Dismiss Notice
This Section is READ ONLY - All Posts Are Archived

Overland Map Changes

Discussion in 'Release 5 Feedback' started by Browncoat Jayson, Apr 23, 2014.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Browncoat Jayson

    Browncoat Jayson Legend of the Hearth

    Messages:
    6,334
    Likes Received:
    14,098
    Trophy Points:
    153
    The changes to the overland map are good, but probably not enough to feel "old school Ultima" to me.

    [​IMG]

    It definitely looks and feels more like a cloth map, which is good. I even like the drawn cities, towns, and villages. However, there are a couple things that are going to throw most of us old-school users.
    1. There is no exploration. Everything is shown on the map, so there is no sense of discovery. I'd prefer if only "major" items are marked on the map until we discover the location of the others. For example, if on the picture above, only Owl's Head was present, we could discover the player towns of Northshire and Righinis, and the caves of Owl's Nest, by zoning into those hexes. If there was a sextent that showed our position, similar to the compass inside a hex, that would be great and it would allow us to tell others about our discovery. Bonus points if it uses runic longitude and latitude, ala U5.

    2. The player-as-a-banner is still bad. I know the plan is to show this in more color, and perhaps allow those of us with heraldry to display that, but I don't want to take the time to make a character look great, and then only see them half the time. Even if this is a paper version of my character, I'd prefer it to a generic Boggle token.

    3. I hope the wilderness is not as "safe" as it is currently. There should be beasties wandering the world; we know there are problems with wolves and undead in the Hidden Vale, but unless we wander into a hex, we don't feel the danger. Random encounters are a must. Drop us into one of the standard hexes in a "danger area" if we run into (or get chased down) by a wandering paper wolves or dragons.
    Just my opinions, of course. Its grown on me since R4, but aim higher!
     
  2. herradam

    herradam Avatar

    Messages:
    392
    Likes Received:
    737
    Trophy Points:
    43
    I honestly wish they would completely do away with the hex system. It isn't immersive or realistic and there is no feeling of exploration. There is no sense of continuity between hexes.

    That I can see mountains or a copse of trees on the horizon but I cannot visit is not only a terrible tease but also very frustrating.

    I wish Portalarium would add a seamless world as a stretch goal.
     
    Fatty, Lyrix, Drystone and 9 others like this.
  3. Margard

    Margard Avatar

    Messages:
    1,595
    Likes Received:
    1,822
    Trophy Points:
    125
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    The isthmus of Podo and Kodo
    Great work on the map - but room for more improvement

    - I wonder if scale of animals would be a problem?
     
  4. mike11

    mike11 Avatar

    Messages:
    1,588
    Likes Received:
    1,562
    Trophy Points:
    113
    Gender:
    Male
    ... I still not sure about this one. I don't know why they didn't start with something more fun and complete to begin with.
    Pretty much nobody I know want's to go to the overland map because it's fun.
     
    Lyrix, Eriador and Lord Baldrith like this.
  5. Margard

    Margard Avatar

    Messages:
    1,595
    Likes Received:
    1,822
    Trophy Points:
    125
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    The isthmus of Podo and Kodo

    Map was not a priority at the time - that may have changed to a degree due to a lot of the feedback ... both constructive and negative/positive
     
  6. Belrindor

    Belrindor Avatar

    Messages:
    153
    Likes Received:
    277
    Trophy Points:
    18
    I like that the map looks like an actual cloth fabric map. The cloth weave, etc. That part is very well done.

    I will reserve judgement on the rest of it until it gets more 'love' in future releases. They already said they didn't do much to it in R5 as they were working on combat. Maybe by R7 we'll get a good view at their vision for the map.
     
    Baron_EKiN, NRaas, tradyblix and 3 others like this.
  7. Lord Andernut

    Lord Andernut Avatar

    Messages:
    3,340
    Likes Received:
    10,087
    Trophy Points:
    165
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    New Britannian Market
    I still am surprised I didn't clue in that the game was a string of instances only connected by overland map.

    I would love if instances later tie into eachother for exploring (ie. loading zones) but you can alternatively travel by overland map if you wish.
     
    Kutas, Kaisa, foobard and 2 others like this.
  8. Dermott

    Dermott Avatar

    Messages:
    761
    Likes Received:
    1,346
    Trophy Points:
    105
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Florida
    I agree with Jayson's points, and would add this to them...

    1. Just like he stated about not showing every landmark, but also allow NPC conversation to have them show up as well.

    2. I also liked the mini character running around over the sliding flag.

    3. Roaming random encounters are a must if the map is dual scale.
     
    Saosis and rune_74 like this.
  9. Margard

    Margard Avatar

    Messages:
    1,595
    Likes Received:
    1,822
    Trophy Points:
    125
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    The isthmus of Podo and Kodo
    Another vote for roaming random encounters
     
    tradyblix likes this.
  10. Eriador

    Eriador Avatar

    Messages:
    2,874
    Likes Received:
    5,154
    Trophy Points:
    165
    Location:
    Here!
    This one was a little better, buy I still preffer the other "normal" one.
     
  11. rune_74

    rune_74 Avatar

    Messages:
    4,786
    Likes Received:
    8,324
    Trophy Points:
    153
    Could someone do me a favour and post a pic of the new map, the one thing is it can't be whatever everyone esle is using to put pics on here....maybe an external site?

    I'm on deployment with the military and cannot view pics on this forum(seems to be the only forum this effects.) My ship is so far behind we are using explorer 8.

    Thanks for anyone cool enough to do this for me.
     
  12. Senash Kasigal

    Senash Kasigal Avatar

    Messages:
    1,202
    Likes Received:
    2,685
    Trophy Points:
    125
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Germany
  13. Gubbles

    Gubbles Avatar

    Messages:
    856
    Likes Received:
    2,199
    Trophy Points:
    105
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Corvus Peak

    Any chance a direct link to the image will work for you?

    https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/8241566/SotA_04-23-14_17-46_1.png
     
    Mata, rune_74 and Margard like this.
  14. rune_74

    rune_74 Avatar

    Messages:
    4,786
    Likes Received:
    8,324
    Trophy Points:
    153
    Thanks very much this one worked:) I really like the look. I said it:) Now, looking at that map I think there are some really cool things to make it more "exploreable" such as not having dungeon on the map until you find them...the only thing on the map should know is:

    A) things you've been told.
    b) within 1 hex of your avatar.
    c) places you have been.

    This would greatly increase the fun of the map.


    Also, the icon for the character can easily be fixed I think by giving players the ability to choose an avatar to represent them and let them customize it.


    I can't see the animations so how are those?
     
    Ahuaeynkgkxs and Nikko like this.
  15. Lesni

    Lesni Avatar

    Messages:
    971
    Likes Received:
    2,153
    Trophy Points:
    105
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Novia
    Probably at 20 milj+ $ mark. They would have to redo pretty much everything. Now our comps will run the scenes, if seamless their server would need to do that just to name one...

    Im fine with the current going on with the map, but also hope more exploration and mayby something else too to do in there (I know its been stated that is only for travel, consider this ones more :) ! )

    Also I would be fine with moving between hexes from exit points to the next. Ofcourse this would kinda need more scenes and mayby locked ones to that specific hex. this could be done over time perhaps?
     
  16. Floors

    Floors Avatar

    Messages:
    4,265
    Likes Received:
    6,621
    Trophy Points:
    165
    Better but not there yet. Night, Random Encounters, discovery of sites, more interaction all have to happen.

    Also, the colors are a bit muted.

    Can't tell me nobody's got a hankering to see a bright blue gate rising up out of some stones :)
     
    Kaisa likes this.
  17. Lord_Darkmoon

    Lord_Darkmoon Avatar

    Messages:
    4,350
    Likes Received:
    14,680
    Trophy Points:
    153
    Still don't like it - you wouldn't have guessed that, would you? ;)

    Even though it looks a bit better as a map the underlying problem still is the same. It still is a paper map and the whole atmosphere of the living overland map we had before R4 is gone. You still move a shield around on a paper map instead of roaming around in a lush world (see my signature). And it is nothing like the old Ultimas. As even in Ultima 1 - 5 you did not walk around on a map as the graphical style of the "scene" view and the overland view was the same with the same trees, the same grass, the same monsters and the same Avatar... this way it looked like a zoomed out version of the world and not a map.

    But the more I look at it, the more I am in favor of an Age of Wonders 3 style representation of the overland map (totally zoomed out it is a paper map, zooming in it becomes a detailed 3D overworld view). This could be the best of both worlds:

    [​IMG]
     
  18. rune_74

    rune_74 Avatar

    Messages:
    4,786
    Likes Received:
    8,324
    Trophy Points:
    153
    To me it looks a lot like the early ultimas and I think with some of the ideas presented in this thread it will be better. I don't think spending the resources to make different scales of the map is all that useful. I would support them adding the ability to mod the map graphics and see what people come up with.

    Staying entrenched in your corner without much give won't make things better.
     
    foobard likes this.
  19. Knight Commander Tyncale

    Knight Commander Tyncale Avatar

    Messages:
    123
    Likes Received:
    237
    Trophy Points:
    18
    So someone slapped a cloth-texture into the background and they added a few windmills? This map would be fine if it was just that, a map, but please do away with having to move your flag across it then: boring even if it only takes 30 seconds. Make it Baldurs gate style with clickable locations. Either that or go full overland map in 3D with exploring, fog of war, encounters etcetera.

    If there is no interaction or mystery or danger, then this map is not even a mini-game: it is an odd timesink of getting from one place to another, that makes no sense.

    I can understand budget issues (both time and money): so go Baldurs Gate, I'd say.
     
  20. Lord_Darkmoon

    Lord_Darkmoon Avatar

    Messages:
    4,350
    Likes Received:
    14,680
    Trophy Points:
    153
    I still hope that they realize that having a true 3D world you can walk around in will add so much to the immersion and atmosphere and bring back a sense of exploration to this game. I cannot accept this new style just for the sake of "carrying on". Now is the time that they can still change it.
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.