28-02-2003 21:45									#1
	Auto-explore Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

This game rocks. I esp. liked the kind of auto-settle thing. I thought this could be applied to exploration as well i.e. over time you see a little bit more of your surroundings. This would model for the kind of info aquired from travellers, traders, explorers etc. It could also model finding overseas land ala colombus. This would be a more real model as many of the great explorers did it off their own backs, i.e. weren't government controlled (though often government sponsored). Sorry if i'm bringing up something thats already been suggested.

	01-03-2003 07:35									#2
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Hi demipomme, glad to hear you're getting into Clash! We've had some of these ideas already, and just have yet to implement them. But I've got to admit I never thought of having whole continents auto-discovered . And it can happen based on simple government investment (Like Spain and Columbus) which would help reduce exploration MM quite a bit. Thanks for the suggestion! What do others think?

	01-03-2003 19:36									#3
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I think that reaching out in the unknown is something I want to manage, but indeed maybe giving general directions (inland exploration / coastal exploration / ocean faring) and funding them would be enough rather than sail a boat towards unknown seas.
I am not sure it would be practical, but it could be worth coding it to see if it is fun, and then deciding whether to keep it or not, but it looks like a good idea.

	03-03-2003 03:08									#4
	auto colonisation Increase Your PM Length

To further the columbus idea, when explorers found new lands they claimed it for their country. Settlers then went to this land from their mother country off their own backs i.e. their own ships etc. but with permission from their government. This could also be applied to setting up new provences on the same continent.

	04-03-2003 05:09									#5
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Sounds good to me demipomme, at least worth testing to see if people like it or not. Of course it will be quite some time before we get down the implementation list to this idea!

Any other feedback on the good and bad of Demo 7, and what you think is most important to do next? If so please put comments in the D7 thread up top on the forum page.

	06-03-2003 14:53									#6
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I certainly support auto-exploration. Anything that reduces unit pushing is good. The locations of borders and large cities of other civilizations, in particular, should have a large change of being discovered.

Of course, we already have a limited type of "auto" exploration, where you give a unit a big mapping path that lasts 20 turns or so.

	07-03-2003 08:06									#7
	Increase the size of your Attachments

This makes a lot of sense to me... instead of the frustration of plinking galleys into the dark blob, we could watch our investments in expeditions really pay off... and the time it takes (would this be military turns or the 1 year turns) for the exploreres to get there and back could be modled, so that one year we see nothing, the next a vast stretch of an even vaster unknown land... much more exciting, I think.

	07-03-2003 15:46									#8
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Trade is very important considering exploration. Trade routes used by your own people should be revealed. Trade routes used by your trading partners or to and from your cities should be revealed slowly. Famous cities should have their mapsquare revealed, but not the surrounding land: you know Chengdu exists and its general direction, but not the surrounding lands, nor how to get there (ŕ la: this is silk from the famous eastern city of Chengdu. Merchant is gaped at with awe). The same goes for the holy land of a civ: the crusaders know where Jerusalem lies, but not how to get there: they have to discover that on the way.

	09-03-2003 04:32									#9
	Put an end to popups!

This may be difficult to do, but imo its the best way.

You tell a group of explorers a direction to head, give them X amount of supplies and a time table you want them to head back home.

Then until, and IF, they return you learn nothing. Since they're exploring they won't set up any diplomatic functions with other civs than just saying, "hi we exist, and who are you?"

	16-08-2003 11:47									#10
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I'd like to uncover the map, or get some spies set which let the player (or ai) see part of the map, automatically.
This is for the ai to do its job correctly, but since I don't want to code something to micromanage it, I want something high level, which the player can use too.
We could have an exploration menu somewhere, with the following items:
-Exploration: Used to reveal black areas of the map, or update areas where new things appear (like resources, cities...)
-Spying: Used to remove the fog of war. This would be fought by counterespionage in other civ, particularly in times of war.

Both could be targeted towards several kinds of areas:
-Target civ territory (only works if you know some of it - should be faster than other means, since people in a civ usually know where their neighbours are)
-Near own territory (expanding in circles in all directions)
-In a direction (N,NW,W,SW,S,SE,E,NE)
-Land/sea priority: Whether to explore mainly on land or on sea.

	16-08-2003 21:57									#11
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Hey Laurent, that sounds fine by me. You can just do it how it seems easiest for you to set up. Then we can see how we like your general approach, and whether it's good for the long run.

	03-09-2003 00:01									#12
	Increase the size of your Attachments

quote: Originally posted by LDiCesare I'd like to uncover the map, or get some spies set which let the player (or ai) see part of the map, automatically. This is for the ai to do its job correctly, but since I don't want to code something to micromanage it, I want something high level, which the player can use too. We could have an exploration menu somewhere, with the following items: -Exploration: Used to reveal black areas of the map, or update areas where new things appear (like resources, cities...) -Spying: Used to remove the fog of war. This would be fought by counterespionage in other civ, particularly in times of war. Both could be targeted towards several kinds of areas: -Target civ territory (only works if you know some of it - should be faster than other means, since people in a civ usually know where their neighbours are) -Near own territory (expanding in circles in all directions) -In a direction (N,NW,W,SW,S,SE,E,NE) -Land/sea priority: Whether to explore mainly on land or on sea.

Question: If a massive change in landmass (and there are many...some even within human history (mostly volcanic) occurs will the map be updated automatically before satelitie survelance?

Also...fog of war should only apply for active surveylance...except on bordering areas.

	05-09-2003 23:57									#13
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quote: Question: If a massive change in landmass (and there are many...some even within human history (mostly volcanic) occurs will the map be updated automatically before satelitie survelance?

Areas which are in the fog of war shouldn't. I'd just have to add some data in the MapView each civilization has to record the last seen square.