Scouting is one of those initial actions you take at the start of a game.
There is three maybe four functions of scouting that occurs at the start of the game:
1. Scouting for Ruins
2. Scouting to see what your opponent is doing
3. Scouting for 2nd city placement
4. Scouting for rares
When I first started playing RoN my initial response to scouting was to make a ever-widening circle pattern to scout. My hope was that I would grab some ruins close by quickly and also get to see where I should build my next city. Currently I have more of a go to the nearest corner and then move towards the enemy.
I believe there is quite a bit of room for improvement on my initial scouting. The list above shows my current priority in what functions I value in the initial scouting.
As you all know by now, I don't answer questions so much as ask old or new questions with a different tint on them.
Let us assume for the questions below that you are not going to rush, you are not looking to perform and all out border push, you are not looking to perform very large amounts of raiding as quickly as possible. For the questions below assume you will do a standard build with small variations as needed. Nothing extreme. Even if you see your enemy build 2 wonders before classical you will not jump on them with an army.
1. Is the current list of functions of scouting I have complete?
2. Is the priority of these functions correct?
3. Is the use of villagers to scout economical?
4. Is there a pattern of scouting that you believe will net more ruins than others when on a random land map?
5. Are there set patterns to where ruins are located based on map type (i.e. do you do a circle pattern on old world but in the med you zig zag, or is it more specific than this?)?
6. Assuming you place your second city badly because of poor scouting doesn't it still hold a certain amount of strategic value (as in most forward position) so how large of a loss is that?
7. Is there a set time to cut-off ruin gathering and just focus on scouting the enemy? When is it?
8. Is searching your opponents side of the map first a good strat?
9. How many ruins are needed to recomp getting sci2 right out of the gate?
10. How many ruins are needed to find to justify building an early barrack and second scout?
11. Is the benefit of any rare worth putting off scouting your opponent? If so, what rare?
Ahh, gotta hit the office X-mas party or I would attempt to write down a few more questions or maybe even answer one or two of the ones above.
Have fun out there,
WhiskeyPete