Large-Scale Strategic Map Model

Status: fast-review design exploration, May 2, 2026.

This is the readable version. The long raw notes are preserved in:

model-exploration-full-notes.md

Read This First

Non-Negotiable Scale Decision

The target map is not the old 2.5 km2 / 500 m / 60K Location model.

The target map is a fantasy strategic realm map where each Location is a large playable territory, roughly 250-500 km2.

Concrete scale anchor:

Map Layer	Example	Size / Count
Area	Shieldheart Frontier	about 18,900 km2
Province	Järva March	about 2,460 km2
Location	Blackpine March	346 km2
Location	Iron Hill	368 km2
Location	East Gate Trace	393 km2

Core Definitions

Important: Site is not an image label. It is a proposed design term for the concrete named places the images already show as icons, building hosts, camp stops, crossings, or activity targets.

Thing	Plain Meaning	Example	Player Use
Location	Large strategic territory	Blackpine March	Select, govern, scout, defend, develop
Feature	Notable content/opportunity/danger	Old Growth Grove	Discover, investigate, survey, handle
Site / Host Anchor	A Feature or place once it is actionable/buildable	Wardheart Outpost	Visit, secure, build at, camp at
Building	Upgrade attached to a host	Mine Works	Produce, defend, store, heal, improve

Short version:

Location = big territory
Feature = notable content inside it
Site / Host Anchor = actionable/buildable place created from or linked to content
Building = upgrade attached to a host

Example:

Blackpine March is a Location.
Old Growth Grove is a Feature.
Pinewood Camp is a Site / Host Anchor.
Forester Hut is a Building attached to a host.

Where "Site" came from in the images:

Image Pattern	Example In Images	Why It Needs A Design Term
Named map icon inside a Location	Ruined Watchtower, Hidden Spring, Pinewood Camp	The player can point at a concrete place
Building host group	Old North Road has Road Station, Watchtower, Stable Yard	Buildings need a host that is smaller than Location
MC expedition stop	River Ford Camp, Old Road, Shrine, Ore Vein	MC needs places to travel between
Crossing / route node	ford, bridge, road station	Routes need actionable nodes
Developed feature anchor	Iron Hill Ore Vein with Mine Works	A discovered Feature can become a buildable place
Threat anchor	Dungeon Mouth, Ashfall Hollow, Fissure	Threats need exact places to secure/avoid

So: the images do not say "Site". The images show Features, camps, route nodes, outposts, and building hosts. This document uses Site / Host Anchor only for the cases where that content becomes a concrete place the player can travel to, secure, or build at.

Review Index

Use this table to jump straight to the decision you care about.

If You Want To Check...	Read
The scale and object hierarchy	1. Core Scale And Hierarchy
What a 346 km2 Location contains	2. What A Large Location Contains
What Sites/Host Anchors are and how they work	3. Sites / Host Anchors
What Features are and how discovery works	4. Features
Where Buildings attach	5. Buildings And Improvements
What the MC does on the large map	6. MC Side On The Large Map
What belongs on the 3D map vs panels	7. Map Visibility Rules
Why rivers/lakes matter	8. Hydrology And Geography
How taint/fronts/armies use the map	9. Threat, Taint, Armies, Fronts
Data shapes for implementation	10. Output Data Model
Unresolved design calls	11. Open Design Questions

Primary references:

design.md
images/large-scale-target/16-blackpine-close-geography.png
images/large-scale-target/18-jarva-hydrology.png
images/large-scale-target/22-jarva-3d-geography.png
images/large-scale-target/23-jarva-administrative-control.png
images/large-scale-target/24-jarva-war-room-threat-army.png
images/large-scale-target/25-jarva-planning-overlay.png
images/large-scale-target/03-blackpine-large-location-features.png
images/large-scale-target/04-blackpine-large-location-building-groups.png
images/large-scale-target/05-blackpine-feature-hosted-buildings.png
images/large-scale-target/09-iron-hill-economy-resource-features.png

1. Core Scale And Hierarchy

Hierarchy

Realm / Area
  -> Province
    -> Location
      -> contents inside the Location:
         - Features
         - Site / Host Anchors
         - Buildings / Improvements
         - Army / Party / Caravan / Camp markers

Important: this hierarchy is for scale and gameplay drilldown. It is not strict database ownership.

Grand-strategy reading:

Province / Location are the map units.
Features and Site / Host Anchors are contents of a selected Location.
Buildings live in panels under those hosts.
Armies/MC/camps are markers on top of the strategic map.

Implementation should allow:

• a Location to contain many Sites and Features,
• a Feature to become a Site after discovery,
• a Site to host multiple Features,
• a Building to attach to a Core, Site, Feature, District, Route, Outpost, Military Position, Ward, or Leyline Anchor.

Layer Meanings

Layer	Meaning	Target Scale
Realm / Area	Campaign-scale map region	tens of thousands km2
Province	Regional management unit	about 2,000-5,000 km2
Location	Main playable land unit	about 250-500 km2
Feature	Generated notable content	local to Location
Site / Host Anchor	Actionable/buildable place	local inside Location
Building	Abstract upgrade	attached to host
Marker	Moving actor or camp	map position

Design Rule

The player should manage a readable realm:

8-ish Provinces in Shieldheart Frontier.
8-ish Locations in Järva March.
Several known Sites and Features in a selected Location.
Detailed Buildings in panels, not scattered as tiny map models.

2. What A Large Location Contains

Definition

A Location is a large named territory. It is the main strategic land unit. It can contain terrain variety, roads, rivers, Sites, Features, armies, outposts, camps, and hidden content.

It is much larger than the old 2.5 km2 idea.

Blackpine March Reference

Fact	Value
Area	about 346 km2
Province	Järva March
Terrain	mixed forest and hills
Roads	Old North Road, local trails
Water	river/creek branches
Taint	edge pressure
Control	partial
Known Features	7/11 or 8/11
MC travel inside it	hours to days

What A Normal Location Can Contain

Category	What It Means
Terrain identity	forest, hills, marsh, coast, river meadow, upland
Internal terrain patches	ridges, hollows, wetland pockets, clearings
Sites	outposts, camps, crossings, shrines, mines, ruins
Features	resources, threats, corruption, landmarks, clues
Roads/trails	movement, supply, patrols, risk
Rivers/lakes/marshes	water, barriers, crossings, fisheries, corruption
Resource potential	timber, food, ore, stone, coal, herbs, fish
Control state	controlled, partial, contested, wild, enemy-held
Taint/threat state	taint edge, raid risk, unsafe roads, corrupted water
Settlement/outpost/core	if present
Markers	armies, patrols, caravans, MC camp
Knowledge state	hidden, clue, discovered, surveyed, secured
Overlay values	control, taint, shield, threat, route safety

Review Decision

For a rich Location like Blackpine March:

Good target:
  3-8 known or discoverable Sites
  5-12 Feature records
  only 1-4 map icons by default when unselected
  more detail when selected
  full details in panels

3. Sites / Host Anchors

Definition

A Site / Host Anchor is a concrete actionable place inside a Location.

It is not a grand-strategy map tier. It is not equivalent to a Province, County, Barony, state, or tile. It is closer to a point of interest, holding slot, route node, camp, crossing, outpost, or developed Feature inside the selected Location's panel/map detail.

Sites are where the MC travels, camps, investigates, secures, or builds.

The term exists because the images have many named point-like things inside a large Location, but they are not all the same kind of thing. Some are camps, some are route nodes, some are crossings, some are ruins, some are resource anchors, and some are threats. Calling them Sites gives the design one shared word for "place inside a Location".

Examples from the images:

Image Label	Why It Is A Site
Wardheart Outpost	built anchor inside Blackpine March
Old North Road / Old Road Station	route place with route Buildings
Ruined Watchtower	concrete ruin/defense place
Pinewood Camp / River Ford Camp	MC camp place
Shrine Ward	sacred/ward place with Buildings
Ford / Bridge	crossing place on a route
Dungeon Mouth	dangerous entrance place

The image may call something a Feature, route, camp, or outpost. The Site / Host Anchor layer is the design's generic container for the actual place when the player can travel to it, secure it, or attach Buildings to it.

If this word keeps causing confusion, the safer production term may be Host Anchor rather than Site.

Site Lifecycle

potential
  -> clue
  -> discovered
  -> surveyed
  -> secured
  -> developed
  -> maintained / contested / abandoned / corrupted

Site Catalogue

Site Type	Appears In	Map Visible?	Main Actions	Buildings It Can Host	Blockers / Threats	Secured By
Wardheart Outpost	frontier, claimed edge	yes	reinforce, patrol, resupply	Storehouse, Shelter Yard, Palisade	supply gap, taint, raids	garrison, supply, patrols
Old North Road	forest, pass, road corridor	road yes	scout, clear, follow	Road Station, Watchtower, Stable Yard	ambush, broken road	patrols, repairs
Old Road Station	route node	yes when known	rest, supply, guard	Supply Depot, Stable Yard, Messenger Post	isolation, raids	route security
Iron Hill Ore Vein	hills, uplands	after discovery	survey, mine, guard	Mine Works, Timber Supports, Ore Yard	cave-in, demon tracks	survey, guards
Ruined Watchtower	ridge, road, border	after discovery	investigate, reclaim	Watchtower, Signal Fire, Guard Hut	collapse, hostile occupants	clear, repair, staff
Shrine Ward	sacred/taint edge	after known	cleanse, restore, ward	Ward Circle, Chapel, Cleansing Post	corruption, missing relic	ritual, guards
Pinewood Camp	forest/frontier	if active	rest, scout, cache	Shelter, Stockpile, Watch Post	exposure, night attacks	supplies, perimeter
Hidden Spring	forest, ravine, hills	after discovery	test water, mark, cleanse	Spring House, Water Shelter	tainted water, ambush	test, protect
Ashfall Hollow	taint edge	warning/known	observe, contain, cleanse	Seal Outpost, Ward Marker	taint, demon activity	containment
Dungeon Mouth	hills, ruin, mine	after clue/discovery	scout, delve, seal	Guard Post, Seal Gate, Camp	monsters, traps, taint	clear or seal
Ford	river crossing	yes on routes	cross, guard, improve	Patrol Hut, Causeway, Bridge Works	flood, ambush	patrol, markers
Bridge	road/river crossing	yes	repair, defend	Bridge, Gatehouse, Guard House	sabotage, siege	garrison, repair
Dock	lake/coast/river	when useful	ferry, fish, supply	Pier, Boat Shed, Fish Store	storms, raiders	guards, boats
Watch Post	hill, border, road	yes if active	scout, warn, signal	Watchtower, Beacon, Supply Cache	isolation	staff, supply
Farmstead	fertile land	usually selected/panel	farm, clear, protect	Fields, Well, Barn, Granary	raids, flood, taint	patrols, water
Quarry Face	rocky upland	after survey	quarry, stabilize	Quarry Works, Stone Depot	slope collapse	survey, tools
Tainted Shaft	old mine/taint	after clue	seal, cleanse, guard	Seal Outpost, Cleansing Post	taint, demons, runoff	seal/cleanse

Site Rule

Sites are places. They can host Buildings. They can be secured or lost.

4. Features

Definition

A Feature is notable generated content inside a Location.

It can be a resource, danger, clue, ancient thing, travel opportunity, corruption source, sacred anchor, or story object.

Difference Between Terrain, Site, Feature, Building

Type	Example	Meaning
Terrain fact	forest coverage	broad physical condition
Site	Pinewood Camp	concrete place
Feature	Old Growth Grove	notable content
Building	Forester Hut	upgrade attached to host

More examples:

Rocky upland = terrain fact
Iron Hill Ore Vein = Feature
Ore Vein work site = Site after survey/development
Mine Works = Building

Feature Families

Family	Examples	Usually Becomes Site?
Natural Resource	herb meadow, grazing ground, clay bank	sometimes
Water	hidden spring, pond, reed pool	sometimes
Forest	old-growth grove, timber stand	sometimes
Mineral	ore vein, quarry face, coal sink	yes
Travel	ford, bridge ruin, road trace, pass	yes
Shelter	cave, defensible hollow, old camp	sometimes
Ruin	watchtower, standing stones, fortress	yes
Threat	hostile camp, demon lair, ambush site	sometimes after cleared
Corruption	black ash patch, fissure, tainted shaft	sometimes after handled
Landmark	peak, great tree, lake island	sometimes
Nexus / Wardheart / Leyline	dormant nexus, wardheart, leyline node	yes, special
Settlement Opportunity	old town mound, sheltered basin	yes
Story	unique quest/site anchor	depends

Feature Discovery States

State	Player Knows	Map Behavior
hidden	nothing	no icon
clue	partial signal	ambiguous lead
discovered	rough identity	visible in panel, maybe map
surveyed	useful stats/blockers	actionable
secured / handled	blocker resolved	safe/developable
developed	Buildings active	host icon/badge
contested / corrupted / abandoned	regressed	warning

Blackpine Model

Blackpine March can show:

Known Features: 7/11 or 8/11
Unknown Features: hidden or clue-only

This is the desired pattern. The player sees enough to act, but not everything the Location contains.

5. Buildings And Improvements

Rule

Buildings are abstract upgrades attached to hosts. They are not tiny individual models placed across a 346 km2 Location.

Building Hosts

Host Type	Examples
Core Holding	Wardheart Nexus, Great Hall
Settlement Core	town/capital buildings
Site	Shrine Ward, Old Road Station
Feature	Ore Vein, Quarry Face
District	farming, forestry, mining, military
Outpost	Wardheart Outpost, Iron Hill Outpost
Route / Crossing	road, bridge, ford, causeway
Military Position	fort, watch line, siege camp
Ward / Leyline Anchor	Ward Circle, Ritual Circle

Image Examples

Host	Buildings
Wardheart Outpost	Storehouse, Shelter Yard, Palisade
Old North Road	Road Station, Watchtower, Stable Yard, Supply Depot
Iron Hill Ore Vein	Mine Works, Timber Supports, Ore Yard, Smithy, Guard Post
Shrine Ward	Ward Circle, Chapel, Cleansing Post
Iron Hill	Quarry Works, Stone Depot, Survey Camp, Coal Pit, Seal Outpost

Core Buildings

Core Building	Purpose
Wardheart Nexus	claim, shield, founding anchor
Great Hall	authority, assignments
MC Quarters	rest, recovery
Camp Workshop	repairs, expedition prep
Training Yard	training, militia
Infirmary	injury/taint recovery
Storehouse Vault	safe storage
Map Room	route planning, scouting
Ritual Circle	cleansing, leyline work
Forge Seed	tools, weapons, repair
Watch Gate	defense, alerts

Visibility

Put On 3D Map	Put In Panel
host icon	full building list
upgraded badge	workers
warning marker	construction queue
fort/outpost silhouette	inputs/outputs
route/crossing icon	formulas/details

6. MC Side On The Large Map

Core Idea

The MC is a strategic actor moving through large Locations, not a token hopping between tiny cells.

The MC:

• travels between Locations,
• travels inside a large Location,
• sets temporary camps,
• scouts,
• surveys,
• investigates Features,
• clears blockers,
• secures Sites,
• supports construction,
• escorts patrols/armies/caravans,
• responds to threats,
• returns with knowledge.

Expedition Loop

Plan route at Core / Map Room
  -> choose loadout and supplies
  -> travel along route
  -> camp in or near target Location
  -> scout / investigate / survey
  -> secure or handle blocker
  -> return or push deeper
  -> report knowledge back to Core / Outpost

MC Context Matrix

Context	What MC Does	Map Representation
Core Base / Wardheart Capital	rest, train, plan, prepare, recover	MC at core icon
Travelling on route	consumes time/supplies, risks ambush	marker on route segment
Camped in Location	rest, scout, launch local actions	camp Site marker
Investigating Site	focused action at place	MC on Site/Feature
Supporting front	scout, stabilize, deliver orders	attached to army/front
Managing Feature	survey, clear blocker, secure	Feature/Site action
Returning with knowledge	updates map/panels	reports become visible

Concrete Blackpine Actions

Action	Meaning
Scout Old Road	reveal route threats and leads
Investigate Shrine	identify ward/corruption state
Survey Ore Vein	reveal yield, blockers, buildings
Camp at River Ford	establish field base
Contain Fissure	handle corruption/threat source
Clear Old Road	improve route safety
Reclaim Watchtower	improve vision/security

Internal Travel Assumption

Use Site-to-Site and camp-to-Feature travel times.

Do not simulate every meter of a 346 km2 Location.

7. Map Visibility Rules

Show Directly On The 3D Map

Category	Examples
Terrain	hills, forest, marsh, coast, tainted land
Borders	Province border, Location border
Routes	roads, trails, supply lines, planned MC route
Water	rivers, lakes, marshes, floodplains
Crossings	fords, bridges, docks, passes
Core icons	Wardheart Capital, Core Base
Outpost/Fort icons	Wardheart Outpost, Iron Hill Outpost
Major Site icons	Shrine Ward, Ruined Watchtower, Dungeon Mouth
Known Feature icons	ore, ruin, water, threat, corruption
Army markers	patrols, garrisons, enemy hosts
Overlays	control, taint, shield, threat, route safety
Labels	Province, Location, selected Sites

Put In Panels

Panel Detail	Examples
Buildings	full building lists, tiers
Workers	assignments, capacity
Queues	construction, upgrades
Feature details	yields, blockers, survey results
Hidden content	unknown slots, clues
Formulas	exact production/control math
Deep activities	full MC queue, long activity lists
Production chains	ore -> smelting -> tools
Camp details	supplies, loadout, recovery

Zoom Rules

Zoom	Show	Hide
Realm	Provinces, capitals, major rivers, armies, fronts	most Sites, Buildings
Province	Locations, routes, crossings, outposts, armies, overlays	minor Buildings, hidden Features
Selected Location	known Sites, known Features, internal routes, camp/MC	full building detail

8. Hydrology And Geography

Rule

Rivers and lakes are strategic systems, not decoration.

Hydrology Objects

Object	Strategic Use
Major river	boundary, supply, barrier, settlement line
Tributary	internal Location structure, clues, camps
Lake	fish, docks, sacred Sites, defense
Marsh	slow movement, herbs, ambush, corruption
Floodplain	fertility plus flood risk
Ford	shallow crossing, route chokepoint
Bridge	durable crossing, siege/sabotage target
Water quality	camp safety, disease, cleansing, fisheries
Corrupted runoff	taint spread, downstream threat

Järva Hydrology Anchor

The hydrology image implies:

2 river basins
1 major river
7 tributaries
3 lakes
5 fords
mixed water quality
floodplains
fisheries
watermill candidates
corrupted runoff

Gameplay Consequences

Water should affect:

• settlement placement,
• route chokepoints,
• bridge/ford Sites,
• MC camps,
• fisheries,
• mills,
• marsh hazards,
• corrupted runoff,
• taint containment,
• army movement,
• supply lines.

9. Threat, Taint, Armies, Fronts

Map Threat Systems

System	Map Form	Ties To
Taint edge	purple/red border pressure	Locations, water, Features
Gate pressure	source/front arrows	East Gate Trace, fronts
Corrupted water	runoff paths	rivers, marshes, springs
Raid routes	dashed hostile paths	roads, forests, patrol gaps
Unsafe roads	route warning	MC, supply, caravans
Patrol zones	coverage overlay	outposts, watch posts
Supply lines	road/river network	armies, mines, settlements
Garrisons	fixed army markers	forts, outposts, cores
Militia	local defense marker	claimed Locations
Army stacks	moving force marker	routes, fronts
Fronts	contested lines/zones	Locations, chokepoints
Fallback lines	defensive route/line	bridges, forts, wards
Push arrows	planned/offensive direction	roads, passes, weak points
Siege progress	Site/fort state	Buildings, armies
Choke points	crossing/pass marker	fords, bridges, roads

Tie-Back

Object	Threat Role
Location	carries control, threat, taint, front state
Site	anchor for forts, crossings, camps, fissures
Feature	cause/opportunity: lair, fissure, corrupted runoff
Building	response: watchtower, ward, seal outpost
MC	intervention: scout, secure, contain, escort

10. Output Data Model

Keep this conceptual for now. This is enough to guide implementation shape.

Province

Province
  id, name, areaKm2
  polygon, centroid, labelAnchor
  locationIds
  capitalLocationId
  provinceRole
  riverIds, lakeIds, routeIds
  controlSummary
  taintSummary
  threatSummary
  routeSafety
  supplyReach
  armyIds, frontIds
  overlayStates

Location

Location
  id, name, parentProvinceId, areaKm2
  polygon, centroid, labelAnchor
  terrainIdentity
  terrainComposition
  resourcePotentials
  riverIds, lakeIds, crossingSiteIds
  routeIds, neighborLocationIds
  siteIds, featureIds, buildingIds
  controlState, controlPercent
  taintState, taintPressure
  shieldCoverage
  threatLevel
  routeSafety
  patrolCoverage
  campSafety
  discoveryState
  overlayStates

Site

Site
  id, name, parentLocationId
  siteType
  position / footprint
  mapIcon
  discoveryState
  securityState
  developmentState
  routeIds
  riverOrLakeIds
  featureIds
  buildingIds
  blockers
  availableActions

Feature

Feature
  id, name, parentLocationId
  optionalSiteId
  featureFamily, featureType
  discoveryState
  clueText
  knownSummary
  surveyData
  blockers
  actions
  possibleBuildingIds
  currentCondition

Building

Building
  id, name, buildingType
  hostType, hostId
  parentLocationId
  level, state
  constructionProgress
  workersAssigned
  inputNeeds
  outputEffects
  requirements
  blockers
  mapPresentation

Route

Route
  id, name, routeType
  centerline
  locationPath
  endpointSiteIds
  crossingSiteIds
  quality, safety
  supplyCapacity
  patrolCoverage
  blockedBy
  activeThreats

River / Lake

River
  id, name, basinId
  rank, centerline, widthClass
  sourceLocationId, mouthLocationOrLakeId
  crossingSiteIds
  waterQualityBySegment
  corruptionSources

Lake
  id, name, polygon
  shoreLocationIds
  inletRiverIds, outletRiverIds
  islandSiteIds, dockSiteIds
  waterQuality
  fisheryPotential

Army

Army
  id, name, factionId
  strength
  currentLocationId
  currentSiteId / currentRouteId
  order
  routePlan
  destinationId
  eta
  supplyState
  frontId

MC Expedition

MCExpedition
  id, mcEntityId
  state
  currentLocationId
  currentSiteId
  currentRouteId
  campSiteId
  plannedRoute
  loadout
  companions
  campSupplies
  fatigue, injury, taintExposure
  activeActionId
  queuedActionIds
  surveyReportsCarried

Overlay State

OverlayState
  targetType, targetId
  overlayType
  value
  confidence
  visibleToPlayer
  estimated
  lastUpdatedTurn
  source

11. Open Design Questions

Highest Priority

1. How many Features should a rich Location have?
2. How many Site icons can be visible before clutter?
3. Which Building hosts are shown as map icons?
4. How much internal Location travel is simulated?
5. Can one Location have multiple camps/outposts?
6. When does a Feature become a Site?
7. When does a Site become an Outpost?
8. When does an Outpost become a Settlement?

MC / Discovery

1. How does MC discovery change overlays?
2. Does survey knowledge apply instantly or only after returning to Core?
3. How often should MC expeditions be required for development?
4. Can camps be attacked, abandoned, hidden, fortified, or made permanent?
5. Should secured routes allow fast travel or just lower-risk travel?

Taint / Threat

1. How does taint alter Features and Buildings?
2. Can taint spread through hydrology automatically?
3. What happens when a secured Feature becomes contested again?
4. How should front lines interact with Site-scale anchors?
5. Can enemy movement reveal or alter hidden Features?

Buildings / Development

1. How many Building slots should a Site have?
2. Are Feature-hosted Buildings limited by surveyed capacity?
3. Do construction queues live on Location, host, Settlement, or Province?
4. How does a Route/Crossing host Buildings across multiple Locations?
5. Can districts span multiple Locations?

Map / Generator

1. Should a campaign use 90-180 Locations, or scale by realm size?
2. Should water bodies ever be Locations?
3. Should hidden Feature counts be visible?
4. How exact should km2 area numbers be in UI?
5. What is the visual priority when overlays conflict?
6. Should every road-river crossing create a Site?
7. First implementation: static Järva sample, full generator, or hybrid?