Hey everyone!
We have made a lot of progress this past week, especially on fixing various bugs, but I want to bring this back to talking about maps once more, as I just finished (finally!) the map mechanics (colours and icons still subject to change ;) ).
When I last talked about the maps (in weekly update 37), I mentioned that you would not be able to see the map until you build the Military HQ. However, John and I decided to change this system slightly, since the Military HQ should be more of a late game building that enables you to command your military more efficiently.
As a result, we have decided to move the map into the Port to start with. This means that you will start off with a map (unrevealed, of course), where you will be able to check your progress in discovering the island, check where that chest or ore vein you saw 20 minutes ago was, etc. Once you have the means to create a cartographer’s hut (final name pending), you will be able to send your scouts out to help you complete the map, and will be able to see their progress whenever you check the Port.
Finally, the Military HQ will provide you with a second map (showing the same discoveries), as well as the ability to select your military units from the map, and send them to locations anywhere on the map as well. This will mean that, as you have more Barracks and soldiers toward the end of the game, you will be able to take more of a macro-perspective on ongoing battles, sending your units in the areas where they are most needed in the moment, rather than commanding them with more precision at the front lines (though that is of course still possible).
Let me give you some examples of how this may work: for one, you could be setting up the larger scale deployments of troops from your Military HQ and getting your logistics and support in place for a campaign, after which you move to the front lines to take advantage of the set-up and to overcome a particular challenge. Alternatively, you could be taking advantage of the upcoming specialisations, focusing on the home base to organise a steady (and hopefully increasing) supply of ammo and food to your ally who is commanding at the front lines, where they could be asking you to deploy troops onto the hills or ledges where they will be most effective - We will be fascinated to see how this develops and how our players choose to use the strategic maps, but of course we will need to strike the right balance to make sure just sending troops in from the HQ will lead to a less effective (and potentially disastrous) outcome than seeing the specifics of the fight on the ground.
We hope that with this change, we give players a more rewarding early exploration experience, while maintaining a very distinct benefit and progression to building the Military HQ later. Of course, our testing in the coming weeks may lead to some additional tweaks, but we think this is a good way of handling exploration and its benefits across the length of the game. As always, let us know what you think!
Until next week!