Fog of war with a camera/outpost system.

[HorseWhiskers]

Considering that Kenshi is squad based and rts-like it seems fitting to have fog of war. Also considering that there will be assaults and messengers and such, it seems like having counter measures to fog of war could add complexity and surprise. Here I will list a few ideas I've had.

1. A scout/ranger class that has a broader field of vision and bonus to athletics and maybe dexterity for ranged combat
2. Hidden cameras that can be built across the world. Penalties could be put in against diplomacy if these cameras are put in opposing factions territory, no one likes being spied on. These could also warn of trespassers or bandits or even merchants.
3. Watchpost buildings for isolated outposts. It is hard to build an empire without eyes and ears spread across the land right?

Those are just a few ideas that have come to me. It could add a level of tactical complexity that in turn could make this game have more of that survival feel that it seems to be trying to achieve.

Also I apologize if there has already been a similar post.

[Tolwrath]

Hmm... I'm not so sure about having separate classes. Rather, wouldn't you just train a character's tracking/perception stats?

[HorseWhiskers]

That would be fine too, didn't think of that. I think once the game world has some density this idea would be cool. You would actually have to think about where to send your squad members to make it somewhere safe instead of wandering around and seeing bandits off in the distance. Could work both ways too. That brings in a subtle stealth element too if implemented right I think. How is tracking supposed to work exactly? That may factor in a lot.

[iSuck345]

That would be fine too, didn't think of that. I think once the game world has some density this idea would be cool. You would actually have to think about where to send your squad members to make it somewhere safe instead of wandering around and seeing bandits off in the distance. Could work both ways too. That brings in a subtle stealth element too if implemented right I think. How is tracking supposed to work exactly? That may factor in a lot.

Tracking: technically seeing if the enemies leave any trails. If you find tracks, your tracking skill wold help you detect them AND determine from which creature it is. It may be of a bandit, a warband, a common animal or maybe a really dangerous ones. Scouts could alert you of an enemy army coming towards you after they located some tracks. It could give you also the knowledge where the enemy is and help you avoid him. You can also cover your tracks and if you have a bounty then bounty hunters may attempt to recognize them and hunt you down.