The Map

The Imperial Cartographers' Guild pressed the untamed chaos of the endless sea into a bureaucratically rigid system that every admiral today accepts as absolute reality.

TL;DR: The world is divided into oceans, grids and islands.

- Coordinates follow the format Ocean:Grid:Island

- Distances determine the travel time of your fleets

- The watchtower extends your vision on the map

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The Coordinate System #

Every island in Kampfinsel has a unique address consisting of three numbers:

`` Ocean : Grid : Island 13 : 4 : 17 ``

• Ocean -- The largest unit. Oceans are separated by enormous maelstroms and reef barriers. Travel between oceans takes correspondingly long.
• Grid -- Each ocean contains several grids. They form the middle navigation layer.
• Island -- Each grid contains a fixed number of islands. Your island is one of these rocks.

Oceans and Grids #

Oceans form a macro grid. New oceans are activated dynamically as existing ones fill up. Within an ocean, islands lie relatively close together -- trips to neighbors in the same grid are short.

Between different oceans, however, hours can pass. Your location therefore carries strategic significance: those who settle near alliance partners can help and trade more quickly.

Distances and Travel Time #

Fleet travel time depends directly on distance:

• Islands in the same grid: short routes
• Islands in different grids of the same ocean: medium distance
• Islands in different oceans: long journeys

The farther the target, the longer your fleet is en route -- and the more vulnerable your home island is in the meantime. Sail research reduces travel time significantly.

Watchtower and Visibility #

Without a watchtower your vision on the map is severely limited. Each watchtower level extends the area in which you can detect enemy fleets:

• Low -- You see only what happens right off your coast
• Medium -- You detect fleets approaching your grid
• High -- You have a wide view across the ocean and can react early

The watchtower also extends the recall range for your own fleets -- a fraction of your line of sight, growing as the tower levels up.

Looking further — exploring distant oceans #

Your own map only shows the ocean where your active island sits. To know what lies beyond your maelstroms, you need more than a watchtower — you need the knowledge of the Cartographers.

With the Cartography research (in the trade research tree), an ocean selector appears on your map. You can use it to choose a distant ocean and catch a first glimpse — exactly what you see depends on how far you have researched Cartography.

The fog of distance #

Distant oceans are not fully visible. Each day the fog lifts over a different section of the remote ocean — the same section for every player at the same time. What lies clear today will be shrouded again tomorrow. Only those who check regularly build a full picture — and those who share what they see with their alliance gain an edge.

The selector without research #

Even without Cartography research, the selector appears on your map — but distant oceans are locked. You can see that there is something to discover; the key is in the research.

The Cartographers' Guild and the growth of the world #

When a new row of oceans opens, the Imperial Cartographers' Guild has fresh charts printed. Kampfinsel grows outward, not inward -- new waters are added, old islands are not renamed.

But the Guild keeps a watchful eye on abandoned settlements. Ruins of old empires still occupy space on existing maps, yet no longer count as truly "inhabited". Their walls stand, their harbours are empty.

As long as those old realms remain unclaimed, the Guild hesitates to draw new seas. Younger captains are invited to take up what was left behind before the Guild ventures into the uncharted. Even when an ocean looks nominally full but holds only a handful of truly empty coordinates, the Guild steps in and opens new waters before crowding sets in.

Eligible captains see this with their own eyes: for those still among the rising tiers of the rankings, the Guild marks conquerable Old Empire Ruins directly on the map — even in distant oceans, and regardless of how far their own cartography reaches. The marker pierces the fog of the far seas: an old empire waiting for a new ruler stays hidden from no eligible eye.

Every such expansion is announced by the Guild's herald in the news feed.

Quick Actions on the Map #

Clicking an empty slot in your visibility range opens the island window with a direct "Colonize" button. The button takes you straight to the fleet page with target and mission preselected -- you only need to assemble your fleet and send it.

On the map you can spy on a foreign island with a single click -- a spy ship sets sail at once, without the detour through the fleet wizard.

Strategy #

• Know your neighbors -- Check early who has settled near you
• Alliance proximity -- Choose an alliance with members in your ocean
• Prioritize the watchtower -- Early warning is the best protection
• Factor in distances -- Always calculate travel time before launching an attack