A sextant is a navigation instrument that is used to determine the Latitude. It measures the angle between two visible objects such as the Sun and the horizon. For correct measurement it is needed to have clear visibility of the observed objects. In addition to the measured angle the player needs to know the actual time of the day when the measurement was made. Given the situation, the player has only one exact time information: the moment of noon.
The map system will use the local noon time in the calculations, so it is critical to do the measurement during the noon period. The player has 2 options to determine when it is noon time:
The result of the measurement made with the Sextant is most accurate when it is made around noon time.
The principal description of the usage is as simple as it can be: the player needs to rotate the index bar with the upper (index) mirror to the point, when he sees the Sun and the horizon on the same level in the telescope. In the game, the player will need to continuously correct the sextants tilting due to the ocean waves/players breathing (when on raft/land) and simultaneously set the index mirror to correct position.
Not implemented yet: The game allows automatic sextant operation: The system acquires the players latitude automatically based on players experience points when using a sextant. The player will be able to measure the latitude manually more precisely than in automatic mode.
If the measurement turns out to be inaccurate (measuring at a different time other than noon), the player will see on the map a dashed ellipse indicating his possible position. The accuracy of the sextant affects the latitude, so it is the height of the ellipse. The longitude is influenced by the accuracy of the noon moment (when the measurement was made), so it is the width of the ellipse. The ellipse will fade away by time in normal/hard game settings but will stay in easy game settings.
Subsequent measurements of the same spot will override the accuracy information and the size and shape of the ellipse. Please note: the exact position is never in the geometric center of the ellipse, it can be anywhere in the area! When the player measures his position with higher accuracy than a given value (affected by players experience stat with the Sextant usage) the measured spot will be displayed on the exact coordinates on which the system generated it and no ellipse will be displayed.
We differentiate between 3 spot types: Cluster, Tag and Position. Each one has a different meaning.
The island Cluster type spot is the main navigational element of our world map system. It can be named.