Hi everyone!

I'm working on building a playable demo of an improved Civilization (video game) style map generator and viewer, and I wanted some feedback from folks who know a little bit about maps and video games.

First off, is our current planetary coordinate system (longitude by latitude by elevation) an ideal one, or is it a system that was created a long time ago and was just embedded enough that we never switched from it to the better systems? If there are better planetary coordinate systems, where could I read up on them?

I would like my Civ-type game to change the look of the world-view as the technology changes, starting off with the kinds of maps that ancient peoples used, and getting map upgrades as new technologies and methods become available. What are your favorite eras of cartography, and / or what map styles would you like to see in that style of video game?

Do any 4x game fans have annoyances with the current Civ-style maps and / or requests for improvements?