diff -ruN freeciv.orig/common/game.c freeciv/common/game.c
--- freeciv.orig/common/game.c	Thu Jun 15 15:45:26 2000
+++ freeciv/common/game.c	Thu Jun 15 21:31:13 2000
@@ -757,6 +757,7 @@
   game.onsetbarbarian = GAME_DEFAULT_ONSETBARBARIAN;
   game.nbarbarians = 0;
   game.occupychance= GAME_DEFAULT_OCCUPYCHANCE;
+  game.dispersion  = GAME_DEFAULT_DISPERSION;
   game.heating     = 0;
   sz_strlcpy(game.save_name, "civgame");
   game.save_nturns=10;
diff -ruN freeciv.orig/common/game.h freeciv/common/game.h
--- freeciv.orig/common/game.h	Thu Jun 15 15:45:23 2000
+++ freeciv/common/game.h	Thu Jun 15 20:37:19 2000
@@ -47,6 +47,7 @@
   int civstyle;
   int gold;
   int settlers, explorer;
+  int dispersion;
   int tech;
   int skill_level;
   int timeout;
@@ -188,13 +189,17 @@
 #define GAME_MIN_EXPLORER        0
 #define GAME_MAX_EXPLORER        10
 
+#define GAME_DEFAULT_DISPERSION  0
+#define GAME_MIN_DISPERSION      0
+#define GAME_MAX_DISPERSION      10
+
 #define GAME_DEFAULT_TECHLEVEL   3
 #define GAME_MIN_TECHLEVEL       0
 #define GAME_MAX_TECHLEVEL       50
 
 #define GAME_DEFAULT_UNHAPPYSIZE 4
-#define GAME_MIN_UNHAPPYSIZE 1
-#define GAME_MAX_UNHAPPYSIZE 6
+#define GAME_MIN_UNHAPPYSIZE     1
+#define GAME_MAX_UNHAPPYSIZE     6
 
 #define GAME_DEFAULT_END_YEAR    2000
 #define GAME_MIN_END_YEAR        GAME_START_YEAR
diff -ruN freeciv.orig/server/gamehand.c freeciv/server/gamehand.c
--- freeciv.orig/server/gamehand.c	Thu Jun 15 15:45:26 2000
+++ freeciv/server/gamehand.c	Thu Jun 15 22:53:20 2000
@@ -52,7 +52,7 @@
 **************************************************************************/
 void init_new_game(void)
 {
-  int i, j, x, y;
+  int i, j, x, y, dx, dy; /* dx, dy - dispersed {x,y} */
   int start_pos[MAX_NUM_PLAYERS]; /* indices into map.start_positions[] */
   
   if (!map.fixed_start_positions) {
@@ -116,24 +116,35 @@
     y=map.start_positions[start_pos[i]].y;
     /* For scenarios, huts may coincide with player starts;
        remove any such hut: */
-    if(map_get_special(x,y)&S_HUT) {
-      map_clear_special(x,y,S_HUT);
-      freelog(LOG_VERBOSE, "Removed hut on start position for %s",
-	      game.players[i].name);
-    }
-    /* Civ 1 exposes a single square radius of the map to start the game. */
-    /* Civ 2 exposes a "city radius". -AJS */
-    show_area(&game.players[i], x, y, 1);
-    if (game.civstyle==2) {
-      show_area(&game.players[i], x-1, y, 1);
-      show_area(&game.players[i], x+1, y, 1);
-      show_area(&game.players[i], x, y-1, 1);
-      show_area(&game.players[i], x, y+1, 1);
+    for (j=0;j<(game.settlers+game.explorer);j++) {
+    /* There are always some good positions in disperse area.
+       Its center is even warranted to be land */
+      do {
+        dx = x + myrand (2*game.dispersion+1) - game.dispersion;
+        dy = y + myrand (2*game.dispersion+1) - game.dispersion;
+	if (dx<0)         dx += map.xsize;
+	if (dy<0)         dy += map.ysize;
+	if (dx>map.xsize) dx -= map.xsize;
+	if (dy>map.ysize) dy -= map.ysize;
+      } while (map_get_terrain(dx,dy)==T_OCEAN);
+      if (map_get_special(dx,dy)&S_HUT) {
+          map_clear_special(dx,dy,S_HUT);
+          freelog (LOG_VERBOSE, "Removed hut on start position for %s",
+	           game.players[i].name);
+      }
+      
+      /* Civ 1 exposes a single square radius of the map to start the game. */
+      /* Civ 2 exposes a "city radius". -AJS */
+      show_area (&game.players[i], dx, dy, 1);
+      if (game.civstyle==2) {
+        show_area (&game.players[i], dx-1, dy, 1);
+        show_area (&game.players[i], dx+1, dy, 1);
+        show_area (&game.players[i], dx, dy-1, 1);
+        show_area (&game.players[i], dx, dy+1, 1);
+      }
+      create_unit (&game.players[i], dx, dy,
+                   get_role_unit ((j<game.settlers)?F_CITIES:L_EXPLORER,0), 0, 0, -1 );
     }
-    for (j=0;j<game.settlers;j++) 
-      create_unit(&game.players[i], x, y, get_role_unit(F_CITIES,0), 0, 0, -1);
-    for (j=0;j<game.explorer;j++) 
-      create_unit(&game.players[i], x, y, get_role_unit(L_EXPLORER,0), 0, 0, -1);
   }
 }
 
diff -ruN freeciv.orig/server/stdinhand.c freeciv/server/stdinhand.c
--- freeciv.orig/server/stdinhand.c	Thu Jun 15 15:45:26 2000
+++ freeciv/server/stdinhand.c	Thu Jun 15 20:40:01 2000
@@ -268,6 +268,11 @@
     GAME_MIN_EXPLORER, GAME_MAX_EXPLORER, GAME_DEFAULT_EXPLORER,
     N_("Number of initial explorers per player"), "" },
 
+  { "dispersion", &game.dispersion,
+    SSET_GAME_INIT, SSET_TO_CLIENT,
+    GAME_MIN_DISPERSION, GAME_MAX_DISPERSION, GAME_DEFAULT_DISPERSION,
+    N_("Radius of area where initial units are located"), "" },
+
   { "gold", &game.gold,
     SSET_GAME_INIT, SSET_TO_CLIENT,
     GAME_MIN_GOLD, GAME_MAX_GOLD, GAME_DEFAULT_GOLD,