Map exploration

[todofwar]

I was thinking a way to add to the game would be more heavily implemented map exploration. Granted, this would require a few more mechanics implemented to be made better, mainly support for much larger map sizes. I was thinking you don't see the whole map right away, a decently large area but not the whole thing. You could task colonists with exploring new areas but you risk losing them to wild animals or raiders. They could stumble upon things like rare resources, raider camps, trading outposts where you can always sell excess metal and food (make it so you have to actually transport the resources there) and possibly another small settlement that you could raid yourself or be friends with. Exploration would have certain risks, and an ability to carry supplies and set up camp while exploring would need to be implemented as well. Perhaps going to one edge of the map causes a new section to be proceduraly generated. A few things mentioned here could be threads of their own, but what do people think of the exploring part? 

[Galileus]

FoW was mentioned multiple times.

http://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=65.0

[todofwar]

I don't mean fog of war, I mean map exploration. There is a subtle difference, one is there for line of site purposes. You don't get to see what your enemies are up to. I was thinking more you don't know the full extent of your environment right away. I picture fog of war as implying you know there is a mountain over there you just don't know about the muffalo herd next to it. I meant you don't know about the mountain either, it's just a black spot entirely. Once you see it it's permanently visible.

[Galileus]

In other words, you mean fog of war, just not in military sense.

Once again - there is topic about it, it would be good to acknowledge it and find out if you're not just reposting things that were addressed before. And they were. We can argue semantics all day long, but it won't change the fact that there was already an answer from Tynan on that matter.

[todofwar]

I read through that forum before, I saw Tynan's response. I still think my idea is different not just in a semantic way, but we can agree to disagree

[Galileus]

Sooo... you want to add exploration without going through FoW? If you got an idea on how to do it, I'm all for it.

[theSovietConnection]

So, maybe something more like a survey mechanic? You get to see your initial area due to your brief view of it as the escape pods fell (maybe the escape pods had some sort of radar/mapping device that gives you your initial starting zone?) but other areas are essentially blocked off until you survey them, perhaps because your colonists refuse to go there until it's been properly surveyed.

You could set it you have to send out a 3 man group as a surveying team, and they take a set amount of time to survey out a set amount of land. Research advances could shorten the amount of time, and maybe if you were willing to trade food or money for it, you could get map information from people passing through your colony.

[majesty]

you could build defended radar outposts to get to see whats going on around you. it would solve the problem of there only being one settlement and all the raiders come through only one place and just die. it would make it so you have to split up your resources and bandits have to split up to tackle all the places at once. you would also have to micromanage all the little communities that spring up from that. think one or two big main settlements and 5 or 6 outposts that each have one hydroponics area, a small armory, a couple villagers, some turrets, some walls, a solar panel and a couple batteries scattered around the area. ty could get rid of raid notifications altogether and your outposts would be responsible for spotting raids.