To Explore is to move through the Tapestry with the intent to discover. It is the primary verb through which an Incarnation expands its knowledge of the world, uncovers resources, and encounters the unknown.

Within ATET, Exploration is not simply the act of revealing a map. It is an act of perception and interpretation. The world is a text, and to explore it is to learn its language—a language of geography, of history, and of symbols.

The Philosophy of Exploration - Beyond the Fog of War

The goal of the Exploration system is to make the act of discovery feel meaningful, personal, and sometimes dangerous. The world is not a static grid of resources waiting to be collected. It is a living environment saturated with history, meaning, and peril.

What an Incarnation finds and, more importantly, understands while exploring is determined by its unique capabilities. Two agents can walk the same path and have radically different experiences. One might see only rocks and trees, while the other sees the ruins of a forgotten civilization and the edible roots growing between its stones.

The Mechanics of Exploration

Exploration is the practical application of an Incarnation’s Attributes and Skills to its environment.

Movement and Discovery

The core loop of exploration involves moving through the world. The act of entering a new, unvisited area triggers several systemic checks:

1. Environmental Hazards: The simulation checks the Incarnation’s resilience against the local environment. An agent with low Constitution might begin taking damage in a toxic swamp, while an agent with the right equipment or innate resistance would be unharmed.
2. Perception Checks: The agent’s Perception Attribute is passively checked against the “discoverability” of hidden elements in the area. A high Perception might reveal:
   • Hidden resource nodes (a rare herb obscured by bushes).
   • Tracks or signs of creature activity.
   • Secret paths or hidden entrances.
   • Subtle environmental details that hint at a deeper story.
3. Memory Formation: Every new location visited, creature sighted, or significant feature discovered creates a new MemoryEntry in the agent’s AgentMemoryStore. This “builds the map” not just geographically, but narratively.

Insight: The Engine of Understanding

What makes exploration truly meaningful is the application of Insight, which is granted by specific Skills. When an agent discovers something new, its relevant Skills are checked to determine how well it understands what it has found.

• An agent discovers an ancient ruin:

  • Low Xeno-Archaeology Skill: The Subjective Interface registers: “Old Stone Building.” The agent forms a simple Belief that this is a ruin.
  • High Xeno-Archaeology Skill: The interface provides a rich, analytical description: “Late Hegemonic Period Outpost. Note the distinctive buttresses, a sign of military construction. The scorch marks on the northern wall suggest a plasma weapon attack.” The agent generates a detailed, high-confidence Belief and multiple new conversation Topics related to the Hegemony and plasma weapons.

• An agent finds a strange creature’s corpse:

  • Low Xenobiology Skill: The UI registers: “Weird Dead Thing.” It might be good for meat, or it might be poisonous. It’s a gamble.
  • High Xenobiology Skill: The UI provides a deduction: “Unidentified Canine Predator. Its enlarged adrenal glands suggest it was a pack hunter capable of short bursts of extreme speed. The meat is likely tough but edible.”

The Goals of Exploration

An agent explores for a reason, driven by its Goals.

• Need-Based Exploration: An agent with a critical SustenanceNeed will explore with the Goal of finding food. Its perception systems will be subconsciously biased towards spotting anything that looks edible.
• Curiosity-Driven Exploration: An agent with a high Intellect or specific personality traits might generate a Goal to simply “See what’s over that hill.” This is the drive of the classic adventurer.
• Quest-Driven Exploration: A Quest might require an agent to find a specific location, person, or object, making exploration a directed and purposeful activity.

The Player’s Experience

For the player, exploration is a core loop of risk, discovery, and interpretation.

• A Subjective Map: The player’s map is not an objective satellite image. It is a diegetic representation of their Incarnation’s memories and knowledge. Areas are filled in as they are visited, and points of interest are labeled with the player’s own interpretations or the insights granted by their skills. An area believed to be dangerous might be shaded in red on the map, a direct reflection of a Belief.
• The Thrill of Insight: The primary reward for leveling up exploration-related skills (Botany, Geology, Insight, etc.) is seeing the world transform. A barren desert becomes a treasure trove of rare crystals and hardy medicinal plants. A confusing ruin becomes a readable story of a past tragedy.
• Narrative Archaeology: Exploration is often the primary way the player uncovers the history of a Tapestry. Faded inscriptions, ghostly psychic echoes (Resonance), and abandoned personal logs all serve as fragments of a larger story, waiting to be discovered and pieced together.

Exploration is the verb that feeds all others. It provides the resources for Craft, the goods for Trade a a, the knowledge for Converse, and the tensions that lead to Conflict. It is the beginning of every story.