Fog of war

[Bargeral]

In the promo trailer, the cartoon segment at the end shows some dupes digging into a wall, only to have it erupt with pressured water.  But that's not really a thing in the game and I think it needs to be.

 

Make fog of war boundary at the wall rather than at a depth from the explored areas.

 

I think it would add some real tension and excitement to the game if you didn't know what to expect beyond a wall. It would also drive a more exploratory feel as you'd have to go somewhere instead of just get close. You might dig into a wall and all of a sudden have water or another crisis to deal with. You could mitigate it, but building airlocks in anticipation would be costly and you probably would only defend the core base. Eventually you'd be out at the end of a long tunnel and think, just one more pocket at get soaked. What fun.

 

[Masterpintsman]

That could be fun.

[Xadhoom]

i agree, at least have it as a game options, like a hardcore mode.

but... at the same time it would make it slow and somewhat tedious to build and dig, as you cant make large "batch" orders for like digging or building ladders.

[Masterpintsman]

It could still allow to setup build orders inside the war-fogged area and still not show what is in there to surprise us...

[brummbar7]

There could be a sort of middle ground.  Have a 'fog of war', but have a 'sensor' building, which you can build.  Then the dupes run this sensor for a time, and at the end it reveals an area around it.  Or, it reveals an expanding zone around it, the longer you operate it.

The thing about this mode in general is it'd change the building situation dramatically.   Since flooding your base is a huge disaster, the player would probably be much more prone to dig downward first, than up or even sideways.  It'd be very important to first establish 'flood pits at the bottom of shafts, then when you dig sideways or especially upward, you have a place for the floodwater to go.   This would have the potential to greatly delay milestones such as sleet wheat or geyser obtainment, if the initial downward biomes are not favorable. 

Overall it's an interesting idea, but I'm not that excited about it.