Arabia map is ridiculously overrated and doesn't show the best strategic skills

I get why Arabia map is popular. It's because it's "fair" when it comes to resources and starting positions of players and some people think that by eliminating any possible starting advantage due to "luck" allows the most skilled players to win.

The problem however is that in reality it just creates a comfort zone where you already know what you're going to get. Everything is just too predictable. You don't need to study the terrain. Not only that but because the map is so widely played all the strategies for this map have already been studied and scientifically analyzed and calculated. We already know which civs work the best and how to play with them. This eliminates innovative thinking and just narrows everything down to who can execute an already existing strategy better.

Historically, there has never been a battle or a war where both sides would start from an exactly same starting point. Someone always had an advantage and the great leaders with the best strategic skills were those who knew how to adapt to all kinds of circumstances.

Arabia map has little to do with how the actual wars were fought. Aggressive early rushing has also never been some cornerstone of military conflicts. The Carthaginians didn't rush to Rome when Rome was just a town center with few villagers, it took a genious like Hannibal to figures something unique and overcome the natural defense of the Alps that the "lucky" Romans had.

For me, the essence of AOE2 has always been that it's inspired by history and how the historic conflicts were fought. I think there are many other maps in AOE2 that are much more better suited for this and which require much more out of the box thinking and strategic talent. Also, those maps make better use of all of the 31 civs and explore all kinds of possibilities in the game. It's a shame that we have such a great and diverse game and yet most people just want Huns in Arabia.

One of the maps that I really like is Bohemia. It's a nomad-style map with a varied terrain. You have no idea where your enemies are and it forces you to think of strategies on the spot. It resembles a real medieval conflict much more. You have to use every inch of terrain for your advantage. It allows both defensive and aggressive strategies depending on how the map placement of TCs turns out and it forces you to make fast decisions. It even allows certain naval strategies. Any civilization can work on it against any other civilization.

Sure, luck does play some part in it, but I think if you played a map like Bohemia with someone like 30 times it would be the best possible test of overall skills and the superior more adaptable quicker thinking player would come on top. It would show who is the more well rounded strategist.