly waters while sailing around it.
Cleanthes said:
Indian Ocean Straits:
Bab el Mandeb, Aden to Issas in the game (southern Arabia to Africa)
Width of strait = 16.7 kilometers
I like it.
Cleanthes said:
Palk Strait, Colombo province to Madurai in the game (Sri Lanka to India).
Width of strait = 5.5 kilometers and easily swimmable by anyone in good condition.
Gotta be in.
Cleanthes said:
Zanzibar Channel, Zanzibar to Tanga in the game
Width of strait = 31.5 kilometers
No way, I say.
Cleanthes said:
Gulf of Bahrain, Bahrein to Damman (nowadays the King Fahd causeway)
Width of strait = 9.6 kilometers
I like it.
Cleanthes said:
Okay then, this is as complete as I could make it - this is every strait narrower than the Dover Strait that matters in game terms. I've probably overlooked an obvious place though, so please I'd like to see corrections to this list.
The only ones that come to mind (which may or may not qualify) are:
- What's the distance from Kamchatka to the Aelutians? Just curious... I know that there's 7 ocean squares in the game. Which is completely absurd, by the way.
- the aformentioned Kyushu/Kansai, which is about one kilometer wide at the narrowest, I think. It should be an "invisible strait" like Venice currently is in the latest patch.
- Straits of Hormouz?
- The "Nile" province and the "Sinai" provinces could be strait-connected so that you don't need to go through Egypt.
- What's the distance on the Hawaiian Islands? Probably too far.
Great job putting that together.
:wacko:
