Before beginning, I know there’s already a topic in the suggestion forum here about exploration but I want to debate here what could be done with the future exploration feature but it’s actually one year old.
After watching the desktop Tuesday on fog of war, I wasn’t alone displeased with the placeholders used in the video to present the concept tied with the fog of war, no hard feels, simply that we all look up to these updates, they are a rich source of information for us the community and we tend to take too seriously these updates.
So, let’s talk here what we would like to see and not see in the exploration feature. I’ll go first.
The ability to explore a new chunk of the map (Yes, the map that is presented to you when you start a new game).
I I believe I won’t be alone to want this as a possibility, I also believe the biomes should stay true to what the map represents, if our chunk (Map square) is a dense forest, make the whole chunk a dense forest. Want to see a desert ? Travel to the desert, that’s it.
Why ? Simple, after a few hours, you’ll have settled in your very first chunk, probably explored it as a whole. Then, for whatever reasons, you want to explore another chunk, am I alone who think that opening your world map, selecting a new land to travel to is exciting ? The complete unknown, probably new resources too !? Maybe we’ll find a sheep or two !
World map
Associated with the concept above, I believe the world map should have a few tools to be armed with. For example the possibility to add markers (Tags, icons etc…) with personal notes.
Scouts/Explorers
I think this could be be a new class merged with the fog of war, a class with a special ability to reveal fog of war from afar and actually keeping that zone on watch with a dedicated command/order. Otherwise, this ability could be added to pretty much any hearthlings since they got eyes too, but not as effective as a scout/explorer.
Why ?
No rocket science really, I mean it makes a lot of sense to scout a place from afar before going there physically, you want to prevent to put your heartlings in danger if possible.
Loot, unique biome resources, dungeons ?
You decide to make a desert civilization, for whatever reasons, you need wood. This gives you a genuine reasons to travel to the closest forest possible to gather wood, or maybe even build a woodcutting camp there for your personal uses later. Biomes should have unique resources only obtainable in these biomes, being motivated to explore is nice and sweet, but sometimes people need reasons beside « Oh cool, a new place » (I’m that person). I suppose the existence of goblin camps, forts or maybe even dungeons to explore with a raid party of heartlings would
make a nice variety of things to discover and look up to. Who says goblin camps and dungeons says « Loot ». Everybody loves loot, including me. To get your hands on a new blueprint or special tool/weapon/cloth/armor would add a lot of spice to the exploration feature in my opinion. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind looting a chicken from a goblin camp that can lay golden eggs.
Encounters ?!
To meet a wandering Geomancer, offering to recruit him after completing a quest or a task. Encounters could be a good method to recruit new heartlings, depending on how difficult to recruit him is, his class/stats could be influenced to higher or lower values. Otherwise, buying food to a passing food caravan for our brand new dungeon raiders.
Commercial routes (Later on maybe)
You know, commercial routes… multiplayer…players… you get it.
Alright I’ll stop here, otherwise i’m gonna fall asleep on my keyboard.
Sincerely yours,
Darkwhip