Land, Map Geometry, and Expansion

Hex map model

• Map is a hex grid with immutable coordinates.
• Each tile has a unique seed/hash generated on first registration.
• Tile seeds drive all deterministic properties and resource namespace behavior.

Continuous frontier auction

New tiles are introduced at the edge of current claimed territory.

• Players can place bids on available frontier slots.
• Top bidders acquire ownership, paying a weighted clearing price model.
• We support disconnected frontier claims within a short gap (up to 2 empty slots) so expansion remains possible even through thin corridors.

Tile uniqueness and ownership

A tile can only have one owner at any given time. Owners hold:

• current self-assessed value
• tax stream obligation
• resource production slots
• current occupant entities (if military layer is enabled)

Design risks to avoid

• Over-expansion without maintenance economics
• Edge dead zones that never get reactivated
• Monopolization by a single bidder in one turn

Mitigation:

• recurring taxes tied to tile value and context
• time-based taxes/claims to force turnover
• local trade dependencies to keep space relevant