diff -u -r freeciv-old/common/map.h freeciv/common/map.h
--- freeciv-old/common/map.h	Sat Jan 30 12:32:50 1999
+++ freeciv/common/map.h	Sat Feb  6 09:53:31 1999
@@ -170,9 +170,9 @@
 #define MAP_MIN_MOUNTAINS        10
 #define MAP_MAX_MOUNTAINS        100
 
-#define MAP_DEFAULT_HUTS         50
+#define MAP_DEFAULT_HUTS         25
 #define MAP_MIN_HUTS             0
-#define MAP_MAX_HUTS             500
+#define MAP_MAX_HUTS             250
 
 #define MAP_DEFAULT_WIDTH        80
 #define MAP_MIN_WIDTH            40
diff -u -r freeciv-old/server/mapgen.c freeciv/server/mapgen.c
--- freeciv-old/server/mapgen.c	Sat Feb  6 10:31:57 1999
+++ freeciv/server/mapgen.c	Sat Feb  6 10:21:56 1999
@@ -35,7 +35,6 @@
 int *height_map;
 
 int maxval=0;
-int forests=0;
 
 /**************************************************************************
  Just a wrapper function off the height_map, returns the height at x,y
@@ -74,6 +73,7 @@
   int x,y;
   int mount;
   int j;
+
   for (j=0;j<10;j++) {
     mount=0;
     for (y=0;y<map.ysize;y++) 
@@ -129,46 +129,32 @@
 }
 
 /**************************************************************************
-  recursively generate deserts, i use the heights of the map, to make the
-  desert unregulary shaped, diff is the recursion stopper, and will be reduced
-  more if desert wants to grow in the y direction, so we end up with 
-  "wide" deserts. 
-**************************************************************************/
-void make_desert(int x, int y, int height, int diff) 
-{
-  if (abs(full_map(x, y)-height)<diff && map_get_terrain(x, y)==T_GRASSLAND) {
-    map_set_terrain(x, y, T_DESERT);
-    make_desert(x-1,y, height, diff-1);
-    make_desert(x,y-1, height, diff-3);
-    make_desert(x+1,y, height, diff-1);
-    make_desert(x,y+1, height, diff-3);
-  }
-}
-
-/**************************************************************************
   a recursive function that adds forest to the current location and try
   to spread out to the neighbours, it's called from make_forests until
   enough forest has been planted. diff is again the block function.
   if we're close to equator it will with 50% chance generate jungle instead
 **************************************************************************/
-void make_forest(int x, int y, int height, int diff)
+int make_forest(int x, int y, int height, int diff)
 {
+  int forests=0;
+
   if (x==0 || x==map.xsize-1 ||y==0 || y==map.ysize-1)
-    return;
+    return 0;
 
   if (map_get_terrain(x, y)==T_GRASSLAND) {
     if (y>map.ysize*42/100 && y<map.ysize*58/100 && myrand(100)>50)
       map_set_terrain(x, y, T_JUNGLE);
     else 
       map_set_terrain(x, y, T_FOREST);
-      if (abs(full_map(x, y)-height)<diff) {
-	if (myrand(10)>5) make_forest(x-1,y, height, diff-5);
-	if (myrand(10)>5) make_forest(x,y-1, height, diff-5);
-	if (myrand(10)>5) make_forest(x+1,y, height, diff-5);
-	if (myrand(10)>5) make_forest(x,y+1, height, diff-5);
-      }
     forests++;
+    if (abs(full_map(x, y)-height)<diff) {
+      if (myrand(10)>5) forests+=make_forest(x-1,y, height, diff-5);
+      if (myrand(10)>5) forests+=make_forest(x,y-1, height, diff-5);
+      if (myrand(10)>5) forests+=make_forest(x+1,y, height, diff-5);
+      if (myrand(10)>5) forests+=make_forest(x,y+1, height, diff-5);
+    }
   }
+  return forests;
 }
 
 /**************************************************************************
@@ -179,18 +165,20 @@
 {
   int x,y;
   int forestsize=25;
+  int forests=0;
+
   forestsize=(map.xsize*map.ysize*map.forestsize)/1000;
-   do {
+  do {
     x=myrand(map.xsize);
     y=myrand(map.ysize);
     if (map_get_terrain(x, y)==T_GRASSLAND) {
-      make_forest(x,y, full_map(x, y), 25);
+      forests+=make_forest(x,y, full_map(x, y), 25);
     }
     if (myrand(100)>75) {
       y=(myrand(map.ysize*2/10))+map.ysize*4/10;
       x=myrand(map.xsize);
       if (map_get_terrain(x, y)==T_GRASSLAND) {
-	make_forest(x,y, full_map(x, y), 25);
+	forests+=make_forest(x,y, full_map(x, y), 25);
       }
     }
   } while (forests<forestsize);
@@ -204,8 +192,10 @@
 **************************************************************************/
 void make_swamps()
 {
-  int x,y,i;
+  int x,y,i,swampsize;
   int forever=0;
+
+  swampsize=(map.xsize*map.ysize*map.swampsize)/1000;
   for (i=0;i<map.swampsize;) {
     forever++;
     if (forever>1000) return;
@@ -213,19 +203,48 @@
     x=myrand(map.xsize);
     if (map_get_terrain(x, y)==T_GRASSLAND && full_map(x, y)<(maxval*60)/100) {
       map_set_terrain(x, y, T_SWAMP);
-      if (myrand(10)>5 && map_get_terrain(x-1, y)!=T_OCEAN) 
+      i++;
+      if (myrand(10)>5 && map_get_terrain(x-1, y)!=T_OCEAN) {
 	map_set_terrain(x-1,y, T_SWAMP);
-      if (myrand(10)>5 && map_get_terrain(x+1, y)!=T_OCEAN) 
+        i++;
+      }
+      if (myrand(10)>5 && map_get_terrain(x+1, y)!=T_OCEAN) {
 	map_set_terrain(x+1,y, T_SWAMP);
-      if (myrand(10)>5 && map_get_terrain(x, y-1)!=T_OCEAN) 
+        i++;
+      }
+      if (myrand(10)>5 && map_get_terrain(x, y-1)!=T_OCEAN) {
 	map_set_terrain(x,y-1, T_SWAMP);
-      if (myrand(10)>5 && map_get_terrain(x, y+1)!=T_OCEAN) 
+        i++;
+      }
+      if (myrand(10)>5 && map_get_terrain(x, y+1)!=T_OCEAN) {
 	map_set_terrain(x, y+1, T_SWAMP);
-      i++;
+        i++;
+      }
     }
   }
 }
 
+/**************************************************************************
+  recursively generate deserts, i use the heights of the map, to make the
+  desert unregulary shaped, diff is the recursion stopper, and will be reduced
+  more if desert wants to grow in the y direction, so we end up with 
+  "wide" deserts. 
+**************************************************************************/
+int make_desert(int x, int y, int height, int diff) 
+{
+  int deserts=0;
+
+  if (abs(full_map(x, y)-height)<diff && map_get_terrain(x, y)==T_GRASSLAND) {
+    map_set_terrain(x, y, T_DESERT);
+    deserts++;
+    deserts+=make_desert(x-1,y, height, diff-1);
+    deserts+=make_desert(x,y-1, height, diff-3);
+    deserts+=make_desert(x+1,y, height, diff-1);
+    deserts+=make_desert(x,y+1, height, diff-3);
+  }
+  return deserts;
+}
+
 /*************************************************************************
   make_deserts calls make_desert until we have enough deserts actually
   there is no map setting for how many we want, what happends is that
@@ -235,15 +254,14 @@
 void make_deserts()
 {
   int x,y,i,j;
-  i=map.deserts;
+  i=(map.xsize*map.ysize*map.deserts)/1000;
   j=0;
   while (i && j<1000) {
     j++;
     y=myrand(map.ysize/10)+map.ysize*45/100;
     x=myrand(map.xsize);
     if (map_get_terrain(x, y)==T_GRASSLAND) {
-      make_desert(x,y, full_map(x, y), 50);
-      i--;
+      i-=make_desert(x,y, full_map(x, y), 50);
     }
   }
 }
@@ -1498,7 +1516,7 @@
 {
   int x,y,l;
   int count=0;
-  while ((number*map.xsize*map.ysize)/2000 && count++<map.xsize*map.ysize*2) {
+  while ((number*map.xsize*map.ysize)/1000 && count++<map.xsize*map.ysize*2) {
     x=myrand(map.xsize);
     y=myrand(map.ysize);
     l=myrand(6);
diff -u -r freeciv-old/server/stdinhand.c freeciv/server/stdinhand.c
--- freeciv-old/server/stdinhand.c	Sat Feb  6 10:31:57 1999
+++ freeciv/server/stdinhand.c	Sat Feb  6 10:36:09 1999
@@ -125,13 +125,18 @@
   { "landmass", &map.landpercent,
     SSET_MAP_GEN, SSET_TO_CLIENT,
     MAP_MIN_LANDMASS, MAP_MAX_LANDMASS, MAP_DEFAULT_LANDMASS,
-    "Amount of land vs ocean", "" },
+    "Percentage of land squares on the map",
+    "  (Earth has a landmass of roughly 30 percent.) Note, that when landmass\n"
+    "  is set too high, generators 2 and 3 may not work, and fall back to the\n"
+    "  next lower map generator." },
 
   { "mountains", &map.mountains,
     SSET_MAP_GEN, SSET_TO_CLIENT,
     MAP_MIN_MOUNTAINS, MAP_MAX_MOUNTAINS, MAP_DEFAULT_MOUNTAINS,
-    "Amount of hills/mountains",
-    "  Small values give flat maps, higher values give more hills and mountains."},
+    "Amount of hills/mountains in 1/10 percent",
+    "  Small values give flat maps, higher values give more hills and mountains.\n"
+    "  For every 1000 tiles on the map, the generator tries to make at least\n"
+    "  this many into hills or mountains."},
 
   { "rivers", &map.riverlength, 
     SSET_MAP_GEN, SSET_TO_CLIENT,
@@ -141,17 +146,18 @@
   { "forests", &map.forestsize, 
     SSET_MAP_GEN, SSET_TO_CLIENT,
     MAP_MIN_FORESTS, MAP_MAX_FORESTS, MAP_DEFAULT_FORESTS,
-    "Amount of forest squares", "" },
+    "Amount of forest squares in 1/10 percent",
+    "  See mountains. Near the equator, jungle may get generated instead of forest." },
 
   { "swamps", &map.swampsize, 
     SSET_MAP_GEN, SSET_TO_CLIENT,
     MAP_MIN_SWAMPS, MAP_MAX_SWAMPS, MAP_DEFAULT_SWAMPS,
-    "Amount of swamp squares", "" },
+    "Amount of swamp squares in 1/10 percent", "  See mountains." },
     
   { "deserts", &map.deserts, 
     SSET_MAP_GEN, SSET_TO_CLIENT,
     MAP_MIN_DESERTS, MAP_MAX_DESERTS, MAP_DEFAULT_DESERTS,
-    "Amount of desert squares", "" },
+    "Amount of desert squares in 1/10 percent", "  See mountains." },
 
   { "seed", &map.seed, 
     SSET_MAP_GEN, SSET_SERVER_ONLY,
@@ -174,12 +180,16 @@
   { "specials", &map.riches, 
     SSET_MAP_ADD, SSET_TO_CLIENT,
     MAP_MIN_RICHES, MAP_MAX_RICHES, MAP_DEFAULT_RICHES,
-    "Amount of \"special\" resource squares", "" },
+    "Chance of \"special\" resource squares",
+    "  This is roughly the n in 1000 chance for a square to have a \"special\"\n"
+    "  resource like gold, oil, horses, etc." },
 
   { "huts", &map.huts, 
     SSET_MAP_ADD, SSET_TO_CLIENT,
     MAP_MIN_HUTS, MAP_MAX_HUTS, MAP_DEFAULT_HUTS,
-    "Amount of huts (minor tribe villages)", "" },
+    "Amount of huts in 1/10 percent",
+    "  For every 1000 map tiles, about this many huts (minor tribe villages) get\n"
+    "  placed on randomly chosen land tiles." },
 
 /* Options affecting numbers of players and AI players.  These only
  * affect the start of the game and can not be adjusted after that.
@@ -279,7 +289,7 @@
     GAME_MIN_DIPLCOST, GAME_MAX_DIPLCOST, GAME_DEFAULT_DIPLCOST,
     "Penalty when getting tech from treaty",
     "  For each advance you gain from a diplomatic treaty, you lose research\n"
-    "  points equal to this percentage of the cost to research an new advance.\n"
+    "  points equal to this percentage of the cost to research a new advance.\n"
     "  You can end up with negative research points if this is non-zero." },
 
   { "conquercost", &game.conquercost,
@@ -287,7 +297,7 @@
     GAME_MIN_CONQUERCOST, GAME_MAX_CONQUERCOST, GAME_DEFAULT_CONQUERCOST,
     "Penalty when getting tech from conquering",
     "  For each advance you gain by conquering an enemy city, you lose research\n"
-    "  points equal to this percentage of the cost to research an new advance."
+    "  points equal to this percentage of the cost to research a new advance."
     "  You can end up with negative research points if this is non-zero." },
   
   { "freecost", &game.freecost,