How do you explore?

[general_kill]

I was just wondering how every choose to explore with their first warrior(s). Do you go out in all directions to find other civs or do you explore in a general pattern to explore your proximity for future settlement sites?

 

[T-Money]

I explore in outward circles.

 

[Llhweiir]

It depends...

If it seems as if the terrain is aproximately equal in every direction around me I explore in outwards circles.

However, if it seems as if I only have snow or desert in one or more directions I send out warriors or scouts in a straight line in the opposite direction in order to find better terrain.

 

[general_kill]

I explore in outward circles.

me two! The way each tile is shaped, you can get to any destination u get to moving diagnally by moving vertically and then horizontally in the same number of move. You can definitely explore almost twice as much by moving only vertically and horizontally.

 

[~Corsair#01~]

I just send them out on a drunken zigzag pattern based on which areas look most interesting.

 

[Kalach]

My boats just follow the coast, but go over to other lands if they can get to them.
And my warriors try to get all the tiles they can see as they go, going for mountains when i see them.

 

[citizen001]

it seems to me that automate explore with archers, scouts and even warriors is the best option, that is until i start getting explorers and start trading world maps.

 

[Kalach]

Never used the automated explore yet, how do your automated units go about their exploring?

 

[Globo]

I don't think you can auto-explore which would be stupid anyway. At the exploration stage of the game I got enough time and energy to manually move the exploring units and I'm pretty sure I'm better at it then a randomly generated pattern by the program itself ..... hmm unless they are automated to walk right up to the next invisible resource/luxury but that would take the fun out of it completely.

 

[citizen001]

automated explore gives you all the goody huts at the beginning and you use it by selecting a unit and pressing the 'e' button on the keyboard.

@Globo: im not sure why you would bother spending all that energy doing it yourself, unless you're really dedicated.

 

[majk-iii]

I just send warriors/scouts in all four directions and then i get up on the hills and mountains when i see them. Of course two boats that follow the coastline as far as possible and then send them on suicidemissions where it looks like they could find a passage.

 

[RFHolloway]

My first explorer goes straight out in the most promising direction looking for contacts - if he reaches the coast he will follow that round - still looking for contacts. My second will usually be looking for a good second city site first, and then will cover the other directions not covered by the first. The third will usually scout around for the next couple of cities before coming back for MP duty. If I am coastal I will try to get a boat in the water as soon as possible, simply because they are faster.

All units move N, E, W or S in preference to NE, NW,SE,SW wherever possible because they will travel further (this is particularly noticable with ships)

 

[WarLust]

I have 2 (warriors, archers, spearmen, scouts) auto explore so they can pop goody huts without my control, but I have 1 that I manually control looking around my area in a circle pattern.

 

[Kronis]

I generally explore in outward-expanding circles, though I use spearmen in case a horde pops out of a hut.

With ocean-ready vessels, I generally go in a straight line until I hit another continent, then triangle back.

 

[huh?]

My first warrior heads out looking for the coast, then he will follow the coast.

My second warrior will spiral out from the capitol to open up some space for my settlers.

My third warrior usually heads out the opposite direction from my first warrior.

For my ships, I will manually control them until I get the outline of all the land masses. After that I will put them on auto to open up all the map, since I hate the covered spaces.

 

[Tomoyo]

I send my first warrior (or scout) directly toward the equator.

I send my second warrior (or scout) east or west.

I send my next... anywhere

 

[denyd]

I agree with Magk-iii: I try to get my warriors to the high ground to see as much as possible with each move. For scouts I try to get two moves every turn ending on a hill/mountain/woods with the second move. For galleys I move to sea and back each turn to try to find a easy passage to other islands/continents. Curraghs just hug the coast all the way around. I try to send one each direction and if seafaring might build a third to send on a suicide run looking for distant contacts.

 

[Alexsy]

i second (or is that third?) what denyd and magk are saying: i find hills and mountains, and follow them in whichever direction they go. it isn't just to expose more land than ordinarily possible: i've found that where there are hills and mountains, there are somewhere rivers, and where there are rivers, there is good settlement terrain, maybe even luxuries.

 

[The Omega]

I just tell my warrior to go wherever I feel like I want it to go at the moment (which is probably why it takes me so long to find other civs).

 

[AdamNott]

I explore in the sites less explored (If my capital is in the east, I explore in the west). Try it.