- Pick one goal, not three.
- Use landmarks before depth.
- Set a hard return rule before the run starts.
Workbench
Choose the trip shape before you leave base.
This planner turns a vague route idea into a clearer first map page, a safer stop rule, and the next guide worth opening.
Best fit
Use this workbench when the destination sounds reasonable, but the route still feels unsafe, too long, or too unclear to trust.
Route workbench
Pick the goal, name the pressure, and get the next route plan.
Route help
What this planner should decide for you.
Use the planner to narrow one route question before you leave base. It is most useful when a trip feels possible, but the return path, danger pressure, or target choice is still fuzzy.
- Trying to solve route, materials, and base problems on the same trip.
- Leaving without a clear turn-back point.
- Going deeper before the route feels repeatable.
- Open Map if the route itself is still the blocker.
- Open Resources if the route is fine and the real problem is farming value.
- Open Dangerous zones if fear or creature pressure is the main stop.
Route depth
What the route planner should decide before the trip starts.
Route pages are strongest when they name the goal, the pressure, and the turn-back rule before the player leaves. That keeps the route from turning into a lucky guess that only works once.
- Choose one destination and one return rule.
- Use landmarks before depth when the path is still unfamiliar.
- Stop the trip once the route has already taught you enough.
- Solving route, materials, and base questions in one outing.
- Going deeper before the loop is repeatable.
- Picking an interesting route when the useful route is obvious.
- Open Map for route lines and danger edges.
- Open Dangerous zones when threat pressure is the blocker.
- Open Resources when the route is fine and the real question is farming value.
Route timing
What to do when the route is the only thing still unclear.
This planner is most useful when the destination already makes sense but the trip shape does not. Use it to decide whether to move now, wait for a cleaner landmark, or switch to a different page before the run turns messy.
| If the problem is... | Use this rule | Open next |
|---|---|---|
| One risky trip | Set one turn-back point before leaving base. | Map |
| Unclear destination | Use landmarks before depth or distance. | Interactive Map |
| Reward not worth the trip | Switch to materials or resources instead of forcing the route. | Resources |
Route go / no-go
Only leave when the route passes a simple three-part check.
If any one part fails, the route is not ready yet. The planner should make that failure obvious so the player does not force a trip that will waste time or resources.
- Goal is named.
- Landmark is visible.
- Return point is fixed.
- You are still guessing the destination.
- You cannot explain the way back.
- The route only looks good because the target is rare.
- Interactive Map when landmarks are the real blocker.
- Materials Center when the trip is only about farming value.
- Creatures Center when threat pressure is the bigger issue.
Route fallback
What to do when the route is not the best use of the next trip.
Some trips look like route problems but are really material, base, or creature problems. The planner should redirect those cases fast so the player does not waste a run on the wrong kind of answer.
Use materials
The route is fine but the real issue is batch value.
Use base planning
The path is fine but the bigger blocker is home friction.
Use danger reads
The route is possible, but threat pressure is the real stop.
Low-value guardrail
A route is complete only when the return is planned before the reward.
Route pages become thin when they only say where to go. This planner should answer why the route is worth taking, what landmark keeps it readable, where the danger edge starts, and what signal sends the player home before the trip turns into a loss.
| Route proof | Question to answer | Leave for... |
|---|---|---|
| Goal proof | What exact material, scan, or unlock pays for this trip? | Resources if the payoff is not named. |
| Landmark proof | Which visible cue gets you back without guessing? | Map if the path is still fuzzy. |
| Pressure proof | What makes the route unsafe: oxygen, depth, creature, or inventory? | Creatures or Vehicles. |
| Return proof | What ends the trip even if the reward is nearby? | Turn-back rules. |
If all four proofs are clear, the route is ready. If one proof is missing, the next page should solve that missing proof instead of sending the player through another general route article.
Planner acceptance test
Do not start the route until the exit is easier to say than the target.
A route is ready when the player can explain the exit path faster than the reward. That means the return landmark, danger edge, and bank point are already known before leaving base. If the only clear detail is the reward, the route is still a guess dressed up as a plan.
This page should stop there. Once the route proof is complete, the next useful content is the exact material, creature, base, or vehicle page that owns the remaining blocker.
That clear stop point keeps route planning from becoming another map index.