events triggered by discovering areas of the map

[marvalis]

I have been thinking about the possibility to turn exploration into a resource.
Would it be possible to code something that happens on discovering (=removing the shroud) part of the map?

For example, the player has a certain percentage chance of receiving a resource for each tiles he discovers (this could be chance based or not, or it can depend on talent level). That resource can then be spend on certain talents. This would put a hard cap on the use of that skill, allowing it to be balanced. I think this kind of resource is best used for support spells, not for burst damage. Players should not be forced to depend on this resource for sustained damage since it will get depleted fast in prolonged fights.

So, for example, lets us suppose the following talent:
Talent name: Summon treant guardian
Description: Summons a giant immobile tree that will take damage for you when you stand next to it. The tree will not attack but can take direct damage just like any other actor.
Costs: 10 seeds

You can find seeds by discovering new tiles (10% chance upon exploring a new tile).

Thoughts? Ideas? Suggestions? Any idea how this could be coded easily?
What would a good name for this resource be?

[Grey]

I don't like it myself - encouraging full exploration of every nook and cranny of the level purely for gamey rewards is bad design in my books.

[edge2054]

I'm somewhat with Grey here but for the sake of discussion...

If something like this was done it should be metered. In other words a number should be randomly placed on the map on random tiles, rather then being percentage based. Percentages mean you can explore every nook and cranny of the map and simply have bad luck.

[bricks]

With a very tightly defined exploration mechanic - tailored level generation, metered monster and item placement - I can see this working for some roguelikes. For ToME I think it's better for there to always be a way to recover resources while in-combat, since the player has little control over when and where monsters are encountered. I think a better alternative would be to tie it to experience gain, say, every 10% of a level gained refreshes the skill. But I still doubt that would be appropriate for ToME.