Maybe a crazy idea, but couldn't you include those unused tiles in a random map generator? Random - Sandbox - Dungeon or Random - Sandbox - Tim the Enchanter or somesuch. Does that make any sense? Then it does help with the filthy lucre idea. Put on the box "Includes 18 trillion maps!"
I agree we should be able to see the behind the curtain mechanics and numbers of "why", but that it should be in the manual or somewhere deep in the game. I usually just jump into a game and play for a while until I get a feel for the structure of a game. Then I RTFM and figure out why things happen the way they do. So a bit of fun first, with a fair amount of getting hammered at the game, then research. I also want a game that is not necessarily for the masses of twitch gam