Here is yet another wishlist, divided in two parts...
1- Fuzzy map
Currently, you can send explorers very far without having to fear inexact knowledge. On small maps, you can explore pretty much everything in the early game, and you know the terrain you did see once is what you'll find 3000 years later. Fuzzy map is about inaccurate knowledge of the map (you see something that isn't really there) and the ability of loosing that knowledge over time.
- Each tile, instead of the traditionnal "known" boolean, would have a degree of "fuzziness". Fuzziness 0 would mean known, 1 would mean unknown.
- Fuzziness would give the probability for a player to know a tile's real terrain. The terrain as known by a player would be random-picked between adjacent tiles of the same type (units would not see forest where there is sea).
- Each unit type would also have an associated fuzziness. It would be used to compute the fuzziness of newly discovered tiles, using a function like new_fuzziness = old_fuzinness * unit_fuzziness. This means many units would need to see a tile for it to become well-known.
- Map making (and some later techs) would decrease unit fuzziness.
- Fuzziness changes would lead to terrain changes.
- Tile fuzziness could increase over time, but should only reach 1 after a very long time.
- Map making (and other techs or marvels) could decrease the increase of fuzziness, making map knowledge remain longer.
- Field of view could be very accurate (fuzziness ≃ 0) at short distance and less accurate at long distance.
When people discovered seas using triremes or caravels, they didn't know exactly where they were. The first accurate measures of longitude were only allowed by Harrison's watches in the 18th century. This part of my proposal is about units that believe they are somewhere, but are in fact elsewhere. Fuzzy units depend on fuzzy map.
- When you tell an unit to go somewhere, it could silently go elsewhere. The player would see that unit as being where (s)he did ask it to go, but for the server it is elsewhere. Ships would have a big tendency of doing so (because of winds and oceanic currents).
- Magnetism (compass) then Radio (electric beacon) would increase accuracy, Space Flight would make units totally accurate (GPS). Phare could help, too.
- When unit A meets known city or unit B, the following happens:
- Both A and B jump to a mean location. (Well-known tiles/modern units having more weight.)
- Tiles near original positions of A and B would have an increased fuzziness.
- When unit A sees unit B that sees unit C, both three units jump to a mean location.
Louis