Pathfinding Speculation

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   with the Gathering/Crafting/Trading update on it's way, I want to take a minute and talk about what isn't in that update, and speculate about what Path finding could be... . The below is speculation and hopeful thinking. Feel free to add to it!
Pathfinding is the function for units traveling on the map to find the most effective way to get to their destination. There are two ways to implement it: passive and active. Passive implies that the game will automatically find you the fastest route to your destination. This requires quit a bit of programming, but I think it is the best way for it to get implemented. Active path finding means it is up to each player to find and assign the desired path to their units.  This is easiest to implement, and gives players something to do, but could be met with confusion by many new players. 

Right now all units pass over all land at the same speed. This will change when Pathfinding gets implemented. i predict the following modifications to existing terrain: 

- All units can not pass over deep/ocean water
- All units suffer a 5-20% speed decrease while passing through shallow water, lakes, shores, and other passable water. 
- All units passing over a small hill/forrest suffer a 10% speed decrease while going through the terrain
- All units passing through a large hill/forest suffer a 20% speed decrease
- All units passing over a small mountain suffer a 25% speed decrease
- All units passing over a large mountain suffer a 50% speed decrease

With these changes made, many paths will be modified. Units will be avoiding mountain ranges and passing through water due to the terrain over them. These changes will also isolate the islands, and create river borders between lands. These restrictions give good reason for new sov. structures. Here are my thoughts on what new sov. structures we will see released: 

- walls. All units can not pass over. Can connect to adjoining sov. walls to form an impassable barrier. Walls can be attacked by battering rams. 
- gates. Confederate allies can pass through. Connects to adjoining sov. walls. 
- bridges. connects to adjoining roads/bridges. Can only be build on shore lines and water ways. Allows Confederate allies to pass through. 
- roads. All units gain a +300% movement speed while traversing on a road. Only confederate allies can use a road. Roads connect to adjoining bridges and roads. 
- port. Allows all military and diplomatic units to board a ship to another confederate ally port. The port must have ships available for transport. Ships move at 500% the speed of the units. 

So now we have the ability to build walls on the world map. Gates in the walls to allow our alies through. Roads to greatly increase travel time for allied units. Bridges to get over most rivers and lakes. And ports to navigate the oceans... but wait a minute... ports require ships, where to ships come in at??? 

With Pathfinding, we will also see the first release of ships. Specifically transport ships. 
- Any town with a port can receive other ships, but can only send transports if they have the ships to do so.
- Ships are built with the new building, shipyard. 
- The only ships available at release are cargo ships. 
- Cargo ships can hold 1,000 military/diplomatic/horses/cow units, or 100,000 of any other resource. 
- You can have up to X(maybe 50, or 100?) amount of ships per city. Eventually you'll have to develop a balance between military ships and cargo ships. 
- Cargo ships will automatically be deployed when a confederate ally's troops reach the port. 
- Ships can traverse all connecting water ways and will automatically drop their cargo at the closest friendly port to the destination, and then head back to their home port. 
- The whole transportation process is seamless, so long as they aren't waiting for ships to return to port. 

So. Let's recap. We now have a good reason to find a more efficient path to our destination, since some terrain slows us down, and some is just impassable. Alliances have the option to build their own impassable barriers with walls, or decrease movement times with roads. Friendly ships and friendly ports MUST be used to transport goods across oceans. 

What does this all mean??? Here are some examples of how this functionality could be used: 

- Confederations have a whole new meaning. Alliance can build great road or ship lanes, and charge an escrow to become a confederation and use their roads and ships. 
- Port cities become significant strategic points. Destroy an enemies port, and they can't get access to your island. Want to make friends? Build ports that they can use. 
- Barricade your regional hubs. Surround your alliance's largest cities in a circle of walls with only 1 gate. No enemy diplomats or military units can touch your protected cities unless they break down the wall first. 
- Interstate travel. A well organized alliance can build a massive road traversing through multiple regions, resultiing in the ability to send troops through the regions at speeds way faster than the competition. Out speed your enemies, and charge an escrow for other alliances to use your roads. 

Now this is all great, but unbalanced, and requires alliance and players to HAVE to build bridges and ports just to get across water... So I am speculating that there will be WORLD bridges and WORLD ports that anyone can use... but there's a catch. These WORLD buildings can be occupied by anyon'e military force. And whomever occupies them, can set a TOLL to use the bridge or infrastructure. 

This adds a permanent tournament structures that alliances will be fighting for control over. 