Give Prospecting more functionality? i.e. buried treasure!

[Daedalus_Rising]

Hey I'm new here so this may have already been suggested, if so my bad!
I've always believed this game needed just a little more content to flesh it out (understanding it's in beta), but what I mean is sometimes it feels like it's just a little too devoid of goodies. I'm occasionally disappointed to discover a ruins that's barren of any loot/chests whatsoever. I get that not every location needs to have something interesting to find, but I wish there was just a little more.
Enter the prospecting skill: what if the prospecting skill not only analyzed the local environ for resources, but also scanned for buried treasure? Around locations of note that are seemingly barren of anything of interest there could a host of buried stuff. The concept could even be taken further - perhaps the only way to locate an extremely rare resource (i.e. gold) would be to have to prospect/dig for it. There could be a Prospecting skill (there already seems to be one, but I'm not sure what it's based off or how you improve it), as well as a 'quick prospect' button that would only look for treasure/resources but would return less exp.
The main reason I think this could work is amount of effort vs. amount of pay-off. Technically few (if any) graphics would be required to implement this, maybe at most a treasure chest could pop-up out of the ground when discovered, an item graphic or two, and a shoveling animation (which wouldn't be so different from mining).
Thematically, this would also match the game's central concept of a world that's past its prime. I love the idea of ancient fallen societies and exploring mysterious ruins, why not add an extra level of archaeology to that and dig under them as well?

[tHe_silent_H]

Finding negitive things could also add to it, imagine disturbing a spiders nest and having to hightail it out of there(or fight for that sweet combat exp) or ancient spider drones assinged to guard the treasure also appear

[CarnageAce]

I think that would be a fun idea, you could find things that would lead you all over map. Items that could be sold or given to specific characters for cats, map locations all sorts of useful items and if your lucky some relics.

[Chinsei]

Hey I'm new here so this may have already been suggested, if so my bad!
I've always believed this game needed just a little more content to flesh it out (understanding it's in beta), but what I mean is sometimes it feels like it's just a little too devoid of goodies. I'm occasionally disappointed to discover a ruins that's barren of any loot/chests whatsoever. I get that not every location needs to have something interesting to find, but I wish there was just a little more.
Enter the prospecting skill: what if the prospecting skill not only analyzed the local environ for resources, but also scanned for buried treasure? Around locations of note that are seemingly barren of anything of interest there could a host of buried stuff. The concept could even be taken further - perhaps the only way to locate an extremely rare resource (i.e. gold) would be to have to prospect/dig for it. There could be a Prospecting skill (there already seems to be one, but I'm not sure what it's based off or how you improve it), as well as a 'quick prospect' button that would only look for treasure/resources but would return less exp.
The main reason I think this could work is amount of effort vs. amount of pay-off. Technically few (if any) graphics would be required to implement this, maybe at most a treasure chest could pop-up out of the ground when discovered, an item graphic or two, and a shoveling animation (which wouldn't be so different from mining).
Thematically, this would also match the game's central concept of a world that's past its prime. I love the idea of ancient fallen societies and exploring mysterious ruins, why not add an extra level of archaeology to that and dig under them as well?

tis out of place in Kenshi. imo.

[Der Nibelung]

Using Prospect to pan for Gold in river beds, find precious gems in out-crops of rock, a seam of coal... etc etc.
These resources would spawn randomly based on the Prospect skill, terrain, cool down period and distance from each spawn point. Once a resource is found, Prospect will not yield another resource unless many days have passed OR you travel farther than 1000 meters from the last spawn point. They would only yield one or two piece (coal a bit more) and then be depleted.

Gold; Can be used as components for electronics or in jewelry making.
Gems; Along with Gold, be made into jewelry, some cultures valuing some gems over others.
Coal; Can be used as a power source.

[Sol Lignum]

Deadalus, nice idea. Although remember that prospecting ingame doesn't seem to be performed with any kind of tech: as i understand it, character takes a handfull of soil, which, upon a close inspection, may reveal trails of iron\copper\etc. So it's not technical scanning, but rather observation, if i'm correct.

Der, i think you've gone too far into randomness and mmo-style calculations: would be a lot easier to generate treasure spots when the game is first loaded, once and for all, with no additional spots reappearance.

In general, i like the idea of prospecting for some oddities, but it should be implemented the right way.

[swillo]

Actually I think you are all part right. While I'm not a fan of seeing gold just laying around.
Right now we have treasure maps that send us to preset ruin locations. (once you know them you don't need maps any more you just go there.)
What if some of these maps sent us to new more random locations with no ruins in sight (like bandit camps and such are now). Then with your prospecting skill you might see a marker on the prospecting view with a location to dig. The level of your skill will indicate how precise your indicator is. Lower level means your see a general area to dig. and you may have to dig several holes to find it. Higher numbers give you a more targeted area to dig.
Then you can use a right click command to dig at a location and see what pops up. A chest, a sword, cache of ancient knowledge, a jet of hot lava, a note saying "sucker!".
Would add an interesting option to game play. Since these could be randomly generated they would add a lot of variety to treasure hunting. You could even have these maps on bandit leaders who know where they buried their stash.

[Chinsei]

Actually I think you are all part right. While I'm not a fan of seeing gold just laying around.
Right now we have treasure maps that send us to preset ruin locations. (once you know them you don't need maps any more you just go there.)
What if some of these maps sent us to new more random locations with no ruins in sight (like bandit camps and such are now). Then with your prospecting skill you might see a marker on the prospecting view with a location to dig. The level of your skill will indicate how precise your indicator is. Lower level means your see a general area to dig. and you may have to dig several holes to find it. Higher numbers give you a more targeted area to dig.
Then you can use a right click command to dig at a location and see what pops up. A chest, a sword, cache of ancient knowledge, a jet of hot lava, a note saying "sucker!".
Would add an interesting option to game play. Since these could be randomly generated they would add a lot of variety to treasure hunting. You could even have these maps on bandit leaders who know where they buried their stash.

I would rather perhaps

they (if they did something like this) make it so that perhaps there are underground facilities. perhaps with their own threats , and traps.

perhaps big enough to force you to stock up on supplies to fully explore it. perhaps with trip wires an pressure plates you have to avoid(i personally would love to be able to set up traps to spring on people) an you'd have to use your character(s) perception skill to locate them, an then your Stealth/intelligence to attempt to disarm/recover the trap.

having giant under ground complexes i think would be cool especially if you could lay claim to them.

[dEUS]

Actually I think you are all part right. While I'm not a fan of seeing gold just laying around.
Right now we have treasure maps that send us to preset ruin locations. (once you know them you don't need maps any more you just go there.)
What if some of these maps sent us to new more random locations with no ruins in sight (like bandit camps and such are now). Then with your prospecting skill you might see a marker on the prospecting view with a location to dig. The level of your skill will indicate how precise your indicator is. Lower level means your see a general area to dig. and you may have to dig several holes to find it. Higher numbers give you a more targeted area to dig.
Then you can use a right click command to dig at a location and see what pops up. A chest, a sword, cache of ancient knowledge, a jet of hot lava, a note saying "sucker!".
Would add an interesting option to game play. Since these could be randomly generated they would add a lot of variety to treasure hunting. You could even have these maps on bandit leaders who know where they buried their stash.

I would rather perhaps

they (if they did something like this) make it so that perhaps there are underground facilities. perhaps with their own threats , and traps.

perhaps big enough to force you to stock up on supplies to fully explore it. perhaps with trip wires an pressure plates you have to avoid(i personally would love to be able to set up traps to spring on people) an you'd have to use your character(s) perception skill to locate them, an then your Stealth/intelligence to attempt to disarm/recover the trap.

having giant under ground complexes i think would be cool especially if you could lay claim to them.

Treasure maps are pretty useless right now, it would be better If they gave us new random locations,
like some hidden outlaws stack, something buried or some more interesting things, even hidden locations like caves and underground facilities like Chinsei said, filled with things, or not.

Dialogues with NPC and rumours you might hear could add locations like this sometimes.
There is an NPC resting in a bar that you can speak with and he tells you that he's going on an expedition tomorrow at dawn and he's in need of some protection. He ask you to join him for the job.
You can't accept unfortunately. But that kind of "quest" would be great for adding extra random locations that they wouldn't be there If you don't do or find certain things.
I'm also interested on seeing what perception skill is all about.

Prospecting shouldn't be about finding treasures or stuff other than resources.
Finding notes or having to hear or speak with certain NPC to get hints about something is great. It's the idea.
I wouldn't like having the option to dig out every ten steeps to see If I find something buried. Buried chests poping out in front of you? It just doesn't fit Kenshi at all, you know? That would fit in Archaeology profession of World of Warcraft, not in Kenshi in my personal opinion.